1. Half Life 2 Our Benefactors
2. Half Life 2 Our Benefactors Walkthrough

You will need to get across a few jumping puzzles, play around with your new super charged gravity gun, and reach the central elevator. If you need any help killing the waves of Combine soldiers and elites inside of the Citadel, then just take a look here at this Half-Life 2 guide for chapter 12. You can either view these hints for Half-Life 2 for free from our website, or for more convenient and ad-free access. Half-Life 2 Hints from UHS — Not Your Ordinary Walkthrough. General Tips and Information A Note About the Hints Chapter 1: Point Insertion. Our Benefactors Chapter 14: Dark Energy. About these hints / Contact their author.

So there have been a lot of theories on the G-Man from half life and half life 2. Given his mysterious nature, people have theorized he could be things from god to future Gordon. Here is my theory. I think he is a rebellious member of the combine, formerly ranking high in the Combine hierarchy. First let me explain my general theory:

The General Theory

The G-Man has decided to go against the Combine social order that he was a part of (He was part of the ruling races). For whatever reason he decided that getting the humans involved in the empire was the best way to tear it apart. So he initiates the Resonance Cascade (There are a lot of theories about how/why he did that, and it was confirmed in episode 2). Wanted to trouble the Combine as much as possible, he takes attention to Gordon, who is considerably good at messing up, well... everything. Thus he puts Gordon in stasis to be used later. When he finds the right time, he pulls Gordon out again to be a nuisance to the Combine. We don't know why the G-Man decided to go against his civilization or exactly how important he was, but I have theories on that to. To get to those, however, first I need to explain my proof.

The Proof

Lets start from the beginning. What is the G-Man? Whatever race he is, he is part of the race that is the ruling class of the combine, NOT a slave to anyone. He is part of the races that make up the 'Benefactors' as mentioned in HL2. Of course, he goes against the Benefactors over the series of the games. Why do we know he isn't a slave? Well he doesn't resemble one. This is explained in the next paragraph.

The G-Man knew that opening the Resonance Cascade to Xen would cause the oppressed races there to jump to the chance to Earth. How did he know this? Here's another theory, he owned The Nihilanth (end boss of HL1) as a slave. In the slave-master society of the Combine, someone owns a sentient slave who, in proxy, owns the lower races. How do we know the Nihilanth is a slave? Well lets look at how the Combine like to control people. The stalkers of Half-Life 2 are rebellious humans who have had their limbs removed and minds controlled. Lets look at the Nihilanth, his limbs are stubby and considerably smaller than his body and he has a similar pale 'Tortured' complexion that the stalkers have. So what does this imply? The Nihilanth was a rebellious creature who was defeated and created a slave by the combine. He was given to the G-Man as a slave (Xen was his 'plantation'). The G-Man knew that, if he opened a portal to Xen, the disloyal Nihilanth would try again to liberate himself and his lower races. That's how the G-Man knew that opening a portal to specifically Xen would cause the most hysteria among not only the humans, but the Combine (remember he is doing this all to be a pain in the Combine's butt).

So we know how the G-Man knew that this would work, but how does he have the power? What are his capabilities as one of the races that rule the Combine? Well, he is very smart. He perfectly understands portal technology and how to imitate human behavior. But how capable is he in combat? Well he couldn't take the entire Combine by himself, probably. That's why he got the humans involved, because he believes 'he right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world'. Maybe his intentions are just to harass the Combine, to be a pain in their big plans. But why would he want to do this? This is where we get to the...

G-Man's inner intentions and the expanded theory

So we know that the G-Man is a rebellious combine, but why? Now here is where it gets closer to my personal opinion, but here it is. The G-Man is a crazy anarchist. In that way he is much like the joker. He just wants to see the Combine world burn. So why do I think this?

• He talks like a madman (he definitely doesn't speak right, and he always speaks in an eerie tone)

• He isn't necessarily on the human's side (remember he started the Resonance Cascade, enslaving the human race)

• While he could engage personally in the fighting of the Combine, he just watches, using Gordon as a proxy. Not very efficient, but sounds like something an insane criminal would do.

