"You know being a one man army isn't something you actually aspired to. You say it because it sounds badass, not because you literally want to function as an entire army."
One of my favorite aspects of Freeman's mind is that he totally ignores the health system in the game. Instead of taking damage, bullets just bounce off the hazard suit. This makes the game actually make sense realistically, the hazard suit actually protects the wearer from bodily harm, but getting shot still "hurts worse than paintball". I think this detail is one of the main things that changes the show from being a guy playing a video game to the first person depiction of a scientist having a really bad day.
Plus he also ignores the medkits, suit chargers, & batteries, and only really takes some gauze and morphine from the first-aid stations in the few instances where he actually gets hurt.
The HEV isn't meant for extended use in hazards because the high impact reactive armour eats a lot of power, but I guess the paneling still exist even without power so I guess it still makes sense.
I remember when he first switched to Half-Life Source and he rants for three episodes about government mismanagement and the box-smashing room that leads to nowhere.
@@Grizabeebles As far as I know, he was always playing on HL:S. In episode 5, you'll notice when one of the guards takes down one of the scientist zombies that it falls over realistically due to ragdoll physics, which GoldSrc games didn't have. Also, Episode 6 shows transparent water which, once again, GoldSrc games didn't have; the water would just have a colorful texture masking it.
@@seigeengine I think it has more to do with the idea "how did one physics nerd murder an entire batallion of special ops trained soldiers?" They would think it was a group of highly trained operatives, not some smarty pants with a leverage tool.
@@pearlysplayhouse7761 Yeah that was basically how he did it. "They might be able to pin one or two murders on me, but can they really pin DOZENS? Lets look at the facts here: graduated from MIT, no combat experience, never fired a gun before, degree in theoretical physics... yeah, that's our guy."
I'd say he's pretty enormously successful considering his somewhat unusual content, and sparse irregular upload schedule. More a case for how you don't need to fit the mold to be successful on the platform.
He got fucked and it was some major BS, he had every right to be upset with the way they were handling things and getting the fuck out of that dumpster fire.
Freeman's mind actually goes WAYY deeper than that. The key is contextualization. It's not that ross created a funny charachter to do hilarious monologues, it's that he looked at half-life as a game, and thought what kind of person gordon freeman would have to be to live through all that. Canonical facts about Freeman at that point are: doctorate at MIT, 27 year old, shows up work 47 minutes late, still finds time to dick around, never says a word to his colleagues during work, and somehow manages to gun down hundreds of soldiers. So he's antisocial egomaniac that should be drug tested as a start-off point. When gordon gets knocked out he didn't really forget, he just suppresses the weird parts and dismisses everything as a drug trip "like that one time in innsbruck". and ranting about how everyone is trying to kill him is him freaking out about the surreality of the situation, almost af he is a main charachter of a videogame all the sudden, or something. There is a *TON* of fourth wall-adjacent jokes and quips about how massive main charachter syndrome freeman has developed. Also, all those snarky comments and sciencey tangents he goes off to are clearly a coping mechanism, as they seem to appear more frequently on jumping puzzles and after gunfights, when gunfights cause him to either consentrate or freak out.
"He starts as a man who is cold and rude, but is never malicious." "The day they tried to enforce the dress code on me, I let them know there could be an accident around here if that happened... and by accident I mean I'd bomb the place."
Excellent breakdown. One of my favorite parts of the show and Ross's Freeman character in general is the descent into madness you described. *wall of text incoming* I noticed how in the early episodes Freeman speaks (thinks?) at a normal tone and volume like any average person but as the series drags on, and given that the original half life spans about 3 days the entirety of which Gordon never stops to rest, eat or sleep, you can see it start to take a toll on him. Some examples I can think of are during the cliff scene in Surface Tension from exiting the pipe to destroying the helicopter is almost entirely him rambling about conspiracy theories, shouting at soldiers about their lack of regard for his safety "I could slip on these shells!", and pondering if his continued survival would cause the universe itself to collapse. Another example, and my personal favorite, is when he fights the Gonarch. At the start Freeman is clearly unsettled at seeing the thing lumber towards him to the point where all he is able to say for a brief moment is a simple "uuuuhhhhhh" before running away and breaking into his usual quips. After some time passes the Gonarch starts howling at Gordon once he starts injuring it, with Gordon mimicing it's cries the entire time in what I like to think as him trying to cope with the almost impossible situation before him. Towards the end of the fight Gordon finally cracks when about 4 military grade explosives and a rocket launcher only made it angry at him, the Gonarch chases Gordon while he shouts one of my favorite quotes from the series "Nothings immune to explosives! Is this God?!? AM I FIGHTING GOD?!!??" the way this line was delivered makes me think that for a moment Gordon was actually starting to consider the possibility of him fighting some devine all powerful being (he even straight up believes that Nihilanth is an elder god and claims that H.P. Lovecraft was "right about everything") I think the best part about this is that these little details really shine with Ross's acting, his line delivery is spot on.
Richard Briley The "IS THIS GOD? AM I FIGHTING GOD?" quote is one of my favorites in the series. Actually, that episode and the finale are probably my two favorites in the series.
What I also love, one of my favourite parts is the totally human reaction in the second to final episode when he fights the Nelanith (spelling) *Jumps through the portal to see it floating over him "Freeeeeemaaaaan" Freeman: "....AAAAAAAAAH!" until he goes back to his usual comedy of "Well, let history know you started it!"
MrBox009 What never fails to make me chuckle in that fight is when he kills it and thinks the portals coming out of it's head will allow him to become "the new god because that's how it works right?" Specifically the line when he says "NO I'M GONNA MISS IT! GIMME!" as he frantically swings his crowbar around trying to catch one of the portals.
I'm really not sure how he is going to do HL2 as it goes on. What I've seen so far is gold, but since there is so many more 'cutscenes' in the game and such, I think it's going to be a lot of work for him
That comment about Ross keeping you on your toes and adding stuff that'll surprise you is so true. He released the first episode of Half Life 2 on fucking april fools day of all days, he shot the vortigaunt in episode 4 and got Freeman to freaking vomit in episode 5. It's just surprise after surprise, you keep thinking you just saw the moment where the series blew it's load and everything after that is filler but no, it keeps getting better.
