Should The Borealis return in the next potential Half-Life game? Be sure to share, comment, like or dislike to please the algorithm gods ☺ Subscribe for more Half-Life content!

@CrispierHalo

2 жыл бұрын

kind of has to bc of episode 2s ending i just wonder if well get the hla ending with eli or the ep 2 one with alyx

@CrispierHalo

2 жыл бұрын

@Denis nice glad it is changes it up a little

@drlostcause4427

2 жыл бұрын

Yesss and also they better be putting some cave Johnson’s pre recorded messages. Kind of wanna listen this man speak shit about the process of making borealis

@denifnaf5874

2 жыл бұрын

Quarter life 2.5

@chewy99.

2 жыл бұрын

Perhaps. I think it probably should, but many many things would be different with Alyx’s disappearance and being taken by the g man, and the main focus should really be trying to get her back with Eli.

I like the idea of Gordon returning to the Black Mesa tram, keeping his memories of the combibe and being able to stop the experiment. It really hammers home the idea of how impossibly powerful the combine are, that the only way humanity could beat them is to never encounter them at all.

@Top10AnimeBetrayals

2 жыл бұрын

Jesus. That's a dark idea

@Crustle1

2 жыл бұрын

Or Gordon deciding to let the resonance cascase happen again, and again because it was such an epic journey!

@FlorianEagox

2 жыл бұрын

@@Crustle1 Gordon: "I need to perfect my run!"

@FlorianEagox

2 жыл бұрын

I sort of don't. We already know Black Mesa was visiting Xen before the cascade (the observation equipment on Xen, the cages with creatures, etc), why would they have reason to belive Gordon, or, if they did, who's to say they wouldn't do again later on or some other research facility wouldn't stumble upon it. Kleiner seemed like he knew exactly what could happen if the experiment went wrong especially since he was concerned that they were running at 110% or whatever it was, and Black Mesa admins very well could've known exactly what they were doing. It also saddens me to know what would happen to the Vortigaunt comrades and the world the Nihilanth was trying to save.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

One of the best comments I've read today.

Alyx: "Dammit Judith, we're gonna kamikaze this ship into the Combine's homeworld and destroy them!" Judith: "No we should study it!" Gordon: "..." Alyx: *Shoots Judith* "Gordon, we've got to honor my father's dying wish, we're gonna sacrifice ourselves to stop the Combine and destroy the ship!" Gordon: "..." Gman: *appears* "come with me now..." Alyx: "K bye lol" Gordon: "..."

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

"K bye lol" 😂 😂 😂 Accurate.

@alexdietrich7975

Жыл бұрын

Honestly though. I think epistle 3 could use some tweaks always, I think HL2 could use some tweaks even, but it gave me some good closure and I'm happy even if we never got an official sequel, good on Mark all those years back.

@carso1500

Жыл бұрын

@@alexdietrich7975 the writer himself admits that it was very likely that the story was going to shift dramatically as development goes forward and more people get to give their opinion and add their ideas into the game, that is how game development is its less a one man job and more a team effort with everyone adding their little part for the story this was just the first idea, the one that kickstarts everything, even the original idea for half life 2 was drastically diferent to the final product

@coolgamer553

Жыл бұрын

alternate gman: Rise and shine, Ms. Vance. Rise and shine. Not that I wish to imply you have been sleeping on the job. No one is more deserving of a rest. And all the effort in the world would have gone to waste until...well, let's just say your hour has come again. The right woman in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Ms. Vance. Wake up and smell the ashes. yo dad ga-

@joegosztolai3884

Жыл бұрын

BLOODY TYPICAL... WOMEN!

Always felt like the Borealis would need a wacky funny Aperture AI on board to really make it feel like a piece of Aperture technology

@giuseppepintus2516

2 жыл бұрын

I love this idea

@norwegianboyee

2 жыл бұрын

I was so hyped thinking we would see portal turrets and stuff in an canon half life game.

@kertchu

2 жыл бұрын

@@norwegianboyee I mean there was portal turret graffiti in half life alyx

@alexspasojevic5158

2 жыл бұрын

love that idea. It could also have a personality (something similar like glados) where it would also be aware of its eventual demise and try to persuade Gordon and Alyx not to destroy it. Maybe even take over the ship somehow and try to prevent them from going to the Combine world and live on its own. Ideas and possibilities are endless with this series to make it even more incredible. I just hope the Valve developers finally get it in their heads to finish it and combine the two games (Portal and Half Life) already...

@lunatic_nebula9542

Жыл бұрын

@@alexspasojevic5158 Dont. Touch. Portal. please

It's not just that the Combine had built a dyson sphere, but since there were no other stars to be seen, it's assumed they'd built spheres around EVERY star.

@Ilovethelord508

8 ай бұрын

Type 4 and 5 civilizations.

@josulive

8 ай бұрын

And even if they have only built no more than one sphere, the explotion of the Borealis would be like a joke for them, considering the size in perspective.

@Pen_Slinger

6 ай бұрын

Or perhaps more unsettling, they built it around the LAST star in their universe and that's why they're so hellbent on traveling to other universes. To survive, even if it come at the expense of other races.

@IndigoWhiskey

4 ай бұрын

dind ding ding we have a winner. it's the painful irony of the dyson sphere. by the time you have the tech to build one if you can't generate unlimited energy either through a loophole in entropy or by engineering it a middle finger you are already dead the physics just has to catch up. population in the trillions before you even touch space megastructures bare in mind. who knew being a galaxy spanning war mongering species would literally require you to outgrow that veiwpoint in order to not die trying it. pretty hilariously efficient great filter on giant assholes though you have to admit.

@dogboi187

5 күн бұрын

and, it's not just that the Combine built dyson spheres around every star, the fact you can no longer see the light from those stars, implies the Combine has had dyson spheres around every single star for possibly thousands, if not millions of years.

