The Crowbar.

[Barney_Calhoun]

Will Gordon's crowbar be making a return in Aftermath? I can't see how Valve could implement this, seeing as it got destroyed in HL2, but it just wouldn't be HL without it

 

[jocky68]

I think it would be a safe bet.

 

[Asknoone]

I'm pretty certain there is more than one crowbar in the world

 

[Absinthe]

I'm pretty certain there is more than one crowbar in the world

QFE

sixchar

 

[Barney_Calhoun]

There are plenty of screwdrivers too, but I didn't see any in City 17!

 

[jimi_hendrix1]

You will probably pick one up right after escaping the citadel.

 

[Penguin929]

Don't you realise gman put it in his suitcase?

 

[Reginald]

It wouldn't be a Half Life game without it. Here's looking at you Op4. :angry:

 

[Sulkdodds]

There'll be a crowbar. I mean, they can't not.

 

[kupocake]

Would be cool if Kliener created you an upgraded uber crowbar, (like the DTS in Deus Ex - it has nano bots continually tuning it to make it ultra deadly) but I'm sure the plain old version will be there. The crowbar IS half-life.

 

[Fuse Kazuki]

Well, I'm guessing it would be. Maybe someone drops it, or dies with it. I mean, its the first weapon you find in both HL2 and HL1!

 

[TheAmazingRando]

I would find it funny if the first Combine Soldier you fight is holding your crowbar.

 

[giant384]

well gordan lost his crowbar in xen right before he was put into statis then how did barney get a hold of it

 

[Sui]

There'll be a crowbar. I mean, they can't not.

There may very well be A crowbar, but I want MY Crowbar. After all, Barney said himself that you "left it at Black Mesa", so you use the same crowbar in HL2 as in HL. Personally I don't think it could have been destroyed- I mean, when the crowbar breaks, Gordon will fall. It just seems pretty obvious that his Crowbar represents his silent will to fight, his driving force, his soul. It's also a symbol of the resistance, and how they prize open the combine manhole etc. etc... so if the crowbar is ever smashed, everything Gordon stands for will also perish. That's why I think it wasn't destoryed- and that somewhere in the Citadel a stalker has stolen it, and is cradling it like a baby. When the citadel is destoryed, I bet a red blur will spin from the explosion, and clatter to the ground infront of you- and It'll be your Crowbar. Awww. How sweet.

 

[The_Great_Walter]

There may very well be A crowbar, but I want MY Crowbar. After all, Barney said himself that you "left it at Black Mesa", so you use the same crowbar in HL2 as in HL. Personally I don't think it could have been destroyed- I mean, when the crowbar breaks, Gordon will fall. It just seems pretty obvious that his Crowbar represents his silent will to fight, his driving force, his soul. It's also a symbol of the resistance, and how they prize open the combine manhole etc. etc... so if the crowbar is ever smashed, everything Gordon stands for will also perish. That's why I think it wasn't destoryed- and that somewhere in the Citadel a stalker has stolen it, and is cradling it like a baby. When the citadel is destoryed, I bet a red blur will spin from the explosion, and clatter to the ground infront of you- and It'll be your Crowbar. Awww. How sweet.

But remember, Gordon (supposedly) doesn't use the same crowbar throughout HL1...the grunts strip him of his weapons in Apprehension, and he starts all over. Although I cannot dismiss that the crowbar Gordon finds was his own which the grunts dropped there, finding it rather useless...

 

[DoctorWeeTodd]

Maybe he can find a stronger and better crowbar. One that is all chrome and shiny!

 

[FictiousWill]

This is from January, 2004:

Here we go folks; I'm gonna go all AP Lit on yo' as ses:



The Social, Physical, Perverse, Psychological, Sexual, Bestial, Power Trip of the Half-Life Crowbar

By FictiousWill

Quite frankly, the crude brutality and multifaceted functionality of the device is appealing on many psychological and social levels.

The crowbar holds several positive connotations, expecially for young males. Primarily, it is a tool, not a weapon, per se. Societal values present males as builders and constructers, thus being able to wield a powerful tool is psychologically satisfying, providing one of the hierarchy of needs: acceptance of society.

The element of the perverse in human nature is satisfied through the crowbar's use as a weapon. The fundamental need for control or power is exhibited over one's environment through the ability to use a tool to destroy that environment, thus defying the tools intended purpose, which is merely dismantelation. The realization that the crowbar is an efficient weapon serves to boost such connotations. Defying death by killing another is perhaps the most intense power trip imaginable.