It's more likely for him to just mod HL2 as he already did in the past while making Civil Protection (he also modified Half-Life: Source in some parts, mainly bug-fixes or other stuff)
Every scientist in Black Mesa besides Gordon seem to be major pussies. You barely see any of them trying to use guns or any melee weapons. Just the shotgun scientist and the guy fighting the headcrab in Sector C.
"With my brains and your brawn we'll make an excellent team" - said the scientist in the missile department to the scientist working on a portal to another dimension.
It's odd because Gordon has more brains than any of them, he's actually trying to escape while most of the scientists are trying to hide before you hit the use key and they say that to you.
I really appreciate Ross as he puts so much effort into his work. From Civil Protection to Game Dungeon, he clearly puts a lot of hard work and research into everything he does and doesn't cut corners.
That fact is so true, and can't be stressed enough. Freeman's Mind is a show that, by nature, is designed specifically to NOT emphasize all the little things that take so much effort, but go towards a stronger and more cohesive series. They're things you might miss or not consciously recognize, especially if you're not intimately familiar with Half-Life and its rules, but add up to a greater experience. In Game Dungeon however, Ross spends a LOT of time explaining, sometimes in an abridged format, exactly what process (both physical and mental) he had to go through in order to progress and achieve what he did. It really gives you a deep look into his work ethic and just how much he pays attention to detail, and how committed to his work he is.
I always thought freeman never really turned into a psychopath, more he was the whole time and just became more embracing of it, i mean he does know a lot of weirdos and has a skull collection and mentions how his lifestyle kind of prepared him for the cascade
I think he even alludes to the fact that he might have accidentally murdered someone in the past as well. It's only mentioned in passing though, like it wasn't something troubled Gordon overly much. His plan for promotion at black Mesa also involved abducting the administrator's wife and framing his boss for it, so the boss would get fired and gordon would be promoted to his place. He wasn't looking forward to the kidnapping though, but purely because it would have been a lot of work.
Another thing I like about the series is the additional sound effects Ross adds that aren't in the game. Things like lights buzzing, rock crumbling, explosive tinnitus, weapon noises, etc. That also makes the series more alive. Barney's Mind, at the time, was one of the acquired taste type of things with Ian Riley's voice not even coming close to Michael Shapiro but some of the twists he adds in keeps you on your toes, particularly the finale taking place in Flight Simulator X.
Any scene of him going underwater is 1000x more immersive due to him layering on additional sounds, reverb and the blur effect it's a lot of work that pays off in a big way.
There was a good one where Gordon was underwater during Apprehension when he was swimming away from the worms and drowning, he moved in bursts kind of like if Gordon were making panicking breaststrokes.
To add to my comment with the most recent video, he's been doing even more visual effects such as cranking up the contrast after being blinded by a City Scanner, you can barely see *anything* not illuminated by the sun, kind of like coming inside after a walk on a bright Summer day or the way his glasses fog up after passing through a burst of steam.
Shephards Mind is underrated. ive rewatched it about as much as Freemans mind. Barneys Mind gets grating because honestly you can tell he isnt working off a script. He goes "uuuhhh" all the time trying to come up with the next bit. He also doesnt ever yell really. you can tell he lives in an apartment or something and doesnt want to get loud. Ruins my immersion. God bless Ross for keeping the torch going. by the time im 40 he will finish season 2 and its honestly the only thing keeping me going lol
Dude you might want to check the *three last words* in the last sentence in last paragraph of your original comment. I mean, we're not talking about some random ass abandoned airports, scrapped Boeing 707's, B-52 bombers, Douglas DC-8's, MD-80's here in New Mexico. We're talking about Black Mesa Research Facility.
Something not mentioned that really makes Ross's work stand out: His voice acting and his voice. They're just so damn good! In my opinion he's right up with H. Jon Benjamin in this regard.
Ross is easily one of my favorite content creators. He takes the time each month to do a chat with his fans and have Q&A sessions. He just seems like a genuinely strand up guy.
Ross seems like a guy I would love to meet, chat, have a beer with, and just talk and play some games together. And he is VERY well read. Really bright guy... I usually end up learning something from his Game Dungeon videos. He could probably teach me a thing or two haha
2 favorite scenes: 1- "Bomb shelter parties are the best kind of parties, 'cause bomb shelter parties dont stop. *until everyone's dead."* 2- **freeman drops satchel charge outside door** "Wow, they didnt notice that? They must be listening to the radio. i'm gonna' the station..." *BOOM*
6:46 This murder is hypothetically justified, as the soldier who tries to kill Gordon walks past this guard. This is only possible if the guard is in cahoots with the soldiers.
There's another Chell's Mind (done by a guy but the voice is explained in-universe ) that goes through Portal 2 and is really good in my opinion. I'd have loved to see the original through to its conclusion though.
Another reason for Freeman's descent into madness is the ever-increasing toll on his mind that several days of high stress, minimal rest, and no food or water is taking.
I’ll always remember the first episode getting uploaded, watching it and instantly wanting more, I was so invested from the start and I remember no matter how much time had passed between episodes I was always just as excited to see a new one in my subscription box. I’d rewatch the episodes over and over and never ever get bored and just loved the series more. I basically grew up with that show. Ross is an amazing guy, pure talent and he’s just a joy to watch outside of freeman’s mind too.
It also makes sense if Ross's portrayal is actually Gordon. MIT graduate, doing menial tasks in the experiment because he's always late and got caught playing in the test chamber
very, VERY well executed video. Something else about Freeman's Mind I've noticed is that no matter how many times you watch it, it always seems to be fresh. Ive been watching Freeman's Mind since i was 11, and 8 years later every single joke just has a way of never getting old. I must have rewatched the entire series 10 times by now, and each time im finding something new, or laughing at an old joke i forgot about. Ross has truly made it like no other series.
Big reason for that is because Ross writes the jokes to be timeless. He does not reference any recent events or fads, instead he keeps them quite believable in the context of the time the events of the game takes place. (That is around the late 1990's.) And topical to what Freeman could say and know in "reality".
I typically listen to it when I go to bed. I start episode 1, and almost always wake up an episode or two after or when he wakes up in the trash compactor.
Part of what I find funny about Freeman's Mind that not a lot of people seem to mention is that you never know when you're hearing his "inner monologue" or when you're straight up hearing him talk to other characters out loud or even to himself. This sort of blurs the lines between the inner and outer worlds and really leaves a lot of humour for you to find for yourself. Also, when he shot the friendly security guard, I just about pissed myself! It just happens so quickly and unexpectedly, though in hindsight you felt you should have seen it coming. It's great writing.
