After pondering the 'Favourite Weapon' topic for a while, I've come to wonder just what exactly makes a good weapon.

Is it the ammo supply? Do you always need to be able to find ammo for it just around the corner?
Is it the power? Does it need to be able to blow holes in anything and everything?
Is it the practicality? Does it need to do things other than just blow %$#@ up?
Is it the accuracy? Does it need to go for the jugular every time?
Or, is it a combination of the above?

So, what do you think is required?

As long as it's big and loud I'm happy.

Is it the ammo supply? : Ammo supply doesn't bother me so much, as long as the weapon doesn't have a 10 bullet clip and fires at a rate of 5 per second.

Is it the power? I like it when a weapon feels realistic in turns of sound and power, if I shoot someone in the chest at point blank with a shotgun, I want those guys to go down.

Is it the practicality? Any good game will make different weapons for different situations, sniper at long range, shotgun at short range etc, etc. I'm good as long as it works as intended.

Is it the accuracy? Again, it depends on the weapon and what situation it is designed for, if its a Sniper rifle I want to hit my target if the cross-hairs are on it, but for I do like a weapons accuracy to reflect its real life counterpart.

is it a combination of the above? : Unless its something like the stake gun on Painkiller or the Cerebral bore on Turok, I like my weapons to be realistic and reflect the traits that they would have in real life. Although I've never played a game just because it had "cool" weapons.

Onsokumaru:
As long as it's big and loud I'm happy.

So, you're the kind who would like a water pistol if it looked and sounded like it could rapid-fire tank shells? XD

Bit of an extreme example, but then, who wouldn't want a water pistol that looked and sounded like it could rapid-fire tank shells?

depends how easy it is to use. in most new FPS's i go for the rocket-launcher. universally rockets in games have big blast radusis(?), and dont require much skill so its easy to get in the swing of things, then go on to other weapons and increase my skill in them.

but a favourite weapon you say? well my ultimate weapon would be a rocket launcher were you take control of the rocket and send it to its target(around corners, inside rooms). some games have attempted this but the best ive come across is chewbakas(the wookie dude's) secondary gun on Starwars Battlefront2. if anyone knows better please tell

It's not just all of the above, it's also the sound effects and the feel you get from firing it. No one's going to like a shotgun that sounds like a cap gun and has no recoil.

captainwillies:
but a favourite weapon you say? well my ultimate weapon would be a rocket launcher were you take control of the rocket and send it to its target(around corners, inside rooms). some games have attempted this but the best ive come across is chewbakas(the wookie dude's) secondary gun on Starwars Battlefront2. if anyone knows better please tell

The Nikita from Metal Gear Solid.

L4Y Duke:

Onsokumaru:
As long as it's big and loud I'm happy.

So, you're the kind who would like a water pistol if it looked and sounded like it could rapid-fire tank shells? XD

Bit of an extreme example, but then, who wouldn't want a water pistol that looked and sounded like it could rapid-fire tank shells?

damn straight that would be AWESOME

Nugoo:
The Nikita from Metal Gear Solid.

1, 2 or 3?

As long as it's accurate and LOUD. The more drama on firing the better, and big chunky eload animations too.
So pretty much every gun in KillZone

Conversely none of the guns in Halo 2/3, which all sound like Weasel Farts.

but that waterpistol would be awesome, deafen passing chavs legally.

captainwillies:

Nugoo:
The Nikita from Metal Gear Solid.

1, 2 or 3?

There is no Nikita in 3 (RPG-7/v only) and in 2 it's massively under used. Sot number 1 it is.

I like a weapon with sweet looks, 50 ammo clip, rapid fire, awesome accuracy. That can perfurate the enemies, so it hits other dudes.

That or something that causes a bigass blood explosion or dismembers stuff. I must get Dark Sactor.

I'm generally not a very observant person; I might not notice that zombie straight away when I walk into a room, so I value power and speed over accuracy. Valve manages to constitently supply me with these sorts of weapons, what with the Franchi SPAS-12 in HL2 and the Scattergun in TF2. My lack of patience is also another reason why I favour these weapons: the idea of sitting in cover while my enemy is not 10 feet away bores me. I want to get in your hostile little face before I give you a lead enema.

