From the very early days, gamers have been using a variety of digital weapons to lay waste to their enemies. Never content with just a simple handgun, developers have been giving us unique methods to inflict carnage since day one. Today, we are going to stop and take a look at the most memorable of weapons from our gaming past. While most games will let your control a machine gun or a sword, some go above and beyond with their creativity and uniqueness. So let’s dive in and see the Top 10 Video Game Weapons.

Top 10 Video Game Weapons

 

Honorable Mention: Light Saber
Various Star Wars Games

The Light Saber could easily top this list as it is one of the coolest weapons ever invented. However it only gets an Honorable Mention because I really consider it more of a movie weapon than a video game one. We were being entranced by this glowing blade years before it ever made its way to video games. Even still, it’s impossible to see one on the screen and not instantly want to own one.

 

10. Golden Gun
Goldeneye N64

I can’t even tell you how many hours I spent playing Goldeneye on my N64. It was one of those games that redefined a genre. The Golden Gun made you into an unstoppable killing machine as you could lay waste to your friends (or NPCs) with a single bullet.

 

9. Master Sword
The Legend of Zelda

Just about every Zelda game has centered around not only finding the Tri-Force, but also the Master Sword. This sword turned a young hero named Link into the stuff of legends. With various powers, depending on which Legend of Zelda game you were playing, the Master Sword has been the objects of our questing since the early 80s.

 

8. Spread Shot
Contra

Contra was one of the absolute best shooters to appear on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, when you saw that flying “S” on the screen, you made a mad dash for it. No other gun in the game quite rivaled the Spread Shot for its screen cleaning power. Considering the multitude of enemies fighting you at a given time, it’s no wonder this gun quickly became a fan favorite.

 

7. Hammer of Dawn
Gears of War

Gears of War gave us a variety of unique weapons, but the Hammer of Dawn quickly became one of my favorites. With the ability to calling an orbital strike on any target, this gun was required to take out the toughest of Gears of War’s baddies. The developer even stayed on theme as the gun only worked outdoors. As much as I’d like to shoot an orbital strike through the ceiling, it wasn’t happening.

 

6. Hidden Blades
Assassin’s Creed Games

The Assassin’s Creed series provides players with a multitude of ways to murder people. Swords, pistols, bows, and bombs were all nice. But nothing beats the exotic killing nature of the Hidden Blades. There is something so satisfying about dropping on top of someone from above and sinking your wrist blades into them, and walking away like it wasn’t you. Or, casually strolling through a crowded street and bumping into your target for the most stealthiest of kills.

 

5. Shrink Ray
Duke Nukem 3D

I spent many an hour during my college years playing Duke Nukem 3D death matches (before I become addicted to Quake). Duke Nukem had some incredibly exotic weapons, but chief among them was the Shrink Ray. With the ability to shrink down your opponents into a miniature version of themselves, you then had to run across them and stomp on them with your foot. While it wasn’t the most potent of weapons, nothing in the game could rival it for its shear fun.

 

4. Fatman
Fallout Series

Each successive Fallout game seems to get even more and more creative with the available weapons. But if you are looking for sheer destructive power (and a bucket of fun), then look no further than the Fat Man. The ability to fire a mini nuke is almost unparalleled in video games. Not only does it destroy anything near the blast, but the tiny little mushroom cloud makes for a perfect visual.

 

3. Lancer
Gears of War

The second weapon from Gears of War to make this list, the Lancer always will have a special place in my heart. The combination assault rifle and chain saw was a match made in heaven (or hell, I guess). You had a decent ranged weapon, and when those Locusts got to close, you could literally saw them in half with the chainsaw on the bottom of the gun. While not the most powerful gun in the game, the Lancer has always been the iconic gun of the franchise.

 

2. Gravity Gun
Half-Life 2

While the crowbar may be Gordan Freeman’s fallback weapon, the Gravity Gun was easily my favorite. With the ability to pick up just about anything and throw it as projectile, the gravity gun allowed for some clever kill shots. Not only was this gun an offensive weapon, but it also was used in puzzle solving in Half-Life 2.

 

1. Portal Gun
Portal

Taking the top spot may be a controversial choice. While not technically an offensive weapon, it was still used for plenty of robot killing in the portal series. However when you weren’t taking out helpless turrets or sarcastic AIs, the portal gun was used to solve a variety of puzzles. Beating Portal required a lot of out-of-the-box thinking while using this gun. I spent hours of pure enjoyment shooting the different colored portals on the games various surfaces. While people may not agree with me, I actually enjoyed the Portal series more than the Half-Life games!