Gordon after arriving back on the tram platform in Half Life: “You will NOT BELIEVE the day I’ve had”

@Awfulfeature

2 жыл бұрын

“God that was the toughest couple of weeks I’ve ever *BEEN* through!”

@HW-sw5gb

2 жыл бұрын

@@Awfulfeature Did we ever see Gordon get some sleep? Or was it just one very long day for him?

@imnolongerasking5933

Жыл бұрын

"Gordon? I thought you went into the testing chambers. They're starting the experiment without you..."

@inendlesspain4724

Жыл бұрын

"There is no inter-dimensional alien empire waiting for us to accidentally make a hole in our reality through which they can get in and conquer us, Freeman, you're just being paranoid"

@Drunken_Hamster

Жыл бұрын

Gordon: >Arrives back on tram >Looks around >Opens the console >Types "kill" >Presses enter

imagine that ending of half-life 3. gordon getting ported back to the tram and it's all like the beginning of Half-Life. you go into the break room but this time you turn the microwave off taking out the food and hand it to the scientist therefore prevent the combine timeline from happening. it was all the time about the microwave that in an butterfly effect triggered the resonance cascade and players knew it!

@chaoticchaos6684

2 жыл бұрын

not the ending we want but the ending we need

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

true true. It's a bittersweet ending I guess

@gamepad3173

2 жыл бұрын

@@Skyrionn That may have just given me an idea. for a machinima series

@RevolutionaryOven

2 жыл бұрын

Honestly, that sounds like something valve would do lmfao

@gamepad3173

2 жыл бұрын

@@RevolutionaryOven indeed so. and it's something that I may end up doing as well for a Machinima series instead of Gordon resting with Alyx (Half life 2: Episode 3 The Closure), he ends up back at Black Mesa.

I feel so sorry for Gordon. Everyone just left him.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

When I was putting all of the visuals together, I did feel bad that Alyx basically abandoned him

@drlostcause4427

2 жыл бұрын

@@Skyrionn but hey, we still don’t have the dialogues so who knows what alyx will say to Gordon

@Faygo2215

2 жыл бұрын

except the vorts they always got his back

@mattcy6591

2 жыл бұрын

Like the ending of little nightmares, Gordon sits there alone to eventually become the G-man

@Idkusername1234

2 жыл бұрын

The vortugants didn't

I like to imagine Gordan keeps his memories but has to keep doing the same thing over making the speed runs canon.

@coltforceplayer

2 жыл бұрын

We don’t speedrun through Ravenholm

@ali_m_

11 ай бұрын

"I want to do it again, I need to perfect my run!"

@Eternal_Sky_Universe

10 ай бұрын

Reminds me of a Doctor Who episode called Heaven Sent. In that episode, the main character was stuck in a time loop while still keeping his memories. It took him over 4 billion years to break out of that loop

I love how Gordon's in an invisible chair during the thirdperson Eli death cutscene, that's smarts

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

A nice trick by Valve

@nicodemus69269

2 жыл бұрын

@ThyPeasantSlayer I don't think the Combine knew about the Borealis before the Advisor killed Eli (the Advisor gained the information about the ship from Eli's brain)

@alan_7390

Жыл бұрын

@ThyPeasantSlayer Perhaps that is Gman's goal in kidnapping Alyx, that Eli doesn't destroy the Borealis and uses it in order to rescue her.

@Randy.Bobandy

Жыл бұрын

What does this even mean?

Alyx going along with G-Man and leaving Gordon to die alone without saying a word seems at least to me very unlikely and out of character.

@moonman5496

2 жыл бұрын

I think her arguing with the G-Man but eventually realizing she can’t take gordon, then eventually leaving like that; sounds more like her

@user-eu1uk8br7y

2 жыл бұрын

@@NJP-Supremacist What does that even mean?

@purpleemerald5299

2 жыл бұрын

@@NJP-Supremacist A fucking *_what?_*

@billybobjoephilcorncobtiptopge

2 жыл бұрын

@@NJP-Supremacist explain please

@cheeseboigaming6610

2 жыл бұрын

@@user-eu1uk8br7y according to the definition, mullato is an outdated and offensive term to describe “a person of mixed white and black ancestry, especially a person with one white and one black parent.” So basically, XORRE is a racist

~ Half-Life Alyx spoilers ~ The similarities between the HL:A ending and Epistle 3 are interesting. They both achieve a similar outcome, with Alyx taken by the Gman and Gordon acting independently. It's also interesting to compare the Gman's timeline manipulations with the supposed time-related powers of the Borealis.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I hadn't thought about that. I do have my own theory about the G-Man and his employers connection to the Borealis. Maybe one day I'll share it.

@GlassyDusty

2 жыл бұрын

@@Skyrionn I'm not really proposing that the Gman's actions in Alyx have anything to do with the Borealis, just that there is a thematic parallel, but I'd be interested to hear that theory. On my first Alyx playthrough as I was approaching the Vault, I did wonder if it might be the Borealis in there, the design kind of reminded me a little bit of that concept art from back in 2008.

@21kiwi24

Жыл бұрын

Gman is cave johnson

@MaxCE

5 күн бұрын

I think now when eli goes to the Borealis. he will act with logic and realize destroying it means destroying their last hope

@MaxCE

5 күн бұрын

unlike alyx who acted upon emotions and just sought to destroy the ship

I remember reading the letter back when he posted it and feeling such emotion at the end. But, like you, closure was the main thing I took away from it, at least we had an answer, which lots of us had been waiting for by then. So, I was able to move on, after years of waiting for something, anything really. And that was that.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

We share the same thought really. It was something the fans needed. We may get true closure in the future if we do get another game though.

