FAR CRY: Mortar from FC2 is really cool, I couldn't care about the effectiveness, the functionality is fantastic, the reason I searched this thread in the first place
COCK OF SHOOTY: CoD Black Ops' AK74 is my hands-down favorite weapon in the entire series NOT COUNTING THE APPROPRIATE-USE PTRS-41 IN THE UNITED OFFENSIVE EXPANSIONS based on feel/sound/effective damage, bonus points for being tucked in at the end of my favorite era of the game.
DARKTIDE/VERMINTIDE: Warhammers are really cool and stay really cool. All the Darktide thread bitching aside, the fanservice from Fatshark is really consistent, any long-term fans of the series will eventually get exactly what they want, limitless crowd control included
BORDERLANDS: Double Anarchy deserves a mention in any of these discussions, the DA SMG is the most important staple of the Borderlands series and the internal push to make weapons more unique killed its legacy in the crib
DUSK: Dual Sickles is a great boomer shooter starting weapon, and matches the esthetic perfectly. Add in projectile deflection and you have a really valuable 1 key
DOOM: THE super shotgun stayed consistent, even through the new games, and considering the state of modern game dev that deserves a lot more praise than it reasonably should
SILENT HILL: The shotgun in SH2 made the experience of playing that game blind infinitely better, deleting enemies with one or two shells at the point of the game where it allows you to use that weapon without much worry about ammo lets you focus on the puzzle, narrative, and environment so much more. I haven't played SH3 yet, so I can't say if there's an equivalent in the series, but the SH2 shotgun is one of those weapons that feels like the creative guide for the role of a shotgun in a survival horror
TF2: My favorite weapon is the Rocket Jumper. My favorite concept is the Rocket Jumper. Rocket jumping in TF2 is the only reason I even play that trash, hacker-filled menace in the first place, I run Market Gardener (PKS) and MANtreads almost exclusively whenever I feel like playing it
FALLOUT: the 44. Magnum in New Vegas is the best use of points into your Guns skill in the entire series, and having a stock of multiple kinds of ammo for it easily lets you focus on the important part of the game; drinking a bunch of booze and popping Buffout to carry your garbage back to Gun Runners
HALO: Every day I hope for a competitor to the original Plasma Pistol/BR combo, it might be OP if used correctly, but adding the PP charge time and the BR not being a one-shot without the full burst hitting balances it out very well in my mind
CONTROL: Charge with multiple damage-after-kill effects is very strong when it comes to trivializing combat to get back to the story, it also staggers a lot of enemies enough to follow up with Pierce for significant damage
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: The Valmet is a wonderful rifle irl, and adding an integrated silencer could only ever be a good thing
Jedi Knight: WHY is it not fun to use a Lightsaber anymore
SERIOUS SAM: Minigun is very good, especially when you realize the game tries to trick you into dipping into its ammo pool. When the metal kicks in and the big enemies are spawning next to the smaller ones, you hit 5 twice and have a breather for the next 2 minutes as you do the real enemy priority stuff
BALDURS GATE: Full Bonespike Barbarian is incredibly threatening in BG3, and then you add all the bonuses you've been working towards while collecting the set and you instantly become the most threatening thing on the battlefield
HALF-LIFE: Gravity Gun. Gordon, unfortunately, doesn't belong in the next section due to Gabe being afraid of his new staff's creative potential in respects to his original image of the game.
GAMES I THINK THE MAIN CHARACTER IS THE STRONGEST WEAPON IN: Disco Elysium, Alan Wake, Vampire Survivors, System/BioShock, Postal, the Elder Scrolls (God dammit, potion crafting), Yakuza, RE4 starring Leon Kennedy, Psychonauts, Gloomwood, Stanley Parable, etc.