The Top Ten Iconic Video Game Weapons
Posted by James Hawkins at 9:38 AM Mar 04, 2010
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| The Coat of Arms |
Video game weapons are a huge part of why we love gaming so much. We can harness intense firepower, manipulate mind-blowing physics, and smash heads in a way not legally possible in the real world. And for many games, the weapons are as noteworthy as the characters that wield them. So, here at Joystick Division, we want nothing more than to offer you a complete list of what we think are the biggest, best, and baddest weapons in video game history. Please, do enjoy it.
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| He's about to mega-bust all over you. |
10. Mega Buster Arm Cannon Mega Man Series
Dirty Harry had his Smith & Wesson .44 magnum. James Bond had his sleek Walther PPK. Mega Man has his Mega Buster. Early in the series, Mega Man carried around a weaker, less capable version called the Mega Blaster, which could fire a trio of rounds at the enemy. In Mega Man 4, however, old Doctor Light put an end to that, giving the Mega Blaster the first in a series of major upgrades. Now imbued with the ability to charge up a blast for more damage, Mega Man's signature firearm went from a standard cannon to a powerful tool of destruction. And more power is always a good thing.
Iconic Status: The Mega Buster is the definition of trusty sidearm. It appears in 42 (damn!) games, is upgraded and modified numerous times throughout the series, and even has a sweet cameo in the horror-comedy title Dead Rising.
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| The Scalpel of FPS Weapons |
9. Railgun Quake 2
Games nowadays have weapons specialized for every kind of player. You have the shotgun, which has incredibly short range with a hell of a lot of firepower. You have the assault rifle, for tactical rushes and reliability in any given situation. The sniper rifle is the ultimate skill-player weapon, used to drop opponents from hundreds of yards away. Well you can thank the Quake series for this feature. The folks at Id Software came up with the Railgun (among others) for Quake 2 to give competitive multiplayer gaming a new dimension. With insane firepower, deadly long-range accuracy, and a slow, methodical rate of fire, the Railgun was the perfect weapon for folks ready to post up and take out unsuspecting victims. The fluid, cerulean drips that emit from the barrel have, for over a decade, instilled fear in the hearts of those unfortunate enough to be caught in the sights.
Iconic Status: Since the inception of this gun, the folks that want more out a shooter have gotten their wish. The sniper rifle is a weapon that is featured in nearly every FPS released today, and the Railgun certainly gave the whole genre a push in that direction. A badass beast, for sure.
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| Take that, you who are better than me! |
8. Blue Spiked Shell Mario Kart Series
Finally, a weapon for the underdog. Most great video game weapons favor the talented, the skilled, the champions. But not in Mario Kart. If you find yourself at the end of the procession, just slide through a pile of item boxes and there is a good likelihood you will end up with one of these bad boys. What it does, for those of you not familiar with the Mario Kart series, is scoot ahead of all the other racers and hone in on first place kart. It will hit the player in first place, rest assured, and cause them to halt and fly up into the air. Both hailed and hated for its 'cheapness,' this victor-seeking missile has frustrated countless talented players for many, many years. And, believe me, it will be around for a while, pissing off serious gamers to the delight of those that can't seem to pull ahead.
Iconic Status: Yeah, the Blue Spiked Shell has been around. Since Mario Kart: Double Dash, it has seen a big change, though. Before, it would travel in the middle of the road, taking out anyone who was unlucky enough to get in its way. But the cheapness level has reached fever-pitch with the last couple games, as it will only disrupt the play of one person: the first place racer.
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| Sprayaholics Anonymous. |
7. RC-P90 GoldenEye
This is arguably the best gun in arguably the best shooter of all time. Of course it rests its head in the Top Ten. The RC-P90 paved the way for high speed, high power submachine guns in shooters. Sure, it wasn't perfect. If you didn't aim, it would get unruly. You burned through ammo like nothing else. You couldn't cap a fool from a catwalk across the map. But head-to-head, you also could not equip yourself with a more effective gun. In the heat of the moment, a quick burst would send even the most enthusiastic Russian soldier to the ground in a heap of guts and burnt flesh. And if you were able to unlock them, the dual RC-P90s were just ludicrous.
Iconic Status: Ever since GoldenEye, the P90 has become a staple of the realistic shooter. They usually don't have the unbridled firepower of the RC-P90, but it is hard to argue that this weapon of mass obliteration didn't help start a trend. It has solidified itself in the canon of great, iconic weapons.
