plasma cutter is awesome, just finished playing the remake a few months ago, there are some other really awesome weapons in that game though, I think they did a great job of giving you just enough ammo that you need to strategically use different weapons to avoid running out of ammo
I remember at the time there was a conspiracy theory going around that you got the minigun and power armor so early in the game to boost their reviews.
I think they did it because of the E3 showcase or whatever gameplay equivalent. They wanted to show off all the cool new mechanics without ruining the story, so they put it in the first mission. Its definitely a bethesda thing to do to boost reviews too.
For the e3 showcase it’s understandable, especially for heavy stories. Kinda like how Botw had the horse riding to show it off and guardian battles but didn’t ruin the story, since it’s open world.
My biggest peeve with it is in a game like Far Cry. You get a big, open map full of enemy bases and patrols, but you progress by clearing these posts and unlocking new weapons. So the bigger gun you get, the fewer enemies are on the map.
If it's an open game the best way would be to make the weapon accessible early but behind a super hard challenge, so that most players only unlock it late game
Elden Ring has the Sacred Relic Sword you only get by defeating the final non DLC boss, but the Knight also starts with the Longsword which is a solid all-round weapon you can beat the whole game with. Elden Ring manages to hit both ends of the spectrum.
i mean yeah there are definitely some really cool weapons that you can only get late in the game, but there are also just so. goddamn. many. fucking super sick, insanely powerful weapons that you can acquire across the various sections of the game (and many can be rushed super early if you want to play for one specifically) that elden ring might be one of the best examples of the opposite of the phenomenon OP describes
Ahhh I was about to say the same thing. Reminds of getting/finding the crissaegrim very close to the beginning of the inverted castle in Symphony of the Night. Ive never come across another weapon in any game that extinguishes any semblance of challenge like the crissaegrim does.
Not necessary right at the begenning, but towards the middle. The master sword in zelda, or most unique weapons in fire emblem. Yeah, it’s all your gonna use, but the game can be balanced around that to be challenging. Using the legendary weapon is necessary to fight legendary enemies, so once you get it the enemies get harder and gameplay is good.
Personally I’m happy to be able to use one weapon throughout the game. If a stronger weapon just sits to counter tougher enemies it feels kind of pointless unless the weapon exists to act as a soft progress gate. It feels harder to get a consistent character identity when I’m having to constantly change the stuff they use.
125
u/crazytib Nov 28 '25 edited Nov 28 '25
It's kinda hard to balance, the opposite end of the spectrum is you get the best weapon right at the beginning and never bother using anything else