I'm talking about HL2, not the episodes. I don't judge HL1 by what was written into HL2 years later, nor do I judge HL2 by what was written into the episodes o

I'm talking about HL2, not the episodes. I don't judge HL1 by what was written into HL2 years later, nor do I judge HL2 by what was written into the episodes or Alyx years later. Not least because it's common knowledge that the writers have been following the "Lost" philosophy of writing, making up shit as they go, creating mysteries they themselves don't know the answer to, punting that down the road to their future selves. In Half Life 1 you start with a dogshit reputation and insofar as you gain any reputation with the NPCs its because you've progressed through the game to earn it. The scientists treat you like base labor in the beginning, then come to see you as useful, as a fighter, after you prove it. The soldiers start without knowing who you are, but after you tear your way through their ranks they start hating you by name. In Half Life 2, all the NPCs you meet act like you're already a famous hero and there's really no indication in the game that this comes from g-man propaganda rather the vortegants and/or the black mesa scientists. In HL2 both the vorts and the scientists make a point of saying they owe Gordon a lot. The natural read on this, given the context of the first two games and not any later retcons, is that the scientists or vorts have basically deified you. Mossman talks about how she wishes she could have worked with you at Black Mesa as though you were not just a war hero but also a legendary scientist. What scientific achievements did Gordon have at Black Mesa? He pushed samples around and showed up late for work. What kind of stories were the other scientists telling her about you? Also Alyx starts hitting on you right away. Whatever the plot justifications for it, clearly there was a commercial motivation of pandering to the player. It aged poorly.