good points. keep em comeing.
In the Marc Laidlaw vault that was so generously linked for us, he repeatedly discusses the concept of canon. He does not care. it does not factor in his job or other games he is working on. he has repeatedly stated that the gearbox expansions stand on their own and certain things, like the nuking of black mesa and barney, because they appeared in later games are part of the VALVE story. anything else was artistic license from gearbox. According to Marc, valve wanted to have the marines be “The Bad Guys” in op4, but gearbox wanted a good main character. Because of this, and numerous other little details, the gearbox story has never been progressed. In what seems to be an effort to placate shepard fans, he has stated that the gearbox story line is deliberately left ambiguous in case they want to revisit the story later. But they won’t, because valve was not happy with the aliens (race x) in op4. He also went on to discuss how the stories are made from game to game, with little story arc and with lots of customer feedback, so contradictions between valve titles are already there, and he does not want to be forced to work within a story line someone else wrote.So, as it has been stated numerous times here, if it appeared in a later valve title, it is part of the story line and if it has not, then let it go, unless valve decides to use it at a later date. and if you are desperately bent on the concept of canon you should read the bible, it’s the real good news 
Just do the mod, it is a piece of fan fiction, regardless of the cannon or not stuff. If you like the character or the game, just do it. It is only a story. Just think of the 20 years of “official” star wars fiction that went by the wayside when lucas decided to rape his own story.
I disagree. They don’t contradict anything.
I didnt say they contradict anything, I just like to see it from both sides. I like to think of OP4 as connon because I enjoy playing it, so knowing all the cons helps you with your own counter arguments for it being connon.
But like it says in Johnworfins post above it will only become true cannon if and when Valve decide it to be.
Any way like I said, Im just figuring out if OP4 can potentially fit into cannon. And so far in my own opinion it can.
the concept of canon, as laid down by marc laidlaw is a fan boy invention. Do not concern yourself with it, as it is nothing. Enjoy the games for what they are, nothing more.
I do try 
Its always the case with something you love with a passion. You just want it to be that bit more real. 
You guys are missing the obvious easy way out for most of this. The aliens in OP4 are from a different part of Xen, like there are different animals in different environments on Earth, same with Xen. If you don’t like that, the OP4 aliens are from a different branch of the Xen invasion army, like Army and Air Force.
Feel free to bash, I haven’t read most of the thread or anything linked in it, just posting thoughts.
All the aliens from Xen are from Nihilanths home world. They fled to Xen after the Combine invaded there home world prier to the events of HL1. Its a popular theory that Race X (the new aliens) are Combine creations possibly used in that very attack.
I think that what Core was implying was that Race X was simply another alien race that ALSO came to Xen from a completely different dimension than the nihilanth and Vorts, and then came to earth from Xen.
My real beef with that is that it just seems needless and redundant, contributing nothing and forgotten in an instant.
I think he was implying what it says in his post.
This is the place for this kind of discussion.
I think you posted in the wrong thread there buddy.
Although Op4 is horrible story wise, I suppose it could be stretched that Race X were the combine… Wasn’t the Gene-worm supposed to absorb Earth’s resources, more or less was the combies do?
Meh, i’d say let sleeping dogs lie, Opposing force isn’t canon according to VALVe so we shouldn’t be mentioning it. Until the time Shepherd shows up in some future game and some 12 year old kid squeels, “OMg dem fags on Balck Meas said I was ghey… I was leet.”
shudders
ummmm no.
Opposing Force is an official standalone game of Half-Life series. How could it be non-canon? Marc Laidlaw has confirmed that the destruction of the Black Mesa Research Facility at the end of Opposing Force is canon and Gabe Newell has hinted that Adrian Shephard may one day return. Another proof that Gearbox games are canon is the presence of Barney Calhoun in Half-Life 2. So Blue Shift is canon and Opposing Force is not?
read the Marc Laidlaw vault
Why? Why do you hate Opposing Force so much?
Do you get it now?