Games where Shotguns are useful beyond arms' reach?

[Katherine Kerensky]

I'm gonna go ahead and say the LBX series of autocannons in MechWarrior Online.
While not a shotgun like in other games mentioned, since it's scaled up for mechs, the LB10-X that the Inner Sphere uses can still hit things up to a kilometre away, if I remember correctly.

 

[darkcalling]

Mass Effect: Andromeda has the N7 Piranha, which feels decent to me. High rate of fire and decent range in exchange for not doing as much damage in one shot as something like the Ruzad. Granted I'm playing the campaign on Normal and haven't gotten to try it out in multiplayer yet so YMMV.

 

[broadbandmink]

I find it somewhat surprising that the Gnasher in the Gears series hasn't been mentioned yet. I think that a good deal of that particular shotgun's popularity stems from its high damage output coupled with its relatively generous effective range.

Having said that, a lot of players never use it beyond touching distance.

 

[Ravenbom]

Mass Effect: Andromeda has the N7 Piranha, which feels decent to me. High rate of fire and decent range in exchange for not doing as much damage in one shot as something like the Ruzad. Granted I'm playing the campaign on Normal and haven't gotten to try it out in multiplayer yet so YMMV.

Dude, in Andromeda do this:
Since the automatic cover system is broken, get the biotic charge and build the Kett Shotgun Dhan. At level 5 with some mods I'm doing over 1100 damage a shot.

It's nice because it basically fires plasma slugs. It has zero range without a mod though.

It's only two shots with low ammo but I carry two of them. One of them has a seeker mod on it and shit range but the other has a mod for ricochets and fires a shot in an arc like a crossbow so you can reach medium ranges.

It has the videogame problem of weirdly missing if you're right in someone's face though.


@OP - I think everyone is forgetting the NES shotguns. Specifically the Spreader from Contra. Your first time in that game and it's the best gun. In a lot of 2D games, the shotgun style weapons were the best gun. In the SNES Blackthorne, the shotgun is the best gun in part because I believe its the only gun.
In modern 2D games, like Bionic Commando ReArmed or Blaster Master Zero the shotgun kind of sucks because it has zero range, though in BC:Rearmed it will start you swinging again if you need to swing on your arm.

 

[American Tanker]

The old school Resident Evil games had shotguns that could hit zombies all the way down long hallways. Of course you did 100% damage at clost range but even at a long distance, you were doing at least 80%. Some of them like REmake and 3 had shotguns with narrower spread that did better at a distance albeit with lower damage overall. Starting with 4, it was up close or the previously mentioned confetti.

I remember this from another shotty thread, and it's worth reposting for the sheer amount of lunacy and mayhem exacted -

 

[dixonmelinda]

Nice Topic!

 

[Petromir]

The thing is that all weapon ranges are condensed in games. Even assault rifles only fire effectively out to maybe 60-80m in shooters, and the levels will rarely even allow a target to be 300+ meters away.

This! Many games you need a sniper rifle to stand a chance of hitting a target that an assault rifle should easily be capable of.

 

[maninahat]

In Stalker: Call of Pripyat, you have a double barrelled shotgun that can be gradually modded into a super accurate, slug firing double rifle. I always carry one, despite it being rapidly outclassed by most of the assault rifles in the game.

 

[Don'tDeadOpenInside]

Both the Striker and Conference Call in Borderlands 2 are at the least best used at medium range.

Love the Striker so much. It's like a mid-range sniper rifle. Shotguns were probably the most varied weapons in that game come to think of it. You've got Quads and Ravagers for the traditional point blank use, Coach Guns are more general all purpose short range, the Hyperion shotguns (like the Conference Call) are undoubtedly the best at taking out flying targets, then you've got the Longrider class (including the Striker) for longer ranges.

I've been playing a Gaige play through recently and oh my word even bandit shotguns become amazing in her hands.