TL;DR The G-Man is a rogue Combine who decided to harass his own civilization because... well why not have some fun when your a crazy space being (like literally... he's insane). Knowing that The Nihilanth would try to escape from slavery if a portal was opened from Xen, the G-Man sets up the Resonance Cascade. Besides hurting the humans, this also hurts the Combine, as they now have to deal with all of these escaped slaves. The G-Man also sets up the events of HL2 to continue to be a pain to the Combine. All he wants is to be an annoyance to the Combine, to go against his society because he is a crazy anarchist. Even if he knows he can't take out the entire empire, he still can show his crazy ideology by messing up the Combine in one small area of the Combine civilization.

The Combine is a multidimensional empire which serves as the primary antagonistic force in the 2004 video gameHalf-Life 2, and the subsequent episodes developed by Valve Corporation. The Combine consist of alien, synthetic, and human elements, and dominate Earth. They are encountered throughout Half-Life 2 and its episodic expansions as hostile non-player characters as the player progresses through the games in an effort to overthrow the Combine occupation of Earth.

The Combine are frequently shown as harsh rulers over the citizens of Earth, suppressing dissent with brutality, policing using violence and using invasive surgery to transform humans into either soldiers or slaves. Throughout the games, the player primarily battles transformed humans as well as synthetic and mechanical enemies that are the product of Combine technology. The atmosphere generated by the dystopian Combine state has been praised by reviewers, although the artificial intelligence of the transhuman Combine characters was thought to be inferior to that of other characters in Half-Life 2. In addition to their role within the Half-Life series, the Combine have been adapted for machinima productions and one Combine character type has been made into plush toys by Valve.

• 2Attributes
  • 2.2Depiction
• 3Appearances
• 4Cultural impact

Design[edit]

Some elements of the Combine's appearance, such as that of the Advisor, are inspired by the works of Frank Herbert.^[4] The towering Striders seen throughout Half-Life 2 and its subsequent episodes are based directly on the Martian tripods of the H.G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds, where said Martians invade Victorian England, using the tripods as their main 'weapon'. The name 'Combine' itself is a tribute to Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which features a collection of authorities which mechanistically manipulate and process individuals.^[4]

During Half-Life 2's development, various concepts for Combine non-player characters were cut. Female Combine assassins, similar to black ops assassins featured in the first game, were planned but later abandoned, although they appear in the Half-Life 2: Survivor arcade game.^[4] Another non-player character, the cremator, was conceptualized as a Combine laborer who cleaned the streets of bodies after a battle with an acid gun and although removed from the game, its head was featured in Eli Vance's laboratory. Other cuts included a variety of alien Combine soldiers that would have complemented the trans-human soldiers in the game and a number of synthetic combat machines.^[4] Many of Half-Life 2's Combine characters went through multiple redesigns; the Combine Overwatch soldier was subjected to at least twelve redesigns before the final appearance was settled on.^[5]

Opera singer and actress Ellen McLain provides the voice for the Combine Overwatch announcer and dispatcher in Half-Life 2 and its episodic expansions,^[6] while the various Combine soldiers throughout the games are voiced by John Patrick Lowrie.^[3]

Attributes[edit]

Society[edit]

Little is revealed of the Combine's role outside of Earth, but dialogue in Half-Life 2 states that they control worlds in different dimensions and inhabited by a range of species.^[7] The Combine occupation of Earth, however, is shown to be a brutal police state. In City 17, an Eastern European city, Civil Protection units are seen frequently, often conducting random searches of apartment blocks, interrogating human citizens and engaging in random police brutality. The military Overwatch forces of the Combine are shown attacking human resistance bases in an effort to further solidify their control. The citizens themselves are all clad in blue uniforms and live in designated apartment blocks. Citizens are shown to be moved around to different cities or locales at the Combine's will, using passenger trains.^[8]Vortigaunts, alien creatures from the original Half-Life, are also shown to have been enslaved, and are observed in various jobs such as janitors. According to Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, the Combine are draining the Earth's oceans, minerals and resources to be used on other Combine worlds;^[4] while in both City 17's waterways and the outskirt's coastal shores the water levels are greatly reduced.^[9]

