276: Pop! You're Dead

[Tim Latshaw]

Pop! You're Dead

Vorpal swords and BFGs are certainly impressive weapons, but to really make a statement, try arming yourself with vegetables, bubbles, or happiness.

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[Dorkmaster Flek]

I think Dr. Wily doesn't necessarily plan to be weak to these ridiculous weapons. I think it's more than the game designers realized that certain weapons are nigh useless and so they throw it into the final battle so you at least use it for something. Although at least the Top Spin weakness in MM3 did make some kind of sense. The Bubble Lead weakness in MM2 is just...strange.

Also, I love the reference to Elite Beat Agents. That game has one of the best final stages in the history of video games. The cover in the game is much more upbeat than the original, and I love it. Plus, where else do you get to destroy aliens with Jumpin' Jack Flash? Pure awesome.

 

[Sabrestar]

What? Discussing hair as a weapon and no mention of Kabuki: Quantum Fighter? For shame.

And the weapon weaknesses for Dr Wily in the Mega Man games finally made sense when I realised that in basically every game, he's weak to the weapon that's hardest to hit him with: specifically, the ground-based attack. Even Sigma in the X games seemed to borrow from the same playbook (and a logical one from a design standpoint).

Though why MM3!Wily was weak to two weapons still baffles me. (I spent years using Top Spin to kill him before finally understanding why people talked about using Search Snake...)

 

[k-ossuburb]

Best weapons I've seen were in the Worms games. Exploding sheep, yay!

Guilty Gear had some interesting ones, too.

 

[Tim Latshaw]

What? Discussing hair as a weapon and no mention of Kabuki: Quantum Fighter? For shame.

I knew I wasn't going to get them all, but one of my main goals for this piece was to get others discussing their favorite unorthodox weaponry, too. Thanks to replies like yours, I think it might just work!

 

[shiajun]

Well, there's always death by hamster in Earth Work Jim 1 and the literal Bubble Gun that did nothing at all but spurt out bubbles in Earth Worm Jim 2, side by side to the screen blazing BFG Barn Blaster. Talk about contrast. Of course, this is without mentioning the fact that Jim whipped himself as an attack as well. For hair, there's always Blue Suede Goo from Clay Fighters and deadly hair side swipe.Yikes!

 

[BobisOnlyBob]

The Bubble Lead weakness in MM2 is just...strange.

The final boss of Megaman 2 is a shielded cannon that projects a hologram of "Alien Wily". It was so armoured not even the metal blades or crash bombs could harm it - however, the water of the Bubble Lead get down the tiniest cracks in its high-tech surface and could short-circuit it.

That explain it? 8D

 

[cefm]

What? Discussing hair as a weapon and no mention of Kabuki: Quantum Fighter? For shame.

Goddamn - It only took 3 replies to get this obscure NES title? The internets are on their game today.

 

[WyattEpp]

Is it really obscure? It can be had for a fiver at most used game stores...

As for the article, the game that immediately comes to mind is Phantom Brave. My blade of grass was pretty much the ultimate weapon, but the fish wasn't bad either.

 

[Sabrestar]

What? Discussing hair as a weapon and no mention of Kabuki: Quantum Fighter? For shame.

Goddamn - It only took 3 replies to get this obscure NES title? The internets are on their game today.

I'd never consider any game that got a feature in Nintendo Power back in the day to be obscure, but sure, I'll go along with that. I played the heck out of it when I was younger. Actually have the Stage 1 music on my iPod. (Yes, I'm nuts.)

Gotta give it credit though for being the only game (that I know of) where the hair-as-a-weapon is wielded by a man.

 

[Skorpyo]

You missed a great opportunity to use Fallout 3 as a modern reference, I think.

Killing enemies by launching teddy-bears, using micro-chainsaws, flaming lawn-mower blades, and tiny warheads launched from the shoulder twists that game into something quite unique.

 

[zamble]

I

What? Discussing hair as a weapon and no mention of Kabuki: Quantum Fighter? For shame.

And the weapon weaknesses for Dr Wily in the Mega Man games finally made sense when I realised that in basically every game, he's weak to the weapon that's hardest to hit him with: specifically, the ground-based attack. Even Sigma in the X games seemed to borrow from the same playbook (and a logical one from a design standpoint).

Though why MM3!Wily was weak to two weapons still baffles me. (I spent years using Top Spin to kill him before finally understanding why people talked about using Search Snake...)

I never even tryed top spin on him! It was such a crappy weapon...

 

[Brandchan]

I have a few favorite none standard weapons of video games. One, was Alice's Bible from Shadow Hearts. Where she would either physically beat the enemy with it, or use it to cast a spell. Tow, Jun's use of flowers and Baofu's use of coins in the Persona 2 games. Just how did those work any way? Did Jun beat people with flowers until they died. Did Baofu always hit the weak point a coin for massive damage?

I also like the use of really giant boomerangs, which I don't think in reality would be all that practical.

 

[Tim Latshaw]

I have a few favorite none standard weapons of video games. One, was Alice's Bible from Shadow Hearts. Where she would either physically beat the enemy with it, or use it to cast a spell.

Oh yeah! That reminds me of Claus in Tales of Phantasia, who did the same thing. There's something guiltily pleasurable about using a book as a bludgeon...

 

[Thorvan]

My favorite totally-lame-but-awesomely-satisfying weapon will always be running over swathes of censors with the psy-ball in Psychonats. Especially fun in Lungfishopolis, where you can literally roll over the entire lower city in just about one go.

 

[Susan Arendt]

You missed a great opportunity to use Fallout 3 as a modern reference, I think.

Killing enemies by launching teddy-bears, using micro-chainsaws, flaming lawn-mower blades, and tiny warheads launched from the shoulder twists that game into something quite unique.

Teddy bears aside, those are all pretty obviously deadly things, but the point of the article is discussing items that are normally harmless - bubbles, happy thoughts, leaves, etc.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a genius little game, and has some of the best weapons ever. Soda cans, popsicles, silverware, and fire extinguishers, and of course your trust water pistol. Love that game. Fingers crossed it finds its way to XBLA or something someday.

 

[Tim Latshaw]

Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a genius little game, and has some of the best weapons ever. Soda cans, popsicles, silverware, and fire extinguishers, and of course your trust water pistol. Love that game. Fingers crossed it finds its way to XBLA or something someday.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors is currently available on Virtual Console, but definitely deserves some wider access.

 

[Prof. Monkeypox]

It hit me that during the videogame violence debate, we should bring up these "weird weapons" as you put it. Few other mediums would have players spitting bubbles at opponents to advance. Are we not the more creative medium. Do we still have an obsession with guns? Movies use guns a lot, and nobody complains about that. Why not come back when they have a character that fights with a fan?

 

[Z(ombie)fan]

aw. this made me think it was something involving Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Island

you all DISAPOINT me.

 

[GoddyofAus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAVtyHxRl04

/Discussion over.