History Main / ArbitraryGunPower

** Funnily enough, the arbitrary power does not even stay consistent between games. The M1911 is treated as a magnum weapon in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' (stronger than even a sniper rifle), but it's treated as a normal pistol in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage''.

** The [[VideoGame/Fallout original game]], and the [[VideoGame/Fallout2 sequel]], are pretty consistent about damage when it comes to the rounds used, rather than the gun shooting them. The 10mm pistol and the 10mm SMG, for example, do the same amount of damage, but the SMG has a 10 round burst fire that can inflict far more damage at the cost of using more ammunition. There are some discrepancies, however.

** The first game follows PunchPackingPistol to a tee: 9mm rounds magically do more damage and are more accurate when fired out of a comparatively-tiny Glock 17 than when fired out of an [=MP5=] for whatever reason; the only reason the latter is even of any use at all is because of its underbarrel GrenadeLauncher. This gets especially ridiculous when using the official high definition pack (which can be enabled in the pause menu for the Steam version) or playing the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] port, where the [=MP5=] is replaced with a Colt Commando in 5.56mm.

* The hunting rifle in the ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' series is based on a weapon (Ruger Mini-14) that should be firing the same bullets (5.56x45mm) as the assault rifle (M-16), but in-game is a terror that deals thrice as much damage (33 vs 90) and will penetrate and [[OneHitPolykill instantly kill as many zombies as you can line up in one shot]]; meanwhile the assault rifle will barely penetrate one zombie and often requires multiple bullets to put them down. The pistol-versus-rifle issue is at least played somewhat closer to reality, as the standard pistols suffer in accuracy and damage per shot compared to any of the primary weapons, but because they have [[BottomlessMagazines infinite reserve ammo]] and a high yet controllable maximum rate of fire, a lot of players still swear by them (even without the achievement for completing a campaign using nothing but the pistols, since some players will continue relying on them even after getting that achievement). Meanwhile, the HandCannon Magnum introduced in ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' trades capacity and fire rate for damage jacked-up close to that of the sniper rifles' -- even Realism mode's ridiculously tough common Infected can tank two or three shots from a sniper rifle with no problem, but will die where they stand from a Magnum shot to the gut. Specifically it deals 80 damage per shot, over twice as much as the assault rifle's 5.56mm rounds (which have about the same kinetic energy as the Magnum's .50 AE rounds in real life) and just a hair less than the sniper rifle's 7.62x51mm rounds (which have about ''twice'' as much kinetic energy in real life).

* The hunting rifle in the ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' series is based on a weapon that should be firing the same bullets as the assault rifle, but in-game is a terror that will penetrate and [[OneHitPolykill instantly kill as many zombies as you can line up in one shot]]; meanwhile the assault rifle will barely penetrate one zombie and often requires multiple bullets to put them down. The pistol-versus-rifle issue is at least played somewhat closer to reality, as the standard pistols suffer in accuracy and damage per shot compared to any of the primary weapons, but because they have [[BottomlessMagazines infinite reserve ammo]] and a high yet controllable maximum rate of fire, a lot of players still swear by them (even without the achievement for completing a campaign using nothing but the pistols, since some players will continue relying on them even after getting that achievement). Meanwhile, the HandCannon Magnum introduced in ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' trades capacity and fire rate for damage jacked-up close to that of the sniper rifles' -- even Realism mode's ridiculously tough common Infected can tank two or three shots from a sniper rifle with no problem, but will die where they stand from a Magnum shot to the gut.

** ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'': Going by official sources on the ammo used by the assault rifle (7.62x51mm) and pistol ([[HandCannon 12.7x40mm]]), you'd think they'd be about the same power. The rifle requires some odd 20 rounds (1/3 of the magazine) to down an Elite and 3-10 to kill Grunts and Jackals (depending on rank). The pistol is one of the most powerful weapons in the game, allowing for a one-shot of all the Grunts and two shots for Elites.

In entertainment media, however, the creators may arbitrarily assign any given gun more or less power than it should have, whether it is some calculable damage value be it in movies, where whatever the heroes use fire [[InstantDeathBullet Instant Death Bullets]] while the mooks can never kill anyone [[ImperialMarksmanshipAcademy when they manage to land a shot]] or the weapons in a video game do damage relative to their design (e.g., a pistol does 10 damage per shot, a sniper rifle does 20, anything automatic does 2), or that a ([[LawOfInverseRecoil gun with more kick back, should do more damage]] in a twisted sense of Newton's Third Law [[note]]Recoil is a tricky business, as the amount ''you feel'' depends on a number of factors. Two different rifles can each be better or worse at handling their recoil than the other (due to shorter or longer barrels, gun weight, recoil compensation etc.) You'd need a gun as small and light as a bullet to receive the exact same force back.[[/note]]. Maybe it's to fight ComplacentGamingSyndrome, or perhaps the creator just wanted something dramatic. It may not make sense that a weeny pistol in real life does more damage than a rifle, but [[RuleOfCool it sure is cool]].

In entertainment media, however, the creators may arbitrarily assign any given gun more or less power than it should have, whether it is some calculable damage value (e.g., a pistol does 10 damage per shot, a sniper rifle does 20, anything automatic does 2), or given a gun's recoil, that gun should be really powerful in a twisted sense of Newton's Third Law ([[LawOfInverseRecoil the more kick back, the bigger the damage right]]?) [[note]]Recoil is a tricky business, as the amount ''you feel'' depends on a number of factors. Two different rifles can each be better or worse at handling their recoil than the other (due to shorter or longer barrels, gun weight, recoil compensation etc.) You'd need a gun as small and light as a bullet to receive the exact same force back.[[/note]]. Maybe it's to fight ComplacentGamingSyndrome, or perhaps the creator just wanted something dramatic. It may not make sense that a weeny pistol in real life does more damage than a rifle, but [[RuleOfCool it sure is cool]].