I'm glad you made this video. Ross is a professional in my opinion and i'm glad he gets credit and is recognized but he certainly deserves a lot more. FM and FM2 are the only youtube series' that i download to watch streamed. Sadly though, unless someone creates a fan-made HL2:E3 or HL3 then FM2 may be stuck at the cliffhanger.
If it makes you feel better, Ross said during one of the monthly video chats that he'd also play the episodes AND that he would consider playing a suitably high quality enough episode 3 fan-game.
You know what's funny? First ep. of s.2 was released in 2017, now in 2019 it's ep. 10 and still, like, only beginning of the game, so it's ENTIRELY POSSIBLE, that project borealis will end before Ross reaches HL2:EP2
Now with Half-Life: Alyx, HL3 is almost certainly confirmed, and it's probably going to be released before FM2 is finished considering how slow it's been.
"Freeman's Mind" is what got me into the Half-Life series to begin with. I only discovered Freeman's Mind within the last couple of years and just recently got the chance to play the first Half-Life game, and I've been enjoying the ride thus far.
Speaking of the little things one of my favorite tiniest details is his reaction to getting shot in the ear by the auto turret. That part gets me every time; the way the camera shakes and the shock of what had just happened is fantastic
One of my favorite aspects of it is how Freeman constantly complains about his missing helmet. Because yeah, if I was getting shot at or attacked by parasites that attach to your head, I'd want that fuckin helmet too.
I always feel stuff like this looks just a *little* too literally at the text of the piece, and glosses over the implied and the subtextual. Case in point: it seems pretty clear to me, looking at how he says it and considering previous thoughts on the subject, that he isn't calling it "self defense" as a way of justifying it to himself or assuage guilt, but because he's considering how to cover his ass should he escape his current hell only to be brought up on charges of gunning down US soldiers. Don't get me wrong, he does go on a journey and come out a different guy than the one he started as, it's just your examination seems slightly skewed towards ignoring context, subtext, and the implied, or cherry-picking example moments to more easily reinforce your core argument. The end result winds up scanning less like analysis and more like a forced assigned book report, y'know?
I mean isn't that the point though. Him calling it self defense is him telling himself that he is still a good person, and isn't going to get in trouble for this because of that fact. Later in the series though, he says he's tired of this shoot second strategy has and just says fuck it, he's gonna start killing all of them no matter what. Sure contextually he HAS to kill them, or else he would die, but that doesn't mean him cracking jokes at how he is murdering all of them makes him a sane individual. Earlier in the show he would even try reasoning with them, but later he wouldn't. I mean look at season 2, Gordon doesn't even TRY reasoning with the combine because he knows it will do him no favors. ....but yes you are right I am totally looking too deep into a Machinima series BUT FUCK ITS FUN OK
_> Him calling it self defense is him telling himself that he is still a good person_ Nope, it is him telling himself that he might still get away with it in court. He has no remorse. Freeman talking about (planning or reminiscing) committing various crimes and getting away with it is a major running gag in FM.
Freeman is at war. He is surrounded by people who are trying to shoot him on site. When you are at war, it's kill or be killed. They don't put soldiers on trial for killing people in war. Cracking jokes about it is a coping mechanism.
BritishCommentWriter but he isn’t actually at war. That’s the point being made. He would be tried for treason and likely put to death unless he had some sort of legal defense. The very beginning when he first saw guards (the “hey killer!” scene) could be him not wanting to hurt them, but him saying he has “7, 8, 9 counts of uh, self defense” is clearly a joke about how difficult it is going to be to defend himself in court.
+BritishCommentWriter _> Freeman is at war. He is surrounded by people who are trying to shoot him..._ No. Freeman is a hilariously misanthropic narcissist that fantasizes about stealing stuff and killing people he doesn't like (if only he could get away with murder, of course) long before bullets start flying.
Freemans Mind was amazing. I loved it so much that i started working on my own mind series, Through The Eyes of Freeman, because it looked like so much fun. Ross was a genius in his scripting, theres so many funny lines that crack me up even today.
Good to see a video like this out there. I’ve been saying for years that Freeman’s transition from normal to nutcase is brilliant. Right up there with something out of breaking bad.
It's even funnier if you watch review UA-camrs like Phelous because Ross' (inner Freeman) sounds exactly like what Phelous would be saying in that scenario.
I'm of the opinion that Freeman's Mind is a modern classic of comedy, up there with Abbott and Costello and Monty Python. Years from now, it will have the same status.
Ross' Game Dungeon is legendary and I only discovered all of this a couple years ago! I have no idea how I never even heard of Freemans Mind! Ross is amazing!
I mean, if you were under fire you would be suspicious of everyone and would start killing people who have the same uniform as the last 50 people who were trying to kill you were wearing.
Ok let's get something straight. That guard let the Marine go around the corner to kill Freeman. He had a great reason to do that. Edit. Ok now I'm understanding.
I still believe that killing the guard was because of his deteriorating mental state. The Gordon before most likely would have thought of a different way to deal with him, maybe beating the shit out of him, but not killing him.
The fact that he shoots the guard almost instantly definitely indicates his mental state. Doesn't even try to talk to him or chew him out. Shoot first, ask questions later.
Vnx or he could have just shot him out of being startled, you know, since he's only in constant gunfights for his life and hasn't seen a friendly person shaped thing for a while now.
Freeman's Mind absolutely is one my most favorite series on UA-cam. You have put it really well why I like this series. Ross's Gordon goes through more character development than most of the triple A games out there together.
when you talked about him descending into a psychopath by saying all the soldiers should now die, he did actively say that trying to talk to them has failed each time, so he's given up on that and just resorted to shooting them first, but after that concussion he DID forget the past events, and remember them incorrectly, so him shooting that friendly guard is actually explainable because of it
My personal favorite episode was the Pirate's Day one where he talked like a pirate for the entire time. I don't think any other machinima has made me laugh as hard as that did.
Great vid! Thank you! Also, since everybody is leaving their favourite FM quotes, here's mine: "This is why I'm such a good physicist. I solve problems that shouldn't even exist."