@L1mJahey

2 жыл бұрын

@@SkyrionnPart of me hopes for it, it would blow my mind if we had Gordon return. Ps. Thought the ending where you end up back at Black Mesa was a great idea too, sort of like Battlestar Galactica "this has happened before and it will happen again" style. Thanks for the effort you make by the way, it's appreciated :)

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Yesss. Also a Battlestar Galactica fan. We love to see it

@Cat_in_The-Box

2 жыл бұрын

@@Skyrionn Battlestar lore videos when :D

@Buttersaemmel

2 жыл бұрын

@@Cat_in_The-Box that's the curse of Half-Life: Alyx for me. now the hope for Half-Life 3 or something like that is resparked...and you yet again don't know if it ever will be fullfilled.

20:35 So that's what it is. The whole timeline regarding Marc Laidlaw's "dimensional war" and the whole essence of Black Mesa is just Gordon living this pattern over and over again. He can't stop it properly, otherwise G-man arrives and keeps it going forcefully. We know that alternative timelines and dimensions occur through the use of manipulation either artificially or through means beyond comprehension. Remember, this is the same formulae for the choice at the end of Half Life - You choose to work with G-Man, or you don't and suffer what ever perilous consequences that happen afterward. The Nihilanth specifically states we'll never know the truth before its demise. i guess Marc's real dream would be either: --- 1. Gordon goes through Black Mesa, still late to his job, passes Barney, starts his abysmal journey down the facility, gets his HEV and shoves the Crystal into the machine. As soon as he gets teleported via the Cascade's energies - boom, the credits start rolling for the end of the game. --- 2. Gordon does the same above, but he does the more simple thing... he doesn't touch the crystal. He physically stands statue inside the insertion point, being heckled by the science team to shove the crystal in, but Freeman refuses to move. Eli Vance immediately cancels the experiment after a slight argument behind the science team since the machine starts to malfunction because it's working past its threshold. It destroys itself without causing a great Resonance Cascade. That may unlock a secret ending where the events of Half Life can no longer take place as the destruction of the Spectrometer is the breaking point to which this was made to happen... but I'm not sure, since the G-Man is basically god and will try to force its acceleration. Whether that will be the case is up for debate regarding Marc's ideas, but the question is what was Laidlaw's intention with the G-Man at the end. Will he have directed him by attempting to interfere? Though I merely speculate, I believe this to be Marc's truest intention that he never, ever got to see with his own eyes. And that in the end hurt, maybe broke him.

@Isaacfess

2 жыл бұрын

That would be a great Episode 3, multiple endings the player chooses which one they want.

@DevinDTV

7 ай бұрын

"maybe broke him" ok calm down buddy

@WindiChilliwack

Ай бұрын

Makes me even wonder, maybe Adrian Shepherd can pull the role since he seems to be interfering his plans pretty well, the "rebel" type essentially on 'Gman's play.'

The time loop would've been an amazing ending. Gordan rides the tram back through like he did all those years ago, but just before the chamber, he grabs his crowbar from a toolbox left out and goes to the anti-mass spectrometer. From the observation room above, G-Man smirks and tells Eli those famous words "Prepare for unforeseen consequences." Then a scientist, probably Kleiner, asks what Gordan has in his hand. G-Man and Eli turn to the window, and G-man's smirk turns into shock. Gordan stands with a smirk and his crowbar next to the Xen crystal, which he promptly smashes once he knows G-man sees him. The science team's outraged, but their combined anger can only measure an infidecimal fraction compared to G-man's. He promptly goes to the door, but turns around to personally give his parting words to Gordan over the intercom. "This changes nothing...*Mr* Freeman." With a glare and a tie straightening, he leaves without another word. The science team's spitting out predictions of firing, retraining, and worst of all, budget cuts. Eli looks back down at Gordan, but feels a strange mix of confusion and relief. Gordan looks back down at the half-broken crystal, and stabs it with the crowbar, looking a bit like Excalibur. Gordan turns to leave, victorious, but the game camera focuses back on the crystal and the crowbar, which from a certain angle looks like the lambda logo. Cue credits.

@MaxCE

5 күн бұрын

like gman can't just, terminate freeman. like he always does in hl2 when you break smth

I read Epistle 3 recently and was quite shocked. The ending kinda overwhelms you with uncertainty. It was so sad that Alyx simply... left him alone to self destruct and G-Man just ignored him. He didn't deserve being treated like that and I didn't really like Alyx's action in this. It was a very interesting story and another great video.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I did feel bad for Gordon when making this, even though it's just a game haha

@uxiono.3026

Жыл бұрын

Tbh, that doesn't fit with Alyx's character neither

@bocahdongo7769

Жыл бұрын

It's just a draft, if you even wanna called it They were tons of revision from different mind to make it better, or worse for the supposed game

Wow, Alyx straight up says “let’s kill ourselves”. Gets cold feet and abandons Gordon to a fate SHE caused and gets to live. Thank god this isn’t cannon I would’ve been furious.

@stephengrant4841

2 ай бұрын

Yeah fans would have hated Alyx. Only way I could see it working without fans turning on her is if GMan has control of her (kinda like he does in Episode 2 when Eli tries to talk about GMan) or if he tells her he can bring Eli back to life like in Alyx.

I would have felt compassion for this Breengrub. First af all, he wasn't the true Breen anyway, so this creature wasn't even responsible for Breen's actions, and secondly, Breen had no choice. If he didn't do what the Combine told him, they would have just killed him and chosen someone else.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Good points there

@HamguyBacon

2 жыл бұрын

actually the combine would have wiped out humanity without Breen, only reason they kept some alive was due to trying to learn how to use the portal tech.

@klidthelid8361

2 жыл бұрын

If you read the BreenGrub account messages you’ll know that breen was actually trying to help the resistance

@ThisShitIsDumbAndYouKnow

Жыл бұрын

Would you kill a clone of hitler?

