Not every videogame makes you kill things, but some (most?) of the best ones do. And in the near-quarter century since Contra taught children about the crucial importance of a Spread Gun, the weapons we use in videogames have evolved in several different directions. Some games, like Call of Duty, pride themselves on excruciating realism (TAR-21, SCAR-H, F2000, OMFGWTF-5000…) Other games, like the just-released Dead Rising 2, invent deliriously unreal homicide tools. (My personal favorite: the Drill Bucket.) But what is the greatest videogame weapon of them all?
To me, the best digital weaponry combines purely shallow thrill (How cool does your character look wielding this?) with gameplay longevity (How often can I use this weapon without getting tired of it?) With that in mind, here’s my top five:
1. Golf Club, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
2. Portal Gun, Portal
3. Hidden Blade, Assassin’s Creed
4. Twin DD44 Dostovei, GoldenEye
5. The Blades of Chaos, God of War
PopWatchers, what are your personal favorite videogame weapons? Which do you prefer: Samus’ Grapple-beam or Link’s Hookshot? What’s worse, Final Fantasy VIII‘s Gunblade or Kingdom Hearts‘ Keyblade? (Okay, I’ll admit it…I kinda like the Keyblade.) Am I the only one who thinks the Lancer from Gears of War is kind of meh after the first twenty chainsaw cinematics? Sound off below!
Gravity Gun – Half Life 2
Makes the world your weapon.
I totally agree with the gravity gun. Also the BFG from Quake (even better than the one from Doom), the rail gun from Red Faction with the scope that sees through walls and the lightsaber from Jedi Outcast with the dismemberment cheat turned on.
my vote goes to the sword of a thousand truths. for a weapon that never even existed, even people who do not play wow know of this weapon. that is power.
The gravity gun was my first thought as well (though granted, I haven’t played too many video games – no time, no money). I mean…it’s so much fun to slice people in half by throwing sawblades at them, and then once it gets enhanced in the Citadel…awesome!
Gotta go with the dual hidden blades in Assassin’s Creed 2.
Lets go old school with “Dragon Feet” in River City Ransom….possibly the best nintendo game ever.
energy sword- Halo, or any other awesome weapon from Reach.
The blades of chaos are very cool, but they don’t beat Scorpion’s spear (from Mortal Kombat) or Kung Lao’s hat.
When I read the title, before I clicked, my very first thought was Kratos’ Blades of Chaos. You, of course, listed them, but that’s my vote.
scarab gun also- Halo 2
You can’t NOT have the chainsaw gun from gears, you just can’t.
I always liked the needlers in Halo and of course the BFG.
But Chainsaw gun all the way.
YES!!! We need the Lancer!
Easy!
Snarks from Half Life. Nothing more entertaining than watching your buddies running away from bugs in multiplayer!
Torquebow from Gears of War
The whip in Castlevania
Ah, so right.
The Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda series would have to be in my top 5… the others being the Blades of Chaos from God of War, the Lancer from Gears of War, Agent 47′s garrotte from the Hitman games (stealth kills rule!), and the Metal Blades from Mega Man 2 (the most versatile weapon ever in the series). Too bad the Hadouken and Shoryuken from the Street Fighter series don’t count, otherwise I would’ve listed them as well.
Sticky Grenade, Halo. Never gets old.
winner ^
As far as retro vibes go, nothing quite says old school like Doom’s BFG. I still remember asking “What’s that stand for?”
Any weapons belonging to Kratos in “God of War 3.”
Kratos, ftw. Hands down.
I’m going the other way with Final Fantasy VII. Gotta give it to Cloud in – Ultima Weapon for the best weapon. That sword is a almost a requirement for beating the game and Omnislash is awesome!