This week’s Community Question of the Week segment is going to get a bit violent, as we’re counting down the best weapons in video games. I received a lot of submissions for this one, and of course there will be a few favorites missing from the list, but try not to get too crazy. Remember, the point of this feature is to take the best community-driven responses; so the best of the best are selected based on the answers given by those who submitted responses. Before we get started, some quick housecleaning: 1) Some of these responses may contain *spoilers* to various games, so READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. 2) I will censor any content I decide to include within the article, but any outside links provided to pictures or videos as references are potentially NSFW.
The week’s question: What is the best weapon in gaming? The was a lot of competition for the Honorable Mentions section, but only eight truly great responses. So, instead of the usual Top Ten, we’re going to dial things back with a list of the Top Eight best weapons.
Top Eight:
1) Nano Rifle – Red Faction: Guerilla
“Nano Rifle – Disintegrates everything it touches: Tanks, buildings, people, aircraft, etc. It eats through them all and is incredibly versatile. Need to get through that wall? Nano Rifle. Pesky EDF soldiers bothering you? Nano Rifle. OH GOD THAT’S A TANK HO- Wait, Nano Rifle that bastard into nothingness.” (submitted by Magus_XIV)
2) Arm Cannon – Metroid series
“Samus Aran’s armor. She has an arm cannon with rockets, upgrades from the bounty hunters from Metroid Prime Hunters, a whip from MP3: Corruption, and a badass visor.” (submitted by Josh LaPointe)
3) Gravity Gun – Half-Life 2
“The Gravity Gun is a multi-purpose tool, useful not only in combat, but in puzzle solving, platforming, and general dicking around. The variety of objects scattered throughout Half-Life 2 makes the Gravity Gun a weapon that can slice with a saw blade, launch an explosive with a propane canister, catch a plasma ball and turn it against a Civil Protection Officer, attach high explosives to the deadly Striders, or just bludgeon a Zombie to death with a television.
In addition, the charged form of the weapon that you attain near the end of Half-Life 2 and the beginning of Episode 1 turns Gordon into a demigod, flinging the Combine around with all the joy and ease of a monkey ripping through a cupcake.” (submitted by pegasus123456)
4) Mr. Toots – Red Faction: Armageddon
“Mr. Toots the magical unicorn rifle from Red Faction Armageddon, if only because of the warm up sounds he makes before he fires.” (submitted by Thatonesmartguy)
5) FarSight XR-20 – Perfect Dark
“The Farsight from Perfect Dark. A sniper rifle that can see and shoot through walls and auto-locks onto enemies. Effectively made you into a god in both single and multiplayer. There’s little you can do against someone with this.” (submitted by Xatrion)
6) The Blunderbuss – Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
“The blunderbuss is a weapon which fires zombie body parts and causes other zombies to explode, and it is one of the most awesome and over the top weapons in a video game.” (submitted by Caolan Mcdermott)
7) SPAS-12 – Call of Duty: Black Ops
“Silenced Spas 12 in Blops 1
Why:”
(comment and original video submitted by l Dudeboy l)
8) RYNOCIRATOR – Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
“The Rynocinator from Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal. One shot shoots a bunch of shots that combine in the air, the screen flashes white, and all enemies turn to ash. So yeah, it kinda breaks the game, but you can’t buy it until you beat it anyways, so…” (submitted by HungoverHero777)
Honorable Mentions: This week’s bonus five in the Honorable Mentions were some of the most-suggested weapons. While few people chose to articulate what makes these weapons so great, the community generally agreed these were some of the greatest weapons around.
1) Portal Gun – Portal
2) Vector Cannon – Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
3) RC-P90 – GoldenEye
4) BFG 9000 – Doom 3
5) Blades of Chaos – God of War
Dealer’s Choice: In the closing segment, this is the space to offer my own answer to the Question of the Week. There are a lot of amazing weapons in video games; from the absurd, to the exaggerated, and everywhere in between. But for me personally, there is one weapon the stands above them all:
M-490 Blackstorm – Mass Effect 2
There’s nothing like running into a wall of enemies that have you out-manned and outgunned. Or, so they thought. The Blackstorm Projector, otherwise known as the “black hole gun”, creates a gravitational singularity that draws all nearby enemies inside; causing damage over time until the field destabilizes and the affected area returns to its original mass in an explosion of particles and body parts. Half the fun is in the timing; charging the weapon leaves Shepard vulnerable for a few seconds before unleashing the devastating shot. But once it’s ready, boom goes the dynamite indeed. Originally available only as a promotional pre-order bonus, the Blackstorm has long since been made available for download as part of the Terminus Weapon and Armor DLC pack for Mass Effect 2. One of the most visually satisfying weapons I’ve ever used, the M-490 Blackstorm is my pick for best weapon in gaming.
Interested in seeing your response featured in next week’s segment? Here are the ground rules: Answers must include proper attribution. That means, make sure to include any relevant character information, as well as what game it’s from. Citation must be provided in order to be considered. Providing relevant video links is much appreciated, but not mandatory. In order to find out what each week’s question will be, make sure to add me to your Google+ circles or follow me on Twitter.
Did your favorite weapon make the list? If not, share your responses down in the comments section, and don’t forget to like IGXPro on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or give us the ‘ol +1 on Google+. Thanks to everyone who participated! Be sure to check the proper channels on Monday for next week’s Question of the Week!