Unimpressive video game weapons

[Eclectic Dreck]

The most obvious offender: Doom 3. The chainsaw, the BFG and the super shotgun in the Resurrection of Evil expansion pack were the only weapons which didn't suck. For a sequel to reboot of a game that defined the entire FPS genre as we know it, the arsenal was disappointingly pathetic.

The 3 basic weapons, the pistol, shotgun and assault rifle, were all incredibly weak. Sure, they got the job done but I never felt like those bullets were doing anything. By contrast, the chaingun was some sort of weapon handed down from on high and ammunition was plentiful enough to justify using it regularly. The rest of the weapons were difficult to keep in ammunition, and even though they were quite powerful I would rarely use them as a result rendering them effectively as crummy as the handgun (which I would only use as a last resort).

 

[Salopian]

The most obvious offender: Doom 3. The chainsaw, the BFG and the super shotgun in the Resurrection of Evil expansion pack were the only weapons which didn't suck. For a sequel to reboot of a game that defined the entire FPS genre as we know it, the arsenal was disappointingly pathetic.

The 3 basic weapons, the pistol, shotgun and assault rifle, were all incredibly weak. Sure, they got the job done but I never felt like those bullets were doing anything. By contrast, the chaingun was some sort of weapon handed down from on high and ammunition was plentiful enough to justify using it regularly. The rest of the weapons were difficult to keep in ammunition, and even though they were quite powerful I would rarely use them as a result rendering them effectively as crummy as the handgun (which I would only use as a last resort).

All of the weapons lacked any kind of satisfying "feedback" imo, except for the ones I listed. Yahtzee's latest article addresses this very issue in games. It doesn't even matter how much damage the weapon is actually doing, if it doesn't FEEL powerful and there's no indication of how much damage you are doing then the design has failed. The rocket launcher in Doom 3, for instance, does enough damage on paper but it feels flimsy and weak when you fire it. Doomguy barely flinches from the recoil. Same goes for the chaingun and plasma gun.