History Awesome / FreemansMind

!!Meta
* In March 2014, after the overwhelming response to his fundraiser, Ross promised to have ''Freeman's Mind 1'' finished by the end of the year. As the year wore on, it started looking doubtful that he'd pull it off — especially in light of increasing delays — and some viewers became increasingly vocal about either questioning whether he'd make it, or outright declaring that he wouldn't. Eventually this started getting on Ross's nerves. But instead of banning doubters from the forums and comments, or cracking under the pressure, Ross ''challenged'' them to either [[TheBet bet 2:1 against him finishing in time]], or keep their mouths shut about the deadline. If he won the bet, he'd keep their money, and if he lost, he'd pay them back double. This is awesome all by itself just for being a creative and effective way to address unwelcome feedback, ''and'' potentially earn extra money at the same time. ''And then he won the bet.'' Just under the wire, too — the last video was published on New Year's Eve. (And as promised, Ross did ''not'' half-ass the last few videos to make his deadline.)

* Episode 15 once more shows Ross and Toby's knack for modding levels, starting with Gordon shooting out the supports holding up a ramp that lets him [[DungeonBypass bypass yet another puzzle]], then truly shining at the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam and fall to the river far below. [[ExaggeratedTrope Instead, they develop an entire pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels until he reaches the Black Mesa East complex.]] It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long and finely detailed to the point of convincing some commenters it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.

* Episode 15 once more shows Ross and Toby's knack for modding levels, starting with Gordon shooting out the supports holding up a ramp that lets him [[DungeonBypass bypass yet another puzzle]], then truly shining at the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam and fall to the river far below. [[ExaggeratedTrope Instead, they develop an entire pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels until he reaches the Black Mesa East complex.]] [[DoingItForTheArt It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long and finely detailed to the point of convincing some commenters it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.]]

* Episode 8 shows the extent of Ross's scripting abilities with a nice dose of StuffBlowingUp. Rather than go through a maze of pipes and turn a valve to raise the water level, Freeman accidentally shoots an explosive barrel, which causes a chain reaction that [[OffTheRails ALMOST MAKES THE SEWER COLLAPSE]] and breaks a pipe, providing the necessary flood. Later, he tops it off at the electrified shipping container; rather than try to sneak through without getting zapped, he deliberately shoots the transformer on the nearby utility pole, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks and drag the faulty power line away, thus [[CuttingTheKnot cutting off the electricity altogether]].

* Gordon dispatching a squad of soldiers and a ''tank'' in Episode 45. Sure, that's awesome in and of itself, but compared to most [[OneManArmy One-Man Armies]] it's not all that impressive. What makes it awesome? He ''sings'' ''[[MajorGeneralSong Modern Major-General]]'' on the fly as he is gunning down everyone while yelling at them for not singing the chorus. And then halfway through, he improvises his own verse on the fly:

* While Episode 17 [[NegatedMomentOfAwesome doesn't give us the awesomeness of Gordon using the Gravity Gun to wreck the zombies]] due to him trying to use it directly on them when it can't do that yet [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome on top of the equal-but-opposite principle of motion knocking him back whenever he does pick up and fire an object]], it ''does'' show off how {{unfazed|Everyman}} he is by the NightmareFuel of Ravenholm; at this point, [[SeenItAll after all the madness he's endured]], he finds it almost ''relaxing'' to stroll through a GhostTown and pick off foes that can't shoot back. He even shows appreciation for the spinning blade traps set up by Grigori, playing "street limbo" to lure the zombies and Headcrabs into them.

* Episode 9 has Freeman explore the area behind the barn. This area was entirely custom-made purely for the video to make the plot more coherent; it actually looks like [[https://imgur.com/3aANxVW this]] in the vanilla game. It's very cool to see Ross and Toby modifying ''Half-Life 2'' just for Gordon's story.

* The last dozen or so episodes were a meta example for Ross. On his Website/{{Kickstarter}}, he promised that he would finish the series this (2014) year or lose all that money. So after seven years of ScheduleSlip Ross buckles down and gets through all of Xen in 1 month. Give yourself a pat on the back Ross, you've earned it.
** Made even more so by the fact ''he was able to meet his goal with literally a couple hours to spare. '' If there was a Machinima definition for 'down to the wire', that would be it.

--> ''"I can fire at a target and hit it at least half the time"''\\

''"And skip around a war zone like a sub-atomic particle."''