@miloradowicz

Жыл бұрын

​​​​@@ThisShitIsDumbAndYouKnow if he asked me to, yes. No reason to leave him alive, and too dangerous as well. Making him suffer? What good would that do anyone? There's literally no moral dilemma here. Alyx was just being irrational and downright dumb.

Hearing the hl music in the background and having a visualization of what could happen rather than animating everything in your mind is just so relaxing. Please make more.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

There's more every 2 weeks :D I'm thinking of doing the Half-Life 2 Beta at some point too!

I think Gordon deserves a happier ending than the original epistle 3 or the proposed time loop. He's been through as nearly as possible to a literal Hell. Looping him back to Black Mesa seems cruel, memories intact or not.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I think it is almost bitter-sweet. If he retains his memories, he is able to stop the incident from ever happening, but those he has saved would not know of his sacrifice.

@lucianganea3034

2 жыл бұрын

@@Skyrionn But if Gordon tries to stop the Resonance Cascade, wouldn't GMan interfere?

@KalashVodka175

2 жыл бұрын

@@lucianganea3034 But that could be awesome! Imagine if, at the end of half life, you break the loop and thus enter into a conflict with the G-Man, final boss of the game Idk how gordon could defeat him since the Gman seems to control space and time but maybe with all his knoweldge he’d find a way Still that kinda ending would leave the combine empire and xen untouched free to continue their expansion.. but it may also provide opportunities for Gordon Freeman to stop them later on with his accruef knoweldge

@idioticshamen9859

Жыл бұрын

@@KalashVodka175 If that happens I would imagine somehow Gorden teams up with the nihilanth warning the god like being of the horrible fate that awaited the both of them the nihilanth knowing that invading earth would be a mistake and that the gman has a big role in this and would seal his fate and doom any hope of him and his armies hope of escaping would team up with the people of earth and use his massive power to close the portal and maybe even deal with G-man with his power combined with the vortigaunts.

@alejandropulidorodriguez9723

Жыл бұрын

@@KalashVodka175 gordon speaks for the first time and consequently destroys all of time and space

During the entire video, I was imagining how the visuals you created would translate to a AAA rendition. Especially the clips where you showed the ship flashing through different dimensions. The visual design of all of it would certainly be wild if we ever were to see it come to fruition. Great work making visuals to help follow along.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I pray that one day we get something that shows it properly. It could happen one day. Thank you for watching the video. I do appreciate the support!

@Buttersaemmel

2 жыл бұрын

i imagine it as not flashing trough multiple worlds but more like you look outside and see all the different worlds and times at once. transparent layed over another fading in and out thusfore showing all things at the same time but still always just place a single one at a time in focus. alien worlds, abundanded places and even cities with the borealis sorrounded by humans or combines not beeing aware of the borealis as it's at the same time in a place while it also isn't thusfore making it possible for you to see all around but impossible for individuals outside to see or even "touch" the borealis at all. also the "copies" of gordon and alyx: walking around where they where and also where you later go to. beeing ghostlike figures and not touchable and also unaware of you. seeing the GMan he's the only one not seeming ghostlike and the only one of whom no copies are anywhere around.

@Gnidel

2 жыл бұрын

There's a game called Project Borealis that adapts Epistle 3 into a video game. It's still in development.

@bionicleapple1254

4 ай бұрын

Entropy Zero 2 has a very interesting depiction of the Borealis

Personally i think epistle 3 still had a bit of an open cliffhanger ending from what was written or rather not written either way i think from the open endings the most plausable is the one where gordon goes back to black mesa since the ending of almost nothing happening to the combine and the worlds theyve invaded seems a little.. *depressing* . However i do hope that with the new directions alyx's ending gave us we will get something fresh or atleast something at all.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I believe that the direction Alyx goes in, we will get something. Hopefully true closure.

@kevina1988

2 жыл бұрын

The thing is, it's not just Earth that's in revolt, it's the whole empire. Humanity's stance against the combine inspired many worlds across the empire to take up arms and rebel. There is hope

@xXx_Regulus_xXx

2 жыл бұрын

Epistle = Episode, so it's probably a cliffhanger by design same as Episode 2 was with Eli's death. If they used the Epistle 3 story, they would be setting the stage for someone to maybe explore the Combine Dyson Sphere and discover more about them.

@martingreen4543

2 жыл бұрын

Half Life 2 Ep:3/HL3 = Epistle 3 version where you end up back at Black Mesa on the day of the Cascade. **gordon looking around** [WELCOME TO THE BLACK MESA RESEARCH FACILITY!] **Fade to black** Half-Life 3/HL4 = Preventing the Cascade is going to be a lot more difficult than planned for..

I like the idea of Gordon waking up on the tram to Sector C, there was a series of Half-Life mods called the Timeline trilogy where that was the ending, they should be on moddb and well worth a play.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Adding that to my list of games

Leaving Episode 2 as a permanent cliffhanger is one of the biggest acts of incompetence by a game developer in the history of game development.

@mrunitforge

2 жыл бұрын

I honestly don't know. HL 3 was probably in production but was scrapped at some point. At this point I don't know if it could live up to the hype and maybe that's why it will never be made. But a part of me want to believe since we got HL:A they can make HL3

@epikorange5983

2 жыл бұрын

*Closes fairytale book* Like that's ever gonna happen

@damienfinnegan8272

2 жыл бұрын

@@Jeff-fe8rf It's probably going to come out with some new AI or Graphics. probably not VR as Valve said that they won't return to it anytime soon

@Helix142

2 жыл бұрын

@@mrunitforge half life 3s development has started and got cut alot of times actually even stuff in HLA

@quietsamurai1998

2 жыл бұрын

@@Jeff-fe8rf Hell, you could probably argue that it's the best marketing stunt for the entire Half Life franchise. Who knows how many people played their first Half Life game because they were curious about the cliffhanger so many people are all worked up about? I know that's why I first played Half Life 2.