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| Like strapping a Weed Wacker to an M-16 |
6. Lancer Gears of War Series
When Gears of War came out in 2006, it changed the way gamers saw action games. The graphics, the characters, and the gameplay all wowed fans of the genre. But nothing could quite match the awe that the Lancer inspired. For years, developers had been incorporating melee attacks in first- and third-person shooters, but this was a whole new level. You could literally slice the baddies in half with a fricking chainsaw. A chainsaw! It was part of your gun! Not only was it effective in combat scenarios, it was shown through the goriest and most gruesome cinematics in recent memory. The gun itself is a standard assault rifle, so it doesn't offer much in the way of innovation -- but from a player standpoint, that chainsaw is totally rad. And incredibly satisfying, I must say.
Iconic Status: Gore, gore, gore. The filleting of Grubs has now become an art. You will see this gun in every Gears of War game from here on out. You should probably expect some imitators, as the Lancer has the kind of brutal, over the top mass appeal that is rarely seen in video games anymore.
Iconic Status: Gore, gore, gore. The filleting of Grubs has now become an art. You will see this gun in every Gears of War game from here on out. You should probably expect some imitators, as the Lancer has the kind of brutal, over the top mass appeal that is rarely seen in video games anymore.
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Comments
Spread Shot from Contra deserves an honorable mention too.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 09:54:50 AMGot about a dozen that deserve an honorable mention. That was definitely one that got cut from a big list from which I had to whittle away.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 10:52:45 AMThis is an outrage! Where's random weapon from Popular XBox 360 Game? And what about generic weapon from Popular Military Game II? This list sucks!
Posted 03/04/2010 at 11:04:07 AMLove the list. I can agree on most points, and the pictures you dug up for each weapon are fucking superb -- especially Kratos, Link, and the opening "Coat of Arms".
-O
Posted 03/04/2010 at 11:07:00 AMTwo of my most loyal supporters: Master Owen and Judge Dread.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 12:22:58 PMThat B in Xbox in my comment shouldn't have been capitalized. That's what I get for being awesome quickly.
A good honorable mention would have been Mario's Fire Flower.
Why are all of the comments italicized, anyway?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 12:43:10 PMFor emphasis, I presume.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 12:54:57 PMThis whole list tells me that I need to play video games loads more. WHERE HAVE I BEEN?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 02:42:22 PMNo BFG from Doom?
Lamest list in history…
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:28:23 PMNothing beats the Master Goddam Sword.
Honorable mention: Bioshock Plasmids (brought an amazing new versatility in magic/fps combat)
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:29:20 PMNo BFG 9000?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:33:50 PMNo BFG 9000?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:34:22 PMTwo Words. Spread. Gun.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:38:37 PMHow can you not mention the BFG?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:39:53 PMHey all THE BFG was in the honorable mention list just so ya know
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:41:32 PMSeriously? No BFG? Seems like a pretty major oversight.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:41:55 PMI love the Brian Dawkins from NFL 2k5 Honorable Mention. Too funny.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:46:04 PMWhat?! No BFG?! N00bs.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:47:28 PMthe pistol from the original Halo? Awesome.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 03:48:40 PMum... no BFG?
-jswjimmy
Posted 03/04/2010 at 04:08:38 PMThis could have been way better. Master Sword. Really? I love Zelda. I mean I LOVE Zelda but that is NOT the most iconic weapon. And where's the cerebral bore? Come ON!
Posted 03/04/2010 at 04:10:59 PMNeeds more FIRE FLOWER!
Posted 03/04/2010 at 04:13:03 PMomg where is teh doom BFG
Posted 03/04/2010 at 04:19:54 PMLittle bizarre that Cloud's Buster Sword didn't even get an honourable mention.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 04:26:04 PMHow did the BFG-2000 from Doom miss this list??
Posted 03/04/2010 at 04:36:54 PMErmmm... where is the BFG from Doom? Ain't no gun that can clear a room like the BFG 9000!
Article fail.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 04:40:14 PMNo DOOM chainsaw?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 04:48:49 PMDude are you kidding me? That is like totally amazing.
Jess
Posted 03/04/2010 at 04:50:35 PMwww.fbi-logging.at.tc
Number one is Link's sword? WTF?
Number one should be the BFG 9000.
Show some respect.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 05:01:13 PMNo BGF?!
