TITANFALL 2 Smart Pistol was amazing. I really enjoyed the singleplayer campaign in TITANFALL 2, and the smart pistol section was glorious, but my best gaming guns come from the Battlefield series - it’s a tie between the knife from Battlefield 2, (memories of a round in which I racked up about 32 melee kills to get my gold knife badge - I only needed 22, I think, but I just kept going and switched to defibrillators after getting the knife kills - glorious) and the Krylov FA-37 from Battlefield 2142, because it was a joyous little bullethose. I have many happy memories of hunting people inside titans with the Krylov and airbursting grenades.
Maybe not topical but i think a lot abut the Dragon Tooth in Deus Ex, often wondering if it’s ok to enjoy this obviously overpowered item that feels completely out of place as something you could carry from that sequence in Hong Kong onwards.
Otherwise probably the shotgun in HL2 and sequels, it’s not such a protracted, faith driven thing as it is in most games but kinda snappy and more a symbol of violent motion than of simply power.
One word: Reinhardt.
1 Like
Harrison Bergeron
man, that’s a deep cut
I have a hard time recalling guns from back when that I really loved, because I was really bad, so any gun that got me a kill felt great.
Akimbo Model 1887’s from MW2 are so awesome on so many levels. There’s nothing quite like pulling both triggers and getting your first kill, then watching your character pull the T2 shotgun reload with A SHOTGUN IN EACH HAND.
But for guns that match play-style it’s gotta be the smart pistol from Titanfall. The smart pistol is great because it accommodates whether you want to be stealthy or run n gun. It cleverly makes you think the gun needs to lock on to be effective but when you learn how to use it free hand it becomes an entirely different beast.
Also in the vein of Destiny 2 guns the Origin Story auto rifle is my favorite gun in a video game ever and you’ll have to pry it from my lightless guardian’s hands.
In no particular order, I’d say…
Scar-L and AN-92 from BFBC2
Pistol from Halo 1
Akimbo CZ-75s from Black Ops 2
Jade Cactus and Super Commando from PvZ:GW
DAO-12 shotgun from BF4 with flechette ammo…
1 Like
I have always been very partial to semi-automatic rifles in games. Something about the weighty shots that they fire in games triggers my dopamine receptors. The same can be said about hefty shotguns like the Flak Cannon in Unreal Tournament, or the Shotgun of Halo.
2 Likes
The blasters in Splatoon make a very satisfying sound when you get a direct hit with them. The rapid blaster variant is my current favourite; it doesn’t have the ability to one-shot an enemy, but it has much higher range and can work as a suppressive fire weapon whereas the other blasters more or less require on getting a direct hit to be effective at all.
As a few other people here have mentioned Team Fortress 2, I’d like to specifically shout out one of its dumbest gimmick weapons: “The Market Gardener”, a shovel that one-shots most enemies as long as you hit them while you are in midair from a rocket jump. In a game that’s (mostly) focused on ranged combat, guns, etc. basing your loadout around this one melee item is entirely impractical and difficult to learn, but it’s so much stupid fun.
To do anything with it you have to launch yourself at an enemy, probably hurting yourself from your own rocket blast (unless you handicap yourself by using a non-damage-dealing rocket launcher specifically for jumping), and in most cases you’re just making yourself an easy, vulnerable target, but every once in a while, if you do everything just right, you might get a kill. And it feels great. Combined with how Team Fortress 2 has “Strange” weapons that track how many kills you get with them, having a Strange Market Gardener that tracked these high-risk, high-skill achievements was a major incentive for playing.
It’s such a dumb weapon and I’ll remember it fondly.
3 Likes
The Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle from Half Life: 2 was one of the first weapons that taught me how to appreciate how guns feel in a video game, it was sa such a different experience from any other weapon in pop culture for me at the time , that it really solidified the identity of the Combine and there VERY alien nature. It has has the sound of bucking bronco but the accuracy of a regular assault rifle. The reload animation is also top notch.
4 Likes
SPIN. FU. SOR.
Shazbot, motherfuckers!
1 Like
The first time I pinned an enemy with the crossbow was a highlight of years of gaming. So satisfying.
I think it’s really interesting that people are mentioning the Titanfall 2 smart pistol and the supercharged gravity gun from Half Life 2. These guns are so OP that you can only use them for a short time in the campaign. What makes them feel good is the contrast to how difficult the game was a few minutes ago. If you had them long enough to get used to them, not only would they not feel good to use, but the game would probably feel very boring.
Still, the net experience is very memorable when done right, and I’m glad people like them!
Destiny’s 1000-Yard Stare just for how perfect the name is for a sniper rifle.
Top favorite though has to be the Torque Bow from Gears of War. There was the perfect moment of satisfaction when you landed a hit on someone and they had a split second to realize they’ve been stuck. Likewise, it was funny in GoW2 when they added a short one-liner when you were stuck just before you were blown to pieces.
1 Like
The shotgun in Halo 2.
I have vivid memories of LAN parties where for whatever reason something would click and for a brief moment I would demolish my brother and his older friends, who were better at the game than I was for the most part. The shotgun was one of the few ways I was able to compete with them, it made me feel a little more grown up and empowered, which is something angst-y teens need from time to time.
1 Like
The colt walker in Fistful of Frags. When you shoot the thing it feels like you’re firing a cannon and it often one-shots people, making it extremely satisfying to use.
I often find it hard to pin down a favourite with these kinds of broad questions so I’m just going to list off some that I really like.
- The M4A1 with silencer in Counter Strike: great sound, super accurate, just a joy to fire. (honourable mention: the SG-553 AR, favourite weapon in CS:Source back in the day, handles really well and the ACOG scope is a nice advantage)
- Hard to top the double barrel shotgun in DOOM’16: just massive damage, explosive sound, feels great.
- Battlefield 3 had a semi-automatic DMR that let you put iron sights on it, the MK11. Fantastic gun in most mid-long range engagements and I think it bred some fascination for me with semi-auto rifles.
- You can’t go through a ‘best weapon’ list without naming Ratchet & Clank; as for me I love the Blitz Cannon in 2, an electric shotgun that looks like a sideways toaster with a handle, punches real good. (honourable mention: the Pulse Rifle from the same game, great kick, melts most enemies)
- More recently I’ve been liking the auto rifle you get from the Destiny 2 raid, the Ghost Primus, handles really well, does more damage on the last rounds of the clip, has a much better red dot sight than the raid scout rifle, and when you paint away the gold and white colour scheme it actually looks pretty good.
(honourable mention: Nameless Midnight, favourite scout rifle in the game, explosive rounds, solid ass gun, not currently used because I can’t seem to find decent scout rifles to infuse it with)
2 Likes
The Soda Popper from TF2. It just goes so well with Scout’s playstyle.
Jack from Mass Effect 2.
Slightly more on topic though, the best gun comes from (yes, seriously) Turok 2. The Cerebral Bore. A gun that fires a homing missile that drills into your enemies brain. Plus, it’s called the Cerebral Bore!
Gotta be the Spy’s butterfly knife in TF2. I used to mash the weapon swap button just to watch the slick opening animation over and over.
