Iconic video games are often defined by their unforgettable weapons. Whether it’s the Leviathan Axe in God of War or Cloud’s Ultima Weapon in Final Fantasy VII, there’s something uniquely satisfying about getting your hands on a game’s definitive weapon and laying waste to enemies. Here, then, are the greatest video game weapons of all time.
Fire Flower (Super Mario Bros.):
This power-up is not only famous for granting Mario the ability to shoot fireballs but also for the unskippable cutscene triggered every time it’s picked up where Mario smashes its petals to a pulp and smears them all over his body in a traditional Italian flame ceremony.
Guns (Doom):
While the original Doom’s introduction of metal tubes that propel smaller chunks of metal with controlled explosions may have seemed novel at the time, the franchise’s signature weapons have since been copied by virtually every first-person shooter.
Pox Blankets (Banjo-Kazooie):
While never shown on screen, it was heavily hinted several times throughout the game that Banjo sent pox blankets to Gruntilda in order to weaken her legions and ultimately destroy her civilization.
Golden Gun (GoldenEye 64):
The titular weapon from Ian Fleming’s The Man With The Golden Gun was altered in the N64 classic to be capable of the unthinkable: killing a person with a single bullet.
Gravity Gun (Half-Life 2):
This weapon represented a breakthrough in video game physics, allowing players to pick up and manipulate any object in the game except for all the ones it didn’t work on.
Fabrique Nationale M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (Counter-Strike and others):
While a staple of many realistic shooters, this gun’s true utility is to our men and women in uniform out in the real world, helping them take down the forces that threaten the security of everyday Americans like us. And that’s what truly makes this one of the greatest weapons of our time.
Lighting Bolt (Mario Kart):
Of all the retrievable weapons available in the racing game, the Lightning Bolt is the only one with the ability to make all other players in the room emit an audible groan simultaneously.
Friendship (Every Game):
It doesn’t matter what game you’re playing. As long as you’re having a good time with your friends, you can’t lose.