Manipulator new Crowbar?

[UrbanLeonard]

The crowbar ended up as the signature weapon for HL1, with the first proper implementation of 'real' physics in a game do you think that in 5/6 years time the Manipulator will be the icon of HL2 - bearing in mind we have no idea (except merc maybe - well done boy ) what role the gun will play in the game.
Please delete if 1)stupid, 2)already posted

 

[Foxtrot]

The crowbar is almost a godly figure, so no.

 

[Neo_Kuja]

There still is the crowbar in the game you know ......
Mostly , the crowbar is respected because it's the first weapon that gordon gets his hands on, and it's good for killing headcrabs

 

[merc]

i dont know, that is a good question because the grav gun really plays a big role in half life 2 frmo what i can see and is a very versatile tool to have in the game...

-merc

 

[Tiddalick]

The crowbar is the basic weapon...it is linked to the basic nature of Freeman, a tool which weilded correctly can apply a great deal of force...
The Manipulator is to abstract for it to be an icon. When you think Manipulator...what comes to mind? Not the same things as thinking crowbar.
Icons must be simple and make a connection with what is trying to be conveyed. You cannot draw the manipulator in 3 lines or less, it is a complicated shape and thus lacks the simplicity for it to be an icon on that level.
The crowbar will forever be Gordans weapon of choice....

 

[Silent_night]

MERC , is the gravity gun one of the first weapons u get in the game? or u dont know?

 

[UrbanLeonard]

but philosophically speaking the crowbar in hl1 gave gordon the ability to interact with the hl1 enviroment fully, to use the phys engine fully in hl2 it seems the manipulator may become the staple weapon too from this perspective. After all who thought after the uplink demo "my god they'll definately make this shite weapon out of gold and hand it out as a prize in the one of the largest gaming communities"

 

[merc]

MERC , is the gravity gun one of the first weapons u get in the game? or u dont know?

i dont know as i only played the last part of the game...

-merc

 

[Subatomic]

but philosophically speaking the crowbar in hl1 gave gordon the ability to interact with the hl1 enviroment fully, to use the phys engine

huh? the only thing i remember doing with the crowbar is smashing boxes and headcrabs, no physics.

 

[UrbanLeonard]

meant as in you couldn't influence the scenery before you got it, it was always the last resort but (scenery interaction-wise) the first option

 

[Ch1cKeN]

no. crowbar is still king.
http://3dnews***/documents/5116/half_life2_teaser.jpg

 

[Spugmaster]

The crowbar is the basic weapon...it is linked to the basic nature of Freeman, a tool which weilded correctly can apply a great deal of force...
The Manipulator is to abstract for it to be an icon. When you think Manipulator...what comes to mind? Not the same things as thinking crowbar.
Icons must be simple and make a connection with what is trying to be conveyed. You cannot draw the manipulator in 3 lines or less, it is a complicated shape and thus lacks the simplicity for it to be an icon on that level.
The crowbar will forever be Gordans weapon of choice....

But the initial question was in relation to HL2 not HL1. Sure you relate the Crowbar to HL1 but as you yourself asked:

"When you think Manipulator...what comes to mind? Not the same things as thinking crowbar."

You just shot down your whole argument right there. When I think Manipulator I immediately think HL2 so in my eyes it IS the icon of the new game. The crowbar is/was the icon of the old game.

 

[Adrien C]

You crazy, the crowbar is a religious icon, here at hl2.net we live by the rules of the crowbar.

 

[BlumenKohl]

*Revolutionary Voice*

How come no one has ever interviewed the almighty crowbar?

HE DOESN'T EXIST!

 

[Tiddalick]

But the initial question was in relation to HL2 not HL1. Sure you relate the Crowbar to HL1 but as you yourself asked:

"When you think Manipulator...what comes to mind? Not the same things as thinking crowbar."

You just shot down your whole argument right there. When I think Manipulator I immediately think HL2 so in my eyes it IS the icon of the new game. The crowbar is/was the icon of the old game.

I see what you mean,
I wasn't refering to it in that way however...I meant generally.
Crowbars...I think of smashing things, leverage, boxes, stuff like that.
Manipulators...I think of lawyers, magical pens, etc.

