10
Killzone 2 Bolt Gun
The highlight of Killzone 2 was the bolt gun. Although it is not massively well known and recognised to be great, I truly believe that this gun is a beast. There is no feeling better than seeing the smug orange eyes of a Helghan warrior being distinguished as they are speared to a wall with a huge 5 foot bolt. Collected in the desert city of Prius, the bolt gun really changes the pace of gameplay as it is ridiculously powerful, but has a low ammo capacity, resulting in a tactical game of whack a mole- with a bolt gun. Killzone 2 wasn't loved by everyone, but I hope that everyone shall see this gun in action, it is priceless!
9
Sweet Tooth's Ice Cream Truck
Ever heard of this scenario, 'aaw, look, its a nice ice cream truck playing a sweet tune, wait, what? JESUS its a giant robot mech that's firing missiles, AHHHHH'. No? Well you haven't played a Twisted Metal.
Every main character needs a powerful, iconic weapon, and Sweet Tooth has one that is top-notch. Although it may only transform into an actual robot for about 1 minute at the most, I think that it is the principal of it that makes it so cool. Zooming around an abandoned American village at dawn whilst blasting other cars is a laugh, but then seeing the carnage being caused by an ice cream truck, is just 'woah'. The slight hint of dark humour and then the sheer power make the ice cream truck a scary and intimidating opponent for anyone, and for that reason, I believe it should be number 9.
8
Plasmids
In 2008, 2K games introduced us to the mind boggling world of Rapture, a magical, mysterious city that feel into panic and oblivion after a civil war. But, along with the unbeatable atmosphere, the big daddy's and the terrifying little sisters, 2K games introduced us to some of the most innovative gameplay techniques and powers that the gaming community had ever seen. Combined with the dreaded wrench and then with your monstrous drill, plasmids were insanely fun and resulted in intelligent ways of the dispatching of your foes. The adrenaline rush as you watch a splicer being shot into the air, frozen and then receiving a face full of drill is a magic moment that can never be beaten. Ranging from fire to ice and from bees to a sonic boom, the plasmids in Bioshock were great. Until it got to multiplayer, then it just got silly!
7
Lancer
I think that I am safe to say that Gears of War's Lancer is possibly the most recognisable and influential weapon of the past decade. Never since the Gravity Gun in Half Life 2 has a weapon become a symbol for a whole franchise and never has a weapon help built up the population of a single console. When Epic games released the original Gears on the new Xbox 360, the lancer really helped sell the franchise and create a powerhouse of a console. I speak for a lot of teenagers when I say big up to the guy that brainstormed this idea, I mean, a gun, but with a chainsaw!?!? He must be a god by now! Even though there have been many cheap copies of the chainsaw/rifle combo, the Lancer still stands out as one of the greatest weapons ever. And what's better than waiting around a corner for your buddy, and then, VRMMMMMMMMM VRMMMMMMM right into his face? That's right, nothing.
6
Spartan Laser
The first time that I ever played Halo was round my friends house. We were having the usual friendly banter and the buddy battling, when, out of nowhere, this laser came smashing towards my little blue friend and completely disintegrated me. This was the Spartan Laser. The Halo franchise is known for its great sci fi settings and the huge array of weapons, all of which are great in their own right, but if there was a single gun that could sum up Halo, it would be this. The deep hum of the build up, and then the sudden boom when the laser is unleashed is perhaps the greatest sound ever to exist. You think its satisfying getting a headshot in Call of Duty? Well you should feel the joy after seeing your friend being split into two squirming pieces. To sum up, the Halo franchise would be nothing without this gun. Actually, it would still be huge, but, IT CAN CUT PEOPLE IN TWO!! What more do you want!?!
5
Blades of Chaos
Although you may struggle to see the Blades of Chaos when Kratos is swinging them around his shiny bald head; when they are still, man are they a sight to behold. Given to you by Athena, this pair of blades has help Kratos cut, slash, hack, stab and dice his way up Mount Olympus and finally destroy his bitch of a father Zeus. The God of War series introduced the world to hack 'n' slash, and after many new ip's in the genre, the Blades of Chaos still stand out as being the best and most iconic. With the sexy grips and fiery blades, Kratos's blades are gorgeous, especially when seen in HD. Although the God of War series may sometimes be criticised for not having a huge array of weapons which are all unique, the Blades set out the benchmark for any other weapon in a hack 'n' slash game. From Bayonetta's pistols to Dante's scythe, Kratos's Blades of Chaos carved the way for all other hack 'n' slash weapons, but never have they been beaten or topped.
