I’d personally put the Halo 2 Battle Rifle above the Halo 1 Pistol. The sound of that three-shot burst is, in the words of Danielle, * chef’s kiss *.
But I can’t help but think of all the guns from Star Wars: Dark Forces 3: Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast 1. Most of them were bootleg versions of better games’ guns (the Golan Arms Flechette Launcher was just the previous mentions Flak Cannon), but even the simple pleasure of firing a Stormtrooper’s standard-issue E-11 was so perfectly tuned in that game.
i really cannot think of a single other entity in any videogame that gets away with being so complex, without wasting a single part of that complexity. it’s something that lets TF2 get away with having a guy who can be both a really bulky tank, and a bonafide glass cannon, often within seconds of each other, and have it be completely balanced.
i don’t hate overwatch by any means, but it’s really telling how the soldier equivalent is known for being a slow, easy target; when you try to simplify something like rocket jumping, it’s always going to be slow, because the reason rocket jumping is so fast and satisfying is because you get so many immediate options to play off of, and every single one of those options could always be the one you need in that moment.
Crossbow and revolver in Half Life 2 (though in all honesty I’ve only ever played with them in GMod). They’re weighty, they’re bassy, they do a heck of a lot of damage and they send physics objects flying with a satisfying ping. Not to mention the crossbow pinning ragdolls to walls and how the superheated bolts cool on contact.
I really liked the Quake 3 rocket launcher. Great sounds, good punchy damage, but most importantly - very satisfying to put a nice lead on your target and hit them, especially in Q3DM17.
Using Lava Gun in Ratchet and Clank series was son fun! You just hold the fire button and then start turning around as lava spills around you destroying everyone who is trying to come your way. It is even more fun to use in Ratchet and Clank 3 after you get the upgraded version called Nytrogen Gun which freezes you enemies over while you continue doing the circles.
The thing i love about this gun the most is that Insomniac did not plan the weapon to be used that way. You can tell that from the last upgrade of this weapon in Ratchet and Clank 2 where instead of being able to freeze people over you start shooting meteors, and that wasn’t as satisfying to use. I am so glad that they changed it in the third game.
Oh, and also the Groovitron from Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction. That weapon makes everyone dance so they can’t attack you. The thing with this weapon is that everyone can dance. Every NPC has a unique dance, every enemy, even Ratchet and Clank are bopping their heads while they are in the range of that weapon. Animation is a lot of work and I still can’t believe that they decided to do that.
Semi-auto rifles like the M14 or marksman variants of the M4 are usually my go-to in shooters.
I very much enjoyed the Gauss Cannon in DOOM. It’s slow as hell but the charge up sound and nailing the Mancubus is real satisfying? Also, that shotgun is SO good.
I’m halfway through writing a paean to fusion rifles on my blog.
Maybe not my all-time favourite so much as a recent hit. Something weighty and consequential of the cadence of chaaarge-brrraap. (To say nothing of last week’s legendary from Xur, that turns the rate of charge-fire way, way up.)
High damage, projectile based shotgun from Titanfall 2 with a wide horizontal spread. Possibly, probably the best weapon in any game, but oh so tied to the mobility in Titanfall - the ability to scope out an opposing player, wall run at them from a variety of altitudes and let off a shot that catches them mid sprint. There’s nothing more satisfying.
I think it’s also probably because it requires you to really have a good ability to anticipate the trajectory of enemy movement, being as it’s a projectile weapon, that makes it so satisfying to use. There’s massive risk/reward because if you miss and your antagonist clocks you, the gun has a slow enough rate of fire that you could get killed between rounds.
A couple of people have mentioned the Flak Cannon from the original Unreal Tournament. Good lord, I loved that gun.
Another that hopped into my mind recently as I was replaying is the Scimitar shotgun in Mass Effect 3. Playing as a Vanguard and making sure you buy all the upgrades and mods makes the Scimitar nearly unstoppable. What a gun.
Would definitely say The Last Word from Destiny 1. Was a very cool gun that made you feel like a space cowboy, synced really well with my preferred class of gunslinger hunter, and had an awesome story behind it. Really hope the either bring it back again in D2 or something similar to it.
It’s a pretty recent one, but the smart pistol from the end of TITANFALL 2. It lets you play exactly the way you’ve been trying to the entire campaign. You can do crazy wall-running and jumping around while pulling off perfect head shots without having to be insanely skilled. Obviously the gun would be broken if it was used for more than the few minutes it’s in the game, but it’s hard to think of a gun that fits the play style of the game it’s in more than this one.
