House/Half-Life doctorswap!

[Darwin]

Through act of Q/Xen whatever, the Black Mesa resonance cascade experiment ends up with an additional twist, swapping the bodies and minds of Dr Gordon Freeman and Dr. Gregory House. The memory/reality of each world is altered so that nobody thinks either doctor is out of place, and both doctors magically know what was going on with the other in the moments before the switch.

the HEV Suit gives Dr. House mobility he hasn't had in years, and with the automated morphine system eliminating his pain along with the suit's other features like automatic waste processing, he'll probably never want to get out of the thing again. Will his unapologetic attitude and incredible mind allow him to survive the next 48 hours?

Dr. Freeman ends up in the diagnostic office of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, circa the start of House season 3. Does the theoretical physicist have what it takes to run the Diagnostics dept long enough for House to potentially) survive the Black Mesa incident and reality-shift back, or will he take a crowbar to a Chase's head first? Perhaps he could hide in the ductwork..

[Ford Prefect]

Gordon isn't a medical doctor, and House isn't trained in any form of combat, to my knowledge. Admittedly, he could probably do some cool investigations into the headcrabs and their mutating properties, along with Kleiner (should he not take a crowbar to Kleiner's head).

[weemadando]

Gordon had no combat experience either.

In fact, prior to Black Mesa's events he'd never fired anything more than a butane-powered tennis ball cannon.

[DesertFly]

Gordon had no combat experience either.

In fact, prior to Black Mesa's events he'd never fired anything more than a butane-powered tennis ball cannon.

What about the Hazard Course? It's presented in game as a training course for physical fitness for the scientists, and I seem to recall (though I can't remember where) it being mentioned in the actual story campaign as well, along with a mention of Dr. Freeman going through it. That gives him weapon experience at least. I can't speak to Dr. House's weapon proficiencies.

[Zixinus]

Also Freeman is trained to use the HEV suit while House is trained to use a stethoscope. While the scenario is amusing, I can't really imagine House fighting his way trough hordes of monsters and soldiers.

[Zixinus]

Also, unless Gordon gains instant medical knowledge, he is to quit from Princeton-Plainsboro. Being a theoretical physicist does not qualify anyone to medical practise on very sick patients.
And it is likely that everyone in Plainsboro will instantly notice the change, as the would-be House isn't throwing witty phrases left and right.

[Ford Prefect]

Gordon had no combat experience either.

In fact, prior to Black Mesa's events he'd never fired anything more than a butane-powered tennis ball cannon.

He's almost certainly had combat training when he came to Black Mesa, through the Hazard Course; the HEV suit is a combat orientated suit of powered armour, hence the ammo counters. Considering the nature of the suit, and the nature of what Black Mesa was doing, it is almost certain that those like Gordon were intended to be able to defend themselves on hostile worlds against hostile presences.

And it is likely that everyone in Plainsboro will instantly notice the change, as the would-be House isn't throwing witty phrases left and right.

Or talking at all, for that matter.

[DavidEC]

Cuddy would file a restraining order against G-man to stop him stalking the hospital.

[Thirdfain]

He's almost certainly had combat training when he came to Black Mesa, through the Hazard Course; the HEV suit is a combat orientated suit of powered armour, hence the ammo counters. Considering the nature of the suit, and the nature of what Black Mesa was doing, it is almost certain that those like Gordon were intended to be able to defend themselves on hostile worlds against hostile presences.

Wrong-o! We've seen the hazard course- it's the Half-Life tutorial. All you do is run and jump and stuff; there's a brief segment where you get to shoot a pistol, but it's not exactly "military training." Gordon Freeman is certainly not a trained fighter in any sense of the word.

[TheFeniX]

Wrong-o! We've seen the hazard course- it's the Half-Life tutorial. All you do is run and jump and stuff; there's a brief segment where you get to shoot a pistol, but it's not exactly "military training." Gordon Freeman is certainly not a trained fighter in any sense of the word.

Actually, part of it requires you to use the sub-machine gun with attached grenade launcher in a live fire course complete with moving targets that come out from cover.

It's not exactly military level, but it would put him on par with most police officers and the security guards of Black Mesa. In fact, it reminds me of IDPA style shooting matches.