-->'''Still no chorus!''' Come on, sing and I won't kill you... those of you that are left, I mean. ''(peaks around the corner only to see a tank)'' Ahhhh... ''(runs back behind the building as the tank fires, then runs out again, past the tank)''

* Episodes 12 and 13 are the same as the previous three episodes, except the action is ramped {{up to eleven}} (and so is Freeman's panic and anxiety). Freeman barely even gets a minute to catch his breath, because he then immediately has to jump back into the fray. And yet he still manages to avoid getting killed at every turn.

* Episode 15 once more shows Ross and Toby's knack for modding levels, starting with Gordon shooting out the supports holding up a ramp that lets him [[DungeonBypass bypass yet another puzzle]], then truly shining at the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam and fall to the river far below. [[ExaggeratedTrope Instead, they develop an entire pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels until he reaches the Black Mesa East complex.]] [[DoingItForTheArt It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long and finely detailed, to the point that you would no doubt be convinced it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27DRj7-vO64 It doesn't matter]] [[spoiler: if it's a joke,]] the mere concept is awesome.

*** And THEN the fight with the [[FinalBoss Nihilanth]]. And he [[spoiler: took the G-Man's offer. We can only hope that this means ''Half-Life 2'' in the foreseeable future]].
*** [[spoiler: Hope no longer. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbdo8VCAaV4 It's here.]]]]

* Episode 8 shows the extent of Ross's scripting abilities with a nice dose of StuffBlowingUp. Rather than go through a maze of pipes and turn a valve to raise the water level, Freeman accidentally shoots an explosive barrel, which causes a chain reaction that [[OffTheRails ALMOST MAKES THE SEWER COLLAPSE]] and breaks a pipe, providing the necessary flood. Later, he tops it off at the electrified shipping container; rather than try to sneak through without getting zapped, he deliberately shoots the transformer on the nearby utility pole, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks and drag the faulty power line away, thus cutting off the electricity altogether.
* Episode 9 has Freeman explore the area behind the barn. This area was entirely custom-made purely for the video, to make the plot more coherent; it actually looks like [[https://imgur.com/3aANxVW this]] in the vanilla game. It's very cool to see Ross and Toby modifying ''Half-Life 2'' just for Gordon's story.

-->'''Freeman:''' So there was a solution! I just need to blow up everything! The answer was in front of me this whole time.

** While on the run from another attack helicopter, Freeman sees it blow up a smokestack. This [[BadassBoast drives him to conclude]] that [[RealityBreakingParadox reality is starting to fall apart]] [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext because he had yet to die already]]... [[TheDeterminator and he decides to]] ''[[TheDeterminator continue to do so]]'' [[ThePowerOfHate more or less out of]] ''[[ThePowerOfHate spite]]''.

-->You know, this song is kinda dated. It's supposed to be ''modern'' major-general. [[CrazyAwesome I'm gonna add a new verse.]]

-->You know, this song is kinda dated. It's supposed to be ''modern'' major-general. [[UpToEleven I'm gonna add a new verse.]]

* Episode 15 once more shows Ross and Toby's knack for modding levels, starting with Gordon shooting out the supports holding up a ramp that lets him [[DungeonBypass bypass yet another puzzle]], then truly shining at the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam and fall to the river far below. [[UpToEleven Instead, they develop an entire pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels until he reaches the Black Mesa East complex.]] It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long and finely detailed, to the point that you would no doubt be convinced it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.

** While once again on the run from the attack helicopter, Freeman witnesses it blow up a smokestack. This [[BadassBoast drives him to conclude]] that [[RealityBreakingParadox reality is starting to fall apart]] [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext because he had yet to die already]]... [[TheDeterminator and he decides to]] ''[[TheDeterminator continue to do so]]'' [[ThePowerOfHate more or less out of]] ''[[ThePowerOfHate spite]]''.
--->'''Freeman''': (mad) I FORGOT ME BEING ALIVE IS ENDING THE WORLD! AND YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M GONNA ''KEEP'' FORGETTING! [...] YEAH, I WAS DESTINED TO DIE A LONG TIME AGO, BUT I DIDN'T! SO NOW THE WORLD'S FALLING APART! THAT SMOKESTACK WENT, NEXT A RIFT IN THE EARTH IS GONNA OPEN UP! AND I'M NOT GONNA STOP, EITHER, I'M TAKIN' ALL OF YOU WITH ME! IT'S GONNA GET ALL [[Literature/TheLangoliers LANGOLIERS]] UP IN THIS BITCH!
* Episode 15 once more shows Ross and Toby's knack for modding levels, starting with Gordon shooting out the supports holding up a ramp that lets him [[DungeonBypass bypass yet another puzzle]], then truly shining at the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam and fall to the river far below. [[UpToEleven Instead, they develop an entire pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels until eventually reaching the Black Mesa East complex.]] It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long and finely detailed, to the point that you would no doubt be convinced it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.