The crowbar ties more into the HL mentality (ie physics, orders of levers, forces). For this reason I think it is a better icon.

 

[Ch1cKeN]

But the initial question was in relation to HL2 not HL1. Sure you relate the Crowbar to HL1 but as you yourself asked:

"When you think Manipulator...what comes to mind? Not the same things as thinking crowbar."

You just shot down your whole argument right there. When I think Manipulator I immediately think HL2 so in my eyes it IS the icon of the new game. The crowbar is/was the icon of the old game.

But what do you think when you hear "Crowbar"




the answer i'm looking for is Half-Life. not one. not two. just Half-Life.
because the crowbar is so very universial among the 2.

crowbar = half life
crowbar + manipulator = half life 2
manipulator = 2

Also, Gordon's FIRST WEAPON, ever (at least i think he got it first in the hazard course)! was the crowbar. Then again at the end of the game he only got to keep his suit and he had to give the crowbar to the g-man. Sad really.
but still, his first weapon in which he caved in the skull of an unlucky zombie or marine. They got history. and the history would continue for the next 2 games. Unless the crowbar started cheating on him with barneys 9mm. Then gordon would have to hire the tau gun to "take care" of the crowbar.

 

[Spugmaster]

The poster of the topic is not asking about HL1 - he is asking if you think the Manipulator is the Icon for HL2.

I say yes.

 

[tCh]

Just wait for a few years...

 

[\\-shanE]

I don't know about you guys, but I definitely used the crowbar the least in the entire game. I think this will be the case in HL2. But it doesn't mean that it wouldn't be the icon for HL2?

 

[Ch1cKeN]

Fine, as if Half-Life 1 never existed... *coughcrowbarhatercough*

Hmm I believe that the signature weapon in this game still has yet to be determined. Seeing it is that I still have yet to play the game. The weapons all look so complex and interesting. But oh that manipulator gun looks quite nifty. Picking things up and flinging them around. Oh how i wish i could use it. WISH. *coughcough* but the problem is. I can't choose...

listen, this is on the whole matter of opinion. i say no. Crowbar is still the king.
IF ANYTHING. the icon for the entire game is the FREAKING LAMBA SYMBOL!
hey did you know that the lambda symbol as the international symbol of gays and lesbians?

 

[tCh]

I only used the crowbar the entire game no weapons

 

[tCh]

I think it would be best to ask VALVe what they think the most iconic weapon for Half-Life 2 is

 

[ZombieBudgie]

Also, Gordon's FIRST WEAPON, ever (at least i think he got it first in the hazard course)! was the crowbar. Then again at the end of the game he only got to keep his suit and he had to give the crowbar to the g-man. Sad really.
but still, his first weapon in which he caved in the skull of an unlucky zombie or marine. They got history. and the history would continue for the next 2 games. Unless the crowbar started cheating on him with barneys 9mm. Then gordon would have to hire the tau gun to "take care" of the crowbar.

Or go on "Cheaters"! There's HL2's big plot twist!

 

[Z|insane]

*Revolutionary Voice*

How come no one has ever interviewed the almighty crowbar?

HE DOESN'T EXIST!

DOWN WITH THE HEATHEN *Beats up so called revolutionary* CROWBAR 4 LIFE!

 

[aeroripper]

Quit giving the crowbar such a big head! Before you know it its gonna be asking for its own movie contracts and blowjobs from super models

then it won't EVER have any time left for gordon!

 

[Lanthanide]

It's hard to say.

Has the crowbar ever really been a massive icon for Half Life 1, before Half Life 2 was starting to be advertised (with lots of crowbars and such)? In my opinion it wasn't. Whenver I thought Half Life I didn't think "crow bar" I thought either "hazard suit" or "xen" or "blast pit" or "on a rail". Only recently with all this ca-fluffle over HL2 and all the various advertising for it, has the crowbar, IMO, really become a major icon for HL1.

It seems to me a bit of a case of the history being re-interpreted due to recent events.

But, having said that, I think the manipulator very well could be the icon for the game. Assuming it doesn't use any ammo (merc?), it seems to me to be one of the most powerful weapons in the game - how many other games have projectile weapons that have unlimited (depending on scenary objects) ammo that can do significant damage, as well being integrated into the plot (as I'm sure there will be puzzles requiring it), as well as being a weapon that's never really been in another game?

