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.

PlayStation Now’s All Access service on the PS4 has already begun and for $20 per month, you can stream more than 100 games to your console. These are all PS3 games and while the plan is currently limited to the PS4, Sony has plans to expand the service to the PS Vita, Smart TVs and mobiles.

Sound like a good deal? Because it just got better as several new titles have become available from February 3rd onwards in the library. According to the PlayStation Blog US, these include Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, God of War 2 HD, Red Faction: Armageddon, Galaga Legions DX and Arcana Heart 3. Right now, these seem to be limited to North America so we’ll see what Europe and other territories receive later.

Considering the critical acclaim of Uncharted 2, God of War 2 HD and Red Faction: Armageddon, it seems that PS Now has some decent choice available. What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments.

That doesn’t stop them from wanting to see a new one, some day. Speaking to IGN, associate producer Kate Nelson, “I still really love Red Faction. Especially our destruction engine. We no longer own the rights to that franchise but I still think maybe we could keep the dream alive at some point…I don’t know if we’ll ever actually be able to.”

The last game in the series, Red Faction: Armageddon, released in 2011 to middling reviews and commercial success. This is especially interesting given the awesomeness that was Guerrilla. Will there ever be a new game in the series? Never say never in the gaming industry.

However, in speaking to Eurogamer, Nordic Games Group owner and CEO Lars Wingefors thinks there’s potential for a sequel somewhere down the line. “The last game, I wouldn’t say it was a failure, but it was a set-back. It was a disappointment. We realise that. That is included in the price tag for it.

“However, there are millions of fans who really liked the first product. It’s a good concept. You just need to make it good.

On Volition, Wingefors stated that, “We have been approached by some good people today on that as well. It’s a top-notch independent European developer, which has the resources. I can’t say any more than that.”

The publisher, which has been facing numerous financial problems over the past few months, has announced the Humble THQ Bundle which contains Darksiders, Metro 2033, Red Faction: Armageddon, Company of Heroes, and its two expansion packs. The essence of the Humble Bundle means gamers can opt to pay as much as they want, even $1 USD. But THQ has also stated that if you choose to pay more than pay more than the current average price of the games, you’ll also receive Volition’s Saint’s Row: The Third.

The good news is that the plan seems to have worked, as the Humble THQ Bundle garnered more than $470,000 USD in revenue within a few hours. However, not all of it goes to THQ as gamers can also choose to decide how their money is distributed. This means a split between the developers, Humble’s organizers and charities like Child’s Play and the Red Cross.

Hopefully, it at least provides some measure of relief to the company in the short run.

Source: GIBiz

Red Faction: Armageddon Path to War is available now on Xbox Live Marketplace for 560 Microsoft Points, and on PlayStation Network and Steam for $6.99.

We reviewed the game a few months ago. You can check the review here.

We all know THQ has decided to pull the plug on this franchise, and as sad it is for the fans, the latest game gets a new DLC, which will hit Playstation Network and Xbox Live today.

The DLC is named the Path to War pack, and will be priced at $6.99 and 560 Microsoft Points respectively. You get two additional weapons, four new weapons and of course, some extra Trophies/Achievements to go with it.

Source

Following a generally (and arguably unfairly) low commercial reception, THQ have announced to shareholders that they will discontinue work on the franchise.

CEO Brian Farrell told investors last night that the publisher has no plans to “carry forward with that franchise in any meaningful way” as the series “did not resonate with a sufficiently broad console gaming audience”.

“In today’s hit-driven, core gaming business, even highly-polished titles with a reasonable following like Red Faction face a bar that continues to move higher and higher,” he said.

“Moving forward, our core game titles must meet a very high quality standard with strong creative and product differentiation, appeal to a broad audience, and be marketed aggressively,” Farrell added.

It’s a sad day when even pretty solid series like Red Faction meet an unfortunate demise.

Thanks to Gamasutra for the info.

The story of Red Faction: Armageddon takes place on Mars and a Terraformer kept Mars habitable on the surface, that is until the cultist Adam Hale destroys it, forcing the Mars colony underground.  The destruction of the Terraformer was due to Hale’s father being killed by Adam Mason many years ago, pushing him to seek revenge on his family and Darius Mason, Grandson of Adam Mason.  Ten years have passed of living underground, with the colony living a harsh life until the colony is put in danger yet again.  An Alien threat becomes a problem for the colony to survive underground, Darius Mason is now forced into battle once again, with the help of his Nano Forge, he must stop the Alien threat while seeking out Hale.

