1. Toilets – Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2 helped revolutionize the way physics work in video games with its versatile use of the Havok engine. Filling up trash bins with cans is cool and all, but the gravity gun really took physics to the next level. Just about any physical object in the environment could be used as a projectile with the gravity gun’s pick up and punt functionality. While saws and explosive barrels prove the most deadly objects to use, we couldn’t help shooting toilets at foes. Our excuse for using a toilet was the “flushed” achievement, but the hilarity of it was often the real reason. To Judith Mossman’s disappointment, we couldn’t help but treat the gravity gun as a toy throughout Half-Life 2.

Land Shark – Armed and Dangerous

This 2003 Lucasarts third-person shooter may have been a repetitive slog at times, but it had humor by the bucketloads. The Monty Python and Star Wars parodies were great fun, but the Land Shark gun takes the cake as the game’s craziest thing. Just shoot at an enemy and a live shark tunnels through the ground, popping up below your opponent to eat them alive. Armed and Dangerous may not be remembered for its level design or anything, but the Land Shark lives on as one of the wildest things shot at an enemy in games.

Pixels – Ratchet & Clank 2016

How could a Ratchet & Clank game not make it on a list like this? While it was a given, what was difficult was deciding which weapons made earned a spot. I couldn’t resist the Pixelizer from the 2016 reboot. As the name suggests, this handy shotgun variant morphs enemies into a pile of 2D pixels. The icing on top is that they crumble apart like lego bricks when defeated by the shot.

Drill Bore – Turok 2

It’s hard to beat the Cerebral Bore when it comes to game weapon brutality. A combination of a homing device, saw, and clamp, the Cerebral Bore tracks enemy brains and latches onto them, and well, you know the rest. Turok 2 shows a surprising amount of blood and gore as the bore tunnels through enemies’ skulls. While it’s certainly a satisfying weapon to use, the Cerebral Bore is one of the game’s slower weapons due to the lock-on and scanning time.

Dubstep ‘wubs’ – Saints Row 4

“It’s a party in a gun! Make the world dance to your beat and fear the power of your wubs!” That’s the in-game description of the Dubstep Gun and it fits the bill. Not only does it look like a turntable, but it literally shoots streams of dubstep energy at opponents. What’s even more hilarious and neat is the specific music track changes depending on the outfit worn.

Argent Energy Plasma – Doom (2016)

Every Doom player knows the destructive power of the BFG. It’s the most notorious weapon in the series for good reason. And it’s handy to boot, given that it’s one of two weapons in Doom 2016 with its own dedicated button (instead of the weapon wheel). Doom 2016’s iteration of the BFG uses green plasma made from Argent Energy, dealing up to 6000 damage to an enemy. This thing can vaporize and kill any enemy in a single shot as long as it’s not one of the bosses. The splash damage is also pretty large, catching groups and stragglers in the explosion radius very easily. You know you’ve just acquired the best weapon when that BFG Division music starts playing.

Swords – Borderlands 2

Among the thousands upon thousands of gun variants available throughout the Borderlands games, the Swordsplosion!!! gun takes the cake as most ridiculous. This E-tech shotgun is only available in the Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC from Borderlands 2. Not only does it shoot an exploding sword, but it spawns other smaller swords that explode, spawning even tinier swords. It’s perhaps the most bizarre take on the weapons I’ve seen and I love it.

Rainbows Farts – Red Faction: Armageddon

Instead of your conventional super weapon being rewarded upon completing the game, Red Faction: Armageddon gives players a unicorn gun that farts rainbows. It’s not just a silly novelty though, as the Mr Toots gun provides some of the most damage in the game with its long-range high-powered laser shot. Enemies having the priviledge to be destroyed by Mr Toots explode in a confetti rainbow shower to top it all off.

Skunks – Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath

I’ve always appreciated Stranger’s Wrath for its unique take on the wild west bounty hunter schtick. It really feels like playing a sort of warped Jim Henson version of a classic Western. The third-person gunplay is pretty fun, but the live ammo is particularly charming. Each area has its own ecosystem of rodents and mammals that Stranger can pick up and use as Crossbow ammo, and those adorable but smelly Stunkz are my pick due to their cuteness and application. Shooting these skunks at enemies briefly immobilizes them, causing them to vomit uncontrollably.

Needles – Halo

While the famous M16 pistol from Halo 1 is undoubtedly the most effective weapon in the game, the Needler was the most innovative and intriguing. A Covenant creation, the Needler pins enemies with a barrage of energy needles that explode after a few seconds of insertion. They’re like an arrow with a timed explosive. Just shooting a few needles at enemies does peanut damage, but spam that sucker onto your opponent and you have a chained explosion that kills them within seconds.

Water – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The Water Pistol is one of many guns that can be developed on the Mother Base. And it’s far from the novelty item that it initially seems. Besides its utility distracting and potentially blinding enemies with splashes of water, it can short-circuit electronic equipment. But did you know the Water Pistol can even defeat a certain boss? That’s right, the Man on Fire can be defeated by spraying a ton of water from the Water Pistol directly on him. It takes about 80 or so hits, but once you take him down, it’ll be the ultimate humiliation.

