Can someone explain the endings please. (SPOILERS)

[-$ilver-]

There will be spoilers here, since I am asking for clarifications on the endings.
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I do not understand the part about the G-man. He can only do one of the two things? Or he only chooses to do one of two things? Granted he can not bring your daughter back to life (if she was killed), but that would not stop him from retrieving her else where or at least telling you who exactly took her. Instead you just say as long as you know you did not hurt her, it's fine and to stop all new Overwatch soldiers from having your memories. I do not believe that is the choice he would have made. He'd want to find out what happened to his daughter. It was the whole reason he had went out and did all this, well beyond the norm of any regular Combine soldier. It would have been nice to make that choice. (Although even having multiple endings in the first place was awesome!)

Also once the G-man allows you to destroy the grub (?) that houses your memories or identity, he takes you back to your old dwelling (a representation of it anyway), apologies for having to leave you there, has a really irritated and mean look on his face as he straightens his tie and then vanishes as you are pulled toward some kind of pulse, only to find yourself strapped to a device by the Combine, pleading to end your life. Why did the G-man leave you in such a nasty position. I was able to hide from being sucked in, but the scene just keeps going till you willingly let your self be pulled into it.

I understand G-man is a powerful being that can do just about anything he likes. He may have boundaries, but to us he is basically a demi-god. Unable to be harmed by mortal means and has a sense of right and wrong, but acts of his own free will. Yet in this instance is a straight ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

He also confused me in the E:Z1, where the writing on the wall says the G-man promises to take care of that particular rebel cell if they keep sending resources to City 17 and then after that seems to dry up, derail the razor train. He seems to help the rebels through their own supplies like food and water in return. But then when the writer mentions he was promised G-man would take him to some place nice, is burned to death or what ever left him in that state of decay. That just seems like the opposite of what G-man promised him. Unless the other rebels did that to him for lying and using them. Which is what I first thought, until you see the image of the G-man flash before your eyes at just the right moment. That and the door or the way is blocked, but that could have been set up by the rebels as well.

In fact that whole Metro cop locked up is odd in the rebel hide out. Like the rebels were destined to die, but Barney would some how trick you and then presumably kill you. Seems like a waste of real man power. I can not believe Barney would have stayed silent that whole time in the Rebels care if they were going to kill him or they were under attack and did not reveal who he was to help out the rebels.

So what is up with those endings and events? Can anyone explain? Thank you.

[FlameSword]

I can't explain all of this, but there's a small amount that I can. For one, I agree that it really doesn't seem like a big deal for gman to tell 3650 (the player character) the truth about his past AND to stop the combine from using his memories. However, I think that given the choice, it makes sense what 3650 did. Even if this particular instance of him knows the truth about his daughter, none of his future clones will, because they will have been created from a prior save of his memory. So him being told about his daughter doesn't accomplish anything, since there are still an infinite number of clones of him that wouldn't know the truth.

"Why did gman leave you in such a nasty position"
I didn't get this at first, but I watched a video review of this game and they explained it like this. EZ2 takes place concurrently with HL2E2. The timeline is really messed up but bear with me. The reason gman "leaves" is because he is actually sucked into the prison seen in HL:Alyx. HL:A takes place before HL2, but the prison somehow captures gman from the future, at the very end of HL2E2. This is why he has an untimely departure from his meeting with 3650 - he didn't choose to leave, but rather he was captured by the combine from the past.

[-$ilver-]

Is the daughter dead or was she taken and we do not know what happened to her? If we know she is dead, then I suppose it does not matter. If she was kidnapped and thus presumed dead, finding the daughter would be his number one priority, not if more clones from his memory are made. But that would just be my opinion on the matter.

Gman says he can not bring her back, so I assume that means she is dead or she was taken away to another dimension and out of his reach. Or she is lost in the shuffle of humanity and perhaps the Gman does not even know of her.

The part about the Gman being forced to leave makes sense, although I have not played Alyx myself. Interesting... But the part about EZ1 and the writing on the wall and the man on the ground presumably burned to death I am still curious on.

[Napalmdieter]

I have the same questions and came here to look for answers. From what I understood, the daughter is dead and 3650 was falsely accused of murdering her. Gman isn't able to revive her - but why not tell 3650 what really happened?
At one point I actually thought all the memories of his daughter were generated by the Combine, to keep him motivated, and he probably didn't even have a daughter at all. Whatever. It seems like a small gesture from Gman to clarify that.