I actually have to disagree. I got drunk the other night and put freemans mind on my second monitor as i played a game. And i payed more attention than usual. Freeman was absolutely a malicious asshole in the beginning. Sure, he didnt shoot people first, but he made very cavalier threats to kill people, rob everyone, steal from his job and "bomb the place". And more than once he even alluded to having murdered people before It made me realize that what i too thought was his "decent into madness", was really more a shearing away of his facade. A "mask off" type situation where he stopped pretending in the face of the most stressful experience of his life. Freeman was always crazy The Black Mesa incident just made him more transparent lol
Freeman's mind inspired me to play the 1st half life. I ended up finishing its before he was even a quarter of the way through the series. I assumed the Cthulu Finger Monster was the end boss, if you can believe it.
Ross wrote Freeman the way he did because he figured a schizophrenic sociopath would be the likeliest candidate for surviving the Black Mesa Incident.
Rattman?
Dang ol Ross Scott man..
"No! I don't wanna be a schizophrenic!'
@@paulaccuardi9071 It was there the whole time. Why didn't I realise it?
as someone who experiences psychotic episodes, freeman's mind freeman is definitely relatable
My favourite Freeman's Mind quote is, "You can never prove the absence of ninjas, only their direct presence".
Ockham's Shuriken :P
Wouldn't that be Schrodinger's Shuriken?
One cannot determine whether or not a Ninja is present until they reveal themselves.
"The ones that die are the lucky ones, and there be plenty of luck in the air today."
I quote that in my head whenever i see a justin Y comment.
"Ninjas have a better grasp on quantum physics than most. That was a controversial part of my dissertation."
Ross is a treasure.
"You know being a one man army isn't something you actually aspired to. You say it because it sounds badass, not because you literally want to function as an entire army."
One of my favorite aspects of Freeman's mind is that he totally ignores the health system in the game. Instead of taking damage, bullets just bounce off the hazard suit. This makes the game actually make sense realistically, the hazard suit actually protects the wearer from bodily harm, but getting shot still "hurts worse than paintball". I think this detail is one of the main things that changes the show from being a guy playing a video game to the first person depiction of a scientist having a really bad day.
Plus he also ignores the medkits, suit chargers, & batteries, and only really takes some gauze and morphine from the first-aid stations in the few instances where he actually gets hurt.
Thank God MatPat didn't choose to work THERE, right?
I feel like the game takes place over a week or two but I’m not really sure.
@@ThatGenericPyro Well, he also gets high on morphine in the Lambda Labs, but yeah.
The HEV isn't meant for extended use in hazards because the high impact reactive armour eats a lot of power, but I guess the paneling still exist even without power so I guess it still makes sense.
"I've brushed with Death so often, I should start giving him high-fives when I pass."
"I still can't tell if that was Smart or Stupid. I guess it was both, Smupid."
I remember when he first switched to Half-Life Source and he rants for three episodes about government mismanagement and the box-smashing room that leads to nowhere.
"Okay, suppressive fire in, suppressive fire out, do the hokey-pokey and that's what it's all about!"
@@Grizabeebles As far as I know, he was always playing on HL:S. In episode 5, you'll notice when one of the guards takes down one of the scientist zombies that it falls over realistically due to ragdoll physics, which GoldSrc games didn't have. Also, Episode 6 shows transparent water which, once again, GoldSrc games didn't have; the water would just have a colorful texture masking it.
This is basically Rincewind's relationship with Death, except it's the other way around.
At least this shotgun won't betray me...it's filled with pellets, *NOT LIES*
I'm a scientist with a shotgun. I'm unstoppable.
Error 504: Somebody shot the server with a Spas-12.
@@TheFunniBaconMan Somebody shot the server with a *12 gauge. Please contact your administrator.
would one of the biggest turning points of Gordon's mindset be the line "Maybe the more people I kill, the less likely they'll think I'm guilty"?
To be fair, there's a point where killing more people makes you less likely to suffer consequences.
@@seigeengine I think it has more to do with the idea "how did one physics nerd murder an entire batallion of special ops trained soldiers?" They would think it was a group of highly trained operatives, not some smarty pants with a leverage tool.
@Maximal's Personal Profile What about watching _Die Hard_ for, like, fifty times?
@@pearlysplayhouse7761 Yeah that was basically how he did it. "They might be able to pin one or two murders on me, but can they really pin DOZENS? Lets look at the facts here: graduated from MIT, no combat experience, never fired a gun before, degree in theoretical physics... yeah, that's our guy."
Ross is one of the most underrated youtubers there is. Someone who seems to be punished for not fitting into the norm of youtubeing.
I'd say he's pretty enormously successful considering his somewhat unusual content, and sparse irregular upload schedule. More a case for how you don't need to fit the mold to be successful on the platform.
the verb is youtubering, like a potato.
He got fucked and it was some major BS, he had every right to be upset with the way they were handling things and getting the fuck out of that dumpster fire.
@@Unpopular50 Are you referring to the dumpster fire of machinima?
A: Men of few words, aren't you?
G: Listen, smartass, I don't... Yeah, I talk a lot, but that's because I GET THINGS DONE!
FM essence right here.
That quote by Alyx has a completely different context in Freeman's Mind. I love it.
you forgot the "Oh. Okay. Well fuck you, then."
Freeman's mind actually goes WAYY deeper than that. The key is contextualization. It's not that ross created a funny charachter to do hilarious monologues, it's that he looked at half-life as a game, and thought what kind of person gordon freeman would have to be to live through all that. Canonical facts about Freeman at that point are: doctorate at MIT, 27 year old, shows up work 47 minutes late, still finds time to dick around, never says a word to his colleagues during work, and somehow manages to gun down hundreds of soldiers. So he's antisocial egomaniac that should be drug tested as a start-off point. When gordon gets knocked out he didn't really forget, he just suppresses the weird parts and dismisses everything as a drug trip "like that one time in innsbruck". and ranting about how everyone is trying to kill him is him freaking out about the surreality of the situation, almost af he is a main charachter of a videogame all the sudden, or something. There is a *TON* of fourth wall-adjacent jokes and quips about how massive main charachter syndrome freeman has developed. Also, all those snarky comments and sciencey tangents he goes off to are clearly a coping mechanism, as they seem to appear more frequently on jumping puzzles and after gunfights, when gunfights cause him to either consentrate or freak out.
