Best Weapons in Video Games
"Nice to EAT you!"
Just about every game has a weapon of some kind, most are interchangeable, some are entirely forgettable. However, there are some weapons that stand out, that people talk about long after the cartridge has gone into the closet and the disc is all scratched up. These are the weapons that transcend their utility to become works of art.
Sharkgun – Armed and Dangerous (Xbox)
It’s a gun that fires sharks. Why more people didn’t play this game I’ll never know.
Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator or Gravity Gun– Half Life 2 (PC/Xbox/Xbox360/PS3)
The definitive weapon in the thinking man’s shooter, turns everyday objects into deadly projectiles and will have you scouring the environment for new and creative ways to take out combine troops.
Pistol – Halo (Xbox/PC)
No weapon has generated so much controversy as the pistol in the original Halo. To some its 2x zoom and powerful bullets are a dream come true. To others, it is an unfair and unbalanced weapon that can ruin an otherwise fair match. But either way, you have to respect this powerful weapon.
Shotgun – Doom (PC)
Few moments in life are as satisfying as the first time you get the shotgun in the original Doom. The jump in power from the pistol to the shotgun makes you appreciate and understand just how awesome this weapon is. It is like a switch goes off and you go from hunted to hunter.
Your Mind – Psi Ops: the Mindgate Conspiracy (Xbox/PS2)
In this highly underrated game your mind is literally the ultimate weapon. You have all kinds of psychic and telekinetic powers that are at your disposal. You can use your mind to toss enemies around like rag dolls, or siphon off all their energy and make their heads explode, or you can pick up a crate and smash them in the face with it. But the cruelest trick is using your psychic powers to take over an enemy soldier where you can make him betray his friends.
Tornado Gun – Ratchet and Clank Tools of Destruction (PS3)
In a series renowned for creative weapons nothing could compare to the destructive power of a maxed out Tornado Gun. This thing is a trailer park’s worst nightmare come to life. At the lowest power levels, it shoots out a whirlwind of devastation that you use the sixaxis to control. By the time this baby is fully upgraded, you have a natural disaster that is shooting out lightning bolts and death.
RCP90 – Goldeneye (N64)
If it were to come out now, everyone would scream about how unbalanced and unfair this gun is. But back in the day, nothing was more terrifying than peeking over at your buddy’s screen to see he just picked up body armor and the RCP90. Conversely, nothing was more satisfying than killing him and taking the gun from his bloodied corpse.
Automatic Sniper Rifle – Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
The point of the game is to be stealthy, but come on, sometimes bad guys need some face shooting. Even if you are not a crack shot; with a fully automatic sniper rifle somebody is getting shot in the face.
Far Eye – Resistance (PS3)
This awesomely unfair piece of equipment has a secondary function that slows down time to go along with its super zoom in. So, as an enemy tries to frantically run around, you can calmly slow down time and shoot him in the face. For even more fun, slow down time in the co-op mode as your buddy fires away with the machine gun.
Morpho-Ray – Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)
Far more than any other series, the Ratchet games have managed to come up with some very creative weapons. None can come close to the sheer insanity that is the Morpho-ray. This devilish weapon changes your enemies into ducks (or sheep with the sheepinator upgrade). As you gain experience points, the gun becomes even more awesome. One of the later upgrades causes those enemies you just turned into ducks to lay eggs… which explode. I pray NASA is working on this right now.
Spread Gun – Contra (NES)
Everyone remember the stupid code but not everyone remembers just how tough the original Contra could be. One hit death awaited you everywhere. Nothing helped clear the screen of that alien scum quicker than the spread gun. Hold down the trigger and you’ll understand why. It is a requirement to punch your buddy if he hogs the spread shot power ups.
So there they are. The best weapons in gaming. Did I leave off any of your favorites? Let me know.
Tags: Armed and Dangerous, Contra, Cool Weapons, Doom, Goldeneye, Half Life 2, Halo, Metal Gear Solid 4, N64, NES, PC, ps2, ps3, Psi Ops, Ratchet and Clank, Resistance, xbox, Xbox 360
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
February 11th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Scott Gallatin says:Baseball bat for any game always makes my list.
February 11th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Scott Reeser says:The rocket railgun from the original Jedi Knight game was amazing. But the gun I remember/miss most of all is the Nine Inch Nailgun from Quake. Ahhh, good times.
February 11th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:Metal Blade from Mega Man 2. You can aim it, it destroys almost everything with ease, and takes barely any weapon energy to use. It’s hilariously unbalanced
February 11th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Feast of the panda says:I’m sorry but that list is too short what about the
Fat-Man form Fallout
BFG from Doom
Blades Of Chaos
Light Disk from Tron 2.0
The Red Turtle shell from Mario Kart!
So many great weapons missing…
February 11th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:I’ll tell you what should NOT be on that list… the blue shell from Mario Kart. That thing sucks!
Another one to add though would be Nikita Missile from Metal Gear Solid. I love that thing. I also love that they made Snake have it in Smash Bros.
February 11th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
MechaJesus says:Lest us not forget Dynamite Cop.
Two words: Bread roll.
February 11th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Feast of the panda says:Oh wait forgot about Dead Rising the excavator’s drill. Classic
February 11th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
weezer says:What about the Lancer from GoW2? I would have to say the best melee of any gun ever.
Star Wars games should never be counted out. The force throw from Force Unleashed was a site to behold.
February 11th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
lucas says:Blades of Athena, anyone?
February 11th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Jonah "spambot" Gregory says:I was just thinking the arsenal of force powers in Jedi Outcast were a ton of fun to use.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Dave "shaolinjesus" Corvin says:ok ok couple quick responses
force powers- I actually thought Psi Ops had pretty much the same idea only done much much cooler.
Lancer- although the gun is an icon for Gears I have to say I prefer the Hammerburst.
Bread Roll- Dynamite Cop had so many insane weapons couldn’t you kill people with fish or salt?
Blades of Athena- I have to say the blades of chaos were cooler, and I think you could put anything in Kratos’ hands and he could kill fools with it, so I think his blades were more about him than anything else.
Nine Inch Nailgun- I don’t remember that one I might have to go back and play some Quake.
Baseball Bats- Always a good time.
BFG- Maybe the best name but I think it ended up killing me more than the demons so I had to leave it off.
February 15th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Jonah "spambot" Gregory says:Then there are the weapons like the Spread Needle gun in Phantasy Star Online that totally break the game. Sure, it was powerful to a ludicrous degree, but it made the game loose a lot of the fun factor.