4. The MP-40 – Call of Duty: World at War
The poor Call of Duty devs seem all too drawn to the idea of making guns a bit too good. Despite multiple studios now alternating releases, there always seems that one gun towering above all the rest. Usually the difference isn’t too severe, but in the worst cases we get weapons like World at War’s MP-40. There’s nothing too flashy to say about this weapon, it simply had the best of pretty much every world.
As an SMG, it allowed players to move and aim more quickly. Typically, these benefits would come at a tradeoff to damage, but the MP-40 dished it out like nobody’s business, killing in just a few hits at short to medium range. Throw in the gun’s enormous magazine size of 32 rounds with a rapid reload and you’ve baked a perfect recipe for some OP cookies. Oddly, the MP-40 was actually nerfed for the PC release of World at War, reducing the weapon’s damage, but the console version — and larger audience — never saw the patch arrive.
5. Prometheus Lens – Destiny 2
Now only a shade of its former self, the Spartan Laser inspired Prometheus Lens was the go to gun in Destiny 2’s PvP Crucible for a time. The laser weapon, intended to reward keeping your aim on target over an extended period, was instead capable of dissolving an enemy Guardian in little more than an instant. It went undiscovered for a while after release, but as soon as players began to realise just how broken the weapon was, everyone started scrambling to acquire it. The best part? Bungie’s first solution was to make the weapon available to all by adding it to space-merchant Xur’s list of goods.
The Crucible was soon filled to the brim with red lasers splaying out in every conceivable angle, as both sides did their best to melt the opposition. It was certainly stupid, but by god was it fun. So much so in fact that Eurogamer’s Wesley Yin-Poole ran an entire article on how much he loved it. While most would rather it didn’t return, you can be sure that players will look back fondly at the time the Prometheus Lens’ lasers lit up the Crucible like a christmas tree.
