Jan 12 2009
Ten of the Most Devastating Weapons from NES Games
Obtaining a new, more powerful weapon during the course on an old-school NES game was always a rush. Tough enemies were suddenly wusses, and an upgraded or new weapon leveled the playing field tremendously. It was tough not to take pleasure in the increased body count of your foes. For this article, I’m not writing about standard or default weapons - like, say, Pit’s bow in Kid Icarus - no matter how cool they may be. Instead, here’s a look at ten of the most devastating weapons that one can acquire in games for the original NES.
The Screw Attack - Metroid
The Screw Attack is probably my favorite “weapon” on this list, due in part to the simplicity of its use coupled with my love of all things Samus. AFter obtaining the Screw Attack, Samus can hurl herself toward enemies, becoming a spinning vixen of destruction and obliterating anything in her path. Until finally facing metroids and Mother Brain, the ice beam and missles are obsolete when Samus is equipped with the Screw Attack.
The Spread Gun - Contra
Ah, the notorious spread gun. Anyone who’s played Contra (and really, who hasn’t?) can tell you how effective this weapon is, pelting numerous enemies at different locations on the screen with a barrage of bullets. There’s no reason to pick up any other type of weapon after grabbing the spread gun.
Masamune - Final Fantasy
You won’t find the Masamune until you’ve nearly completed this classic RPG and you have to go a bit out of the way to find it, but it’s definitely worth the trouble. Even more powerful than the Excalibur, the Masamune can be equipped by any class (assuming you’ve brought the Rat’s Tail to Bahamut) and make quick work of any adversaries you encounter. Best of all, your white mage - if you have one in your party - can now attack effectively.
Laser Shot - Life Force
The sequel to Gradius and one of the games for which you can use the infamous Konami code, Life Force was an underrated NES game. You can add a variety of upgrades to your ship, such as speed, the ripple shot, and even missles, but nothing gives you more bang for your buck than a maxed out laser shot. Common enemies are instantly skewered, and if you’re an accurate shot, even bosses can be disposed of in a matter of seconds.
Magic Sword - The Legend of Zelda
Once Link upgrades to the Magic Sword, those annoying Darknuts and vicious sword-throwing centaurs become mere afterthoughts. Plus, it’s the only weapon - coupled with the Silver Arrow - that can be used to defeat Gannon. Really, though, it makes fighting those blue Darknuts so much less of a headache. I hated blue Darknuts.
Boomerang - Castlevania
The boomerang is a powerful, cross-shaped projectile that crushes anything in its path and then conveniently returns to Simon Belmont, where it’s once again ready to be chucked at you undead foes. Best of all, if you manage to find a triple shot (you know, that wonderful little block with a “III” on it), Simon becomes virtually unstoppable. Even the Grim Reaper can be slayed easily if you’re tossing around a trio of boomerangs.
The Dirk - Batman
Was Sunsoft’s Batman a great game or what? It had superb graphics for an 8-bit game and was challenging as hell. Naturally, Batman has numerous weapons and gadgets at his disposal, but in this game, none were more effective than the Dirk. The Dirk, once shot, would split into three projectiles, inflicting massive damage on any poor soul unfortunate enough to stand in their way. The Dirk was also great for boss fights, as Batman could stay on a ledge and out of harm’s way while the Dirk did all the work for him.
The Remote Control Missile - Metal Gear
Even back in his 8-bit days, Solid Snake was a bad ass with an arsenal that would make the militaries of some countries jealous. In the original Metal Gear for the NES, the remote control missle - while not as strong as the rocket launcher - could be guided toward its target even after it was fired. This was perfect for taking out hard-to-reach control panels, but also a fun method for ramming missles up your enemies’ collective asses.
Daggers/Knives - Ghosts N’ Goblins
Faster than the standard lance, daggers (or knives?) could also be thrown two at a time by Arthur. In this freaking impossible game, your choice of weapon made all the difference. Some well-thrown daggers could get you past those otherwise insanely annoying red devils without too much trouble. If you managed to get stuck with the flame, though, you might as well have reset the game and started over. Daggers were where it was at.
Helicopter - Ikari Warriors
Sure, the helicopter was powerful and could mow down countless enemies, but its real value was its speed. Even with the “ABBA” code, the stages in Ikari Warriors were tedious and took forever to complete. Getting lucky enough to pilot a helicopter meant cruising through substantial parts of the level quickly, saving yourself the trouble of plodding through at a snail’s pace.
So, did I miss any weapons? I was considering the Art of the Fire Wheel in Ninja Gaiden, but wasn’t the Jump & Slash just as effective? Of course, there’s also Super Mario Bros.’ Fire Flower, but I think the ten weapons in this article trump that, as well. Hit me up and let me know what I missed (with name-calling, of course).
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Good list, the one that sprang to mind right away was the Contra spread gun. As long as that’s on there I have no major complaints.
Metal Blade from Mega Man 2 should totally be on this list.
