Originally, the CIA was to send four types of units to Black Mesa that were cut or simplified in the final version.The Half-Life 2 successor to the female Black Op is the cut Combine Assassin.The highly exaggerated bounce of the female Black Ops breasts while walking was removed in Opposing Force and in the PlayStation 2 console port of the original game.The original Black Ops likely stem from it. Early concept art for Quiver features special CIA units, one of which is a female.As seen in the Opposing Force model files, male Black Ops were originally going to use flash grenades.The early female Black Ops model features yellow goggles.The crossbow bolt quivers are still attached to the model's belt. The female Black Ops were originally going to be armed with crossbows.In the original Half-Life, Female Assassins were coded to fight on the same side as the Marines, as the player was not supposed to interact with them and so such inconsistency should not be observed.In the retail version, the assassins will leap backward when approached at point blank. The unused attack animations are still present in the model file. The female assassins originally had the ability to attack their enemies at close range by kicking them.In it, they battle against the players' two Vortigaunt characters, R-4913 and X-8973, in the underground parking lot originally featured at the end of Opposing Force, under Sector E's largest Ordinance Facility. In Decay, the Black Ops assassins are only featured in the bonus chapter, Xen Attacks. They are also resistant to headshots, and unlike Marines do not take extra damage from being shot in the head. Therefore, they can be more of a surprise as you can't hear the loud radio chatter as from the HECU Marines. Also, unlike their Marine counterparts, Black Ops operate in total silence when in combat, refusing to even yell in pain when injured.

Male Black Ops can run much faster than the Marines and up close, they use martial arts kicks and punches as melee attacks.

They utilize equipment and vehicles, such as the M35 cargo truck, the AH-64 Apache, and the V-22 Osprey similar to the HECU, but black in color.

They are equipped with the same SMG with grenade attachment that the HECU use, but some male Black Ops have an M40A1 Sniper Rifle. Further evidence of their viciousness can be seen after discovering a Marine engineer who, after being brutally beaten and interrogated, is simply left for dead, trapped in a garage. HECU radio traffic shows that the Marines are at first totally taken by surprise, much like how the HECU initially overwhelms the Black Mesa personnel. However, the Black Ops soon start killing all of the non-Black Ops personnel they can find. While the HECU are aware that the Black Ops group exists, they are utterly confused by their arrival and wonder if they are there to assist. The Black Ops are openly hostile towards Marines, killing any who have not yet escaped as part of their mission. One assassin angrily remarks to another, 'Why do we always have to clean up a mess the grunts can't handle?'. Although not visible, they apparently have a communicator in their ear which they are seen listening to whenever they eliminate a target.ĭuring gameplay, Black Ops are shown to have utter contempt for the HECU, considering them incompetent and inept. Some are seen wearing night vision goggles. Male Black Ops wear black combat gear and balaclavas that only expose their eyes. The flash of a nuclear explosion is later witnessed in the epilogue, indicating the successful detonation of this bomb.Īlong with the Female Black Ops, Opposing Force introduced the group's male variant. Adrian Shephard locates the bomb the Black Ops deliver in a parking garage and is able to disarm it, but shortly thereafter it is seen being reactivated by the G-Man. To do this, they intend to set off a thermonuclear device within the complex. Opposing Force explains that, after the initial failure of the HECU's clean-up operation, the Black Ops are sent to cover up the whole incident by destroying the entire facility.

The reason for their presence at Black Mesa is also explained, something that was never made clear in the original game. Maxiron and Jakerockwell in Opposing Force.īlack Ops are featured much more prominently in Opposing Force. They are armed with a suppressed Glock 17 and grenades. They wear a black jumpsuit and use night vision goggles that include a headset with a microphone, although none are ever heard speaking. Only Female Black Ops are seen by Gordon Freeman in the game.įemale Black Ops are strikingly nimble and agile, able to sprint faster than any other enemy and can jump to extreme heights. The Black Ops first appear in Sector E in Half-Life during the chapter Apprehension, and later make one more appearance in Sector F, during the chapter Lambda Core.

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