Holy crap I think the visuals in this might be your best ones yet. Eli's burial stood out especially for me!

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

It took SO LONG to do the Borealis bits but it was worth it. Eli's burial was the first scene I filmed for this. I knew exactly how I wanted it to look.

@coltforceplayer

2 жыл бұрын

Sure it wasn’t as good but at least it gave people a clear understanding, but wasn’t the Borealis in some sort of chasm?

I like to think that once Gordon got left, a lone man, dressed in a set of grey urban camo, combat boots, a PCV vest, gasmask, and helmet. An HECU marine. A person who was once his enemy, walks up to him, then just holds out one hand, saluting with the other, and says these lines "Hey, my name is Corporal Adrian Shephard. I haven't seen a suit like that in a while."

@mmgaming-pu7zt

2 жыл бұрын

i just realized Shephard isn't mute but we didn't cleary know what is his voice like except the "SIR YES SIR" at the beginning

@Awfulfeature

2 жыл бұрын

@@mmgaming-pu7zt In Blueshift Barney talks we just can’t hear him, could potentially be the same for Opposing Force.

@coltforceplayer

2 жыл бұрын

@@Awfulfeature yeah like when u interact they’ll be like sorry freeman u can’t come here in the first game so Gordon was like “can I come thru brudda”

its an absolute treat when you release a long video like this, i love your content dude

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Too kind. I really appreciate that.

I understand Epistle 3 is just meant to be an outline of how the story would conclude, but seeing it visualized here, I kind of start to see why Valve had difficulties putting this into something that is engaging and innovative gameplay-wise. You basically only have two main areas and a lot of exposition, with no real final battle of sorts. I find Alyx's conclusion to be a bit unsatisfying, but I guess so is Barney's and Shepard's. It is all about Gordon, after all. I would have liked some more background to the G-man as well, although I understand that the mystery surrounding him is what makes him so appealing.

Marc left for an obvious reason, a lot of the original team he worked with already had left by that point, and Valve wasn't even focusing on Half Life anymore, you can imagine how he would feel at that point. In fact I think he even included this within his leak story thing, while pretending to be Gordon teleported forward in time after the game, he said that Gordon no longer recognises his colleagues anymore as they have changed, and that Gordon's role diminished and that it's now up to those new people to lead the resistance, clearly this was Marc speaking about his own self here. Something about this makes me feel lonely and sad also, imagining the team in their peak during 1996-2006, it was probably so fun for Marc at this time. But people grow old and have families and often their creative spirit dies away and many leave the company, while Marc's creative spirit lasted a bit longer and he tried to stay there to continue the franchise more, while totally new people came into the company that he didn't know and Gabe just steered the company into the direction of different games these newer people wanted to make. Just imagining it makes me feel a little depressed, I can't deny.

The ending of Gordon going back in time to when the combine didn't invade yet is one of the best endings ngl

This was fantastic. Thank you for your dedication to the lore. We all mourned and rejoiced when Epistle 3 dropped. I love the idea of GF being warped back to BM prior to the event. We were always GF. We could have changed the outcome or not. Great work.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! I do love the whole series. I love the idea of a timeloop.

honestly, I absolutely hate how this ends. its just so anticlimactic and I feel like this could never truly bring peace and rest to the Half-Life story. I'm just so glad that this is not cannon, but also sad that Half-Life will never be finished.

@bocahdongo7769

Жыл бұрын

It's just a simple draft There are also other unknown idea from other people that we will never know for the supposed game, for better or for the worse

I do have some ideas regarding Breen that would make him much less of a villain and could be easily handled through a "Breengrub"... When meeting the Breengrub, he should still have all his memories and would explain to Gordon and Alyx how easily the Combine could have wiped out all of humanity if they wanted to, and about his efforts to stop them from doing it. And how he tried to make the Combine accept humanity as more than slaves to be used and abused, but because of The Resistance fighting them constantly they weren't inclined to do so.

I just found out about your channel a few days ago and finished a binge last night! Good timing

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome aboard! Perfect timing. Stay for a while :)

I like the idea of gordon on the tram, perhaps rhe Gman saying something like 'Gordon, you did great things but its time for you to retire, ive hired someone younger', then before the Gman can kill him the vortigans interfere and the last we see of him is living in the village from Xen farming or something like that.. Great video!

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

That's an interesting idea!

Absolutely brilliant, definitely the best lore video concerning the details of epistle 3 and portrayed so well!! Well done mate great video.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks a ton! I really appreciate that! Thank you for watching it :D

I've always had this idea of ​​how to solve the Half life saga (I hope you like it): practically we reach Antarctica, we find the borealis and we understand that it can travel in space-time and manipulate it. So we get the idea of ​​using his technology to create millions of copies of the ship and send them all to the heart of the world of combine (in short, a bombing on a universal scale). It's a suicide mission but we can't do anything else; it is the only way to save humanity and all other alien species subjected to combine. When the ships hit the dyson sphere of the combine command center it creates a kind of space-time singularity, in which the whole reality seems to collapse. When we wake up, we find ourselves in front of the gman, who congratulates us on the work done by finally explaining to us what his task is: practically he is part of an interdimensional alien species which, fearing the invasion of the combine, decided to send various missionaries in the various universes in order to find those who could help them fight the combine. They take on similar appearances to the species in front of them (this explains why we see him as a businessman). Then it gets dark again and we wake up on the tram in Black Mesa. However, when we cross the structure we discover that no experiment is planned for that day and that there is no lambda team. The timeline has been changed and the combine have been erased from existence (only Gordon remembers), but just as the gman watches us from a tram that is walking away smiling, we see Eli with his wife and daughter in his arms walk away and greet us. and Barney invite us over to his house for that beer he owed us.