Hello, McFly?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 05:17:04 PMIt's unfair to say that the Master Sword is in every game. It's really only in 4 of the 13 main games... LttP, OoT, WW, and TP.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 05:22:24 PMPeople who keep commenting about the goddam BFG clearly don't know how to e read THE ENTIRE ARTICLE. READ ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM IDIOTS
Posted 03/04/2010 at 05:31:24 PMWTF? No BFG from the Doom series!??!? How could you leave out the BFG!?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 05:56:59 PMWhere is the noob tube?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 05:59:37 PMi definitley have to agree with the blades of chaos. Those made God of War 2 one of my favorite games.
Posted 03/04/2010 at 06:00:55 PMwhat? no bfg?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 07:02:14 PMNo Buster Sword?!?!?!?! are you kidding me?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 07:16:35 PMWow. That was a pretty gay ass list.
lol wut u mad?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 07:50:13 PMBFG - DOOM
Posted 03/04/2010 at 08:44:23 PMBS! Where is Doom's chainsaw and double barrel? And wtf happened to AK from CS? Who gives a shit about the lancer from GoW and blades of chaos from, well, GoW, if you lack those guns!?!?!?!?!? Like really, did you even play games?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 10:05:30 PMno fireball?
Posted 03/04/2010 at 10:57:35 PMNo Portal Gun? D:
Posted 03/04/2010 at 11:55:41 PMSeriously? No gunblade? This list sucks balls
Posted 03/05/2010 at 01:02:03 AMSeriously? No gunblade? This list is a joke.
Posted 03/05/2010 at 01:03:16 AMno BFG no Thunderfury no Chainsaw no buster sword no halo sword
Posted 03/05/2010 at 01:20:10 AMi was wondering if this guy actually played video games
BFG only as an honorable mention? Are you stupid? Or did you just start playing video games 5 years ago..
Posted 03/05/2010 at 05:25:32 AMDid anyone mention the BFG 9000 yet?
Posted 03/05/2010 at 05:38:28 AMNo Vampire Killer from Castlevania? It may not be as effective as some of those weapons but it's surely more iconic.
Posted 03/05/2010 at 06:58:45 AMNo BFG 9000? Are you Sarah Palin's retarded kid? Or just an Obama Voter? The BFG 9k is the prototype of every big ass energy weapon since the early 1990s. To only give it an honorable mention is dereliction of duty and you should be thrown in the brig. Which is funny, because that's where you will probably find the space marine from Doom, armed with, you guessed it, a BFG 9000.
Posted 03/05/2010 at 09:49:19 AMI've been playing games for a very long time, but I don't like his list. Remove the Lancer, put the BFG somewhere in there. I called the Master Sword, though.
Posted 03/05/2010 at 12:54:45 PMAbsolutely no BFG means this list is totally moot. Also the Cerebral Bore from the Turok series was not only a unique, but bad ass weapon that made your enemies dance with a baseball bat sized drill bit boring into their skulls.
Posted 03/05/2010 at 01:08:37 PMSeriously... Where's the BFG 9000? This list sucks without the BFG 9000! I can't believe that no one's mentioned the BFG 9000 yet!
BFG 9000!
Posted 03/05/2010 at 02:47:17 PMI demand that Mario's butt be added to the list!
Posted 03/05/2010 at 03:20:36 PMJudge Dread,
What the hell is a BGF?
-The writer of this article.
Posted 03/05/2010 at 03:20:45 PMlol wat about the master sword?
check me out http://todaysbestgames.blogspot.com/ for more video game stuff
Posted 03/05/2010 at 03:23:23 PMNo chainsaw either? Seriously the chainsaw is the greatest FPS melee weapon of all time.
Posted 03/05/2010 at 07:23:23 PMWhat no unstoppable force!! Laying the smack down!!
Posted 03/06/2010 at 12:44:20 AMBFG [3]
Posted 03/07/2010 at 05:05:29 PMVampire Killer [2]
Yeah, this list is a fail. No Portal Gun? No BFG? Nothing from Contra? No Cerebral Bore? The Lancer??
Posted 03/07/2010 at 06:03:07 PMOdd that the Blue Spiked Shell gets credit for what Rollcage II already had years prior: The Leader Missile. And who knows if it was even original then?
Posted 03/07/2010 at 08:35:48 PMIt says iconic, not first.
Posted 03/07/2010 at 09:15:58 PMI'm sorry Mr. James Hawkins but it really is a failure to leave the BFG 9000 only as a honorable mention!
I can't think of any gun more iconic that the Big F*cking Gun!!!!!! lol
Posted 03/07/2010 at 11:13:35 PMNo offense man, but you should really edit this article.