I like there to be a consistent supply of ammo. I don't want to only be able to scrounge the occasional round/shell/chipmunk. Doing so would slow things down, and we don't want that, do we now? Accuracy is optional though; most shotguns have a nice spread.

I find the guns in Black very satisfying. I think it has a lot to do with the enviroment you're in. COD4 is satisfying because you can pierce buildings, shoot down helicopters and it all seems accurate and damaging.

It depends purely on the player / game.

In Titan Quest a satisfying weapon is one that glows funny colours while one shoting legions of muppet enemies at 500% attack speed.

In FPS's almost always the low recoil high accuracy weapon, or the snipers (obviously my opinion)

To dictate a satisfying weapon, one must take into account whos using it, what its used for, different FPS players play different tactics, suppresive fire, snipers, assault riflers and the splash damage junkies find different weapons satisfying.

But for me Snipers in FPS's (as that seeme to be the direction this thread is leaning) nothing bnetter than waiting that extra second for the guy to stop before droppping him in one shot, or shooting a guy in the back as your unsuspecting teamate carries on his slaughter of the enemy ^^

It's all about the big guns. The bigger the better. Or anything from GoW every time you get a kill on that it is so satisfying.

Spartan mother fucking lazer
very "satisfying"

TommyGun465:
I like a weapon with sweet looks, 50 ammo clip, rapid fire, awesome accuracy. That can perfurate the enemies, so it hits other dudes.

So that would be the p90 from Cod4 then - a gun so good that most leagues have banned it (along with the grenade launcher). Sub-machine gun with a 50 round clip, that can mysteriously out-snipe snipers.

Generally I just like video game guns to 'feel right'. I don't mean realism - I know nothing about guns - but, I don't know, weight, inertia, recoil, sound and so forth. It should be satisfying to fire. Some of the obscure Russian guns towards the end of STALKER were awesome - they really felt like a head shot wouldn't just kill, but decapitate your opponent.

Mind you, I've just realised that I have defined a satisfying weapon as being 'one that is satisfying'. So not too much help there then.

I think that the Ideal weapon will strike delicate balances.

The Ammo: I feel that ammo should be easy to find, but not so easy that you're knee deep in the stuff. The fire rate is important too. It's more satisfying to hear each bullet firing individually rather than in one large generic spurt.

The Power: Enough so that it only takes four to maybe six good shots to kill a guy. No weak piss peashooters that you need to unload three clips before the guy falls down. Conversley, no atom bombs, thats just too easy.

The Practicality: If by this you mean attachments/different fire modes that they can help but at the end of the day, if it's designed well enough it won't need anything to help it along. Case in point, putting silencers on guns in Rainbow 6; Takes too long, is annoying and makes me wonder why they aren't on by default.

The Accuracy: So long as it shoots straight it's fine(I can handle a little spread fire from holding the trigger too long). Again, just so it isn't a regular annoyance.

Other Things: It should sound cool. When playing the Perfect Dark Zero demo I remember that all the guns sounded like they were made by Mattel. A good weapon needs good atmospheric noise, wether it be the sharp echo of maching gun fire or the clunk of baseball bat hitting skulls. Bonus points for hearing empty cartridges hit the floor.

A good crosshair can be really helpful. The ones in GTA4 seemed a bit of a shortcut to me.

Finally, It has to look certifiably awesome. Today's guns are indistinguishable blobs of black metal. And some look plain silly.
I'd rather have one of these or these in a game anyday.

I prefer practicality and accuracy.

That's why i would like a gun the same make and size as my local "Ghost squad" game.

It's the perfect size for me and has a decent mag with 3 modes of fire.

Also very accurate, at least for me.

For me, the most satisfying weapon in any fps is the knife. The satisfaction i get from stabbing a sniper in the back is priceless. CoD4 has the best knife ever, though the open maps of the battlefield games make the stalking more of an adventure.

other than that, I would pick the light machineguns from day of defeat. A good camping spot and a opposing team full of newbies that run in clusters *tears of joy*

The Chainsaw Bayonet from Gears of War (:
Noisy, makes a big splatter, and rapid fire. Mmm.

