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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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37 Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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 =]

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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.

  8. @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.”

  9. 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

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. I know it’s the autistic stepchild of the Zelda series, but after getting the Downward Thrust in Zelda II: Adventure of Link, I REALLY started to enjoy that game. You could run, jump, and bounce of the heads of your enemies…suddenly you weren’t afraid so much of jumping across lava! I always made the Downward Thrust my #1 priority

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