At the heart of the Combine's command structure in Half-Life 2 is the Citadel, an enormous structure of Combine construction, reaching approximately 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) into the sky from ground level,^[10] and delving deep underground. Located within City 17, the Citadel serves as the primary headquarters of the Combine, housing both Combine Advisors and the office of the Earth administrator, Wallace Breen. Breen is frequently seen on large screens around the city from which he spreads propaganda. The Citadel projects an energy field that is able to prevent human reproduction,^[11] as well as a field that keeps dangerous alien wildlife out of the city.^[12] In addition, the Citadel contains a trans-dimensional teleporter which allows the Combine to travel between their native universe and Earth.^[13] The Citadel also contains construction facilities for various synthetic Combine combat machines.

Depiction[edit]

The Combine is composed of various species and machines. The most commonly encountered enemies throughout Half-Life 2 and its expansions are the transhuman Overwatch soldiers and human Civil Protection officers. A variety of combat machines also encountered, ranging from APCs and helicopter gunships to a giant 'Smart wall' which encloses occupied cities and gradually destroys anything in its path. A number of weaponized alien 'synths' are also encountered by Freeman.^[14]

Advisors[edit]

Advisors are large larvae-like creatures which are virtually featureless, with no visible eyes, ears or limbs, though they do possess an eye-like mechanical device attached to the left side of their heads, and detachable mechanical arms.^[15] Their faces are covered by a form of respirator, which is able to lift to reveal a mouth-like orifice from which extends a long flexible proboscis. With this, they can examine objects, or attack and kill enemies. Advisors appear to be feeding upon their victim during their attacks. It is implied that Advisors are the original master race behind the Combine, with the Earth administrator Wallace Breen answering directly to them.^[15][16] Although Advisors are usually seen in protective pods guarded by Combine soldiers, they also possess telekinetic powers with which they are able to float through the air and immobilize enemies so that their proboscis can examine their victims without interference.^[15] Their appearance was based on the Guild Navigators from the film Dune.^[17]

Civil Protection[edit]

Civil Protection is the Combine's law enforcement agency on Earth, consisting of humans who have agreed to work on behalf of the Combine. Also referred to as metrocops, Civil Protection units wear light armor and gas masks, which heavily resemble a somewhat modified Soviet PMG mask. They are usually armed with electroshock batons and pistols, and are occasionally seen using submachine guns. Metrocops are brutal in their methods, keeping the local populace in line via intimidation and physical force. Interrogations, inspections, raids, random beatings, summary executions and acts of extreme police brutality are all used as a means of policing their respective jurisdictions; their methods are justified by their role as 'protectors of the civilians' well-being'. On the outskirts of City 17, Civil Protection units are observed patrolling for escapees from the city. Civil Protection officers are in constant contact with Combine Overwatch headquarters, which gives them objectives and situation updates. On the death of an officer, that officer's armor detects that its wearer is no longer alive and automatically informs headquarters of the fatality and advises nearby units as to the place of death.^[14]

Overwatch[edit]

The Combine Overwatch is the primary military force of the Combine on Earth. It consists of biomechanicallyenhanced humans, who wear heavily padded long-sleeve body armor and gas masks. The markings on the suit change depending on each individual unit's assignment and rank. Elite Combine soldiers wear bright white armor with one red eye, while the majority of soldiers wear blue armor. Shotgun units wear similar armour to the standard Combine Soldier, but coloured brown with orange eyes. They are armed with a variety of firearms, including shotguns, submachine guns, sniper rifles and pulse rifles. Overwatch soldiers usually operate in small groups, using squad tactics and grenades to flush out and flank the player. They occasionally provide support to Combine synths, and often travel to areas by use of dropships. They use radios to communicate with each other and with Overwatch headquarters. Combine Overwatch soldiers are usually encountered outside City 17, and only appear in the city after 'The Uprising' near the end of Half-Life 2.^[14]

Combine technology[edit]