The crowbar is symbolic on a few levels. Primarily, it is a phallic symbol, being wielded by a male character. An assertion of the player's masculinity is subconsciencely made whenever the player swings the bar.

The way the weapon is implemented is familiar to that of a baseball bat, which evokes several references. The obvious reference to sport reinforces the theme of acceptance, and to some degree masculinity. The sport link fires another subconscious element of competition, releasing adrenaline in the brain, thus making swinging the crowbar exciting. The competition aspect links back to the phallic symbol, as the primary purpose of adrenaline is to spur the body into a heightened state of awareness, also known as the 'fight or flight' reaction, and survival is directly related (as a means to an end) to reproduction.

The teeth on the end of the crowbar represent prehensile fangs or talons, a bestial connotation that fuels the human brutal and unthinking lust for power or control. The crowbar's distinctive color, red, is symbolic firstly of the blood that is shed due to its use, as a symbol of warning to enemies or rivals (see reproduction, or the alpha-male need mentioned earlier), or (hold on to your hats folks) the blood of the first consumation of marriage.

The hexagonal shape of the crowbar is devoid of curves, save for the prying lever extremity. The precision of the angles evokes a sense of cold mechanical unfeeling and ruthlessness, while the curved head resembles a snake ready to strike. The snake imagery relates back to the fangs mentioned earlier, as well as linking to the phallic and bestial references.

The weathered look of the crowbar serves only to establish the crowbar's (and he who wields it) longevity and immortality, magnifying all the aforementioned pleasurable aspects of the crowbar.

For these reasons the crowbar is a satisfying melee weapon, and this analysis provides some insight as to the reasons behind the crowbar's popularity.

 

[DoctorWeeTodd]

The stunstick is even worse. It is a tool that gives it's user power of control and dominance forcing non-compliants into submission. Plus it looks like a vibrator.

 

[A True Canadian]

But remember, Gordon (supposedly) doesn't use the same crowbar throughout HL1...the grunts strip him of his weapons in Apprehension, and he starts all over. Although I cannot dismiss that the crowbar Gordon finds was his own which the grunts dropped there, finding it rather useless...

That's true. There could very well be two crowbars from Black Mesa that Gordon used during the first game. In fact this is the only way things make sense, unless the other characters know the G-Man. Let's run with the two crowbar theory...

CROWBAR 1
First Seen in HL: lying next to a door in one of the corridors to the Test Chamber.
Last Seen in HL: in Gordon's arsenal just before he is apprehended in a storage room. It is then taken by a squad of Marines.

CROWBAR 2??
First Seen in HL: lying on a outcropping of wall, just above the trash compactor.
Last Seen in HL: in Gordon's arsenal just before he is teleported from Nihilanth's chamber. It is then taken by the G-Man.


After the teleporter incident in Half-Life 2, Barney joins Gordon outside and gives him a crowbar. He remarks: "I think you dropped this back in Black Mesa", which suggests that Crowbar 2 is still within the G-Man's possesion. However, Barney doesn't sound too sure whether Gordon did or didn't drop it in Black Mesa, or whether it really is Gordon's crowbar.

In Blueshift, Barney does witness Gordon being hauled off to the trash compactor, but immediatly afterwards, he is teleported out of the facility. It's possible that Barney saw that Gordon didn't have any of his weapons on him, however their only interaction prior to that is during the tram ride. There's no way that Barney even knows that Gordon picked up a crowbar in Black Mesa. Eli only sees Gordon at the start of the game (before Gordon even picks up a crowbar), so Eli wouldn't have known that Gordon had lost it. We don't even know of Kleiner's where-a-bouts, so he's out too. The only way the Half-Life 2 gang could have found out about Crowbar 1 is through a random scientist/security guard.

Now is it possible that there is in fact a third crowbar? Yes.

The belief now is that a random BM personel found a crowbar and then gave it to Kleiner/Eli/Barney/Whoever. But is it in fact the one that was confiscated by the marine squad? Considering the size of the facility, and the number of marines, and the number of surviving allies, the chances of them finding the exact same crowbar that Gordon was robbed of when he was captured are very slim. Therefore we must increase our theory to three crowbars...

CROWBAR 3???
First Seen in HL: never.
Last Seen in HL: never.

IN SUMMARY...

