First Person Shooter Weapons – Top 9!
First person shooters are usually the most popular and highly rated games. Without a doubt, they are some of the highest profile titles out there. But they’ve brought some of the biggest technological advances in game engines because of it.
Another thing that they have brought over the years is a plethora of interesting and iconic weapons.
Weapons, weapons and more weapons? Well not really!
Some of the weapons are more complex and interesting than something to destroy enemies with. So I thought it would be fun to list my top 9 and why they’ve stuck in my head for so long.
So, going into number 9…
#9 – The BFG9000 (Doom)
From the first moments I played Doom I wanted a PC. I only had one spectrum at the time, so that was a big jump! I was completely enthralled with the main gun and since I was barely in college I found the acronym hilarious.
But let’s face it, this weapon doesn’t just destroy things. It’s pure hype and that’s why we all love it.
#8 – GEP Gun (Deus Ex)
Representing brute force methodology that wasn’t designed for this game, we have the GEP missile launcher from Deus Ex. There were many moments in the game where you ran into a troublesome robot that couldn’t be taken out by the riot bar, reassure yourself. , or even shot from a distance. They did nothing! However, in these situations, the GEP pistol was your friend.
Most of the other weapons and tools were cunning, but if you just wanted to blast your way through explosions, you needed one of these.
#7 – The Gravity Gun (HalfLife 2)
Physics in games has been with us for quite some time, and it’s nothing spectacularly new. However, when this weapon was introduced, it was not as widespread.
It didn’t redefine physics in games, but it did take the whole idea to a new level. Instead of just picking things up and stacking boxes, you can defend yourself and attack using radiators, refrigerators, TVs, and whatever else you want! However, he wanted more power! Give me the power to lift cars and throw them into buildings! Ahem, enough of that.
#6 – The Shotgun (Doom)
Shotty has been our faithful companion in just about every first-person shooter (yes, the unreal flak launcher is a shotgun, thanks). He has appeared in many guises and guises, but he is always a powerful single shot, with an aim that is always terrible, except at close range.
Although generic, it is also versatile and for many the constant weapon of choice.
#5 – The Rocket Launcher (Earthquake)
The series of earthquakes gave us many things. Without the Quake 2 engine, Half-Life might not have existed, for example. The gift that Quake really gave us, though, was the Rocket Jump ability.
This was not the first time that the rocket launcher had appeared on our screens, as it existed in Doom and Duke3D, as well as many other games. After all, how could it not be? However, it was Quake that refined it, polished it, and prepared it for our future.
If you are not familiar with rocket jumping, I suggest you play the trials of the recent browser game Quake-Live, where rocket jumping is essential to progress.
#4 – The Lightsaber (Jedi Knight Series)
My friends and I had played the admittedly very good Dark Forces game. Within which you had all the famous weapons from the Star Wars saga such as the imperial blaster rifle, the Tuscan crossbow, etc… However, there was a big omission.
We all wanted to run around with lightsabers, severing the arms of Imperial soldiers, and generally forcibly suffocating the world. However, we had no luck until the sequel was released. And how fantastic it was! It’s not perfect by today’s standards, but it really was excellent for the time. It was probably the main reason for buying a new PC at the time and I was glad! If you haven’t yet swung a lightsaber in some sort of cyber-arena, I highly recommend any of the recent fps Star Wars games!
#3 – Discus Thrower (Tribes)
When Tribes came out, I was still on a dial-up connection and thus running up huge phone bills while rocketing through the world of Tribes. The discus launcher is truly the iconic weapon of this series and was the bread and butter weapon of any veteran of the tribes. In a way, it’s a stylish rocket launcher.
Soon (or probably now by the time you read this) instant action will launch the original tribes (not the second one sadly) and we can all bask in their glory once more! Shazbot!
#2 – Portal Gun (Portal)
I’m cheating again! Yes, this is obviously not a weapon, but rather a tool from the fantastic fps puzzle adventure, Portal.
First, if you haven’t played this, then do the following. Stop reading, get Steam (if you don’t already have it), buy Portal, play the game. There’s honestly no reason in the world for you not to play this. It is not the best FPS in the world but it is the best alternative FPS made to date.
So why is the portal gun so good? How can you even ask! I don’t even dare to give a crude description of its functionality here. if you don’t know, follow the instructions above. For those of you who know, well…you get it.
#1 – Lever (Half Life Series)
Lever, I choose you!
Well, I’m a fan of Half-Life. I will not deny or apologize. This is the iconic weapon of the series and has been retained throughout the series despite the appearance of the gravity gun. Once again, I chose this for what it represents rather than its effectiveness in the game.
If you see the silhouette of someone holding a crowbar… well, it could be someone about to enter your house, but it’s more likely Gordon Freeman. This weapon goes with the character and for me represents the best game series ever made.