God forbid he's just mute
LASER! Caution. LASER! Caution. LASER! Caution. What could it mean!?
YES! my favorite part!
Hey is it getting warm in here, Yaaa I almost got a free haircut and lobotomy
It means caution Laser
IRL, the barney's mind creator and chell's mind creator got married.
Jared O'Brien really?
Jared O'Brien Wait WHAT?!?!
To each other?
yep
Can confirm: we are happily married. :P
"He starts as a man who is cold and rude, but is never malicious."
"The day they tried to enforce the dress code on me, I let them know there could be an accident around here if that happened... and by accident I mean I'd bomb the place."
He also attempted to steal someone's noodles from the microwave.
He's also friends with Eddie prior to Black Mesa. Gordon was always insane, he just grew more paranoid as the series went on.
@@BloodrealmX that’s not a malicious act. That’s just a theft
@TragedyplusTime AND Dr. Kleiner, who in the series' 2nd season is also considered to be morally questionable
"what?...man I'll KILL YOU" in like the second episode lol
Allow me to introduce Ambassador Pineapple.
I woke up some sleeping folks laughing at that. then years later I watched it again, forgot that quote and laughed just as hard when i heard it
I spat my drink out onto my desk when i heard that, because i swear to god that's exactly what i thought of saying in that moment.
You mean the Happy Ball?
I still refer to grenades as that.
Excellent breakdown. One of my favorite parts of the show and Ross's Freeman character in general is the descent into madness you described.
*wall of text incoming*
I noticed how in the early episodes Freeman speaks (thinks?) at a normal tone and volume like any average person but as the series drags on, and given that the original half life spans about 3 days the entirety of which Gordon never stops to rest, eat or sleep, you can see it start to take a toll on him. Some examples I can think of are during the cliff scene in Surface Tension from exiting the pipe to destroying the helicopter is almost entirely him rambling about conspiracy theories, shouting at soldiers about their lack of regard for his safety "I could slip on these shells!", and pondering if his continued survival would cause the universe itself to collapse. Another example, and my personal favorite, is when he fights the Gonarch. At the start Freeman is clearly unsettled at seeing the thing lumber towards him to the point where all he is able to say for a brief moment is a simple "uuuuhhhhhh" before running away and breaking into his usual quips. After some time passes the Gonarch starts howling at Gordon once he starts injuring it, with Gordon mimicing it's cries the entire time in what I like to think as him trying to cope with the almost impossible situation before him. Towards the end of the fight Gordon finally cracks when about 4 military grade explosives and a rocket launcher only made it angry at him, the Gonarch chases Gordon while he shouts one of my favorite quotes from the series "Nothings immune to explosives! Is this God?!? AM I FIGHTING GOD?!!??" the way this line was delivered makes me think that for a moment Gordon was actually starting to consider the possibility of him fighting some devine all powerful being (he even straight up believes that Nihilanth is an elder god and claims that H.P. Lovecraft was "right about everything")
I think the best part about this is that these little details really shine with Ross's acting, his line delivery is spot on.
Richard Briley The "IS THIS GOD? AM I FIGHTING GOD?" quote is one of my favorites in the series. Actually, that episode and the finale are probably my two favorites in the series.
What I also love, one of my favourite parts is the totally human reaction in the second to final episode when he fights the Nelanith (spelling)
*Jumps through the portal to see it floating over him "Freeeeeemaaaaan"
Freeman: "....AAAAAAAAAH!"
until he goes back to his usual comedy of "Well, let history know you started it!"
MrBox009 What never fails to make me chuckle in that fight is when he kills it and thinks the portals coming out of it's head will allow him to become "the new god because that's how it works right?" Specifically the line when he says "NO I'M GONNA MISS IT! GIMME!" as he frantically swings his crowbar around trying to catch one of the portals.
I'm really not sure how he is going to do HL2 as it goes on. What I've seen so far is gold, but since there is so many more 'cutscenes' in the game and such, I think it's going to be a lot of work for him
eh, I think Ross can manage, hes managed this series so far right? hell, Im pretty sure MOST of us never thought he'd even DO A SEASON TWO!!! XD!)
That comment about Ross keeping you on your toes and adding stuff that'll surprise you is so true.
He released the first episode of Half Life 2 on fucking april fools day of all days, he shot the vortigaunt in episode 4 and got Freeman to freaking vomit in episode 5.
It's just surprise after surprise, you keep thinking you just saw the moment where the series blew it's load and everything after that is filler but no, it keeps getting better.
I've been a fan since the beginning, and even then the touch of the vomit in the newest episode STILL surprised me.
Ross is a god damn genius.
I don't even fucking know how he did the vomit thing, and I've been all up and down the source engine.
If it's possible to load HL2 maps in Gmod, he could have clipped it in maybe?
It's more likely for him to just mod HL2 as he already did in the past while making Civil Protection (he also modified Half-Life: Source in some parts, mainly bug-fixes or other stuff)
Why go through the trouble of modding the game when you could just download a vomit Stool in Gmod?
I have to blow everything up! It's the only way to prove that I'm not crazy!
Easily my favorite quote.
"ok, down down down down down!" *BOOM*
Now I can solve up to 800 problems a minute. A submachine gun: it's not just for parlor tricks.
"I'd better stick to short, controlled bursts with this baby. The candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long!"
Hearing "with my brains and your brawn, we'll make an excellent team" always felt strange to me. Especially when all I had was a crowbar.
Every scientist in Black Mesa besides Gordon seem to be major pussies. You barely see any of them trying to use guns or any melee weapons. Just the shotgun scientist and the guy fighting the headcrab in Sector C.
"With my brains and your brawn we'll make an excellent team" - said the scientist in the missile department to the scientist working on a portal to another dimension.
It's odd because Gordon has more brains than any of them, he's actually trying to escape while most of the scientists are trying to hide before you hit the use key and they say that to you.
@@derekk.2263 ik it's an old comment but to be fair Gordon has the HEV suit while the scientists dont, making him a lot stronger then they are
"Me mechanical longboat has served me true"
I hope the musket fire changed yer inclination none
*_a beauty of a cannon she is!_*
"Ah! A anti-scurvy machine."
Seriously the Pirate Episode is still my favorite to this day. Top notch Pirate talk.
I really appreciate Ross as he puts so much effort into his work. From Civil Protection to Game Dungeon, he clearly puts a lot of hard work and research into everything he does and doesn't cut corners.