@gamershaggy3098

Жыл бұрын

Kind of liked your version of the story

Honestly the ending where Gordon comes back to the very beginning of the series, but keeping his knowledge of everything that had happened, is golden. Just close the game with him reappearing on the tram, and acknowledge somehow that he still remembers everything. That's it. Leave it to "what will he do now that he's here with this knowledge?".

Time travel plot is always a death of meaning as writers unimaginatively write themselves into a corner.

This was really fun! I loved the thematic journey you made bringing this together, it's like an audio book with minimalistic animation paired with it. I got really into it! I really do appreciate having the ability to go back and experience a sort of closure for this series outside of the Alyx prequel even if it is a bit bare-bones as far as writing goes regarding details. Anyhow thanks for the throwback, it means a lot to me, even just having brought it to my attention!

Thank you for making this, also with the visuals. Really nice and thorough 😊🙏

I've had a few ideas. Instead of Alyx shooting Mossman, their fight causes Alyx's firearm to fly off and slide towards Gordon (who was knocked to the ground from conveniently-timed turbulence), and you get to choose who dies. Kill Alyx for the bad ending where the Borealis is brought back to the resistance, who hope to utilize the teleportation technology, only for the Combine to find the safehouse and you are treated to a hopeless defense against escalating forces until Gordon dies and the multiverse is quickly brought under the heel of the Universal Union. Kill Mossman for the good ending which plays out as written in Epistle3. But with an addition in order to give the player time to contemplate their journey: A long, peaceful Dear Esther-style walk towards the mountains until Gordon comes across a radio tower where Kleiner and Uriah are waiting for him, and reveals that through the Vortessence many other civilizations throughout the cosmos saw the Borealis collide with the Dyson Sphere and saw it as an act of bravado, which had began similar uprisings like that on Earth to sprout up _everywhere._ And that one such group requests to land and meet with the surviving Black Mesa science team. But then the GMan freezes time and says with a hint of frustration in his voice that the resistance going galaxy wide had _complicated matters._ And that Gordon should expect to hear from his _superiors_ soon. _*Directly*._ A little hope spot, paired with an opportunity to delve deeper into the truth behind our mysterious benefactors. Though probably only trading one cliffhanger for another.

@CrazyMarkStudios

Жыл бұрын

Bravo! Awesome theory my friend!

This flying a ship through a portal to the enemie's homeworld on a suicide mission is quite similar to the ending to the Resistance Fall of Man series. Coming to think of it, that series has a silent protagonist who can carry multiple weapons at once as opposed to the 2 item loadout of modern shooters, and he was fighting against an extra terrestrial conglomerate who transforms the natives of each planet to suit their bidding as well.

@StationaryGamingReal

2 жыл бұрын

Forgot about that game, nice catch!

I love your videos. Your narration and delivery is professional, in depth, engaging, and soothing.

Thanks for putting this together

I like to believe that Gordon doesn't have any of his memories after waking up in black Mesa. To me the point of half-life is its linear story we are never actually in control of what happens always being manipulated by some greater force, be it the gman, combine or the writers themselves. The name "Freeman" is ironic in that sense since he is anything but free, merely a tool to be used by greater forces.

@Skyrionn

Жыл бұрын

It's sad to think that there is a possibility that this is just a circle of events that keep repeating themselves

Thanks for your Half Life series!! I'm grateful that Marc Laidlaw was able to give us Epistle 3. I always loved the lore and watching through your recaps felt like a great netflix series :)

@Skyrionn

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for the donation. I really appreciate it!

Honestly, the borealis is probably the main reason why the story changes and how there are alternative endings. A good weapon

17:16 top 10 best lines in video game history

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

pog

just yesterday i was searching for more hl2 lore videos and just rewatched a few of yours. Now there's even more

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Every 2 weeks!

Thank you for the information. And for the video images that helps to understand the story :)

I actually prefer the ending put forth in Epistle 3, as bleak as it can be. I feel it is more in the spirit of Half-Life than an alternate "time-loop" ending which is basically just a creative way of going "it was all a dream." Gordon realizing the full might of the Combine before striking a miniscule blow and then being transported back to Earth at some indeterminate future is just beautiful. The fight may continue, perhaps humanity can seal itself off from the Combine and protect itself for some time, maybe a few hundred years. Or the Combine just comes in full force and wipes us out in a bit. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. What does matter is we finally understand that sheer hopelessness of going up against such a force, we finally understand what it's like to come into contact with a truly alien force. We were never the savior, just an observer. Our part is over and we can just sit back and accept whatever happens.

As someone with severe ADHD not being able to read more than a few lines at a time, this was really nice since I've been following the story of HL ever since I was a wee lad. Huge thanks for the video king

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I'm glad I could help and thank you for watching!

@variegatus4674

2 жыл бұрын

are you scottish? :d

These visuals are crazy immersive. Good job!

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

It took a while but was worth it!

Thank you for this. Since reading Epistle 3, i have been wanting a "Episode 3 for Dummies". I appreciate your hard work to make it so!

Incase anyones wondering, Laidlaw had 2 endings in mind: Gordon reversing the effects of the Resonance Cascade Or waking up in the far future, with the combine defeated and humanity saved Which one do u want?

@absolutemattlad2701

Жыл бұрын

Second for sure.

@shookengie370

Жыл бұрын

I like the second because after what felt like hell, Gordon can finally take a goddamn nap

@uxiono.3026

Жыл бұрын

But how did they defeat them? A single boat wouldn't do literally anything to a Dyson Sphere.

@coltforceplayer

Жыл бұрын

@@uxiono.3026 yeah we dont know, its just speculation

@bocahdongo7769

Жыл бұрын

Make it third choice, give me some surprise

I've actually been looking for this. I'm not the biggest fan of Half Life 2 since I've heard about the Epistle 3 I've been wanting to see what the "conclusion" would've been. I'm quite surprised this didn't make a cut. it's pretty good for an add on story

Great video! Let's hope some version of this will make it into a future Half Life project in one form of another.