The spinning slash in Ninja Gaiden I think would be a good addition for this list. Not only does it turn you into a crazy ball of spinning doom that makes it much easier to perform platform jumps without the knockback dropping you down a pit, but placed right it can kill most bosses in about a second.
WHERE THE FUCK IS THE METAL BLADE FROM MEGAMAN 2?!?!?!?!?!?
I find it amusing that the Ikari Warriors movie posted is titled ‘Useless Weapons and Items #4′. It was always useful to me!
Triple holy water in Castelvania 1 made most bosses not even get a single attack off, including Dracula’s demon form. Only the Grim Reaper and Dracula’s first form could move at all. Plus 3x holy water made the Grim Reaper stage a breeze. Also, the boss-bats at the beginning of Dracula stage would burn easily if they get caught in the fire, but the clock was more useful here.
Also, FIRE BIRD FORM in legendary wings! Man, that had to be the best weapon-state ever for a NES game, one was nearly invincible with FIRE BIRD on legendary wings.
Also, the triple-kick and Texas boots in River City Ransom.
Also, the elec-beam in Mega Man 1. (Especially with the pause trick). The elec beam in Mega Man 1 had to be one of the coolest special weapons on NES ever.
Also, FULL GUN in the overhead view in Blaster Master. That gun was ridiculously powerful and went through walls.
[…] Article here […]
You lose like 10,000 credibility points for not including the nefarious “Jump and Slash” from Ninja Gaiden. You could kill any boss, even the final boss, with one hit. Doesn’t get more devastating than that.
You could have added the Hammer Bros. suit from Super Mario Bros. 3.
you mentioned SuperMario, but the wrong item, you should be thinking SuperMario 3, the GUMBA BOOT! =D that thing was amazing!! I would replay the one level it was used over and over to smash the hell out of anything that got in my way =]
i think the clones from ninja gaiden 3? might have been 2… should be on this list, you could get like 2 or 3 copys of ryu all slashing away at enemies and even surrond bosses and such.. it was always my favorite pick up
i yes i forgot the name calling.. you worthless piece of shit, how could you forget something that causes as much ass kickery as hayabusa clones? you should be nudered and then shot
Speaking of Mario Bros, how you forget the deadliest weapon of them all? The fuckin star son. It makes you invincible. You just run through cats like they don’t even exist.
@AndrewWK
The clones were good, as was the jump and slash, but what about the Fire Wheel? You could take out Jacqio (or however it’s spelled) in a matter of seconds.
Thanks for reading, and learn how to spell “neutered.”
@Ray Dollete
10,000 credibility points? Shit, that leaves me with only 15,000. I better restock.
Clearly the hammer bros. suit is the most badass weapon ever
hmmm…
how bout one of the original Devastating weapons..
The Power Pellet from PacMan!!!!
I thought the Tanooki suit was more useful than the hammer suit in general play from SMB3.
About half way through I forgot it was about NES games and was waiting for something about the police backup from Streets of Rage or something cool from Phantasy Star 4.
I think something has been left out… probably the best weapon in all of NES history, literally unstoppable and capable of defeating even the best of players. that weapon is of course Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl! hahaha BEST WEAPON EVER
Legend of Zelda - Master Sword not Magic Sword
Actually, you didn’t need the Master Sword to kill Gannon. You could use the Blue Sword and the Silver Arrow, it was just a lot harder. Guess that’s a few more credibility points…
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I would suggest that you add the fully assembled heavy Barrel from Heavy Barrel. It’s easily more powerful than any of the previously mentioned weapons.
Link/Kingfox:
Check Wikipedia. It’s the Magic Sword, not the Master Sword. The Master Sword made it’s first appearance in ALTTP.
Oooooh, yeah, the Metal Blade from Mega Man 2. Not only did it completely surpass the normal Mega Buster for use in the levels, it was also good against several bosses, instead of just the typical one. And you got a bajillion of those things for each bar of energy, too.
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[…] Devastating Weapons from NES Games at Unreality. Tagged: best nes weapons, best power ups, most devastating weapons from nes games, nes games, […]
ah how i miss the spread gun. I really should get contra for my wii
[…] Ten of the Most Devastating Weapons from NES Games on unrealitymag.com. Obtaining a new, more powerful weapon during the course on an old-school NES game was always a rush. Tough enemies were suddenly wusses, and an upgraded or new weapon leveled the playing field tremendously. Here is 10 Most Devatating weapons from NES Games. […]
what about [H] homing shots of Recca ?
[…] Ten of the Most Devastating Weapons from NES Games on unrealitymag.com. Obtaining a new, more powerful weapon during the course on an old-school NES game was always a rush. Tough enemies were suddenly wusses, and an upgraded or new weapon leveled the playing field tremendously. Here is 10 Most Devatating weapons from NES Games. […]
Hahaha oh man the SPREAD GUN!!!
I desimated some goons with that thing back in my day, but where is MEGA MAN?
[…] one of the more fulfilling experiences a gamer can have. Back in January, we ran down a list of 10 of the most devastating weapons from NES games, but what about the upgrades that improve your defense? Inflicting greater damage on your foes is […]