Ask Lemmy

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.

I really like the Aperture Labs portal gun.

The pod gun from Fifth Element is one of the most interesting from both a design and an effects perspective IMO.

Noisy Cricket

Deckard’s gun in Blade Runner was always my favorite. Somewhat uncanny because it was clearly sci-fi, but retained that hard boiled detective aesthetic, like you misremembered a noir shootout.

I have way too little knowledge about the genre in general but there was something oddly satisfying about the Service Weapon a.k.a. Director’s Gun from the Federal Bureau od Control..

But I am guessing the part of using it as a game mechanic makes a big difference, there were plenty cool looking things in movies or series — but this one just jumped first to my mind.

I’m partial to the Judges’ guns, particularly from the Urban-led movie, as I’ve not delved much into the comics.

Also, I think this falls more into the fantasy category, but I love the chonkiness of Hellboy’s Samaritan.

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.

Since I haven't seen it mentioned yet, the M56 Smartgun from Aliens is pretty awesome.

Zat'nik'tel from Stargate SG:1.

First shot stuns. Second shot kills. Third shot disintegrates.

The iconic and tastefully restrained design of the Blade Runner handgun https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/(Blade_Runner)_-_LAPD_2019_Blaster

I don't know if anime counts, but the Psycho-Pass "Dominator" is a really cool science fiction concept in itself.

Someone needs to go through and add inline images to each of these

The Callahan Full-bore Autolock "Vera"

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

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:

https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Prequel_Trilogy

Spetsdöd.

I guarantee you've never heard of it because it only appears in a series of novels by Steve Perry, the Matador books.

The gag is, it glues to the back of your hand. The barrel runs along your index finger, and you fire it by pointing your finger and touching the barrel tip with your fingernail.

It fires microdarts which can have a variety of effects, the #1 use being a drug called "Spasm" which makes every muscle in the body contract involuntarily, leaving the victim tied in a knot for 6 months.

The original trilogy of books:

The Man Who Never Missed
Matadora
The Machiavelli Interface

Then solo books after:

The Albino Knife
Black Steel
Brother Death
Churl

Prequels:

Omega Cage
The 97th Step
The Musashi Flex

phasers

I'll take the boring route. I respect the gun design of the N7 weapons. They look like futuristic versions of our current weapons but the paint design is on point.

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.

All the Warhammer 40k guns are pretty thick.

I'm going OG - the Buck Rogers disintegrator gun.
(See: Foo Fighters self titled release)

The Laptop Gun from Perfect Dark

For me it has to be the PPG from Babylon 5, it is small, but looks like it has some weight to it.

As much as I didn't like the game, the MagX guns in Starfield are pretty dope.

The flesh guns in eXistenZe are also pretty rad.

The Zorg gun is cool, but I always liked Judge Dredd's more. All the same multivariety of fire modes, but in a compact handheld design.

Destiny 2 has some great ones. I always liked the design of the Sleeper Simulant.

The GBE from Blame!

Its sleek and compact nature belies its supreme stopping power.

Which fits perfectly in line with Killy.

NGL I really dig the Blade Runner Pistols

I don't even like the anime but the Dominator is now my favorite one.

Does mikoto misaka count? She's a walking talking railgun.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoto_Misaka

The coolest design is the gun-chucks from RWBY completely impractical, but awesome at the same time.

Genius needs simplicity. But many of these suggestions here lack in that respect.

I like the Jedi Killer.