Plungers – Luigi’s Mansion 3

The original Poltergust 3000 from the first Luigi’s Mansion defined the game’s premise and concept with its Ghostbusters-like vacuum gameplay. Well, the Poltergust has gone through some impressive upgrades since Luigi’s first haunted house visit. Luigi’s Mansion 3 introduces a bunch of new abilities and features for the Poltergust G-00. The funniest happens to be the Suction Shot, which involves plunging a ghost in the face and pulling it with a rope. The traditional use of Suction Shot is to break objects apart for easier suction, but we can’t stop shooting plungers directly at the enemies.

Thunderjaw – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Rift Apart is the second and final Ratchet & Clank game to make it on the list, and of course it’s the RYNO. The RYNO is a returning legacy weapon, but the 8th iteration goes a step further, summoning objects from various PlayStation games. To get this ultimate weapon, players must find every Spybot in the game. Your reward pays off though. I mean, who doesn’t want to smash enemies with Sully’s plane from Uncharted, Jak & Daxter, or a freaking Thunderjaw from Horizon: Zero Dawn? Okay, technically, you’re dropping these objects from a portal and not shooting them, but you’re still shooting to open the portal, so it counts.

Junk – Fallout 3

Like Half-Life 2’s Gravity Gun, the Rock-It Launcher shoots a variety of environmental objects at enemies. What makes this weapon unique is Fallout 3’s emphasis on junk items. There’s a ton of junk within the Capital Wasteland and most of it can be loaded into the Rock-It Launcher. It’s a tad disappointing that every junk item has the same damage output, but the variety of stuff you can shoot at opponents is impressive nonetheless.

Bullet Bill – Mario Kart

Bullet Bill is the oldest object on this list, with its first appearance in world 5-1 of the first Super Mario Bros. Game from 1987. It wasn’t until Mario Kart Wii (and technically Mario Kart DS) when players could finally harness the dread power of Bullet Bill on unsuspecting friends. The kart turns into a giant Bullet Bill, auto-piloting through the course at top-speed catapulting others to the back of the line – that is, until they smash you with one later in the race.

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

One of the most acclaimed RPGs in years, Disco Elysium lets you embody a detective in whatever fashion you please. Choose from a variety of skills and select different dialogue, becoming a very effective liar or abusive jerk, and hone ideas with the Thought Cabinet to receive different buffs and traits. The Final Cut adds full voice acting, new Political Vision quests, additional cutscenes and characters, and a new area to explore along with various QoL improvements, improving even more on the base release.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Insomniac Games has been knocking it out of the park for the past several years but Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is looking especially phenomenal. Following the destruction of the Dimensionator, which creates several rifts to alternate dimensions, Ratchet and Clank have to stop the collapse of space-time. It’s easier said than done though – the duo is split up at one point, traversing to a future where Doctor Nefarious has become an emperor and a resistance, led by new playable character Rivet, opposes him.

Along with numerous new planets, old planets also make a return and there are alternate versions of both to explore (along with Pocket Dimensions and Clank Challenges). New weapons and gadgets, traversal abilities like wall-running and the Rift Tether, and some truly gorgeous visuals make for another must-have exclusive. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart will release on June 11^th for PS5.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade

Whether you skipped the award-winning RPG last year or simply want to revisit it, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is looking to be worth the wait. PS4 owners receive a free upgrade to the PS5 version which offers performance options for 4K resolution or 60 FPS gameplay. This is on top of faster loading times, improved lighting and textures, better effects like fog, and much more. There’s also a new Photo mode for easily capturing key moments in Midgard with various filters and settings.

On top of all of this is Episode INTERmission, which offers two new story chapters from the perspective of Yuffie Kisaragi, as she teams with Sonon to steal a powerful Materia from Shinra. Yuffie has her own unique combat style and can perform Synergized Attacks with Sonon along with using new Materia and Summons. New bosses, a new mini-game in Fort Condor and more await, though PS4 to PS5 players will need to pay extra for the DLC. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade releases on June 10^th for PS5.

Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance

The Dark Alliance series makes its long-awaited return but this time as a Dungeons and Dragons title. Developed by Tuque Games and set in Icewind Dale, the action RPG sees four characters taking on the forces of evil. Each has their own unique abilities and along with co-op multiplayer, there’s solo play to allow for switching between each character. The biggest departure from the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance series though is the perspective which is in third person, which makes for some more visceral combat scenarios. Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is out on June 22^nd for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and PC, while also launching day one on Xbox Game Pass.

Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection

After what seems like forever, Ninja Gaiden is making a comeback, albeit in the form of a remastered collection. Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge are all included in the Master Collection which offers 4K/60 FPS on PS4 Pro, PS5, Xbox One X, Xbox Series X/S and PC (while the Switch version runs in 720p/60 FPS). Though several features like online multiplayer for Tag Missions, Clan Battles and Ninja Trials aren’t here, you still get all of the DLC including additional costumes for all of the characters and new battle scenarios. There’s also Hero mode which offers automatic guarding and evasion when your health drops low, thus providing a sort of “Easy” mode. Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection arrives on June 10^th.

Guilty Gear Strive

Following months of character reveals, awesome songs and numerous betas, Guilty Gear Strive is set to release on June 11^th for PS4, PS5 and PC. The Story Mode offers a conclusion to the long-running arc of the Gear Maker, Asuka R. Kreutz aka That Man. However, more than anything, Strive represents a huge shift in the gameplay. Several mechanics have been removed; others, like Roman Cancels and the Gatling system, see drastic changes; and new features like Wall-Breaks and status effects have been added.

Nevertheless, the visual style looks incredible while the 15 character launch roster, composed of favorites like Sol Badguy, I-No and Ramlethal Valentine along with newcomers like Giovanna and Nagoriyuki, is solid overall. All of this and rollback netcode for online multiplayer make this one of the more exciting fighting games to check out.

Necromunda: Hired Gun

Unlike the hulking slow combat of Space Hulk Deathwing, Streum On Studio’s Necromunda: Hired Gun is frenetic and fast-paced. You venture through Necromunda as a bounty hunter, pursuing different targets and earning cash. Along with numerous different weapons and a dozen augments to customize, there’s your loyal cyber-mastiff that can locate and tear foes apart. Movement options include wall-running and a grappling hook, and combined with the techno-grunge aesthetic, it looks like one of the cooler Warhammer 40K shooters of recent years. Releasing on June 1^st, Necromunda: Hired Gun will be coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC.

Scarlet Nexus

Bandai Namco Studios’ Scarlet Nexus is an intriguing title. Its surreal futuristic aesthetic evokes Astral Chain; the dialogues and conversations are akin to the skits of Tales; and the hack and slash combat takes cues from Code Vein, NieR: Automata and much more. The story is set in the brainpunk future where New Himuka is assaulted by the Others. These mutated creatures can’t be damaged by ordinary means so it’s up to the Other Suppression Force, composed of psychics, to defeat them.

Yuito and Kasane are the deuteragonists and though each utilizes psychokinesis, they have different weapons and combat styles along with different teammates. This is where the Struggle Arms System comes into play – it allows for utilizing teammates’ abilities to one-up foes. Based on the recent demo, the combat looks incredibly layered while offering the super-hype moments that come from slamming enemies with environmental objects. The full game is out on June 25^th and will be coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PS5 and PC.

Edge of Eternity

Midgar Studio’s Edge of Eternity will be leaving early access after more than two years, bringing its own style of JRPG-inspired combat to PC players on June 8^th. Set in Heryon, which is engulfed by the Corrosion after a war with an alien force, the story sees Daryon and Selene venturing forth to fulfill their destiny (and maybe save the world as well). Featuring turn-based combat, Edge of Eternity currently has over 40 hours of gameplay, more than 40 skills and over 120 items to craft. Its launch update will include the final two chapters, which add five to ten hours more gameplay.

Mario Golf: Super Rush

After running wild on tennis courts, Mario and crew are tearing up the greens in the new Mario Golf: Super Rush. Gameplay centers on using the Shot Gauge to charge up a shot, selecting a Shot Type, analyzing the terrain and then letting it rip. Where Camelot Software changes things up is with the introduction of Speed Golf which sees multiple players swinging and then immediately rushing towards their balls instead of waiting for the others.

Each character has their own Special Shot and Special Dash for gaining an advantage while obstacles on the course will impede your progress. There’s also Battle Golf which offers an arena and different rule-set for Speed Golf shenanigans. If that weren’t enough, a story mode that sees one’s custom Mii training and leveling up in a country club to eventually take on Mushroom Kingdom competitors is also included. Mario Golf: Super Rush arrives on June 25^th for Nintendo Switch.

The Persistence Enhanced

The Persistence originally released in May 2020 and offered a mix of survival horror and rogue-like progression. As you explore a colony starship teeming with monstrosities, every death presents a new host for your conscience to inhabit (and yes, the ship’s layout changes on each new run). The Persistence Enhanced is geared towards Xbox Series X/S and PS5 with lighting improvements, ray tracing and support for DualSense’s haptic feedback. PC players can also benefit from DirectX Ray Tracing support. The title will be available on June 4^th with current owners on Xbox One, PS4 and PC receiving a free upgrade.

Vampire the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

Set in the macabre World of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 starts after a Mass Embrace aka vampires openly attacking and converting humans in full public view. With the masquerade broken, you play as a new Thinblood vampire who must choose a side. Pick a discipline, whether it’s levitating objects or mist transformation, then ally with a vampire clan for even more perks. From there, you can explore the world and take on side quests while feeding on the populace. Several delays later, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is set to release this year for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.