That fact is so true, and can't be stressed enough. Freeman's Mind is a show that, by nature, is designed specifically to NOT emphasize all the little things that take so much effort, but go towards a stronger and more cohesive series. They're things you might miss or not consciously recognize, especially if you're not intimately familiar with Half-Life and its rules, but add up to a greater experience.
In Game Dungeon however, Ross spends a LOT of time explaining, sometimes in an abridged format, exactly what process (both physical and mental) he had to go through in order to progress and achieve what he did. It really gives you a deep look into his work ethic and just how much he pays attention to detail, and how committed to his work he is.
Ironically, he skipped parts of HL1, but in ways that were totally justified, so it wasn't cutting corners.
Does anybody else squeal when they see a new Freeman's Mind episode arrive or is it just me?
I drop everything and immediately watch it.
I prefer his game dungeon videos, tbh.
seigeengine
I do it with his Game Dungeon videos, too. :P
Everytime i get a notification from Accursed Farms i instantly watch it, everything Ross makes is pure gold
Twisted Logic same
“Say hello to Yog’Sothoth and the Elder Gods for me”
LOVECRAFT WAS RIGHT! HOW DID HE KNOW?!
Haha old ones go brrr
Expressed very clearly everything I love about Ross's work and the others who followed in his wake. Great job!
ye babe
lizardizzle Oh hey, you a fan of Ross too. cryLove
I always thought freeman never really turned into a psychopath, more he was the whole time and just became more embracing of it, i mean he does know a lot of weirdos and has a skull collection and mentions how his lifestyle kind of prepared him for the cascade
I think he even alludes to the fact that he might have accidentally murdered someone in the past as well. It's only mentioned in passing though, like it wasn't something troubled Gordon overly much.
His plan for promotion at black Mesa also involved abducting the administrator's wife and framing his boss for it, so the boss would get fired and gordon would be promoted to his place. He wasn't looking forward to the kidnapping though, but purely because it would have been a lot of work.
He was selfish, unscrupulous and careless, he just became even more violent later.
It's better to die in a low-gravity ballet trying to kill an Elder God than.... well that's my only option, really. -Episode 68, 9m 56s
The writing is literally perfect.
Another thing I like about the series is the additional sound effects Ross adds that aren't in the game. Things like lights buzzing, rock crumbling, explosive tinnitus, weapon noises, etc.
That also makes the series more alive.
Barney's Mind, at the time, was one of the acquired taste type of things with Ian Riley's voice not even coming close to Michael Shapiro but some of the twists he adds in keeps you on your toes, particularly the finale taking place in Flight Simulator X.
Any scene of him going underwater is 1000x more immersive due to him layering on additional sounds, reverb and the blur effect it's a lot of work that pays off in a big way.
There was a good one where Gordon was underwater during Apprehension when he was swimming away from the worms and drowning, he moved in bursts kind of like if Gordon were making panicking breaststrokes.
To add to my comment with the most recent video, he's been doing even more visual effects such as cranking up the contrast after being blinded by a City Scanner, you can barely see *anything* not illuminated by the sun, kind of like coming inside after a walk on a bright Summer day or the way his glasses fog up after passing through a burst of steam.
Shephards Mind is underrated. ive rewatched it about as much as Freemans mind.
Barneys Mind gets grating because honestly you can tell he isnt working off a script. He goes "uuuhhh" all the time trying to come up with the next bit. He also doesnt ever yell really. you can tell he lives in an apartment or something and doesnt want to get loud. Ruins my immersion.
God bless Ross for keeping the torch going. by the time im 40 he will finish season 2 and its honestly the only thing keeping me going lol
Dude you might want to check the *three last words* in the last sentence in last paragraph of your original comment. I mean, we're not talking about some random ass abandoned airports, scrapped Boeing 707's, B-52 bombers, Douglas DC-8's, MD-80's here in New Mexico. We're talking about Black Mesa Research Facility.
His pirate episode is one of my favorites
Could you remind? Which one was that? Or, at least, what moment of Half Life is that?
Vladibear [VA] episode 27
stickdude566 thank you!
The one where he says “fire the grapeshot?”
"By the powers!"
Something not mentioned that really makes Ross's work stand out: His voice acting and his voice. They're just so damn good! In my opinion he's right up with H. Jon Benjamin in this regard.
"But no matter how sane and rational I think I am. I'M STILL STUCK IN THIS BUILDING!"
Ross is easily one of my favorite content creators. He takes the time each month to do a chat with his fans and have Q&A sessions. He just seems like a genuinely strand up guy.
Ross seems like a guy I would love to meet, chat, have a beer with, and just talk and play some games together.
And he is VERY well read. Really bright guy... I usually end up learning something from his Game Dungeon videos. He could probably teach me a thing or two haha
2 favorite scenes:
1- "Bomb shelter parties are the best kind of parties, 'cause bomb shelter parties dont stop. *until everyone's dead."*
2- **freeman drops satchel charge outside door** "Wow, they didnt notice that? They must be listening to the radio. i'm gonna' the station..." *BOOM*
6:46
This murder is hypothetically justified, as the soldier who tries to kill Gordon walks past this guard. This is only possible if the guard is in cahoots with the soldiers.
True
Didnt he say that after he killed him?
Devil's advocate here, the guard unknowingly followed the marine but didn't know that he was a marine
RIP Chel's mind, gone before it's time.
Morec0 It warms my heart though knowing that Barneys Mind creator and her ended up getting married
No shit? That's good to hear, I was deeply worried something terrible had happened to her.
It was marriage all along...
There's another Chell's Mind (done by a guy but the voice is explained in-universe ) that goes through Portal 2 and is really good in my opinion. I'd have loved to see the original through to its conclusion though.
vinnysuperg123 Wait, really? That's amazing.
Another reason for Freeman's descent into madness is the ever-increasing toll on his mind that several days of high stress, minimal rest, and no food or water is taking.
I’ll always remember the first episode getting uploaded, watching it and instantly wanting more, I was so invested from the start and I remember no matter how much time had passed between episodes I was always just as excited to see a new one in my subscription box. I’d rewatch the episodes over and over and never ever get bored and just loved the series more. I basically grew up with that show. Ross is an amazing guy, pure talent and he’s just a joy to watch outside of freeman’s mind too.