4
Pokeball
Come to think of it, my first real gaming experience was watching my brother playing Pokemon Gold on the Gameboy colour. I remember sitting next to him as we both searched the land and attacked innocent, weak Pokemon with our top power Feraligatr. Then there was the challenge of capturing either Ho-oh or Luigia, but for this, we needed a different super Pokeball. So we searched around for these balls and after we had bought 5, we finally watched the joyous moment of that little heart-wrenching shudder of our Pokeball. And then, it stopped moving, we had got it! The Pokemon series hasn't really stayed with us over here, but 5 years ago, it was huge, and the centre of all our worries was with this little critter, the Pokeball. Looking back, the contrast of the red and white is amazing, and it is so iconic now that if you walk into a gaming store anywhere, you are bound to find a tiny toy version of them. They may be sick as they trap little animals inside cramped places, but the Pokeball is so recognisable and famous that I just had to include it on this list.
3
Crowbar
When talking about Gears of War's Lancer, I said that it defined the franchise and if someone shows you an image of it, you know exactly what game it is from. But that claim fits Half Life's crowbar even better. One image of the red crowbar automatically creates an image in your mind. I personally believe that if developers can remind you of all the memories and times you had with a game just by showing you an object, then the object is magical and an art form. But, it took the Lancer two games to become well known, whilst with Half Life's crowbar, it only took 5 minutes for you too realise what Valve were up too, they were planting the franchise in your mind and heart. The crowbar was so iconic that all Valve had to do when releasing Half Life 2 was show a silhouette of a crowbar, and that was it. The things that make it so good are simple really, first, its a crowbar. Such a simple tool that you would never see as a potential weapon, but after you had hacked your way through hundreds of guards with only a crowbar, you perceive the object as a whole new entity- Valve perfected taking an everyday object, and making it special. The second reason is that it was held by Gordon Freeman, which is an automatic win anyway.
2
Red Shell
Don't they just bring a smile to your face? Much like the crowbar, the red shells are nothing really, just boring shells. But it is the way that they are used which really helps them achieve second place. Nearly as recognisable as Mario himself, the red shells have stuck with Nintendo like the history of glue. Every Nintendo game that features Mario will almost certainly feature red shells. Nearly every gamer must have experienced the satisfaction as you see your red shell fly around the course and smacking into your friends cart, only to watch their little faces go from super smug smile to a super sad face. The karting genre would never be the same without the classic shells, what would you do without them? Even Sega tried to copy the Mario karting scene, but its main downfall was the lack of red shells. Put a red shell in a game and it is made 4 times better, think of COD. Imagine seeing a killcam of a red shell flying through the air only to smash you right in the noggin' and then the words 'buzzkill' flashing up on the screen? Or instead of Ryu's hadouken, he just chucks a red shell, knocking his opponent to the ground with the sound of 'KO' in the background? See, even epic games can be made even more epic with the addition of shells. However, where do they put the poor tortoises? We're onto you Mario....
1
Gravity Gun
What else could it be? It cant be anything else. Once, again, in 2004, Valve introduced us to another masterclass in game design. The influence of the Gravity Gun is unbelievable. Never in the gaming has a developer like Valve created such a critically acclaimed series that can still stand up against all the FIFA's and COD's. The first Half Life was beautiful a it introduced the world to first person narrative and showed how games could be used as an art form,not just a form of entertainment. But it was the second the really took off. I have to admit, but I only played Half Life 2 at the beginning of the year when I bought The Orange Box, but I was amazed at how well it had aged, the graphics were still top notch, the atmosphere was up there with Fallout and Bioshock, and then the story was the best I had ever witnessed. But I was expecting that, what I wasn't expecting was the huge impact that the Gravity Gun would cause. When it was first shown, it showcased how games could be approached from different angles, which helped open up the medium and attracted more people into gaming. It is possible to got through the whole game only using your gravity gun, a fact which really shows how well crafted this weapon was. The physics that came along with it were out of this world and the enjoyment factor was immensely satisfying. Never again will a game create such a wonderful, beautiful creation that will change how will play games. So for the huge amount of influence, being so iconic, the legacy, enjoyment factor and overall awesomeness, I have to give my number 1 spot to Half Life 2's Gravity Gun. Magical.
*I will be doing a review for Gran Turismo 5, but not for a while as I want to see how it stands up over time and after the major updates
i still haven't played Half Life 2 yet! i really must get around to it :)
ReplyDeleteits great, goes on a bit but is a magical game. long with Bioshock, it is the only game where you feel so alone, brilliant
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