Every gamer has run into "those" weapons, the ones that are complete game-changers. One second you're racking up kills and the next you're running in fear because someone just found a Doom Ray.
Most games have more and less powerful weapons but some go overboard and I've narrowed it down to the ten most egregious examples. I ranked these based on two criteria. First and most obviously, I considered actual power and effectiveness. Second, I considered availability. If one weapon is slightly more powerful than another but you need to travel to Mount Doom just to get it, neither are probably overpowered.
10) The Cerebral Bore
Originally from the second installment of Turok, a series that jumped the shark almost a decade ago, the cerebral bore is relatively obscure but extremely powerful nonetheless. Acquired about two-thirds of the way through the game, the bore locks-on to brainwaves and fires a homing, explosive drillbit that burrows into an enemy's skull and explodes. The gun kills in one hit but is unable to lock-on to anything that doesn't have brainwaves. The cerebral bore doesn't have the name-recognition of the other weapons on this list but its ability to decapitate evil velociraptors from space earns it a spot on the list.
9) Blue Shells
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| The sight of this makes my blood pressure rise |
You are three-quarters of the way through the final lap on Sherbert Land. You are in first place, zooming around corners, and avoiding penguins with ease. The finish line is in sight then, out of nowhere, a blue shell, shot by the hopeless idiot in last place, hits you. Your character launches ten feet into the air and by the time you've recovered, a victory has turned into a shameful third-place finish. Next thing you know controllers (and curse words) are flying through the air. Play enough Mario Kart and you're guaranteed to experience this.
Like most of the best items in Mario Kart, drivers closer to last place are more likely to get it from an item box. When shot, the blue shell travels to the driver in first place and screws him/her over. In other words, the blue shell is a way for the worst drivers to screw over the best driver. What makes the blue shell even more annoying is that it keeps getting more powerful. In Mario Kart 64 it was already extremely aggravating. Then for Double Dash the little bastard got wings so it could avoid walls and go straight for first-place BUT THAT STILL WASN'T ENOUGH. In Mario Kart DS the shell also destroyed any items the first-place driver had.
8) The Hammer
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| Few things make me want to run and hide more than this hammer |
Don't be fooled by this innocuous-looking hammer. Just one touch by any character in the Super Smash Bros. series and that character goes into a seven-second rave-like hammer-swinging spree that kills or seriously damages everyone in the area. When Melee first came out it became second-nature to go into the item list and turn off hammers. A weapon that is so effective it makes the game less fun is definitely overpowered.
7) The Experimental MIRV
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| Imagine this loaded with eight mini nukes |
The Experimental Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle is a weapon from Fallout 3. As opposed to the game's Fat Man which only fires one nuke, the MIRV fires eight mini nukes. Yep, the MIRV is essentially a shotgun loaded with mini nuclear warheads (that phrase seems oxymoronic). According to the Fallout Wiki, the MIRV was designed to destroy entire countries with a single missile strike, keep in mind Fallout is played from the first-person perspective. The MIRV doesn't climb any higher on the list because shooting eight nukes out of a rocket launcher is fairly impractical and inefficient.
6) The BFG9000
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| I believe the technical term for that green ball is a Kamehameha |
The Big Fucking Gun 9000, originally from the first Doom, is the grandfather of all overpowered weapons. Admittedly, I've never played the game but how could I leave out the most beloved superweapon in the history of gaming? I shouldn't question something that has endured since graphics looked this shitty.
5) The M6D Personal Defense Weapon System
The pistol from Halo: Combat Evolved is one of the most well-known examples of an overpowered weapon. I remember playing through Halo and getting an unloaded M6D as the game's first weapon. It seemed decent but I quickly traded it out for something more imposing. However, as I kept playing I began to realize that the pistol kicked ass. You can pick off elites from a distance, kill a 12-foot tall, 11,000 pound Hunter with a single bullet, or take out Flood effectively. Once I got sucked into the game's multiplayer the pistol usage only increased. At medium distance the pistol made someone armed with an assault rifle and shotgun look like marine on legendary difficulty.
Despite its pitiful appearance, Halo's original pistol is one of the only instances in gaming history when your first weapon is the best.
4) The Sawed-Off Shotgun
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| The bane of my existence |
Having to play against people who use this weapon in Gears of War 3 is what made me write this countdown. When shot, the sawed-off kills anyone within five feet of the shooter's front and side, the spread on it is beyond ridiculous. I can't begin to describe how frustrating it is to be walking along, admiring the beautiful scenery when all of a sudden you explode into tiny piece because some dick was waiting behind cover for an enemy to walk by. Someone made a Hitler rant video just for this gun!
Some games have far more powerful weapons but what makes the sawed-off overpowered is you can spawn with it. That means every time you play a multiplayer match it's virtually guaranteed that someone has the sawed-off equipped. A starting weapon should never be able do this.
3) The RYNO IV
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| It shoots twenty lock-on lasers every second...only good enough for third place |
The Rip You A New One Four from Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction is a weapon so absurdly powerful that the game itself can't quite believe it. After scientists created a blueprint for this gun it was deemed far too lethal, the scientists were institutionalized, and the parts of the plan were scattered across an entire galaxy. Locate all of the parts and this "gameplay destabilizing" gun is yours.
The RYNO IV has been "banned in eight galaxies" and even mentioning its name is apparently enough to be "put in jail for a long time." "The Galactic Society of Implausible Weapon Designs" declared the superweapon a myth but if you do happen to encounter it you should, "cover your eyes and ears and loudly hum show tunes of your choice." I <3 Ratchet & Clank humor.
2) The Gold PP7
Originally from Nintendo 64's Goldeneye (cue nostalgia), the Gold PP7 is the Golden Gun's steroid-taking older brother. Keep in mind that pre-steroids the gun already killed anyone in one shot. Unlike the Golden Gun, the PP7 version doesn't need to be reloaded every time it's shot, it has a seven-round magazine. What makes the Gold PP7 even more ridiculous is that it uses normal pistol ammo. That means, having 800 one-shot kill rounds (see picture above) isn't out of the question. I realize that the Gold PP7 is only available if you enter a cheat but honestly, who didn't?
1) The FarSight XR-20
Every weapon in this countdown is extremely powerful but nothing comes close to Perfect Dark's FarSight XR-20, a sniper rifle fit for a god. For starters, the FarSight kills in one hit, that by itself should make it the most powerful weapon in the game. However, the FarSight also zooms in and has an eight-round magazine, making it essentially a Gold PP7 with a scope. But wait! There's more! The FarSight is equipped with an X-Ray scope so it can see AND shoot through walls. I'M STILL NOT DONE! When shooting through walls and giving people radiation sickness with your x-ray scope fails, the gun's secondary function automatically targets enemies.
To recap, the FarSight XR-20: is a one-hit kill, zooms in, has eight-rounds in a magazine, can see through walls, can shoot through walls, and can autotarget enemies.
Thank god Perfect Dark wasn't released in the age of online-gaming. If Infinity Ward put the FarSight in the most recent CoD, their office would be burned to the ground by an army of disgruntled douche bags, 12 year-olds, and people with anger issues (none of those three are mutually exclusive).