The Combine use a large array of science fiction technology. They have access to teleportation technology, which takes them from their dimension to Earth. However, their teleporter technology is restrictive in comparison to that developed by Eli Vance, Isaac Kleiner and Judith Mossman in that it cannot be used to teleport to other locations on Earth without significant modification.^[18] Throughout the games, various futuristic computer consoles, doors, power sources and weapon emplacements are encountered. In addition, the Combine employ the use of small airborne robots, scanners, to observe the citizens of Earth. The city variant merely moves about the streets, monitors individuals, and takes photographs, while the combat equivalent is capable of dropping mines into an area.^[14] Civil Protection makes use of smaller airborne robots called manhacks, which fly using razor-sharp rotating blades with which they attack their targets to cause laceration injuries. These are often deployed in closed-in areas. The Combine also use two types of land mines; hopper mines throw themselves into the air and detonate when an enemy is detected nearby, while the spherical rollermines roll towards vehicles or other enemies, attach themselves and deliver damaging electrical attacks.^[14] Combine technology is also used to transform humans into Overwatch soldiers or stalkers, deformed and mutilated humans with no memory of their past selves who act as slaves and maintenance workers in Combine facilities. Transformation into a Stalker is considered among the Combine's worst punishments for dissidents.^[15][19]

Militarily, the Combine make use of both synthetic machines—machines powered by organic components—and traditional mechanical machines such as armored personnel carriers and attack helicopters.^[14] The most prominent of the synthetic machines are the insect-like gunships; and Striders, 50-foot-tall (15 m) armored creatures that walk upon three legs, which are armed with a high powered warpspace cannon and a head-mounted pulse turret.^[14] In Episode Two, a smaller equivalent to the Strider, the Hunter, is introduced. These 2.5 m (8 ft) tall, tripodal assault machines fire explosive flechettes at targets and are small enough to maneuver indoors. Other synths are seen near the end of the Half-Life 2, although their roles are not elaborated on. Sentry turrets are also used by the Combine.^[14] The Combine also use headcrabs as a biological weapon against dissidents, firing artillery shells loaded with the creatures into areas and allowing them to infest the vicinity.^[14]

Appearances[edit]

Half-Life series[edit]

According to the backstory presented during Half-Life 2, the Combine appear on Earth after the death of the Nihilanth, the boss character at the end of Half-Life. The death of the Nihilanth, a powerful creature controlling the dimensional rip between Xen and the Black Mesa Research Facility on Earth, causes the rip to worsen, resulting in 'portal storms' which spread the hostile wildlife of Xen across Earth. The Combine manipulate this tear in the spacetime continuum, widening it to allow access to Earth from their dimension. When it is sufficiently wide, the Combine invade in force, and in the subsequent Seven Hour War quickly defeat the forces of Earth and destroy the United Nations Secretariat Building in New York City. Earth's surrender is negotiated by Wallace Breen, who is then made the Combine puppet administrator of Earth, and uses City 17 as his base of operations.^[20]

The Combine's first appearance is in Half-Life 2. Through the early stages of the game, Combine Civil Protection units pursue Gordon Freeman through City 17 after he accidentally reveals his presence to Wallace Breen. Due to Freeman's actions in Half-Life, Breen sees Freeman as a major threat.^[21] As Freeman escapes the city, Civil Protection units raid the resistance base of Black Mesa East and capture resistance leader Eli Vance, who is transferred to holding facilities at Nova Prospekt.^[20] Freeman and Vance's daughter Alyx break into the facility to rescue him, but Eli Vance is teleported to the Combine Citadel by double agent Judith Mossman. However, the strike against Nova Prospekt is seen as the start of a revolution by the citizens of Earth, who take up arms against the Combine.^[22] In response, Combine Overwatch are deployed to City 17, and heavy street fighting takes place. Freeman manages to infiltrate the Citadel but is captured and taken to Breen. Mossman allows Freeman to break free of his captivity, and Breen flees to the Citadel's trans-dimensional teleporter, intent on escape. However, Freeman destroys the teleporter's reactor before Breen can escape, causing a large explosion that destroys the top of the Citadel.