Haha, nah man. I stand by my choices.
Plus how much do I love all these comments?
I've got thick skin. Plus BFG = Biggest Fanboy Gun
Posted 03/07/2010 at 11:16:35 PMwhere is BFG ??
Posted 03/08/2010 at 02:50:44 AMthis article are very2x wrong
Top ten my arse.
Posted 03/08/2010 at 09:45:57 AMno gunblade either? damn.
Posted 03/08/2010 at 05:26:33 PMperhaps if the list were expanded to 10.
You are missing:
1. BFG 9000
Posted 03/08/2010 at 09:19:35 PM2. Chainsaw
(Both from doom)
3. Duke's foot
(Duke Nukem)
4. Gun blade
(Final Fantasy VIII)
Lol the BFG is from the time where there wasn't this wave of fanboyism (that i remember at least).
You really gotta love all this 'where is BFG' comments thou xD
But one thing you've gotta admit, the BFG 9000 was the most iconic weapon of that era, and for those of us who lived through it, it still is the most iconic (and badass) weapon ever found in a video game!!
Posted 03/09/2010 at 11:16:59 AMWhen I got the BFG 9000 on my hands it almost felt like I was cheating!! It was so great that it felt it was even unfair to our enemies ! lol
Lol the BFG is from the time where there wasn't this wave of fanboyism (that i remember at least).
You really gotta love all this 'where is BFG' comments thou xD
But one thing you've gotta admit, the BFG 9000 was the most iconic weapon of that era, and for those of us who lived through it, it still is the most iconic (and badass) weapon ever found in a video game!!
Posted 03/09/2010 at 11:17:56 AMWhen I got the BFG 9000 on my hands it almost felt like I was cheating!! It was so great that it felt it was even unfair to our enemies ! lol
I thought that Duke Nukem's shrink ray gun was pretty rad. It brought a whole new level of humiliation to deathmatches.
Posted 03/09/2010 at 04:08:26 PMEvery weapon on the list should be the BFG 9000.
Posted 03/10/2010 at 09:43:44 AMhaha
"I've been playing video games for a very long time, but I don't like this list."
Oooh, really, Anon? I think I hear something. Listen really hard. It's just barely audible. Do you know what that is?
That's the sound of methane gas escaping slowly but steadily from the place where the giant self-importance dildo you rammed up your ass meets with the desperating clenching circle-muscle of your sphincter.
You suck, Doom fanboys. Get over your outmoded shitty little childhood deathmaze game. Just because Wolfenstein came before pretty much everything on this list doesn't mean that BJ's giant, throbbing Allied dick and all of the medals it's adorned with for covert OSS missions should be anywhere near "greatest weapons of all time" status. And neither should your stupid fucking Doom guns that nobody gives four shits about.
And as for YOU, gunblade whores.
I don't even want to talk to you.
We all know that the "gunblade" is a mis-translation from the Japanese character meaning, loosely, "ass-piercer" or "colon-penetrator," and all your weeping and whining over the exclusion of your precious weapon is really just your way of airing your lingering discontent that scientists have not yet engineered a real-life "gunblade" for you to stick up your buttholes. Why else would you want to have something as phallic as a sword ALSO ejaculate bullets? Swords aren't dick-like enough for you? You need that extra little dick-spice. Well be my guest.
And shut the fuck up.
Posted 03/12/2010 at 02:51:29 AMThe two most obvious things about this list are that you don't understand the meaning of iconic and you've spent your entire game career on one crappy console or another.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_icon#cite_note-LDP-0
and
http://www.dula.tv/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/consolechartyr2yb63272359.jpg
Posted 03/12/2010 at 04:10:10 AMBFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG
Posted 03/21/2010 at 06:53:41 PMI would have said the Redeamer, if it wasn't so bloody slow.
Posted 06/01/2010 at 03:08:13 PMBut really, there can be only one.....
B.....F.....G
party time
NO DEAD SPACE, I-I MEAN JESUS!!!!!!!! WHAT FUCKIN GAME ARE YOU PLAYING AT DAMMIT! WHAT ABOUT THE TUROK FRANCHISE. WELL I HAVE AN IDEA, WHY DONT YOU CRAWL BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM. YOU HAVE NO FUCKING TASTE. LOOK UP THE RIPPER, JAVELIN GUN,ETC.
CEREBRAL BORE!!!!!!!!!
Posted 06/14/2010 at 08:30:42 PM