I mean the physical design of the gun, not the projectile or effect.
I want to toss the Type-2 phaser from Star Trek (circa 24th century) as my personal favorite. It has this design which reads as a tool more than a weapon, which I love.
I prefer the retro aesthetics of the TOS Type 1, especially for the integrated Type 1, but regardless, it’s an excellent choice for the reason you state: it’s a very versatile tool!
You said Type-1 (the compact, key fob looking TOS phaser), but linked a picture to the TOS Type-2 (the pistol). Which did you prefer?
I love the concept of the Type-1, and it would definitely be my favorite pick of the phasers based on function. But for how it looks, I like how the TNG Type-2 kinda blended the TOS Type-1 concept as a tool, but sized it up to the TOS Type-2 pistol in size. Best of both worlds. Still feels like a tool, but more power drill, less garage door opener or handgun.
EDIT: my autocorrect kept messing up the link.
Yah, editing typo. I meant the TOS Type 2, which had a removable Type 1 in it.
Oh, cool. I never knew about that. Thanks.
It always bugs me a bit that all ST handgun-like phasers are “Type 2”, regardless of which design. I get what they’re doing, it’s just confusing. There are more than one TOS Type 2 designs, and obv. TOS Type 2 are radically different from TNG Type 2, of which there were several variations. The toxonomist in me wishes they’d been given at least sub-types; as it is, they’re categorized by (in-universe) date of introduction. But the shows and props department were sort of all over with them, making tweaks between seasons, so it can be rough to talk about without having memory-alpha up in a window.
The Laptop Gun from Perfect Dark
I always loved the Needler from the Halo series. It was a really unique design at the time and probably the most fun I’ve had with any weapon in a first person shooter. Also, the explosions and the ching it does when reloading are just perfect.
One of my favorites.
While I never got into Halo, I have allways liked the Needler’s design, it looks sort of biological…
All of the Covenant designs are meant to be very organic looking. In the novels, the ships and such are described as “looking like undersea predators”
I’m rather fond of Murphy’s burst-fire pistol and hide-away leg holster in Robocop. If we are talking the coolest gun, it’s got to be the Zorg ZF-1 from the Fifth Element.
https://grabcad.com/library/zorg-zf-1-with-shutters-1The Callahan Full-bore Autolock “Vera”
Well, my days of not takin’ ya seriously are certainly comin’ to a middle.
It has extreme sentimental value
It’s simple but sleek - the WESTAR-34 blaster pistol that Jango Fett uses in SW Ep 2.
Also looking up the name made me realize that this website exists…seems like an IMDB wiki of movie weapons:
The IMFDB entries for older shooters really show how many misstakes they made, look up Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Half Life, Half Life Opposing Force, Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam for some good articles
Thanks!
Does mikoto misaka count? She’s a walking talking railgun.
In the same vein, the Iron Giant has an awesome design in normal and in gun mode
haha, yes I agree.
A couple that come to mind:
Boltguns, and esspecially the bolt rifle from Warhammer 40k - specifically because its so massive and brutalist in design to look intimidating.
Ar-2 from Half-Life 2, for the more grounded yet still entirely sci-fi look.
Finally, the Shard Gun from Xcom 2
Let’s be friends
Two of my favorites are from books and don’t have pictures: the nanotech weapon given to grunts in “Old Man’s War” and the Soft Weapon from Niven’s short story titled, appropriately enough, “The Soft Weapon”. There was an animated Star Trek episode based on The Soft Weapon, but I can’t remember what I looked like, I just remember the producers weren’t brave enough to animate an alien with two heads and three legs.
Other than those, I really liked the silly guns in Ratchet and Clank, epecially the Vacuum Cannon.
From a novel so you don’t get to actually see it, but the clockwork diamond pistol from Chasm City always caught my imagination. Mostly transparent and needs to be key-wound.
For one in visual media, the 5th elements Zerg ZF-1 pod weapon, obviously.
I don’t know if anime counts, but the Psycho-Pass “Dominator” is a really cool science fiction concept in itself.
Especially when it changes between the three modes (non-lethal, lethal and destroy-decompose)
You can’t mention the dominator and not add a gif of it moving from non lethal to lethal mode
Hey, power that thing down!
The pod gun from Fifth Element is one of the most interesting from both a design and an effects perspective IMO.
Ah, the Zorg ZF-1, nice one!
Four full crates, delivered right on time! What about you, my dear Aknot, did you bring me what I asked you for?
I’m noticing a distinct lack of BFG
The BFG exists in several versions:
The original from Doom 1993 is just a rectantular box with a weird handle, the sides of the box is covered with techno pixelart, but nothing striking.
The Doom 64 version is very similar to the 1993 version.
The BFG in Doom 3 has a profile of a weird space potato: https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/BFG9000/Doom_3?file=BFG9000-BP.jpg
The ingame model is more like a rectantular box, but with an updated case: https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/BFG9000/Doom_3?file=Bfg3
In Doom 2016 is has a better styling, with an actual grip, it now actually looks like a gun!
In Doom Eternal it looks great, if a bit generic, but not bad.
The BFG does exist in Quake II and Quake 3 Arena, but the design is just terrible.
So while I like your enthusiasm, I don’t share your oppinion on the design of the BFG series.
For me it has to be the PPG from Babylon 5, it is small, but looks like it has some weight to it.
They crazy gun from The Fifth Element.
The ZF-1. [activates a ZF-1 and holds it] It’s light; handle’s adjustable for easy carrying; good for righties and lefties; breaks down into four parts; undetectable by X-ray; ideal for quick discreet interventions. A word on firepower. Titanium recharger; 3000-round clip with bursts of 3 to 300. With the replay button, another Zorg invention, it’s even easier. [lights reveal a mannequin in police gear] One shot… [shoots mannequin]…and replay sends every following shot to the same location. [turns around, shooting in the direction of the Mangalores; bullets curve their trajectory and hit the mannequin instead] And to finish the job, all the Zorg oldies-but-goldies. [fires every weapon at the mannequin as he mentions them] Rocket launcher… arrow launcher, with exploding or poisonous gas heads, very practical… our famous net launcher… the always-efficient flamethrower, my favorite… [winks to the Mangalores] and for the grand finale, the all-new ‘Ice-cube System’! [fires a cloud of liquid nitrogen which freezes the remains of the mannequin. Mangalores applaud politely by carnage]
Oldman is so fucking good.
Now a real killer, when he picked up the ZF-1, would’ve immediately asked about the little red button on the bottom of the gun…
You forgot to mention the ‘little red button’ :) - Well played for putting his whole monologue here - I was going to suggest that gun.
