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An Intelligent Discussion on the Effectiveness of the Crowbar in Various Half-Life Gametypes and Modes

For the first part of this discussion I will focus on the crowbar in relation to the Half-Life universe, and then in the second, move on to an objective comparison of the crowbar to weapons in other First Person Shooters, and Action games.

The Crowbar when used in the single player story mode, is mainly used for three purposes. To conserve ammo for harder and more taxing parts of the single player game, in a last resort situation when you have run out of ammo, and as bragging rights by trying to complete the game using it.

The crowbar, when viewed next to some of the other weapons in Half-Life is severly underpowered. As in Old-School First Person Shooter Deathmatch Focused Multiplayer gameplay, most weapons are ridicously powerful, and can disable a foe in very few shots, much like in real life. The Tau Cannon, the Gluon Gun, the Homing-Rocket Launcher, or the Sniped Crossbow, being these guns. While playing a deathmatch game of Half-Life, I find it very odd indeed when I see some players running through open fields of play with nothing more than "their trusty crowbar". These are usually the people that end up at the bottom of the score sheet. It is much more effective to use any other weapon, because of the field of fire - the crowbar is severly limited in reach and can't hit targets from afar -, or in close quaters combat situations to use the shotgun for it's power and double-shot capabilites.

In single player, however, the crowbar plays a slightly larger role, and can be helpful at times to assist you in progressing through the game. This is probably why many fans of the Half-Life series love seeing the protagonist, Gordon Freeman, wearing his H.E.V., with the crowbar at his side. To some he might resemble a midevil kinght, with his sword glinting in the sunlight. But unlike a sword, a crowbar has much less of a danger zone. The only two places it could cause lacerations would be the two tips, one of which - I may add - is curved to an odd angle, that Dr. Freeman would have to be swiping down with it to cause damage to his addversary, which leaves him severly open to counter-attack. If Gordon were to swing with a substantial amount of force, he might be able to cause brusing, or even fracturing of bones, but this would wear him down quicker, and if he didn't follow throught correctly, the excess force would be absorbed by his body, more specifically, his hands, wrists, and arms. This could render our dear Doctor incapable of defending himself.

For comparison purposes, I will use two popular First Person Shooters, a console game, Halo 2, and a computer game(originally), Doom 3.

Halo 2 implements the use of meleeing for all weapons, such that, all players in the game have a roughly equal chance of surviving a close quaters battle. In a given situation, a skilled player need not switch to his shotgun (provided he has one), but instead strike his opponent, while evading his opponets blows and/or bullets.

Doom 3 on the other hand decided to go the same way as Half-Life and gives the player the option of either punching or using a chainsaw. Obviously a chain saw would be a more efficient weapon, provided that the carrier of the weapon could keep the machine under control, and could maintain contact with his victim.

In a final analysis, I will list the strenghts weaknesses of each type of game mechanic in both single and multiplayer play.

Half-Life's crowbar

Single Player:

Pros: Saves Ammo, Always available, Bragging rights
Cons: Weakness of blows on enemys

Multiplayer:

Pros: Bragging rights
Cons: You are more likely to have a negative kill-to-death ratio

Halo 2's melee

Single Player:

Pros: Always available, good way to finish off foes, Bragging Rights
Cons: Slight swing when meleeing takes up time

Multiplayer:

Pros: Always available, instant kill if applied to opponents back, Medals
Cons: Can become disoriented

Doom 3's chainsaw

Single Player:

Pros: No ammo restriction, good for close quaters
Cons: Availablity in game

Multiplayer:

Pros: Bragging rights, Fun
Cons: Only effective for close quaters

In summation, the crowbar isn't half bad in it's own regard, but when put up against other weapons, and melee style combat, it is lacking. The only place it belongs in a Half-Life Multiplayer Deathmatch the crowbar should only be used in the case of emergency. But it will still live on in the hearts of Half-Life fans as Gordon's trusty friend.

Written by Luweeg64

Thanks for reading, and please add input to the discussion!

Silver Subscription for XBOX360 LIVE will just be chat rooms, and parlor games (eg. checkers, chess), while the Gold subscription will be like the current Xbox Live service.

Dustbunny also made a valid point, the level of service depends on how much you pay (usually). Most CS servers are paid for by clans, and/or generous individuals that love the game. Most MMORPGs also require a montly subscription fee.

Even on Xbox Live, the amount of service you get depends on the game. Some games have more online functions than other games, it just depends on the designer, and publisher.

The more people that play the game, the less the subscription cost should go down, because as you increase the amount of cash provided by players, the overall price per player can go down, provided the fanbase dosen't grow so fast that the game can't support itself. It also depends on how hardcore the gamers are, if they play more of the game, it takes up more resources, than if a casual player would join the service (eg. server), every once in a while.

Now You Know