In Episode One, the destruction of the teleporter at the top of the Citadel has isolated the Combine forces on Earth, but also caused its primary reactor to begin to melt down. This forces Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance to journey back into the critically damaged Citadel to temporarily stabilize its reactor while the city's inhabitants are evacuated.^[23] The Combine forces, however, instead attempt to accelerate the meltdown in order to send a message to their native universe for reinforcements. After Alyx acquires an encrypted copy of the message to be sent, Overwatch forces desperately attempt to stop the pair from escaping the city, spurred on by Combine Advisors. As the pair escape on a train at the end of the game, the Citadel detonates, sending the message and destroying City 17.^[24]

Episode Two opens with Alyx and Freeman discovering that the Citadel's destruction has resulted in the formation of a super portal to the Combine dimension, which is slowly progressing to a stage where the Combine can send overwhelming reinforcements.^[25] They also discover that the data packet in the message they retrieved from the Citadel contains codes that can be used to close the portal, and so traverse the countryside to deliver the packet to the resistance headquarters at White Forest. As they progress, it becomes evident that the Combine Advisors escaped the Citadel's destruction, and that remaining Combine forces are regrouping, albeit under occasional attacks by Vortigaunts.^[26] Aware of the resistance's plans to close the super portal, the Combine attack White Forest in force, but are repelled.^[27] The super portal is destroyed after the resistance launch a satellite containing the appropriate data. However, in the game's closing scenes, two Advisors attack Freeman, Alyx and Eli Vance, and kill Eli before being driven off by Dog.

Appearances in other media[edit]

The use of sandbox applications like Garry's Mod have allowed for Combine non-player characters to be used in a variety of webcomics and machinima productions. The Combine are also referenced in the Portal series. In one webcomic, Concerned, the Combine are portrayed as a highly bureaucratic and often inept organization. One issue shows a Civil Protection briefing for attempting to capture the comic's protagonist Gordon Frohman, in which officers are instructed to cluster around explosive barrels, seek cover on unstable structures and rappel down from bridges in front of fast moving vehicles.^[28] In another example, the machinima series Combine Nation follows Civil Protection officers in a similar style to police procedural documentaries. The officers perform their duties with various twists, such as the team's medical officer having an obsession with adhesive bandages and the legal consultant, an Overwatch soldier, favoring dramatic entries, such as throwing flashbangs, which often backfire on him.^[29] Another web series, called The Combine, parodies the TV show The Office. This series attempts to portray the combine as an intergalactic corporation that suffers from everyday office issues and problems. One episode shows the soldiers attempting to bypass a webfilter so they can watch videos online instead of working.^[30] Other media portray the Combine with more serious overtones, such as the live-action video The Combine Interview, which parodies an interview with Tom Cruise discussing Scientology. The video, described by ActionTrip as 'eerie, to say the least'^[31] and by both Joystiq^[32] and Kotaku^[33] as 'creepy', instead presents an interview with a Civil Protection officer discussing the Combine's rule of Earth, adapting Cruise's words to fit the Combine theme. PC Gamer UK noted that 'the suggestion, of course, is that Scientology's purpose or self-image in some way resembles that of the homogenising intergalactic murderous alien collective'.^[34]

Cultural impact[edit]

Merchandise[edit]

Half Life 2 Our Benefactors

The Combine have inspired the creation of several items of merchandise for the Half-Life series. A plush toy was created by Valve, based on the synthetic tripod Hunters introduced in Episode Two.^[35] Sold and distributed via Valve's online store, the toy was released in February 2008.^[36] In addition, Valve has produced t-shirts depicting the Combine's idea of humanity's evolution, from ape to Combine Overwatch soldier,^[37] and a lithograph displaying twelve pieces of concept art for the Combine soldier.^[5]

Reception[edit]

–IGN, The Top 100 Videogame Villains^[38]