** While once again on the run from the attack helicopter, Freeman witnesses it blow up a smokestack. This [[BadassBoast drives him to conclude]] that [[RealityBreakingParadox reality is starting to fall apart]] [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext because he had yet to die already]]... [[TheDeterminator and he decides to ''[[TheDeterminator continue to do so]]'' [[ThePowerOfHate more or less out of]] ''[[ThePowerOfHate spite]]''.

* Gordon dispatching a squad of soldiers and a ''tank'' in Episode 45. Sure, that's awesome in and of itself, but compared to most [[OneManArmy One-Man Armies]] it's not all that impressive. What makes it awesome? He ''sings'' ''[[MajorGeneralSong Modern Major-General]]'' on the fly as he is gunning down everyone while yelling at them for not singing the chorus:

--> ''"I am the very model of a modern Major-General"''\\
''"I've information vegetable, animal and mineral"''\\
''"I know the kings of England and I quote the fights historical"''\\
''"From Marathon to Waterloo in order categorical."''

--> ''"I am very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical"''\\
''"I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical"''\\
''"About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot of news"''\\
''"With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse"''

--> '''Where's my chorus?!'''

--> ''"I'm very good at integral and differential calculus"''\\
''"I know the scientific names of beings animalculous"'' \\
''"In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral"''\\
''"I am the very model of a modern Major-General"''

--> ''"I know our mythic history King Arthur and Sir Caradoc's"''\\
''"I answer hard-acrostics, I've a pretty taste for paradox"''\\
''"I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus"''\\
''"In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous"''

* Episode 15 once more shows Ross and Toby's knack for modding levels, starting with Gordon shooting out the supports holding up a ramp that lets him [[DungeonBypass bypass yet another puzzle]], then truly shining at the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam and fall to the river far below. [[UpToEleven Instead, Ross develops an entire optional pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels until eventually reaching the Black Mesa East complex.]] It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long and finely detailed, to the point that you would no doubt be convinced it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.

* Episode 15 once more shows Ross's knack for modding levels, starting with Gordon shooting out the supports holding up a ramp that lets him [[DungeonBypass bypass yet another puzzle]], then truly shining at the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam and fall to the river far below. [[UpToEleven Instead, Ross develops an entire optional pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels until eventually reaching the Black Mesa East complex.]] It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long and finely detailed, to the point that you would no doubt be convinced it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.

* Episode 15 once more shows Ross's knack for modding levels, starting with Gordon shooting out the supports holding up a ramp that lets him bypass yet another puzzle, then truly shining at the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam and fall to the river far below. [[UpToEleven Instead, Ross develops an entire optional pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels until eventually reaching the Black Mesa East complex.]] It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long and finely detailed, to the point that you would no doubt be convinced it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.

* Episode 15 once more shows Ross's knack for modding levels, starting with Gordon shooting out the supports holding up a ramp that lets him bypass yet another puzzle, then truly shining at the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam and fall to the river far below. [[UpToEleven Instead, Ross develops an entire optional pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels along until eventually reaching the Black Mesa East complex.]] It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long and finely detailed, to the point that you would no doubt be convinced it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.

* Episode 15 once more showed Ross' knack for modding levels. Particularly when it got to the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam, and fall to the river down below. Instead, Ross develops an entire optional pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels along until eventually reaching the Black Mesa East complex. It should be noted that this new pathway is quite long, and finely detailed, to the point that you would no doubt be convinced that it was part of the original game, which just goes to show the length of work Ross put into it.

* Episode 15 once more showed Ross' knack for modding levels. Particularly when it got to the part where Gordon originally had to jump through a hole at the top of a dam, and fall to the river down below. Instead, Ross develops an entire optional pathway along the side of the cliff that Gordon travels along until eventually reaching the Black Mesa East complex.