 

[Spugmaster]

Put it this way:

What is the weapon that people want to try out the most in HL2?

Bet it isn't the crowbar...

 

[UltimaGecko]

I'd have to say the crowbar was a great symbol for Half-Life because other FPS generally relied on either: A knife, a chainsaw or a bodily melee attack [kick, punch]. Half-Life is the first game I ever played with such a unique melee weapon.

The uniqueness of the manipulator will probably give the world a connection to HL2, but it's a bit too complex to be an effective sybol of the game. I'm kind of wondering where Gordon gets his crowbar in HL2...it'd be strange to actually get a crowbar in a city opposed to...a steel pipe or something.

...maybe it connects to Gordon's secret life of burglary...but that's off-topic .

 

[Insano]

Maybe is the G-man going to give Gordon the crowbar if he meets him...
You know... for old times

 

[Rocketman9mm]

no, the crowbar is still the HL symbol next to the the symbol itself. whenever i see a crowbar in anything I think half-life. it's the symbol for defiance against hording invading aliens for gamers everywhere!

 

[lans]

Come on, if you just show the crowbar - people will instantly know that it's some half-life game you are talking about. Gordon and crowbar can't be seperated.

 

[Burn]

The "icon" for hl2 will still be the crowbar, as its simple, but means alot. When you see it you dont just think of Half life, you think of Valve itself.

 

[bodhi]

You just shot down your whole argument right there. When I think Manipulator I immediately think HL2 so in my eyes it IS the icon of the new game. The crowbar is/was the icon of the old game.

no he hasnt. what he said was correct and one of the better posts that weve had to endure over these few past tedious months. half life and the crowbar are practically one and the same. the manipulator while fun just doesnt have that iconic status and isnt fundamental to freeman. and it doesnt matter about this being halflife 2 not hl1, the crowbar is still THE weapon you associate with half life.

if there was no crowbar in hl1 and we'd had the manipulator, it wouldnt have become the symbol of hl like the crowbar did. like the guy said it has to be simple and relative - the manipulator is just another fancy toy, the crowbar will always be something gordon can count on.

 

[riTuaL]

This is actually one of the more intelligent threads I've come across lately. Although the crowbar is recognized by almost any gamer, it is possible the Manipulator could become the new symbol because of a new generation of games.

 

[UrbanLeonard]

it doesnt matter about this being halflife 2 not hl1, the crowbar is still THE weapon you associate with half life.

I know the crowbar is the halflife weapon, but i'm thinking of HL2. I'm coming from the perspective that at some point during the future HL2 won't just be HL's sequel.

 

[bodhi]

yeah but as i said crowbar is halflife. i know they are 2 games released years apart but try not to think about them as half life 1 and then half life 2. its the half life series, half life 2 isnt a "spin-off" its like the next episode in a series. the two games are combined and tie in together even though they are years apart and in vastly different locations

 

[Dr. Freeman]

well i guess since i haven't played HL2 i don't know...but the crowbar is such a respected weapon that im not sure how it could no longer be the face of HL3 as far as HL -the series goes and even represents the weapons well IMHO.

 

[Rupertvdb]

the manipulator isn't as cool as the crowbar...it's cool, but not that cool.

 

[KagePrototype]

yeah but as i said crowbar is halflife. i know they are 2 games released years apart but try not to think about them as half life 1 and then half life 2. its the half life series, half life 2 isnt a "spin-off" its like the next episode in a series. the two games are combined and tie in together even though they are years apart and in vastly different locations

You're dodging his point -- we're trying to think of what will be iconic for HL2, not the HL series or HL. Just HL2.

While the crowbar will remain, I'm sure the manipulator will gain some sort of status.

 

[Ch1cKeN]

no, the crowbar is still the HL symbol next to the the symbol itself. whenever i see a crowbar in anything I think half-life. it's the symbol for defiance against hording invading aliens for gamers everywhere!

you know that "symbol" you're talking about. It isn't the half life symbol. It's the lambda symbol. yes. the universial symbol of gays and lesbian alliance liberation rights. Don't believe me? Goolge it.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=lambda+symbol