"Occam's shuriken: If the answer remains elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Just have to point out, in episode 8 of freemans mind 2 ross scripts an entirely new outcome for a puzzle during the start which is absolute genius.
It also makes sense if Ross's portrayal is actually Gordon. MIT graduate, doing menial tasks in the experiment because he's always late and got caught playing in the test chamber
very, VERY well executed video. Something else about Freeman's Mind I've noticed is that no matter how many times you watch it, it always seems to be fresh. Ive been watching Freeman's Mind since i was 11, and 8 years later every single joke just has a way of never getting old. I must have rewatched the entire series 10 times by now, and each time im finding something new, or laughing at an old joke i forgot about. Ross has truly made it like no other series.
JibbieDibs It just feels alive. The way ross delivers it
Same for me too.
Big reason for that is because Ross writes the jokes to be timeless. He does not reference any recent events or fads, instead he keeps them quite believable in the context of the time the events of the game takes place. (That is around the late 1990's.) And topical to what Freeman could say and know in "reality".
I typically listen to it when I go to bed. I start episode 1, and almost always wake up an episode or two after or when he wakes up in the trash compactor.
I just watched it twice in a row and still noticed new jokes that didn't really sink in before.
16 episodes into the 2nd series, and Gorden's descent into madness has gone so deep that he's become a new kind of sane.
"This looks like a job for Ambassador Pineapple." *BOOM* "Sounds like they came to a resolution."
And STILL no chorus!
Durandol (He's The Verry Model Of A Modern Major General)
Part of what I find funny about Freeman's Mind that not a lot of people seem to mention is that you never know when you're hearing his "inner monologue" or when you're straight up hearing him talk to other characters out loud or even to himself. This sort of blurs the lines between the inner and outer worlds and really leaves a lot of humour for you to find for yourself.
Also, when he shot the friendly security guard, I just about pissed myself! It just happens so quickly and unexpectedly, though in hindsight you felt you should have seen it coming. It's great writing.
I'm glad you made this video. Ross is a professional in my opinion and i'm glad he gets credit and is recognized but he certainly deserves a lot more. FM and FM2 are the only youtube series' that i download to watch streamed. Sadly though, unless someone creates a fan-made HL2:E3 or HL3 then FM2 may be stuck at the cliffhanger.
If it makes you feel better, Ross said during one of the monthly video chats that he'd also play the episodes AND that he would consider playing a suitably high quality enough episode 3 fan-game.
killbotvii and now everyone'll rush to make an hl3 fangame
killbotvii
Well, we have project borealis on the way, maybe he’ll end up doing that.
You know what's funny? First ep. of s.2 was released in 2017, now in 2019 it's ep. 10 and still, like, only beginning of the game, so it's ENTIRELY POSSIBLE, that project borealis will end before Ross reaches HL2:EP2
Now with Half-Life: Alyx, HL3 is almost certainly confirmed, and it's probably going to be released before FM2 is finished considering how slow it's been.
"Freeman's Mind" is what got me into the Half-Life series to begin with. I only discovered Freeman's Mind within the last couple of years and just recently got the chance to play the first Half-Life game, and I've been enjoying the ride thus far.
My favorite part is that it's 2021 in a couple days and we're still hardly deep into Freeman's Mind 2. And I'm fine with that. Ross Scott is a GOD.
Speaking of the little things one of my favorite tiniest details is his reaction to getting shot in the ear by the auto turret.
That part gets me every time; the way the camera shakes and the shock of what had just happened is fantastic
One of my favorite aspects of it is how Freeman constantly complains about his missing helmet. Because yeah, if I was getting shot at or attacked by parasites that attach to your head, I'd want that fuckin helmet too.
9:15 Don't forget about the entire episodes where Gordon speaks in pirate-talk.
It’s not just a “riff-track” over the gameplay, which it definitely could have been
"This sure is a big white blank surface!"
Every high schooler when seeing a new desk.
Freeman’s and Shepard’s mind are some of my favorite videos on UA-cam. I love em to death
"No pop culture references after 2000" is a _bitch_ of a writing constraint these days. But he does it.
Im so glad to see Ross getting the recognition he deserves
Btw Civil Protection still holds up to this day.
Oh freemans mind. This series I will carry with to my grave. Ive rewatched the entire thing dozens of times by now. Its just so entertaining.
0:09, ah kitty0706... RIP best tf2 animator
I actually worked with Scott on three episodes of FM back in 2013. I was a stand in SFX editor for Otto. Great and very nice guy to work with.
I envy you
Wait I recognized you in the comments! I liked you a lot.
I can only imagine your reaction to Freeman's mind 2
Golden age of machinima, good ol days
I always feel stuff like this looks just a *little* too literally at the text of the piece, and glosses over the implied and the subtextual. Case in point: it seems pretty clear to me, looking at how he says it and considering previous thoughts on the subject, that he isn't calling it "self defense" as a way of justifying it to himself or assuage guilt, but because he's considering how to cover his ass should he escape his current hell only to be brought up on charges of gunning down US soldiers. Don't get me wrong, he does go on a journey and come out a different guy than the one he started as, it's just your examination seems slightly skewed towards ignoring context, subtext, and the implied, or cherry-picking example moments to more easily reinforce your core argument. The end result winds up scanning less like analysis and more like a forced assigned book report, y'know?
I mean isn't that the point though. Him calling it self defense is him telling himself that he is still a good person, and isn't going to get in trouble for this because of that fact. Later in the series though, he says he's tired of this shoot second strategy has and just says fuck it, he's gonna start killing all of them no matter what.
Sure contextually he HAS to kill them, or else he would die, but that doesn't mean him cracking jokes at how he is murdering all of them makes him a sane individual. Earlier in the show he would even try reasoning with them, but later he wouldn't. I mean look at season 2, Gordon doesn't even TRY reasoning with the combine because he knows it will do him no favors.
....but yes you are right I am totally looking too deep into a Machinima series BUT FUCK ITS FUN OK
_> Him calling it self defense is him telling himself that he is still a good person_
Nope, it is him telling himself that he might still get away with it in court. He has no remorse.
Freeman talking about (planning or reminiscing) committing various crimes and getting away with it is a major running gag in FM.
Freeman is at war. He is surrounded by people who are trying to shoot him on site. When you are at war, it's kill or be killed. They don't put soldiers on trial for killing people in war. Cracking jokes about it is a coping mechanism.