Already had sub'd. First time I'd heard this story. Thanks for taking the effort to put this together!

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

It was something I've always wanted to do. A great story in a visual format

a mod that picks up where Episode 2 left off is Thunders Leaves, slotted right in there before Episode 3.

This sounds like an alternate timeline which tbh, is fitting for the Half Life series. I hope the current production team at least references Epistle 3 in some ways. Maybe showing different versions of events while they’re on Borealis for example. I can imagine Eli being there with Gordon instead and being caught off guard by seeing an alternate timeline where Alyx shoots Judith, only to find it’s not his current timeline. Either way, I think Half Life currently has a very interesting story especially with G-Man and Alyx. The change of having Eli’s death retconned was honestly genius and I’m glad we get to see more of him in the future

Thanks for the upload mate really good watch 👍

@Skyrionn

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Another video watching this legend making them. Love you bro keep up us updated for anything

@Skyrionn

Жыл бұрын

That's super kind of you to say! Thank you! There's so much more to come too!

@markojankpovic9370

Жыл бұрын

@@Skyrionn yeah i saw much more and that i have to watch much more than this that i have watched. But still it's better then not watching anything

Half-Life ending on the tram, completing an infinite time loop of fighting the same hopeless battle over and over again, just to delay the end of humanity is dark Sounds like Homura Akemi's struggle in Madoka Magica, doesn't it?

@cappuccino-1721

2 жыл бұрын

I would hope to think it goes the other way around where Freeman remembers everything thus preventing the invasion from ever happening.

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

It does seem pretty fitting for the story we know

The ending made me feel sad as hell. I know, not all stories must have happy endings.

Thank you for another beautiful video, love your work!

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I appreciate the comment! Thank you for the support

These videos are amazing, keep it up!

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Hey thank you! There's more to come :D

anyone else think the vault from alyx could be the combines attempt at recreating the borealis? seems pretty clear to me that the inside of the vault seems to exist at multiple times at once

I remember the day when this dropped. I was so excited and elated to find out what happened after Episode 2 after all those years. Can't believe it's almost been half a decade since this happened!

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

It's so crazy how long its been. With Alyx being released not long ago, maybe we could have some sort of canon ending.

@Cavi587

2 жыл бұрын

Don't say it like that man... I feel old now. I still remember the moment I took my phone out of my pocket on a break from work and just surfed the web and then found out that Epistle 3 just dropped. I was blown away.

Pretty solid video sir.

Perfect video, you are talented

It’s good to see half life getting more hype than normal

"If nobody else got my back I KNOW the Vorts got me!" - Gordon

thank you for taking the time to make this

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to watch it

Great animations. Thank you!

@Skyrionn

Жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

GMan used a code phrase he embedded in Alyx as a child. "Places to do, People to be." That's why she went quietly. Her dad was murdered right in front of her. She was helpless. Killing Judith seems appropriate enough considering the circumstances. A big struggle nearing the end. Then the Borealis hits the Combine world right as the Vortigaunt are trying to extract The Freeman, which causes the Time loop. But Gordon is able to stop the Resonance Cascade. For now. But Aperture/Glados may very well be a threat in their own right. Maybe.

I dont think borealis disappeared during combine invasion It happened before resonance cascade...by how eli describes..like it has become a legendary figure among the scientists and people.. During or after combine invasion..people dont have time to think about the disappearance of a vessel

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

The timeline is all over the place, but going from Epistle 3, that's what it said :)

Thank you, thank you so much for the closure.

Fantastic video greatly to see how it would look. Many thanks.

I feel Alyx wasn't supposed to "leave" but instead kidnapped by the G-Man.

3:41 Eli Vance: about to die Alyx: Begging for his life Gordon: *sits casually*

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like Gordon tbh

Thanks for making this

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching this!

Fantastic! This was a fantastic video for any real Half Life fan. Well done!

It seems to me that, since the Borealis is property of Aperture Science, that GLaDOS would be looking for it and, when she finds it, will do everything in her power to get it back as it contains Aperture proprietary technology. Since the technology could also help the combine, I would think that the next game would involve the Combine and Aperture fighting over the Borealis. This would involve the player, now working directly for G-Man, doing their best to keep the Borealis from being captured by either side. The player would not be any character from the Portal series or Half-Life series. Instead they would be third party who, like G-Man, is able to slip in and out of reality at will. However, unlike G-Man, they can only do it at certain points (save points ;) ). G-Man is training his replacement as G-Man is retiring and needs someone to maintain the timeline as it is. G-Man has set everything in motion and now his superiors need you (the player) to keep the established timeline from collapsing. The events of the first Half-Life game were supposed to happen that way. The events of Half-Life 2 were intended. Portal and Portal 2 were supposed to go the way they did. Now, G-Man needs competent agents to keep this timeline stable. At the end, everything is set to the way it is supposed to be as the Borealis continues to flicker in and out of phase with reality, the combine continue to struggle to conquer Earth, and Gordon Freeman and Chell go off to live a quiet life in some far off place where the Combine and GLaDOS can't bother them. At the end, we see that G-Man is actually Gordon and Chell's child so the timeline has to be maintained in order for him to even exist. We also see, just before the screen fades to black, all the various versions of G-Man, consisting of an equal number of men, women, and ambiguous "G-Men". The various versions of G-Man fade in and out like the Borealis showing us that it and he are tightly connected. Then the credits roll.

@zhankazest

2 жыл бұрын

thats wild but it could work

@Roxor128

Жыл бұрын

I've always found the idea of a game based around changing the course of history an appealing one. And I mean one where it's done mechanically, not just through story.

if u see this i just wanted to let u know i love ur content!!!