CROWBAR 1: This is the true crowbar. The original. This could be the one that Barney gives Gordon in Half-Life 2 if someone does indeed find it and give it to Barney. Otherwise it was destroyed in the nuke.

CROWBAR 2: This could be the one that Barney gives Gordon in Half-Life 2 if the G-Man manages to give it to Barney while Gordon is in stasis. Whether or not this is in fact Crowbar 1, depends on whether or not the marines dump it in the trash compactor along with Gordon.

CROWBAR 3: This could be the one that Barney gives Gordon in Half-Life 2 if (like Crowbar 1) someone finds it and gives it to Barney. Whether or not this is Crowbar 1 depends on if the person who finds it gets it from the same marines that captured Gordon.


In Half-Life 2, one of these crowbars is destroyed. Which one is up to interpretation.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

I'm sure gordon will find a crowbar is a city that contains more wooden crates than people.

In the meantime, the manip is crowbar 2.0

 

[DoctorWeeTodd]

Maybe Barney picked up crowbat one while he saw him being dragged away. You just didn't see him do it, kinga like the legs.

 

[Barney_Calhoun]

Well, in HL1, I saw a total of 3 crowbars, whereas in HL2 I saw only 1, so would be much harder for Barney to go crowbar hunting. (And yes, there is a 3rd crowbar in HL1, it's at the beginning of Blast Pit).

 

[kupocake]

Although I cannot dismiss that the crowbar Gordon finds was his own which the grunts dropped there, finding it rather useless...

Would have been nice for them to drop the rest of my weapons in the compactor too

And the whole "You dropped this in Black Mesa" may have just been a knowing nod to the fact that (Gestalt) Barney knows that it was your Close Combat weapon of choice, rather than you actually dropping it in BM (which you didn't do unless the 1st crowbar IS the 2nd)

 

[ríomhaire]

And don't forget that lambda is 2 crowbars with a thing juting out of them.

 

[NJspeed]

I'm sure Gordon will find some of the weapons that were took away in the Citadel, including the crowbar. It wouldn't be the same if he were using all different crowbars.. it's like anything else you get attached to. For example like Milton's red stapler.. not just any stapler would do.. he needed the red one I think Barney brought Gordon's crowbar from Black Mesa, knowing he could return it to Gordon sometime in the future. As for the several crowbars in HL1, theres no evidence saying they are NOT the same one so who knows...

 

[ríomhaire]

In Half-Life 2, one of these crowbars is destroyed. Which one is up to interpretation.

No one of them was confiscated.

 

[AgentXen]

That's true. There could very well be two crowbars from Black Mesa that Gordon used during the first game. In fact this is the only way things make sense, unless the other characters know the G-Man. Let's run with the two crowbar theory...

CROWBAR 1
First Seen in HL: lying next to a door in one of the corridors to the Test Chamber.
Last Seen in HL: in Gordon's arsenal just before he is apprehended in a storage room. It is then taken by a squad of Marines.

CROWBAR 2??
First Seen in HL: lying on a outcropping of wall, just above the trash compactor.
Last Seen in HL: in Gordon's arsenal just before he is teleported from Nihilanth's chamber. It is then taken by the G-Man.


After the teleporter incident in Half-Life 2, Barney joins Gordon outside and gives him a crowbar. He remarks: "I think you dropped this back in Black Mesa", which suggests that Crowbar 2 is still within the G-Man's possesion. However, Barney doesn't sound too sure whether Gordon did or didn't drop it in Black Mesa, or whether it really is Gordon's crowbar.

In Blueshift, Barney does witness Gordon being hauled off to the trash compactor, but immediatly afterwards, he is teleported out of the facility. It's possible that Barney saw that Gordon didn't have any of his weapons on him, however their only interaction prior to that is during the tram ride. There's no way that Barney even knows that Gordon picked up a crowbar in Black Mesa. Eli only sees Gordon at the start of the game (before Gordon even picks up a crowbar), so Eli wouldn't have known that Gordon had lost it. We don't even know of Kleiner's where-a-bouts, so he's out too. The only way the Half-Life 2 gang could have found out about Crowbar 1 is through a random scientist/security guard.

Now is it possible that there is in fact a third crowbar? Yes.

The belief now is that a random BM personel found a crowbar and then gave it to Kleiner/Eli/Barney/Whoever. But is it in fact the one that was confiscated by the marine squad? Considering the size of the facility, and the number of marines, and the number of surviving allies, the chances of them finding the exact same crowbar that Gordon was robbed of when he was captured are very slim. Therefore we must increase our theory to three crowbars...

