16) Flamethrower – Resident Evil 7
Every list needs a gas-guzzling, flame-spitting flamethrower to gawk over, and in Resident Evil 7 we have a new pinup.
It’s beautiful, it’s visceral and it’s timely. In a game where you’re counting bullets dropped from emptied cartridges like a starving man watching meal vouchers go down the drain, the ability to spit fire is an absolute lifesaver and keeps Resi’s nasties at bay long enough for you to catch your breath.
Sweeter still is that it’s possible to miss entirely, and it’s only if you find the required parts in mamma’s outhouse that you’ll be able to assemble this bad boy at all. Make sure you do though, because it’s worth every drop of gasoline spilled.
15) Voodoo Doll – Blood Series
The Blood games might not be the best of their time, or even fondly remembered, but they leave behind one of the sneakiest weapons of all: the Voodoo Doll.
This bedraggled heap of cloth is actually an awesome killing machine. Point it at your enemies, jab it with a needle and watch them writhe in pain before disappearing in a puddle of… flesh.
Better yet, have the temerity to poke the doll when no one is around and you’ll inflict damage on yourself. It’s a wonder more games haven’t borrowed a trick from the Blood handbook and emulated this devilish scrap of dark magic.
14) Batclaw – Arkham Series
All right, so I’m stretching the definition of weapon here, but c’mon, you can’t leave out Rocksteady’s Batman games; every gadget arrives with such pomp and ceremony and is added to the batbelt in such style that it’d be a disservice to geeks the world over to ignore the Dark Knight’s assorted gadgets.
But which one? Out of the lot, the Batclaw is the leader of the pack: a jack-of-all trades you can use to disorient enemies, interact with the world and swing through the Gotham skies. It’s this last ability that gives it lasting appeal and there’s nothing quite like vaulting into the sky and tethering yourself to a nearby building as you slingshot across the city at night.
The Batclaw embodies Batman, and I’m happy with that.