Arm yourself: video game weapons
Every gamer has their preferred weapon of choice. There are those who like to stand back and pick off their enemies with a bow; thos who prefer to get stuck into the action and go head-to-head with a sword; and others who’d rather have the protection of a giant gun. Then there are the people who’d choose Saints Row’s Dildo Bat over anything else.
The gorgeous Shelby from Falcon Game Reviews very kindly nominated Later Levels for the Mystery Blogger award last month, and one of the questions put to his nominees stood out for me: what is your favourite video game weapon (realistic or ridiculous)? This post is dedicated to him and features some of the tools I’ve enjoyed wielding, in no particular order.
Root beer from The Secret of Monkey Island
I know some of you are thinking this is a predictable choice given that Monkey Island has featured in several of my posts recently, but come on: root beer as a weapon is awesome! It’s known among voodoo practitioners to be a powerful tool against ghosts – but perhaps the real reason LeChuck exploded into a firework display when sprayed with the stuff is because it tastes simply awful. Who knows?
Tearblast arrows from Horizon Zero Dawn
I’ve been playing a lot of Horizon Zero Dawn lately and my favourite weapon from the game has to be the tearblast arrows. Grazers are hardly a formidable nemesis, but let me document how a typical battle goes:
– Me: “Oh look, a herd of Grazers.”
– Aloy: *lines up a tearblast arrow and aims for a blaze canister*
– Tearblast arrow: “Bwaaaaaahp!”
– Grazer: “What the hell was that?”
– Tearblast arrow: “BOOM!”
– Aloy: *runs*
– Me: *giggles*
Keyboard from The Typing of the Dead: Overkill
My gaming guilty pleasure has got to be The Typing of the Dead: Overkill by Modern Dream. There’s something surreal and perversely satisfying about frantically typing phrases such as ‘udderly delightful’ and ‘sirloin surprise’ in order to fire your gun at a mutated cow with a cleaver called Meat Katie. If only the same weapon would work against my boss when I’m in the office and he won’t leave me alone.
Your child in Dad Quest
If you’re a fan of platformers and retro graphics but haven’t yet checked out Dad Quest by Sundae Month, head over to Steam Early Access right now. This game features one of the most unique yet obvious weapons: your own child! Level up to equip them with devastating attacks such as piercing throw and shank, and those pesky pigeons and purple hedgehogs won’t be able to stand in your way.
Calculator from The Longest Journey
When April O’Ryan finds herself up against the evil alchemist Roper Klacks in his floating castle, she uses the only weapon able to stop him: that’s right, a calculator. A device of logic in a magical realm holds more power than any of us can imagine and Klacks is sucked into the screen after playing with the buttons. If that’s punishment for using it to spell rude words using numbers, then school children everywhere had better watch out.
Wrench from BioShock
The wrench the only melee weapon in BioShock and has the highest damage per second of any weapon in the game. That’s not the only reason it’s awesome though: I love the fact it’s completely fitting for its environment. Maybe this symbol of the working class was left behind by a fleeing worker who was disillusioned with Andrew Ryan’s oppressive rule, before the Rapture erupted with civil conflict and the place descended into a state of anarchy.
Trico from The Last Guardian
The fluffiest – and definitely largest – weapon on my list, Trico is a giant griffin-like creature who joins you on your journey through The Last Guardian. He may behave like a domesticated animal and therefore not always do as he’s told, but he defends you every step of the way: every time the armoured knights come to drag you through their misted doors, he’s there to stomp and crush them to pieces. I’d really like a Trico… although I’m not sure where I’d keep him or if I could afford the food bill.
A big thank you to Shelby for the Mystery Blogger nomination – receiving an award from a site like Falcon Game Reviews is extremely humbling! What’s your favourite weapon from a video game?
Kim View All
Video game lover, Later Levels blogger and SpecialEffect volunteer. Big fan of wannabe pirates and fine leather jackets.
BLUNDERBUSS!! 😱… whatever game it appears in, a BLUNDERBUSS has a quiet elegance and surgeon like precision that I look for…
LikeLiked by 1 person
You, sir, are a gentleman through and through.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Pixelator from Rachet and Clank. Turning your enemies into NES sprites before they keel over was a lovely touch
Fibrewire from Hitman. Silent enough to get the job done.
Holy hand grenade from Worms W.M.D. Purely for the Hallelujah pay off.
Ebony and Ivory from Devil May Cry.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Holy hand grenade – completely missed that one on my list. I spent hours playing Worms after school with a group of boys I was friends with when I was a teenager.
And for anyone reading: no, that’s not a euphemism!
LikeLike
‘Have you got Worms?’.
The jokes were truly endless.
LikeLike
The perfect immature humour for a Friday afternoon. 😉
LikeLike
In the Borderlands 2 DLC “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep”, towards the end you received the “SWORDSPLOSION!!!” shotgun; A shotgun that fires swords that explode on impact, which in turns launches another three swords that also explode on impact, because Mr. Torgue says so! Not the greatest weapon in the game, but surprisingly effective in crowd control. Also, the dialogue when you receive it is hysterical!
http://borderlands.wikia.com/wiki/SWORDSPLOSION!!!
LikeLike
I’ve not played Borderlands 2 or the DLC, so I didn’t know about this. How did I not know about this?!
Anything named ‘Swordplosion’ is definitely worthy of a mention!!
LikeLike
Few weapons give me the same level of visceral glee as the chainsaw in the original Doom 3. It’s nice to BE the chainsaw wielding psycho for a change.
LikeLike
Yeah, I’d have to agree with that. Sometimes you just want to get stuck in and scream ‘COME AT ME!!!’ 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person