I don't think 3650 was captured by the Combine at the end in my ending. There was a bright light and a terrible scream - implying that he dies. Anyway, that all seems totally unnecessary if Gman granted him a wish before just to end his life a few seconds later.
(edit: I just learned there is a post-credit scene, where he is being captured and killed (?) by the Combine)

Hey EZ2 guys, what were you thinking? ;)

[Engamer01]

We're just going to have to wait for a Zero 3. 3650 (the Bad Cop one) wasn't killed, but after G-Man left, time passes which could imply 3650's changing of history results in him being captured by the Combine for "reprogramming", but somehow he's rescued from the reprogramming, but not completely freed from the Combine's custody. 3650 is told to prepare for a fight ahead. This is presuming if 3650's story is continuable with the Wilson ending.

There's even odds a Zero 3 could have somebody else completely different that's not 3650 or a clone of him.

EDIT - I just thought of something. Earlier in Zero 2 you're told that you're the last. Could the Wilson ending be a stable time loop and the reawakening earlier in the game was just all one stable time loop and it was destined to happen? Basically you're playing through the game with the Wilson ending already happened?

[[EZ2] Breadman]

Hi ! :D

I will weigh in and explain everything I can.

EZ2:
At the end of EZ2, Aiden had accepted that he would most likely never discover the fate of his daughter. This is a direct demonstration of his development as a character. The journey he underwent during the events of EZ2 coupled with the things he learned from Wilson and Clone Cop helped him see past his fixation on resolving the unresolvable. The 'ache of an unanswered question'.

The Gman (perhaps for unknown reasons) did not want to offer Aiden information on his daughter - and that works out well for the story because it helps Aiden draw a line under everything he has been through. If he were to divulge that information, you could say that the protagonists' journey was for nothing. The Gman is a dishonest entity; it is likely Aiden was pushed to accept a reward that the Gman and his employers would prefer.

In regard to Aiden though, by the end of EZ2 he is ready to move forward. He understands and accepts that Ava is gone and nothing will bring her back.

The Gman left Aiden at the Salt River Institute. We have never divulged that name but I'm doing it now (Wow new lore!) He left in haste because he sensed the Combine were about to attempt to scoop him up again. It wasn't his intention to leave Aiden stranded as such, however; he left and the Combine grabbed Aiden instead. What happens next? You'll have to wait and see.

EZ1:
In short, the Gman lied to the guy leading the rebels at the sanctuary in City 10. They were a means to an end. Maybe he melted the lead rebel - or maybe you blew him up when you exploded the Combine pulse weapon in the storage room. Whatever happened, he's history. The rebels in City 10 served their purpose to squirrel away supplies to the underground networks in City 17 ready for the uprising that the Gman knew was coming.

The Gman abandoned those rebels when he noticed Aiden cutting through their ranks. Aiden had the upper hand being a lone agent in City 10. The rebels were too slow to mobilise against him before he turned all of the turrets in City 10 against them. I can't overstate the chaos this created. What you saw in EZ1 was a very small slice of the result of that action. Many rebels would have been cosied up to their defences - only to have them immediately begin shooting at them without any warning.

In the chaos and the panic Barney waited things out. He was most likely hoping the rebels would be able to contain the threat but up until he actually sees Aiden, he has no idea what they are facing. It probably felt like the Combine were attacking in force when in reality, it was just a lone cop. He wasn't going to blow his cover so he locked himself in a holding cell and masked up.

I hope this helps!

[KTZ]

Originally posted by EZ2 Breadman:

Hi ! :D

I will weigh in and explain everything I can.

You and your team did an amazing job, thank you for this masterpiece you brought to our world
Any chance we will see the sequel after Wilson ending?

[Napalmdieter]

Originally posted by EZ2 Breadman:

Hi ! :D

I will weigh in and explain everything I can.
[...]

I hope this helps!

This helps a lot, thank you so much!