* Averted in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'', as firearm damage is calculated from known muzle energy and bullet diameter.

* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', the [[SwissArmyWeapon Assault Rifle]] and [[GunsAkimbo Dual Pistol]] powersets run on this trope. Not only can {{Badass Normal}}s and {{Squishy Wizard}}s sustain multiple gunshot wounds with no lasting damage, your own guns will barely even affect [=NPCs=] that are four or more levels above you. They are also no more powerful than any other [[GlassCannon Blaster]] powerset, including Sonic Screams, [[AnIcePerson Ice Blasts]], and [[ArcherArchetype Archery]].

In real life, rifles are also just all-around ''better'' than pistols. Their higher velocity ammunition makes them more powerful, more accurate, and longer-ranged. If they weren't, nobody would bother with the bigger, bulkier guns. The only advantages of pistols are that their reduced size and weight makes them easier to carry and easier to use in cramped spaces, and for civilian (or espionage/assassination) use they're much easier to conceal. But those advantages rarely play much (if any) role in video games, because the player character getting fatigued by the weight of their gun would be frustrating rather than fun for players. But many pistols are iconic to the time period that a game takes place in, so the developers want to include them and make them useful, and thus give them arbitrary advantages over rifles.

In RealLife, the range and lethality of a firearm is dependent on the kinetic energy imparted by the bullet, with guns that fire larger caliber ammunition (more gunpowder and a larger bullet) being more powerful.

* The Spanish film ''800 Bullets'' includes a scene where the old man blows up a backhoe with one shot from a lever-action rifle.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}''

** In ''VideoGame/Battlefield1942'', machine guns such as the BAR were treated as video-game-style assault rifles, meaning that they had weak power but were automatic... and [[ArtisticLicenseHistory they were the primary weapon of the assault classes]]. Historical standard-issue rifles were wielded only by engineers in the game. Fixed machine guns were laughably weak and whoever used them stood straight up, exposed to enemy fire. The only instant kill shot was a sniper headshot. Presumably, these were all AcceptableBreaksFromReality, but the ''VideoGame/ForgottenHope'' [[GameMod mod]] made weapon damage and weapon assignments much more realistic and historical, and was generally well-received.

* Throughout the history of the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series, pistols compensate for their small reserve ammo pool, bad range and relatively low accuracy (large cone of fire when hip-firing and no zoom when aiming down the sights) with '''incredible''' close-range firepower - even the diminutive 7.62x25mm of a Tokarev competes with the .30-06 of the M1 Garand on how few shots are needed to take an enemy down when you're within ten meters or so.[[labelnote:*]]The sole exception is the Executioner in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' - being a revolver that loads shotgun shells, ShortRangeShotgun naturally takes priority, and as such it is basically impossible to kill someone in a single shot unless you are within the range that you could just knife them.[[/labelnote]]

In entertainment media, however, the creators may arbitrarily assign any given gun more or less power than it should have, whether it is some calculable damage value (e.g., a pistol does 10 damage per shot, a sniper rifle does 20, anything automatic does 2), or given a gun's recoil, that gun should be really powerful in a twisted sense of Newton's Third Law ([[LawOfInverseRecoil the more kick back, the bigger the damage right]]?) [[note]]Recoil is a tricky business, as the amount ''you feel'' depends on a number of factors. Two different rifles can each be better or worse at handling their recoil than the other (due to shorter or longer barrels, gun weight, recoil compensation etc.) You'd need a gun as small and light as a bullet to receive the exact same force back.[[/note]]. Maybe it's to fight ComplacentGamingSyndrome, or perhaps the creator just wanted something dramatic. It may not make sense that a weeny pistol in real life is now a hand cannon, but [[RuleOfCool it does look cool]]. But it's still absurd that there are strange cases where guns just can't seem to kill as fast as they should.

In real life, rifles are also just all-around ''better'' than pistols. More powerful, more accurate, and longer-ranged. If they weren't, nobody would bother with the bigger, bulkier guns. The only advantages of pistols are that their reduced size and weight makes them easier to carry and easier to use in cramped spaces, and for civilian (or espionage/assassination) use they're much easier to conceal. But those advantages rarely play much (if any) role in video games, because the player character getting fatigued by the weight of their gun would be frustrating rather than fun for players. But many pistols are iconic to the time period that a game takes place in, so the developers want to include them and make them useful, and thus give them arbitrary advantages over rifles.

This can lead to some extreme oddities, such as certain guns having wildly different damage outputs despite using the same caliber and having similar barrel lengths. It can become even stranger in games that feature some kind of bow weapon, which will usually compensate for the obvious weaknesses by upping its damage to the point of being among the best single-shot weapons in the game--despite even the most primitive guns far outclassing any handheld bow in raw power.

** Bizarrely, the first game balances out the assault rifle's high damage and rate of fire by giving it a lower magazine capacity than ''all three'' sidearms. This counter-intuitively makes it fill the standard "magnum" role (big damage, scarce ammo, constant reloading) while the actual Magnum acts as the BoringButPractical general-purpose weapon.

** Bizarrely, the first game balances out the assault rifle's high damage and rate of fire by giving it a lower magazine capacity than ''all three'' sidearms. This counter-intuitively makes it fill the standard "magnum" role while the actual Magnum acts as the BoringButPractical general-purpose weapon.