Most shooting games have their standard fare shotguns, machine-guns and pistols. Those are all cool and always get the job done, but then there are some guns and weapons that stand out from the crowd and produce some ohhhh’s and ahhhh’s among gamers alike. Here are the top 5 weapons in gaming:

Lancer (Gears of War)

The Lancer – one of the most synonymous weapons with Gears of War, and more so, the Xbox 360. It has become the light-saber of the new generation and has caused some of the most jaw-dropping kills in gaming history. It may initially appear as a normal assault rifle, except for the fact it has a chainsaw bayonet attached to the front. This little baby not only allows players to fill the Locust Horde with lead, but also run up to them and deliver a (earmuffs) body-splitting, blood gushing finale.

It's kinda like a paintbrush, with razor sharp blades

Leichenfaust-44 (Wolfenstein)

Ok, to explain this gun is pretty tricky. It practically fires a proton looking projectile fueled by the Black Sun, the Nazi’s secret paranormal entity. Sounds confusing? It doesn’t matter because all you need to know is that this piece of supernatural German engineering makes a definite impact within the game. It literally vaporizes and evaporates anything it touches, and hitting one target isn’t good enough for this gun, it will continue through as many silly Nazis as needed until… well …forever. Here’s a video to demonstrate the Leichenfaust-44 in action.

Nano-Rifle (Red Faction: Guerrilla)

Although a relatively similar effect to the Leichenfaust-44, the Nano-rifle uses futuristic technology which allows for tiny nano-bytes to be fired onto any matter, whether it is a structure or an enemy, which literally eats away the target. Disintegration is the name of the game with the nano-rifle and don’t think you can run over and see your masterpiece you made out of your enemies body, as the nano-rifle leaves nothing but dust. Here’s a really lame but awesome video of the nano-rifle in action.

Eddie Riggs’ Guitar (Brutal Legend)

Not necessarily a gun or weapon for that matter, but delivers some rocktastic kills that will make most FPS’s blush. Eddie’s guitar can not only fire electricity and pyrotechnics at enemies, but can also literally melt your face with the Facemelter solo that Eddie can perform. Mostly rock heals, but sometimes it hurts.

Mario’s Shoes (Super Mario Series)

Ok, once again, not necessarily a weapon or gun, but nevertheless tools of ultimate destruction. These little brown numbers have killed more enemies than any arsenal from any game combined. One little hop on your head and your finished. Some say it may be the weight of the ol’ Italian plumber that makes his little jump leathel, but it’s the sheer awesomeness and power of Mario’s feet huggers that result in turtle and goomba massacres.

The REAL stars of the show

Notable mentions – Chains of Olympus (God of War), Bolt Gun (Killzone 2), Shrink gun (Duke Nukem 3D), Jack’s Chainsaw arm (MadWorld), Gravity Gun (Half-Life 2)