First Person Shooters: The Evolution Of Weaponry

Guns, if there is anything consoles are not short of it is games with guns. From the low-cost budget approach of chainsaws in Doom to the physics engine demonstrating gravity gun of Half Life, developers have produced some iconic and imaginative pieces of hardware for players to get their hands on over the years. They are the lowest common denominator of all shooters but with smarter bosses and deadlier henchman the standard issue pistol just isn’t enough any more in a virtual firefight.

Holographic sights, grenade launcher attachments, heartbeat sensors, Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 has been guilty of fetishisizing gun accessories in order of becoming the most realistic shooter ever in history. It is as if firearms are a re-incarnation of Action Man dolls with owners choosing what outfit their piece of kit is going to be wearing day-to-day. Should I dress my assault rifle in the white camo suit or the desert war paint was the scenario I found myself asking the other day. The appearance of a weapon is so customizable that looks are rapidly becoming just as important as function on the fashion conscious streets of online gaming.

No two guns are identical and the infinite possibilities and combinations have made dying as original as ever (tactical nuke anyone?). Yet on previous consoles, the solution to evolving the standard arsenal of a secret agent had been to weave the ridiculous with the realistic. South Park’s outing on the N64 resulted in many “death by cow” instances from the trigger of one’s own cow launcher whilst the bouquet of roses in any wrestling game can have a very, ahem, prickly effect on their opponent.

Rare’s Perfect Dark is another example where the standard arsenal has been back-shelved (and framed in the shooting range) for a more futuristic collection to reflect the science fictioney story. Cloaking devices, shooting bullets through walls, there are some innovative items protagonist Joanna Dark can get her hands on but the “piece de resistance” is the laptop gun. Morphing from social-networking tool to deadly weapon at the click of a button is one thing but to detach it and let it mow down enemies from afar, on its own, made it a very worthy companion.

Such a companion that guns, in video gaming, can be man’s best friend. Today pimping up your piece has become the latest fashion because to everyone else it boasts the credentials of the player. Their unlocked achievements, their skill level, their rank (I’m a Brigadier General) characterize the player and his weapon of choice. For me though there is nothing better than a shotgun to the head of your best mate.