Rawr!

ScrewAttack has an article up about the Top 10 BFG's (Big F'n Gun) in Video Games. So I figured I'd ask...

Which one was your favorite? Personally, my favorite is the granddaddy of 'em all the BFG 9000 from  Doom.

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First, let's start this list off right. No, a rocket launcher is NOT a BFG. It fires an explosive shelled grenade, not a bullet, so every rocket launcher from every game is immediately disqualified. Now that we're done with that, let's get this party started.

10. Chain Gun - Resident Evil Series

In the world of Resident Evil, there's only one weapon you want at your side when facing the undead hordes. The rocket launcher is nice, but it's rate of fire is abysmally slow when you're being mobbed by zombies. That's when you want to reach for BFG #10 on the list, the Chain Gun. Featured predominatedly in Resident Evil 2, but also available in Resident Evil 3, the Chain Gun was the weapon of choice to kill everything in your path with extreme prejudice. Nothing could stand in your way as you blasted away with it, not even William Birkin's multiple forms. There was something deeply cathartic about hearing that gun wind up, and then seeing your targets drop like flies.

9. Rail Gun - Quake II

After Quake II was released, the all-powerful Rocket Launcher fell from its position as the most coveted weapon in the game during multiplayer sessions. The new weapon that everyone was killing to hold in their metaphorical hands was BFG #9 on the list, the Rail Gun. While it's rate of fire was slower than any other gun in the game, its lethality is unquestioned. No matter how far away, no matter how much armor you were wearing, if this baby hit you, the result was always the same; you got to meet the Grim Reaper face to face. If you were lucky enough, you wouldn't respawn in the same area and get taken out again and again by the same bastard.

8. Barrett M82A1 .50 Cal Sniper Rifle - Rainbow Six 3

Rainbow Six 3 was one of the first FPS games to really stand out on the new Xbox console. It's many online co-op and head-to-head modes made it an instant classic. However, there was one gun that stood out amongst all the others. It's BFG #8 on the list, the Barrett M82A1 Sniper Rifle. It looked like you were carrying the anti-tank turret off of a Humvee, but the damage it did was extreme. One shot to either the head or the body area was an instant death for any terrorists unlucky enough to be on the wrong side of it's 10x zoom scope. Then, someone discovered a glitch. The Barrett was originally only supposed to be available in the co-op mode Terrorist Hunt. But, if you left the Barrett equipped when you switched from Terrorist Hunt to another of the online co-op or head-to-head modes, it would cause the game to allow the Barrett to be selectable by anyone in the match. This added a whole new dimension of pain, especially in any of the maps with good sniper's nests.

7. Iron Man's Ion Cannon - Capcom's Marvel Series

When Capcom got the license to make an arcade style fighting game in the mold of their Street Fighter franchise with Marvel's character properties, many long time Marvel fans and geeks were estatic. I was among them, and I was happy to see characters such as Captain America, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Psylocke, and Iron Man. All of the characters had Capcom's over the top Super Combo style attacks, but none was more impressive or jaw-dropping than BFG #7 on the list, Iron Man's Ion Cannon. The screen would flash, and Iron Man would yell out "Here's my Sunday Best!". A huge cannon would then materialize right above his shoulder, and then pump out a massive blast of energy. While it's damage radius wasn't as large as Cyclops' Super Energy Blast, it lasted longer, and in the earlier games caused more damage as well. For most players, Iron Man became the go-to character, since there was nothing more satisfying than spamming out that Super Combo.

6. Farsight XR-20 - Perfect Dark

In the history of FPS games, there's always been one Holy Grail everyone has wanted; a gun that can fire through anything and be instantly fatal to their opponents. Many games have had cheats put in by the developers, or hacked in by people after the fact that would allow them to do it. One of the most notorious was Counter-Strike, and it's auto-head shot cheat, that would instantly aim a weapon at any and/or every characters' head in range, and then put one right between the headlights. It was also the main reason why Counter-Strike quickly fell out of favor with all but the most hardcore of PC FPS gamers. Years later, Rare, the company behind the huge success that was GoldenEye007, wanted to make another game in the Bond series, using a refined version of the engine that ran its predecessor. But, Rare's license agreement with the company that owns the Bond property had expired. So, they made a new game with their refined engine, but with an all new story. This also gave them the freedom to use whatever storyline they wanted. One of the results of that unique storyline was BFG #6 on the list, the Farsight XR-20. While it had a rather slow reload rate, it was its secondary ability that made it one of the most coveted weapons in all of FPS games. The Farsight XR-20 could switch to a mode where you could see and fire through walls, obstacles, or anything else in your path, and take out an enemy or opponent from half a map away, and they would have no idea what happened, until after they respawned. Whether you loved or hated this gun was often heavily influenced by which end of the barrel you were on.