I prefer the totally unrealistic weapons that you can find on unreal tournament. There is just something about turning 5 people into mulch with a redeemer, or letting the blood fly upon your screen as you pump them with 3 tonnes by square inch of pressure with the impact hammer.

Now if it's realistic warfare, nothing beats the good ol' SMG and flashbang trick.

The Rail Gun From MGS4 THAT IS A SATISIFYING GUN

Power is definitely number 1 for me, with accuracy close behind. In Red Orchestra you can take down a guy with one shot to the body (or of course the head), which is pretty realistic in my opinion, and that's the way I like it. I love the bolt-action rifles because they combine the power with the mid-long range accuracy needed for deadly shooting. I don't want no weak piss peashooters which you need four to six shots to kill a guy.

I think I'll just use RO as the basis for all my answers, 'cause I love it so much:

For ammo I'm not that fussed, I'm used to having to bolt my rifle after every shot and spend about seven seconds to reload after my five round clip is finished, sure it's nice to have the rapid fire and clip capacity you get with the semi-automatic rifles but not a necessity.

As for practicality it depends on the weapon for the situation, a sub-machinegun is handy for indoor fighting but I always, without fail, attatch my bayonet when I spawn if I'm using a rifle just in case I gotta go close quarters with the enemy.

Nugoo:
It's not just all of the above, it's also the sound effects and the feel you get from firing it. No one's going to like a shotgun that sounds like a cap gun and has no recoil.

captainwillies:
but a favourite weapon you say? well my ultimate weapon would be a rocket launcher were you take control of the rocket and send it to its target(around corners, inside rooms). some games have attempted this but the best ive come across is chewbakas(the wookie dude's) secondary gun on Starwars Battlefront2. if anyone knows better please tell

The Nikita from Metal Gear Solid.

They have that in the James Bond game, Nightfire. If you get good with steering it you its deadly in multiplayer, don't think its used very much at all in the single player mode.

As for me, i like a gun with a relatively large clip and a bit of knock back power so I can duel weild and then just unload a whole clip into some guy without him being able to reply and then watch him go down. Very Scarface like you know, just unloading at anything and everything is the most fun.

a perfect weapon is a combination of all, but mostly damage and accuracy, the best weapon i have ever experienced in a game so far when it comes to accuracy, damage and practicality is the Battle Rifle from Halo, i mean seriously, its got a zoom, deals great damage, it bursts out bullets, making it easier to get headshots, and its looks real cool and sounds great.

Well seeing as the title of the thread said weapon allow me to be the black sheep here by saying I prefer well designed bladed weapons over guns. Allow me to give you the requirements of a satisfying weapon via examples.

The fireman's axe in Silent Hill 1 is by far the sweetest weapon I have ever used in any game. It is a durable solid weapon that is multi-use. It is ideal for defense because it has great block and knock back, it is powerful (once I picked it up I didn't use any other weapon until the final boss), it won't run out of ammo, and I could use it to break open locked doors, etc.

Dark Sector's bladed throwing disc is another example of a satisfying weapon. It ignores or can by pass most forms of cover, it can deal with multiple enemies at once, it has no ammo though you can rapid throw it, and it can retrieve items for you.

A satisfying weapon to me has to be multi-purpose which more often than not will end up being a blade over a barrel.

This is an interesting question.

I think the most satisfying weapons are probably the rarer ones, with scarce ammo, but whose rarity is justified with extreme, decisive power. A good example would be the Resident Evil series, where the strongest gun is always some kind of magnum handgun (like the Colt Python). I like the idea that in a game full of shotguns and grenade launchers, the strongest weapon is a six-shot revolver. When you whip that thing out, everyone dies.

I really liked the M249 in the original Soldier of Fortune, mainly because it was big, accurate, and could shoot off people's limbs. All too often in games like this when they give you the big machine gun it's either incredibly inaccurate or too lacking in power to be useful (for 'balance'). A good example would be Doom 3, where all of the guns are weak, look weak, and sound weak.

Agent 47's Silverballers were very satisfying, considering one shot usually launches an enemy across the room. Too bad using them means you're playing the game 'wrong.'