CROWBAR 3???
First Seen in HL: never.
Last Seen in HL: never.

IN SUMMARY...

CROWBAR 1: This is the true crowbar. The original. This could be the one that Barney gives Gordon in Half-Life 2 if someone does indeed find it and give it to Barney. Otherwise it was destroyed in the nuke.

CROWBAR 2: This could be the one that Barney gives Gordon in Half-Life 2 if the G-Man manages to give it to Barney while Gordon is in stasis. Whether or not this is in fact Crowbar 1, depends on whether or not the marines dump it in the trash compactor along with Gordon.

CROWBAR 3: This could be the one that Barney gives Gordon in Half-Life 2 if (like Crowbar 1) someone finds it and gives it to Barney. Whether or not this is Crowbar 1 depends on if the person who finds it gets it from the same marines that captured Gordon.


In Half-Life 2, one of these crowbars is destroyed. Which one is up to interpretation.

what the hell are you talking about.
Barney was almost always along side of gordon as he smashed headcrabs with his crowbar.

 

[ríomhaire]

what the hell are you talking about.
Barney was almost always along side of gordon as he smashed headcrabs with his crowbar.

The real Barney is the one from BS. He is seen at the very start of HL1 banging on a door and never anywhere else. In BS he sees Gordon being draged away by 2 grunts.

 

[Darkside55]

It's also possible that the crowbar Barney gives to Gordon in HL2 is the crowbar that Barney himself used in Blue Shift. After playing BS I thought that made the most sense; it's not Gordon's ACTUAL crowbar, but rather a nod to the fact that Gordon used a crowbar during Black Mesa, and Barney just happened to have one as well.

 

[Shippi]

How do we know the G-Man didn't give Barney/Kliener/Vance his crowbar? I mean, they got his HEV suit somehow. Barney wouldn't know that Gordon used a crowbar if he wasn't told

 

[Sui]

It's also possible that the crowbar Barney gives to Gordon in HL2 is the crowbar that Barney himself used in Blue Shift. After playing BS I thought that made the most sense; it's not Gordon's ACTUAL crowbar, but rather a nod to the fact that Gordon used a crowbar during Black Mesa, and Barney just happened to have one as well.

That's a good point- I forgot Barney had his own crowbar!

 

[AJ Rimmer]

No one of them was confiscated.

Yeah, but the crowbar, along with all other stuff literally disappears in thin air.

 

[A True Canadian]

No one of them was confiscated.

I just played through that area again and you are correct. The female voice that you hear over the intercom acknowledges that there was a confiscation error.

 

[Barney_Calhoun]

The confiscation error was witht the manipplegator, though, wasn't it?

 

[Sufferin-rebel]

i just had a thought.. what if his crowbar didnt get disgrentiation (whatever that word is) but however transported.. to a confiscation room in the citadel, I mean it would make sense..

 

[giant384]

How do we know the G-Man didn't give Barney/Kliener/Vance his crowbar? I mean, they got his HEV suit somehow. Barney wouldn't know that Gordon used a crowbar if he wasn't told

that wasnt the original hev suit its an updated one and theres many mysteries of halflife we may never figure out

 

[cquinn]

The female voice that you hear over the intercom acknowledges that there was a confiscation error.

That is when it tries to work on the Gravity Gun, and the resulting feedback loop
is what breaks you free and charges it up into the Super Grav Gun.

The visual effect on your other weapons is the same as the effect when you are shooting gaurds into each other after that point, and the same effect that you
see when you use the pulse rifle grenades on combine soldiers.

 

[SimonomiS]

Pretty damn strict confiscation.
"Crowbar? BALEETED!"

 

[MiccyNarc]

I think they confiscated, not destroyed, all your weapons. So you'll probably get them all back in Aftermath.

 

[RaBiD WeAzEL]

I doubt that we'll get all our weapons back... Not all at the same time... That would kinda ruin the fun...

But... It did seem as if the crowbar was dissintegrated...

Alyx will probably pop up out of nowhere and give you crowbar, and they won't care to explain, hah.

You'll probably be walking around and then a crowbar falls in front of you when you're coming out of a pipe giving you a scare, and then Alyx will drop down and say, hey, I've been looking for you. Thank god, you're alright! ... blah blah blah... Oh yeah, I think you left this in the citadel.

Damn it Alyx, you're not in cahoots w/ the G-Main, too, are you?