The Top 5 Shotguns in Video Games

The shotty. The scattergun. The howitzer. The spreadgun. The blasty-you-in-halfsie. For as long as video games have featured guns (Read: Always), the most coveted and sought-after weapon by the gaming masses has always been the shotgun. You can't blame them; the shotgun has consistently been the most devastating and efficient digitized firearm since people were fighting over a big letter 'S' in Contra.

As tribute to the close-range killer, I've put together the list of the five best shotguns in my gaming history.

5) RAGE

Via

I'm going to level with you: Rage is not a great game. I can't play it for more than a few hours without getting bored to tears. That doesn't mean the time I spend with it isn't enjoyed, because if there's one thing Rage does better than almost any other shooter in its class, it's destroying all organic matter in front of you in the bloodiest and most satisfying ways possib-OH MY GOD THAT GUY'S HEAD CAME OFF!

As fun as exploding RC cars and decap-o-rangs are, the combat shotgun in Rage is a death machine of such apocalyptic power (pun intended) that it deserves to be on this list. Not only does it have the most badass bass-booming sound effect, but this shotgun is special because of the different shells that can be used in lieu of standard buckshot. There's EMP-powered Pulse Shots, and Pop Rockets, which essentially make the shotgun into a grenade launcher.

Still counts as a shotgun

4) Halo 3

Via

Why Halo 3 and not 4 or Reach? Because I like Halo 3 the most. Also because fuck you, this is my list.

The shotgun in Halo 3 is one of those guns in a game where the concept behind it is "point it at that alive thing and you will make it a dead thing." It's so powerful that every game of deathmatch becomes a game of "Capture the Shotty," and if you use it properly you're guaranteed at least one kill for every shell you get. If that didn't work, you can always cave their skull in with the butt of the gun. It is a weapon of terrifying impact, and having one made you either a target or someone to be avoided like a leper.

3) Modern Warfare 2 - Model 1887

Via

Okay, hear me out here, haters. Yes, this weapon was the sole reason for me rage-quitting this game countless times but... come on! It's so awesome! You can hold two of them. You use it like the goddamn Terminator. You can hold TWO OF THEM!

"I'll be back. To **** your mom, ******."  Via

2) Red Dead Redemption

Via

Red Dead Redemption has a lot of scatterguns in it, but I'm only concerned with the one on the cover of the game. The sawed-off is a wicked cool one-handed shotgun which is my personal favorite for any close-quarters shootouts in the game. The weapon's wiki page says it much more eloquently than I can: "The hand cannon, plain murder at close range."

The game's hyper-violent blood effects certainly help the case for the sawed-off. The gun doesn't have much practical use in the wide-open Western setting, but God help you if you beat me in a game of poker.

1) The Last of Us

Via

The Last of Us is an easy sell to most gamers. It's a post-apocalyptic survival-action game from Naughty Dog, one of the most prolific developers in the history of the industry. It utilized the cutting edge of performance-capture technology and, if you ask me, features the greatest story ever told in a game.

Being a survival game, supplies are scarce. You need to tactfully save parts for medicine or weapons, and bullets and shells are the most valuable thing you can scavenge. Enemies are smart and relentless, and you are vastly outnumbered. Every enemy encounter is a gut-wrenching tug-of-war for a tactical advantage using either stealth or brute force. Getting in close gives you a golden opportunity to blow enemies away in the most unsettling and satisfying hail of buckshot that gaming can provide you with. All of these factors make the shotgun in The Last of Us the greatest, bestest shotgun you can ever wield in video games.

Also for much, much more obvious reasons. Via