The Combine have received a positive reaction from critics. 1UP.com praised the 'epic feel' built up by the Combine and their harsh rule of City 17 in Half-Life 2, stating that this created 'a world governed by newspeak, decorated with urban decay, and lacking any hope'.^[39]GameSpot echoed this praise, saying that the 'vision of a dystopian police state is chillingly effective'. PC Zone described the appearance of the Combine's soldiers as 'stormtrooper-like', but although stating that overall the artificial intelligence for the game was 'extremely competent', the Combine non-player characters 'could have used better survival instincts', citing their reluctance to take cover and tendency to charge at the player and into a shotgun blast.^[40]

A number of reviews of Episode One were disappointed by the lack of new characters for the Combine,^[41] although GameSpot praised the improved AI for Combine soldiers and the addition of new abilities, such as rappelling down buildings.^[42] The addition of the Hunter in Episode Two was particularly well received by critics; Computer and Video Games stated that they were challenging to fight and were 'a very welcome addition' to the series,^[43] while IGN stated that the Hunters were 'impressively designed... [they are] sleek and powerful all at once and reek of malicious alien intelligence.'^[44]

The Combine were ranked at #22 in IGN's 'Top 100 Videogame Villains' list.^[38]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^ab'The Top 100 Game Creators of All Time -16. Gabe Newell'. IGN. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
2. ^'Marc Laidlaw'. Giant Bomb. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
3. ^ ^ab'John Patrick Lowrie'. IMDb. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
4. ^ ^abcdeHodgson, David (2004). Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Prima Games. ISBN978-0-7615-4364-0.
5. ^ ^ab'Half-Life 2 Combine Soldier Lithograph'. Valve Corporation. Archived from the original on March 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
6. ^'Glados Speaks'. IGN. 31 October 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
7. ^Valve Corporation (2004). Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Dark Energy. Wallace Breen: Carbon stars with ancient satellites, colonized by sentient fungi; gas giants, inhabited by vast meteorological intelligences; worlds stretched thin across the membranes where the dimensions intersect...impossible to describe with our limited vocabulary!
8. ^Valve Corporation (2004). Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Point Insertion. Citizen: No matter how many times I get relocated, I...never get used to it.
9. ^Highway 17
10. ^Half-Life 2 Citadel Height
11. ^Valve Corporation (2006). Half-Life 2: Episode One. PC. Level/area: Urban Flight. Isaac Kleiner: I feel obliged to point out that a more fortunate side effect of the reactor's destruction is the complete removal of the Combine's reproductive suppression field. Previously, certain protein chains important to the process of embryonic development were selectively prevented from forming; this is no longer the case. For those so inclined, now would be an excellent time for procreation, which is to say, in layman's terms, you should give serious consideration to doing your part for the revival of the species.
12. ^Valve Corporation (2006). Half-Life 2: Episode One. PC. Level/area: Lowlife. Alyx Vance: Antlions here? The Combine's defense field must have collapsed. Makes sense if it was powered by the Citadel.
13. ^Valve Corporation (2004). Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Dark Energy. Alyx Vance: This is the Citadel's dark fusion reactor. It powers their tunneling entanglement device.
14. ^ ^abcdefghi'Half-Life 2 Enemies'. Planet Half-Life. IGN. Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
15. ^ ^abcd'Half-Life 2: Episode One Enemies'. Planet Half-Life. IGN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
16. ^Valve Corporation (2004). Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Dark Energy. Dr. Wallace Breen: (to an Advisor) It's me you should be worried about! I can still deliver Earth, but not without your help! [..] The portal destination is untenable, surely you can set the relay else where. There's no way I can survive in that environment! A host body?! You must be joking, I can't possibly—oh, all right, dammit, if that's what it takes. Just hurry, he's right behind me!
17. ^Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
18. ^Valve Corporation (2004). Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Black Mesa East. Judith Mossman: We're closing in on a reliable local teleport technology, something the Combine still hasn't mastered. Eli thinks their models are string-based, similar to our Calabi-Yau model, but they fail to factor in the dark energy equations. They can tunnel through from their universe, but once they're here, they're dependent on local transportation.