5. Gravity Gun - Half-Life 2

Valve just used to be the name of an item used mainly in plumbing and pnuematic devices. Now, it's also synonymous with one of the most inventive and creative video game studios in the world. Valve Software Studios released one of the most innovative FPS games since GoldenEye007. One of their most important creations was a physics engine unlike any other, the Havok engine. Using this engine, Valve created one of the most ingenious weapons ever realized, BFG #5 on the list, the Gravity Gun. Unlike most of the other guns on the list, the Gravity Gun isn't here because of its size or blast radius. It's here, because this gun has by definition, an almost limitless supply of ammunition, and near unlimited potential for destruction, to boot. Thank you, Dr. Freeman, for making science cool again.

4. Hyper Beam - Super Metroid

Super Metroid is considered by most to be the best 2D game to come out of the Super NES/Sega Genesis era. Some consider it to be the best 2D game ever made, period. One of the core factors that has always made the Metroid Series what it is are the inventive weapons, such as the beam cannon, missiles, power bombs, super missiles, and so on. But none is as memorable as BFG #4 on the list, the Hyper Beam. After the last metroid gave its life to try and save Samus, it passed on its power to absorb and expend massive amounts of energy. Samus used this to her advantage, and then proceeded to blast the Mother Brain a new one. While the first part of their fight was a pitched battle of size and strength vs. speed, agility, and intelligence, the final part was totally one-sided, as Samus used the Hyper Beam to rip apart the Mother Brain, piece by piece. While the Hyper Beam did make another cameo in Metroid Prime, its power and use were completely tied to the appearence of the raw, liquid phazon the Metroid Prime left behind, severely limiting its effectiveness.

3. RC-P90 - GoldenEye007

When Nintendo released the Nintendo 64, their goal was to narrow its library, but to do it in a way that would force the cream of the crop to rise to the surface. Overall, the effectiveness of this method can be questioned. But, this method was also responsible for one of the best and most defining FPS games of all time, GoldenEye007. While the creativity of the missions helped the game immensely, it was the weapons that put it over the top for most gamers. Rare did an awesome job on this part, and so, even a dozen years later, people still talk about BFG #3 on the list, the RC-P90. The RC-P90 was a special kind of machine gun with caseless rounds, which allowed it to fire at a blindingly high rate of speed. Rare also addressed this issue by giving the RC-P90 an 80 round magazine, and an 800 round ammo bin. Opponents would run in fear whenever they saw you sporting the RC-P90, and nothing compared to the fear induced by someone double-wielding a pair of those babies. The amount of damage done by this gun could kill in one burst if you weren't wearing body armor, and if you were, it would usually deplete the armor to nothing. Also, headshots from this gun were lethal at almost any range. An Honorable Mention needs to go out to the Golden Gun and the Golden PP7, as well. People might laugh and call you a bitch the first time they saw you holding one of these. But after only one shot, they'd by your bitch.

2. Spread Gun - Contra Series

In the late 80's, Konami released a game for the Nintendo Entertainment System that has since become synonymous with brutally hard. That game was named simply Contra. You were thrown into a battle against waves of alien troopers and hordes, and all you had to defend yourself with was a measly single-shot rifle. Smart players quickly learned to memorize the position and availability of every single appearence of the weapons upgrades. But, no other weapon upgrade was more coveted than BFG #2 on the list, the Spread Gun. To paraphrase Stuttering Craig, the Spread Gun was BFG before BFG was even a concept. With it, you had a much better chance of surviving, which doesn't mean much, with bosses the entire size of the screen that will have you screaming Uncle faster than Jerry Louis under a Sumo Wrestler. While many weapons have come and gone in the Contra universe, the venerable Spread Gun has been there through it all.

1. BFG 9000 - Doom Series

It's the gun that all other guns want to be. It has style, beauty, and enough firepower to level several city blocks. It's BFG #1 on the list, the BFG 9000. When Doom was released on the PC, it startled everyone with its bloody, gory, and sometimes even horrific settings. When pistols and shotguns weren't enough, you had to pull out some nastier firepower. While nothing was as personal as the chainsaw, it was the BFG 9000 everyone wanted. It could take out every enemy on the screen with a single blast, and even bosses would cringe and ask for mercy upon seeing it. You know when a military veteran is impressed enough with the weapon that you need to pay attention to it. Honestly, there are lots of people who would love to have a replica of this gun sitting on their mantle. If it's good enough for The Rock, it's good enough for me. This makes it a sold choice for the number one Big F'ing Gun of all time.

I'll be taking suggestions for my next few lists, so toss me some ideas, please.