LIST - You Call That a Knife?

Weapons come in all shapes and sizes. They appear in probably 90% of the games you're currently playing right now. (Settle down Tetris guy, I acknowledge you) You may develop a fondness for a few of these tools of destruction but fear not, you're not alone. Here's a few I use to kick ass and take names with. (Mostly the ass-kicking part, I take names with a pen.)

• Gunblade - Final Fantasy VIII

It's a gun. It's a sword. Frankly, I could leave it at that. I won't however. Squall Lionheart's weapon of choice was one of the main reasons I got so invested in FF8.

Combining the trigger mechanism of a revolver and attaching a massive blade where the barrel should be sounds dumb on paper. Cool yes, but dumb. It didn't even operate as a gun. The trigger is designed to send a shockwave through the blade whenever it is pulled. That is why it makes this list. This feature allowed the player to control when you landed critical hits in battle as Squall.

For an RPG (Role-Playing Game) to hand the player that kind of power was fairly unique. It made me feel more involved in the turn-based combat by compelling me to hit R1 every time I landed a hit. Combine that with the vibration feature of the controller and you get a very satisfying strike.

Coming in a variety of models, it's both stylish and formidable.

• Magnum - Halo: Combat Evolved

Imagine! A tank moving over a series of hills to get you in the range of its cannon. You're cornered and have run all your heavy ordnance dry. All you have left is your trusty magnum and a few "lucky" bullets.

You take aim...

BAM

A hit...

BAM

Against all odds, another hit...

BAM

A headshot, the driver is down and the tank rolls to a halt.

Congratulations, you are a badass. Unshakeable in the face of insurmountable odds! But you were also helped by this little beauties ridiculous 2x scope. A feature that makes it more than a match for any skirmish you want to get involved in. 

• Sheepinator - Ratchet & Clank

In a game where weapons with interesting gimmicks are the focus, it takes a special something to make you stand out. Enter the Sheepinator.

Do you have a room full of enemies and not a lot of ammo? Fear not, this baby doesn't need any. Just pull the trigger and watch as, one by one, every target in front of you becomes a little woolly mammal.

It is one of the most satisfying sights after a hard won fight, a sea of gormless eyes and the occasional "baa". A great weapon doesn't need to kill its intended target, mass humiliation is also a worthy pursuit.

• Soul Edge - Soul Calibur

It's unusual for the main antagonist of a game series to be a weapon, no matter how sentient. Soul Edge doesn't seem to find this to be an issue, however.

Soul Edge can take any form, depending on its wielder, ranging from nun-chucks to a great sword (see right). The key feature that carries to each form is a massive, demonic eye in the centre of the weapon.

Normally I don't gush about the story mode of a fighting game, and Soul Calibur's makes as much sense as your typical acid trip. But I love Soul Edge to bits. Its semi-organic design and while it does major damage to whoever gets hit with it, it also corrupts its wielder. Mind control and demonic eyes are very in this season I hear. 

• Mr Toots - Red Faction: Armageddon

Red Faction as a series has, in my opinion, diminished in quality with each subsequent instalment. Red Faction Armageddon was the final nail in the coffin. But not everything is doom and gloom on Mars. Quite the opposite, in fact, there is one ray of light in the darkness. That ray, or more accurately beam, shoots majestically from the arse of a tiny, handheld unicorn called Mr Toots. It brought a smile to my tired and Mars-monster-fatigued face.

The rainbow beam is capable cutting through enemies and structures alike, making short work of any obstacles in your way. Rest assured Mr Toots only sustains a mild amount of discomfort while being "fired".

• BFG 9000 - Doom

Doom Marine has his work cut out for him. Portals to Hell are opening all over the shop and countless demons are pouring out. He's going to need a pretty serious arsenal to repel that kind of attack.

Super Shotgun; check. Plasma Rifle; check. BFG 9000; cheOHJESUSTHEPOWER!

There are very few demons that can take a shot from this and limp on enough to keep on trying to chomp you. It only packs a few shots but frankly, it'll always be one more than you'll need. Set a record for room clearance with this beast.

• Tarkatan Blades - Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat as a series has had its fair share of brutal warriors. Lightning Gods and four-armed brutes, cyborgs and martial arts experts.

Enter Baraka; a Tarkatan warrior from Outworld. Part of a race of people who have naturally forming blades that extend from their forearms. These can be used to create damaging sparks, deliver devastating uppercuts or used to slice and dice your opponents face.

It can be argued that hidden blades in your arms can give a guy an unfair advantage in a martial arts competition. However, when that martial arts competition is called Mortal Kombat, you need all the advantages you can get I suppose.

• Mosin Nagant - Metal Gear Solid

Sneaking around and saving the world isn't easy. Especially when you have armies of mercenaries and giant mechs with a tendency to erupt an "!" from the top of their head when they see you.

You need a weapon that can help you sneak past these guards, but maybe you don't want to take the "Rambo" route. A lot can be said for a man who would rather put his enemies to sleep temporarily rather than permanently. For that man, there is the Mosin Nagant. A tranquillizer sniper rifle.

Not only do you keep yourself at a safe distance. You also get the satisfaction of knowing that at some point that soldier will wake up and be swiftly reprimanded by his superiors for sleeping on the job. Well done you.

• Plasma Cutter - Dead Space

When a game challenges you to complete it using only one gun, you do it. Or I do at least. Dead Space offered such a challenge.

So off I go, running around the corridors of the USG Ishimura, blasting the deformed corpses of its former crew with the games starter weapon. And I never looked back.

You are tempted with a variety of industrial cutting and blasting equipment as you progress through the game. Nothing could part me with this little guy though. He slices, he dices, he cuts horizontally AND vertically! You just can't buy that kind of level of directional cutting laser action. (Because it just gets given to you when you start the game.)

• Colt Python - Resident Evil

Resident Evil isn't a game where you're supposed to feel safe. At all. Corridors with windows, annexe rooms leading to mounted shotguns, secret underground laboratories. None of these places are safe.

Then after a series of ridiculous puzzle locks later and a twisting tiger bust you find it, the Colt Python.

Now you feel safe. Now the power is back in your hands. The rooms and chambers of zombies and unspeakable monsters are nothing to you and the firepower you now wield.

If a gun could be a comfort blanket, this would be what it looks like. A safety blanket for those of us who find ourselves wandering through abandoned mansions in the middle of nowhere.

These are but a few shiny examples of what I would have strapped to my holster at high noon. (I would totally duel with a Sheepinator) If I've missed one that gives you the warm and fuzzies pop it in the comments below.