7 Most Destructive Video Game Shotguns

7. Spas-12 - Half-Life 2

Most of the praise for Gordon Freeman’s arsenal of weaponry is (quite rightly) reserved for Half-Life 2’s iconic Gravity Gun – the lethal applications of which are plentiful. Such is the Gravity Gun’s brilliance that it’s easy to forget the other more mundane weapons at Freeman’s disposal.

The Spas-12 pump-action shotgun is the perfect example, and like most aspects of Valve’s masterpiece, it’s immaculately designed.

The weapon is first found in the “We Don’t Go To Ravenholm…” chapter, the games explicitly horror-focused zombie-infested level (the shotgun is of course the de facto weapon for any zombie-killer worth their salt). The Spas-12 is perfectly adapted to kill the horrors of Ravenholm, all of which want to get close and personal with Freeman.

Although the weapon isn’t ideal against the humanoid Combine soldiers – the Combine’s AI dictates some will keep their distance and utilize cover, while others will attempt to flank the player – there is a rare thrill when you turn the tables and get the drop on them with your shotgun. One point blank blast is enough to put a Combine down and trigger that iconic flatline noise.