Adam Hale

The campaign and its story can tend to be a little all over the place as you have you partners in war Sergeant Frank Winters and and science knowledgeable Kara.  Winters is by the book and has little sense of humor as he is headstrong in completing the missions.  Kara, who can be seen as Darius’ opposite as she was born a Marauder, smuggling goods on Mars, with the only thing bringing her and Darius together being that they both need to stay hidden.  Aside from the storyline itself you can’t help but have fun throughout it as certain levels you can use a giant Mech that destroys everything in it’s patch between its missiles, machine gun and stomping melee moves.  There are other vehicles as well but the Nano Forge is another useful toy that you will use quite often throughout the campaign.  The Nano Forge can be used as an offensive or defensive tool, and all of its abilities are upgradable by collecting salvage through the game.

As fun as it is to destroy literally everything you can set your eyes on, using the Nano Forge you can rebuild anything that has been destroyed even if you are not the one who did it.  This can be a great thing when you are being attacked by an swarm of aliens and there is no cover around, as you can use the Nano Forge to rebuild buildings or random parts of an area to take cover on.  You can destroy a bridge watching enemies fall to their death and then go back and rebuild that bridge.  Being that much of the campaign is underground in caves though leaves a little less destructible environments than there would be say on the surface of Mars.  The Nano Forge can also be a deadly tool as well with a number of upgradable powers.  Shockwave launches all enemies in the nearby radius in the air, suspending them in the air where you can take them out with ease, especially as it is upgraded lasting longer and damaging them while they are in this field.  Impact is just like a damaging force push only it can generally kill enemies if not launch them away from you.  Berserk is an ability that will give Darius an overcharge making him deal much more damage with all weapons for a certain period of time.  Shell is exactly what it sounds like, putting up a force field that prevents incoming projectiles from coming through.

Darius in trouble.

As for the weaponry in Armageddon, you will of course have you assault rifle and grenade launcher but it is the super destruct weapons that really make the game fun.  You have your Singularity Gun which creates a small black hole sucking everything in its radius inside of it which is one om personal favorites.  Then there is the Nano Rifle that launches a load of nanites programmed to dissolve anything they touch.  Of course will will always have your trusty Maul melee weapon which is an upgraded version of the EDF Sledgehammer among many other weapons you’ll come across.  The newest addition and most unique weapon added to the game is the Magnet Gun which can be used for multiple purposes, especially useful if you want to save on ammo.  This bad boy can bring down buildings or fling an enemy into the ceiling or even into another enemy.  The Magnet Gun has a first shot that fires a Magnet onto almost anything whether it’s enemies or destructible environments and then a second shot that magnetizes the first shot together.  You can do some really interesting things with this thing.

Aside from the campaign there is Infestation Mode and Ruin Mode which are both very fun.  Infestation mode is what is replacing the versus mode, which is a co-op mode that can be played by yourself, two people or up to four friends.  You will be swarmed by alien waves that never seem to end, but they do and there is a marker that tells you how many enemies are left and where they generally are.  You will play as a character from the game and have the choice of picking your weapon load-out upon starting you battle to reach waves 1 through 30.  The more you progress the more upgrade tiers you will unlock.  This mode is most fun will a full team as you can do things cooperatively, using strategies a the magnet gun can even be used cooperatively.  Depending on the map you are playing on you main objective will either be defend a certain position of just to simple survive.  The salvage points you collect in Infestation mode also carry over to campaign and visa-verso.  Ruin Mode is fun as well, but can only be played alone as you try to beat high scores and unlock new maps.  Each level has a score you will have to reach in order to complete it and unlock the next map to play while the more destruction you do in a small amount of time gives you a bonus to you score.  There is also a Free Play mode here where there is no timer or anything you can just wreak havoc and destroy things or rebuild things at will, best for trying out which weapon types are best for that specific map or in general.

Missed me.

Red Faction: Armageddon in my opinion is a better game than the last one, and it has so many fun elements in it, you would be lying if you said you didn’t have fun after trying it.  I mean with nearly everything be completely destructible and rebuild-able it is almost like a dream come true for some people.  The only downside to the game really is that with the replacement of versus with Infestation mode, in can get old after a while.  I personally did not enjoy the versus in the last game all that much, but it gave it more replay value.  Now if Red Faction: Armageddon keeps coming out with DLC than that’s another story and will keep you tied to it.  But the game is a blast and I suggest purchasing with a few friends to play it with.

This game was reviewed on Xbox 360.

A new video for Volition and THQ’s upcoming Red Faction: Armageddon shows off the motion capture technology used for the game’s cut scenes.

You even get to see some of the actors performing the various action scenes in the game. It’s definitely worth checking out.