[Spearfish]

To be honest, it seemed more like a "This is a gun. This is how it works. This is how to reload it. Now shoot a couple of targets." course, a basic aquaint course designed for scientisis who have never held a weapon. There was nothing like the shooting ranges for the security guards that we see in Blue Shift.

[DPDarkPrimus]

The official statements that Gordon never had firearms training other than that tennis ball gun he made as a kid override the tutorial that is in there because of the fact that it's a game.

[Darwin]

This wasn't meant to be a particularly serious swap of course. Gordon trying to hide from Cuddy and trying to work with House's resident doctors would have to be amusing, and House, lacking Gordon's 'remarkable capacity for violence' might find another way to get out of Black Mesa. I'm sure whatever happens, Barney and Doctors Kleiner, Vance, and Magnusson won't appreciate it. Perhaps House could find a previously unknown vulnerability in the Xen aliens that could be exploited.

The official statements that Gordon never had firearms training other than that tennis ball gun he made as a kid override the tutorial that is in there because of the fact that it's a game.

The statement actually reads:

Although seeming to be an expert with weapons and explosives, Freeman had actually not handled any weapons until some cursory training at the Black Mesa Research Facility's Hazard Course (aside from the butane-powered tennis ball cannon he constructed at age 6).

which is consistent with the Hazard Course tutorial in the game. It doesn't appear the Hazard Suit itself requires any special training, as its operation seems to be quite simple.

[Ford Prefect]

Wrong-o! We've seen the hazard course- it's the Half-Life tutorial.

Yes, I know. However, It seems unlikely that this is the only course he took while at Black Mesa, given he was a a live in employee there for some period of time before the game starts. Even if his training in weapons handling is only 'cursory', I'm still pretty sure this is vastly superior to anything House has going for him, and given he's transferring over at the start of the game, when Gordon is heading into work, I doubt he'd be able to find the time to get any such training.

Gordon Freeman is certainly not a trained fighter in any sense of the word.

One wonders where his proficiency with weapons came from then; he has been noted by other characters as having a remarkable skill at violence, and can handle a very wide array of weapons. He is not the only scientist at Black Mesa with the same bizarre proficiency at killing stuff - Gina Cross and Colette Green are both adept at handling weapons. Inference from this, and the fact that the HEV mk.IV is designed to keep track of weapons in the wearer's possession, and their ammo, would suggest that some of the researchers have been trained in self-defense.

[Zixinus]

House might not be totally clueless though: it is mentioned that he met Stacy during a paint ball match.

[Ford Prefect]

House might not be totally clueless though: it is mentioned that he met Stacy during a paint ball match.

I dunno; it's sort of like claiming that your skill at first person shooters makes you trained with guns.

Yes, this is supposed to be ironic.

[Darwin]

House might not be totally clueless though: it is mentioned that he met Stacy during a paint ball match.

I dunno; it's sort of like claiming that your skill at first person shooters makes you trained with guns.

Yes, this is supposed to be ironic.

I see what you did there.

Good show, sir. Good show.

[Andrew_Fireborn]

It is possible to just be a natural. Given their purpose, guns are designed to be user friendly. "Hold here," "point this at what you want to kill," "pull here" basically all you need to know to fire any hand held weapon in existance. (Well, ok, that and the safety...)

Most of the ranges you fight at in Half-Life would be considered point blank. Even the sequels are mostly close range, with a few sniping spots. It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that he gained enough experience with weaponry during Black Mesa to be fairly competent. (Most of which are fairly standard issue guns, and most launcher tubes have instructions printed on them for their intended us.)

I'm honestly more surprised Freeman hasn't lost his glasses yet than that he can fire guns accurately in effectively a powered exoskeleton.

[Keevan_Colton]

It is possible to just be a natural. Given their purpose, guns are designed to be user friendly. "Hold here," "point this at what you want to kill," "pull here" basically all you need to know to fire any hand held weapon in existance.

Sort of point and click technology...

[Ford Prefect]

Sort of point and click technology...

Oh Keevan ...

I have to say, I'm astounded at how much Freeman and House look alike. Now that I think about it, they could be brothers.