19. ^Valve Corporation (2006). Half-Life 2: Episode One. Level/area: Direct Intervention. Alyx Vance: Goddamn the Combine! This is what happens to you if you resist... or if you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time. [..] God, I hope you don't remember who you are...
20. ^ ^ab'Half-Life 2 Walkthrough—Chapter 5: Black Mesa East'. Planet Half-Life. IGN. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
21. ^Valve Corporation (2004). Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Water Hazard. Wallace Breen: We now have direct confirmation of a disruptor in our midst, one who has acquired an almost messianic reputation in the minds of certain citizens. His figure is synonymous with the darkest urges of instinct, ignorance and decay; some of the worst excesses of the Black Mesa incident have been laid directly at his feet. And yet unsophisticated minds continue to embue him with romantic power, giving him such dangerous poetic labels as the 'One Free Man', the 'Opener of the Way'.
22. ^'Half-Life 2 Walkthrough—Chapter 10: Entanglement'. Planet Half-Life. IGN. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
23. ^'Half-Life 2: Episode One Walkthrough—Chapter 1: Undue Alarm'. Planet Half-Life. IGN. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
24. ^'Half-Life 2: Episode One Walkthrough—Chapter 5: Exit 17'. Planet Half-Life. IGN. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
25. ^Valve Corporation (2007). Half-Life 2: Episode Two. PC. Level/area: To The White Forest. Isaac Kleiner: What you're seeing is the infancy of a superportal. If it retains full strength— / Eli Vance: It will be the Seven Hour War, all over again! Except this time we won't last seven minutes!
26. ^Valve Corporation (2007). Half-Life 2: Episode Two. PC. Level/area: Freeman Pontifex. Vortigaunt: They carry Shu'ulathoi: Advisors still in incubation pods. They gather and unite the scattered Combine forces.
27. ^Valve Corporation (2007). Half-Life 2: Episode Two. PC. Level/area: Our Mutual Fiend. Resistance fighter: We've counted a dozen Striders just north of us. Our job is to keep them from reaching the base to the south. If they get close enough for one good shot at the silo, the whole launch is a bust. And in case Striders aren't bad enough, recon indicates that they're being escorted by packs of Hunters.
28. ^Livingston, Christopher (2005-10-07). 'Issue #62'. Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Freeman. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
29. ^'Combine Nation: Episode One'. Lit Fuse Films. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
30. ^'The Combine Episode 2: Workfilter'. Currentpie Productions. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
31. ^Paul, Ure (2008-09-03). 'Tom Cruise Scientology Interview, Combine Style'. ActionTrip. Archived from the original on 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
32. ^McElroy, Justin (2008-09-03). 'The Combine Interview puts Tom Cruise in new light'. Joystiq. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
33. ^Plunkett, Luke (2008-09-02). 'Creepy Tom Cruise Interview Redone As Creepy Half-Life 2 Interview'. Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
34. ^'The Combine Tom Cruise'. PC Gamer. No. 194. United Kingdom: Future plc. December 2008. p. 113.
35. ^'Hunter Plush Toy'. Valve Corporation. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
36. ^Plunkett, Luke (2008-02-18). 'Hunter Plushies Now Available'. Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
37. ^'Half-Life 2 'Evolution' Shirt'. Valve Corporation. Archived from the original on March 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
38. ^ ^ab'The Top 100 Videogame Villains'. IGN. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
39. ^Pfister, Andrew (2005-01-17). 'Half-Life 2 Review'. 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-04. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
40. ^'PC Review: Half-Life 2'. PC Zone. Computer and Video Games. 2004-11-16. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
41. ^McNamara, Tom (2006-06-01). 'Half-Life 2: Episode One Review'. IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
42. ^Ocampo, Jason (2008-06-02). 'Half-Life 2: Episode One for PC Review'. GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
43. ^Robinson, Andy (2007-10-10). 'Review: Half-Life 2: Episode Two'. Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
44. ^Adams, Dan (2007-10-09). 'Half-Life 2: Episode Two Review'. IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-26.

External links[edit]

• The Combine on Combine OverWiki, an external wiki

Half Life 2 Our Benefactors Walkthrough