You made a great video. Thank you. Over the years, I still love the story of Half Life 2

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching bud

Thanks for posting

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching

I feel like this is a very good ending for the Half Life 2, and it's episodes. However, I would also want a Half Life 3, which would be the grand finale. A game where Gordon and the Vortigaunts work together in a other wordly setting, inflirating the Combine from within, and working to free other worlds to work together with them. Maybe the ending would have something with G-man appearing, thanking Gordon of getting rid of the Combine, and complimenting him on these extraordinary feats. Remember, the Combine is an enemy to G-man, and his employers. As a thank you, Gordon gets to choose his reward, and he asks for Alyx to be brought back. G-man then frees Alyx, gives his final thank you and leaves Gordon alone for good. A bit too sweet of an ending, for sure, but I feel that at this point the Freeman deserves to be a free man.

@oramisc90

Жыл бұрын

Feels like Combine is not entirely G-man's enemy as in ending of Half-life 2, if he wants Gordon to destroy Combine, he would've teleport him to another places or let him continue the work instead of put him in stasis again. His employers definitely have other objective for sure, maybe not destroyed Combine completely but just let the thing play out as they want. I still believe that in the end, the final boss must be G-man and his employer as the theme of Half-life 2 is all about fight for freedom and with G-man and his employers exist, they still getting control like a puppet.

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THIS: GMAN On borealis is aweosme 16:55 the idea of dr brean becoming a advisor is really epic, it gives it a eerie vibe that was known throughout half-life 2 (like with the headcrabs and their zombies that are still alive) ALSO, the idea of the borealis going into different worlds and space is really cool too

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you liked it! I loved putting those scenes together.

I need another part of this story. We need Marc to write more of this novel

I love this guys passion for the series keep it up

So the franchise has a half-canon ending... I guess that's as close as we'll ever get to get an official ending. As for my thoughts about the ending, well, I'd have followed along Gordon's path. He realized that the Borealis would be barely even noticed by the combine, he he would've disabled the self destruct cycle and returned the ship to the resistance.

@sneezewax3567

2 жыл бұрын

I think he accepted that the resistance could not stand up to the combine's power, and he was ready to honor Eli's wish to destroy the Borealis and die in the process

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I'm sure one day we will get something. Hopefully!

I don't like the "time is a flat circle" style timeloop ending much, but I'm generally against the idea of going back in time to save a story that wasn't already _about_ time travel. It's like finding out the whole thing was somebody's dream, annoying to have the stakes drastically lowered after building hype and investment for so long.

@EresTremulent

2 жыл бұрын

Well, interstellar/interdimensional travel has been a thing since half life 1, but I see what you mean. The borealis feels a bit like a deus ex machina

@xXx_Regulus_xXx

2 жыл бұрын

@@EresTremulent I'm ok with space travel and going to exotic places, but going back in time to stop the initial incident from happening feels unsatisfying to me.

@White927

2 жыл бұрын

I don't like the "revive Eli from death" section much, but i'm generally against the idea of having a childish story Half life game on a platform not everyone also has and ruining the continutation of a sequel everyone waited for so long, including me, it's annoying to see a multi-billionaire company that made the perfect games before is now all care about money and making low budget games like Aperture desk.

@xXx_Regulus_xXx

2 жыл бұрын

@@White927 Valve always tried to use half-life to showcase new technology so I understand why they went to VR as the next big thing, but you're right that it was not the best move considering how alienating it was to a lot of people. Desk Job highlights another one of their problems, in reality it's a demo for how the steam deck will work but they're calling it a playable short. If they would just communicate with us and say what their intent was it would be a lot less frustrating.

@White927

2 жыл бұрын

@@xXx_Regulus_xXx They could have release also the episode 3 and Half life alyx with a different plot on VR years later on anyways, and there would be no problem with the franchise, at least thank you for agreeing about Half life alyx wasn't the best move, and in plot-making. (Episode 3 would have also appear differently because what Marc Laidlaw told us is feels like a placeholder story). And again, with this method, they could have released a long but not short game instead, it would have made a lot more sense. A game that is about a test for their newer system which is free but low budget feels out of place in valve's history and unfornately many people already liking on the game instead realizing what have they done many years ago for the fans. I do not love this company anymore, they lied to us, they made us to wait, and they did something horribly wrong for a cliffhanger story which is still stuck in the same place.

New to your channel, well done. Thanks for the upload!

@Skyrionn

Жыл бұрын

Welcome! I hope you like what else you find here!

I think that Wallace wanting death as an idea is kind of similar to desk job cave Johnson.

BABE WAKE UP NEW SKYRIONN VIDEO

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

We're all here. Welcome to the party.

Here is what I think about Epistle 3 and Half-Life Alyx At the end of epistle 3, we see Alyx go through the gmans portals, which instantly reminded me of HL: As ending, I thought what if the Ending of Epistle 3 made the events of HL: A happen or more so the ending before I get to my reasoning of believing this, let me say this ik that the events of Epistle 3 are non-cannon, this is just a nice thought in my head so we all know HL: A's ending involves Alyx getting hired by the gman and in the ending of Epistle 3 she gets taken by the gman. so what if these two similar events were to happen at once just in different parts of the timeline. when this Accrued it brought freeman back to ending events of HL2:EP2, where the Time loop began it swang Gordon back to previous events then resorting in Gordon being "The Freeman" Since Alyx took his place which in the end shifted the timeline

@Skyrionn

2 жыл бұрын

I like your thought process!

@fausthanos08

2 жыл бұрын

Some story elements from HLA (and possibly half life 3 if it releases) are very similar to epistle 3's story elements

Bravo great work with this thank you

Thank you so much for this video. I played Half-Life and was dissapoined and ignorant about Episode 3. This is the best thing we have for closure.

I really enjoyed the Gmod recreation you did of Epistle 3. Amazing man, it almost felt like it was the real official thing.

@Skyrionn

Жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks! It would have been nice to actually play through the game but it'll never happen!