To equate how this would have worked in Farcry, the base would have been there, and it would have been up to you if you wanted to go in or not, or just land your airboat at the foot of the tower, climb up and open the floodgate.

But every game is EXACTLY the same. Up to and including the squad mates that make you get stuck throughout the entire level where you're fighting in City17, door to door, and every time you want to go back, or go out of a room, you have to wrestle your way through four of your "brilliant AI" squadmates.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work very well. Most of the encounters in those houses are scripted.

I've seen one person explain that the reason nobody explains anything to Gordon about what happened is because EVERYBODY KNOWS what happened, ergo, Gordon would too, had he been on earth, as everyone assumes. That's fair enough, it's a good argument.
Gordon, however, DOES NOT KNOW. Why doesn't he ask? As a protagonist, Gordon Freeman is the most boring fucking moron ever developed for videogames. I could relate more to being Ms Pacman than I could to being Gordon Freeman.

And yet, this is what people call "the best story ever in videogames"? Please.

In the five minute journey from the train to Dr Kleiner's lab, Half Life 2 inflicts FOUR level loads on you. Each lasting between 75-120 seconds.
I thought it was the best thing ever in the first Half Life. Only there the loads took four seconds. Here they take two minutes.

Even though all you Half Life 2 fanboys are ofcourse all wrong