In the Half-Life series, there are fictional alien parasitoids called “headcrabs”. In Katie’s house there is Headcrab Cat, aka Sophie.
No one is suggesting a future iteration of Half-Life’s protagonist will suddenly start talking, like Chief Bromden savouring Juicy Fruit, but Matt Smith, writing at Thunderbolt Games, has an eloquent defence of Gordon Freeman’s muteness, why it works so well in this series, and why Freeman is such a beloved character despite saying nary a word.
This picture (full resolution after the jump) is not a cosplayer getting up to face the day as a Combine Elite soldier from Half-Life 2. It’s actually a render of one into a shot of someone’s bedroom. It’s crazily reminiscent of this gallery, cosplay enthusiasts, in costume, hanging about in everyday settings. (The best is Chewbacca in the kitchen).
Also after the jump, from Deviant Art, a cartoon on why Gordon Freeman doesn’t talk. (If you’re guessing the punchline right now, you’re right.)
Didn’t you get the memo? Custom HL2 figures are 2008′s cakes. Not as edible, perhaps, but chock full of crafty goodness nonetheless. The latest to drop into our inbox comes via reader Rob, who – inspired by Jin Saotome’s cartoony offering – decided to whip up his own Gordon Freeman action figure. Rob writes: It’s not quite as professional as Jin’s effort, but I think it makes up for it in accuracy to the source material.
Don’t be so hard on yourself, Rob! Looks great (like a Gordon Freeman appearance on Robot Chicken), and yes, we appreciate the increased accuracy to the source material. The base was a nice touch.
We know. He can’t/doesn’t speak. And if he could/did, he’d be more of a man than to go whining about it on national radio. But if you can suspend enough disbelief to imagine he can/does, you can also muster a chuckle or two as George Noory, host of Coast to Coast AM, totally falls for it.
Keep. The custom action figures. Coming. This one’s the latest from master craftsman Jin Saotome (who we’ve featured twice before), and finally gives the world a Gordon Freeman action figure. Purists may baulk at the cartoonish, chunky style the good doctor’s been portrayed in, but so long as you think of this as a figure from Genndy Tartakovsky’s non-existant Half-Life animated series, you’ll be OK.
Jin Saotome [thanks Fishballs!]