BritishCommentWriter but he isn’t actually at war. That’s the point being made. He would be tried for treason and likely put to death unless he had some sort of legal defense. The very beginning when he first saw guards (the “hey killer!” scene) could be him not wanting to hurt them, but him saying he has “7, 8, 9 counts of uh, self defense” is clearly a joke about how difficult it is going to be to defend himself in court.
+BritishCommentWriter
_> Freeman is at war. He is surrounded by people who are trying to shoot him..._
No. Freeman is a hilariously misanthropic narcissist that fantasizes about stealing stuff and killing people he doesn't like (if only he could get away with murder, of course) long before bullets start flying.
Freemans Mind was amazing. I loved it so much that i started working on my own mind series, Through The Eyes of Freeman, because it looked like so much fun. Ross was a genius in his scripting, theres so many funny lines that crack me up even today.
“Nice a submachine gun. Now I can solve up to 800 problems a minute!”
The single best part of Freeman’s Mind is Ross’s ability to create memorable quotes and moments that will leave the viewer chuckling long after.
Freemans Mind was part of me growing up. Certainly brings back some nostalgia. Same with the other mind series.
Same
Good to see a video like this out there. I’ve been saying for years that Freeman’s transition from normal to nutcase is brilliant. Right up there with something out of breaking bad.
It's even funnier if you watch review UA-camrs like Phelous because Ross' (inner Freeman) sounds exactly like what Phelous would be saying in that scenario.
I’ve been watching Ross since 2009 and he’s vital to my my comedy today
I'm of the opinion that Freeman's Mind is a modern classic of comedy, up there with Abbott and Costello and Monty Python. Years from now, it will have the same status.
Ross' Game Dungeon is legendary and I only discovered all of this a couple years ago! I have no idea how I never even heard of Freemans Mind! Ross is amazing!
I mean, if you were under fire you would be suspicious of everyone and would start killing people who have the same uniform as the last 50 people who were trying to kill you were wearing.
Ross made me feel scared of the cliffside. It's so immersive and holds up I think, in my unhumble opinion, to basically infinite rewatches
Ok let's get something straight. That guard let the Marine go around the corner to kill Freeman. He had a great reason to do that. Edit. Ok now I'm understanding.
I still believe that killing the guard was because of his deteriorating mental state. The Gordon before most likely would have thought of a different way to deal with him, maybe beating the shit out of him, but not killing him.
vinnysuperg123. Uh hmm yeah good point, he probably thought that guard was going to kill him.
The fact that he shoots the guard almost instantly definitely indicates his mental state. Doesn't even try to talk to him or chew him out. Shoot first, ask questions later.
Vnx or he could have just shot him out of being startled, you know, since he's only in constant gunfights for his life and hasn't seen a friendly person shaped thing for a while now.
TrinalHydra yeah that's definitely true.
"Even if I dove, that would've collapsed my lung." - Ross as Freeman in 'Freeman's Mind 2'.
It shows you the genius and realism in the dialogue.
I love the civil Protection cameo in Freeman’s mind.
Tacos!
Freeman's Mind absolutely is one my most favorite series on UA-cam. You have put it really well why I like this series. Ross's Gordon goes through more character development than most of the triple A games out there together.
I have to make the movie! I HAVE TO MAKE THE MO... (12:33)
It got made at the end? I didn't know about a movie.
when you talked about him descending into a psychopath by saying all the soldiers should now die, he did actively say that trying to talk to them has failed each time, so he's given up on that and just resorted to shooting them first, but after that concussion he DID forget the past events, and remember them incorrectly, so him shooting that friendly guard is actually explainable because of it
"Is that an MP5?! It *is.* Now I can solve 800 problems a minute."
Ross makes awesome content, I never noticed just how detailed his work is. You're definitely the kind of fan he would appreciate!
Awww you forgot to mention the pirate episode in the stuff he did to spice it up
ShaddySoldier I thought that was Barney's mind
Ross Scott is the most under-rated man on the Internet. Love his work!
Me: You can't smell someone through a video screen.
Ross: 12:37
The "guilt trip" is in my top 10 favourite scenes from the series.
My personal favorite episode was the Pirate's Day one where he talked like a pirate for the entire time. I don't think any other machinima has made me laugh as hard as that did.
I seriously hope Ross watches this.
Also you helped me to really appreciate all the small things that make Freeman's mind so amazing, cheers man!
*BACKRUUUUUBS!*
7:35 Somebody made an SFM version of this, and it is GLORIOUS.
Yet another channel i'll be subbing too on the ground floor. You keep this up and you'll get 10k in no time!
Yo dude thanks so much. That really means a lot!
"Suppressive fire in! Suppressive fire out! You do the Hokey Pokey and that's what it's all about!"
Have you heard of Couriers mind? I'd say it definitely reaches Freeman's mind level of quality.
tyler bostrom Freeman’s mind is x1000 better because of the writing and jokes.
Imagine being Ross’s neighbour and just hearing him in a room singing Modern Major General non-stop with faint HL1 sound effects in the background
I can hear Daisuke in the background.
Great vid! Thank you!
Also, since everybody is leaving their favourite FM quotes, here's mine: "This is why I'm such a good physicist. I solve problems that shouldn't even exist."
"Now i can solve up to 500 problems per minute"
800
Thank you for convincing me to finally watch this series. Took a few days, but I'm totally caught up now
AYY I just watched this and theres a new episode of season 2
Am I the only one who sees Ross's game dungeon as Gordon just ranting about the games to a co-worker?
I actually have to disagree. I got drunk the other night and put freemans mind on my second monitor as i played a game. And i payed more attention than usual. Freeman was absolutely a malicious asshole in the beginning. Sure, he didnt shoot people first, but he made very cavalier threats to kill people, rob everyone, steal from his job and "bomb the place". And more than once he even alluded to having murdered people before
It made me realize that what i too thought was his "decent into madness", was really more a shearing away of his facade. A "mask off" type situation where he stopped pretending in the face of the most stressful experience of his life.
Freeman was always crazy
The Black Mesa incident just made him more transparent lol
Freeman's mind inspired me to play the 1st half life. I ended up finishing its before he was even a quarter of the way through the series. I assumed the Cthulu Finger Monster was the end boss, if you can believe it.