So I think the problem is when a gun is big and mean-looking but weak as a kitten in practice. If a gun is built up to be awesome and destructive, it should actually be awesome. Conversely, I really like smaller guns which pack a large whallop, while still requiring some skill and judiciousness in their use.

a gun with reasonable power for its use i.e sniper drops people if hit in the chest of head but yet not completely overpowered. which reminds me:

neems:
[quote=TommyGun465]So that would be the p90 from Cod4 then - a gun so good that most leagues have banned it (along with the grenade launcher). Sub-machine gun with a 50 round clip, that can mysteriously out-snipe snipers.

what the hell they ban the P90 but not the M16 "i kill in a burst if all rounds hit no matter the range"? literally a gun with point shoot forget. more accurate than the assault rifle that is really a sniper without its scope (M14)

again as people have said not with too shallow a clip for its use. shotguns with 8 bullets reasonable. automatics with under 20 bullets are pointless - my problem with CoD4's skorpion great gun just too little bullets for its fire rate

accuracy something that will hit where you are aiming roughly and not end up shooting the ground at your feet when aiming forward and have little recoil - why i hate the uzi in CoD4 sprays everywhere but the target in precision aim

practicality - i like a gun that can stop a moving enemy or knock them over. or something nice and quiet for sneaking around

sound - like people said realistic sounding for its role. pretty much the reason i wet myself firing the Barrett .50 cal in CoD4 for the first time

overall satisfying weapon - can rip things apart but is still reasonable which is why i mostly go for the MP5 in games - often silenced, good accuracy and power

ok Tanthalos makes a good point about bladed weapons
erm something uncoventional not just like the usual i have a katana always used
Dark Sektor's glaive is brilliant (repetive as hell game though) even if it is just a replica of the bladed bommerang in AVP
or something big - anyone would want the buster sword from FF7
dual wielded blades are always nice, as long as they arent like little butterknives

When it comes to projectile weapons, I like slow, powerful guns where you have to make your shots count, like magnums. They should be accurate, too. If I'm aiming at someone's stomach, I should not be able to score a headshot (looks at Counter-Strike). Grenades and are fun, too, for their strategic value. If I know there's an enemy waiting behind that box in that narrow hall with a shotgun, bouncing a grenade off a wall provides some good ol' fun times.

As for melee weapons, I like me something that has some decent range and speed. Power is more of a secondary thing. Blunt weapons are preferred, especially when they make a nice, satisfying sound when introduced to an enemy's skull.

well I usually prefer pistols to rifles it just feels more satisfying I'm not sure why.

a satisfying weapon has to be aesthetically pleasing, most guns do look pretty I think it's a power thing but you can't deny that the: AK47, Desert Eagle or R700 aren't incredibly beautiful, with the possible exception of the P90.

a weapon in a game that has a real life notoriety is pretty satisfying. also something from your home land so you feel a bit patriotic (I always use the SA80 when I can)

ammo, doesn't matter too much as long as it's about, when using a machine gun I've never been a hold trigger untill target it dead guy more three short bursts to the head.

accuracy, very important I expect it to hit exactly where I aim for, the rectical size doesn't matter too much.

Power, as long as it takes between 1-3 headshots a regular foe or someone online I'm fine, however a gun that needs to be realoaded or cocked often needs good power.

oh and the most satisfying weapon especially online will always be the knife.

Its pure power that makes the weapon. If it's pure power you should be able to be badazz and not even know how to use the weapon. Like a rocket launcher, or a scyth, and to me pure power means to be able to really send that girl "bang, zoom strait to the moon!". If ya know what I mean. And there's something very very special about being able to pick off somone through a long ranged-scoped-weapon.

The spartan lazah (halo 3) strikes me as a very satasfying weapon. It kills in one hit but the charging takes forever (and most targets are moving) so when u finally hit the enemy u get an extreme sense satasfaction and awesomness

I prefer my weapons to be able to turn my enemies to swiss cheese(like most weapons in the Ratchet and Clank games). As long as it has that I'm fine.

accuracy->power->practacality->ammo
thats the order i would say, hence my shottie sniper combos.