EZ2: I love that you gave Aiden a classical "hero's journey"! Although he still would have undergone a development as a character if Gman had told him the truth about everything at the end - he still had accepted that his daughter is gone, but with a little more closure probably. But anyway, this has a nice touch, because it leaves some open points to think about (as you can see ;) ). And it underlines Gman's behaviour as an unreliable, obscure person, you are absolutely right!
About Gman at the end of EZ2: Until now it never came to my mind that the Combine could be a real threat to him. You know, since he is kind of the master of time and space. I always thought about him as being on a higher level (in evolution) than the combine, but for some reason not allowed to take direct action to harm them.
Well, it makes sense after reading your explanations! Can't wait to see what's coming next! Keep up the great work!

[Polymerization]

Originally posted by EZ2 Breadman:

Hi ! :D

I will weigh in and explain everything I can.

EZ2:
At the end of EZ2, Aiden had accepted that he would most likely never discover the fate of his daughter. This is a direct demonstration of his development as a character. The journey he underwent during the events of EZ2 coupled with the things he learned from Wilson and Clone Cop helped him see past his fixation on resolving the unresolvable. The 'ache of an unanswered question'.

The Gman (perhaps for unknown reasons) did not want to offer Aiden information on his daughter - and that works out well for the story because it helps Aiden draw a line under everything he has been through. If he were to divulge that information, you could say that the protagonists' journey was for nothing. The Gman is a dishonest entity; it is likely Aiden was pushed to accept a reward that the Gman and his employers would prefer.

In regard to Aiden though, by the end of EZ2 he is ready to move forward. He understands and accepts that Ava is gone and nothing will bring her back.

The Gman left Aiden at the Salt River Institute. We have never divulged that name but I'm doing it now (Wow new lore!) He left in haste because he sensed the Combine were about to attempt to scoop him up again. It wasn't his intention to leave Aiden stranded as such, however; he left and the Combine grabbed Aiden instead. What happens next? You'll have to wait and see.

EZ1:
In short, the Gman lied to the guy leading the rebels at the sanctuary in City 10. They were a means to an end. Maybe he melted the lead rebel - or maybe you blew him up when you exploded the Combine pulse weapon in the storage room. Whatever happened, he's history. The rebels in City 10 served their purpose to squirrel away supplies to the underground networks in City 17 ready for the uprising that the Gman knew was coming.

The Gman abandoned those rebels when he noticed Aiden cutting through their ranks. Aiden had the upper hand being a lone agent in City 10. The rebels were too slow to mobilise against him before he turned all of the turrets in City 10 against them. I can't overstate the chaos this created. What you saw in EZ1 was a very small slice of the result of that action. Many rebels would have been cosied up to their defences - only to have them immediately begin shooting at them without any warning.

In the chaos and the panic Barney waited things out. He was most likely hoping the rebels would be able to contain the threat but up until he actually sees Aiden, he has no idea what they are facing. It probably felt like the Combine were attacking in force when in reality, it was just a lone cop. He wasn't going to blow his cover so he locked himself in a holding cell and masked up.

I hope this helps!

Hope Valve make this game canon

[Nathan]

Originally posted by Napalmdieter:

About Gman at the end of EZ2: Until now it never came to my mind that the Combine could be a real threat to him.

Have you played or watched HL: Alyx playthroughs?
EZ2 complements not only HL1-2-Eps+expansions but also ties nicely with Alyx in many ways, and I mention it because it has some context that might shed light on some of your questions & musings.

[Napalmdieter]

Originally posted by Nathan:

Have you played or watched HL: Alyx playthroughs?
EZ2 complements not only HL1-2-Eps+expansions but also ties nicely with Alyx in many ways, and I mention it because it has some context that might shed light on some of your questions & musings.

I played it for a few hours. It might take a while to get to the end, my stomach is not so happy about that whole VR experience :)

[-$ilver-]

Originally posted by Napalmdieter:

I played it for a few hours. It might take a while to get to the end, my stomach is not so happy about that whole VR experience :)

Motion sickness? Stomach or head?

[Napalmdieter]

Originally posted by -$ilver-:

Motion sickness? Stomach or head?

Both. Feeling sick and dizzy after a while. Even with teleport.

[Reeva!]

Originally posted by Napalmdieter:

Originally posted by -$ilver-:

Motion sickness? Stomach or head?

Both. Feeling sick and dizzy after a while. Even with teleport.

That's how you know you gotta do more of it.