History Main / PunchPackingPistol

* ''Videogame/PerfectDark'''s Phoenix pistol, like every other weapon in the game, has an alternate-fire mode. In this case, the rate of fire drops considerably but each round [[StuffBlowingUp explodes]], and can one-shot almost any enemy in the game. Even a near-miss will still cause damage.

* The ''Project Brutality'' {{Mod}} for ''[[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doom 2]]'' beefs up the dinky pistol into a powerful side arm, capable of being suppressed for silent headshots or [[GunsAkimbo used in both hands]] reducing accuracy but increasing damage and fire rate. Seeing how most of the monsters in game can be killed with a few shots to the head, this can save you ammo when your bigger guns are low or you're trying not to have that Revenant attack you.

* The [=DC3 Elite=] in ''VideoGame/{{Black}}'' straight up kills enemies with three shots to the chest. It can also land [[BoomHeadshot headshots]] from a [[SniperPistol far distance]].
** Being a fictional amalgamation of the Desert Eagle and Beretta 92, this might explain its unusual power.

This is in stark contrast to real life. As a general rule long guns have ''far'' better accuracy, effective range, and muzzle energy than any pistol. Intermediate-power assault rifle rounds (ex. 5.56x45mm NATO) and Full-power battle rifle rounds (ex. 7.62x51mm NATO) outclass ''all'' common handgun calibers (9mm, .45 ACP. 40 S&W, 10mm and even the mighty .44 Magnum). [[https://www.nij.gov/topics/technology/body-armor/Pages/standards.aspxT The best soft body armor vests]] will stop pistol rounds up to .44 Magnum and [[http://www.forensicmed.co.uk/wounds/firearms/ballistics/ assault rifle bullets tend to inflict far worse wounds.]] The only exceptions are [[HandCannon Handcannon-tier]] handgun calibers stronger than .44 Magnum (.454 Casull, .50 Action Express, .500 S&W Magnum), which CAN surpass 5.56 NATO ''and'' match 7.62 NATO in energy with specific ammo loads.

Why does this happen? Well, if video game pistols reflected the same role they do in Real Life, players would come to the same conclusion real militaries do: they are only useful as backup tools when the rifle is out of ammo or unable to be used due to damage or navigating tight spaces. Game developers want to give players a ''[[CompetitiveBalance variety]]'' [[CompetitiveBalance of balanced weapons and tactics]] to choose from, and boosting the power of pistols allows them to stay fun and useful weapons, despite their lower capacity and (in games where you can aim weapons) harder-to-use ironsights.

To differentiate the Punch Packing Pistol trope from the HandCannon trope, this page will ''mostly'' talk about the typical 9mm starter handguns that somehow rival rifles in damage. The big booming revolvers and Deagles have their own page.

To differentiate the Punch Packing Pistol trope from the HandCannon trope, this page will talk about the typical 9mm starter handguns that somehow rival rifles in damage. The big booming revolvers and Deagles have their own page.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': Nero only has Blue Rose as his firearm, but it has explosive firepower to compensate. When it made its debut in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'', its Charge Shot already deals significant damage even at Level 2, while its Level 3 upgrade adds a delayed explosion to deal even more damage and interrupt most enemies' moves. In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', its normal shots are slower than it did in the previous game, but the Color Up ability allows Nero to fire special bullets that deal high damage and can stun enemies. The Tomboy Devil Breaker turns Blue Rose into a weapon of mass destruction by overcharging its shots, but the drawback is that Nero is forced to stand still to handle the recoil and has to manually aim rather than rely on lock-on or auto-aim. By the final mission of ''[=DMC5=]'', [[spoiler:Nero recovers the original Charge Shot ability and its damage output can still be supplemented by his Color Up bullets]].

This is in stark contrast to real life. As a general rule long guns have ''far'' better accuracy, effective range, and muzzle energy than any pistol. Intermediate-power assault rifle rounds (ex. 5.56x45mm NATO) and Full-power battle rifle rounds (ex. 7.62x51mm NATO) outclass ''all'' common handgun calibers (9mm, .45 ACP. 40 S&W, 10mm and even the mighty .44 Magnum). [[https://www.nij.gov/topics/technology/body-armor/Pages/standards.aspxT The best soft body armor vests]] will stop pistol rounds up to .44 Magnum and [[http://www.forensicmed.co.uk/wounds/firearms/ballistics/ assault rifle bullets tend to inflict far worse wounds.]] The only exceptions are [[HandCannon Handcannon-tier]] handgun calibers stronger than .44 Magnum (454 Casull, .50 Action Express, .500 S&W Magnum), which CAN surpass 5.56 NATO ''and'' match 7.62 NATO in energy with specific ammo loads.

* ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' has a class of weapons known as the [[HandCannon Hand-cannons]], which are rather large [[RevolversAreJustBetter revolvers]] roughly the size of a sawed-off shotgun. They are difficult to use in PVP, but they hit like a truck.
** Sidearm secondary weapons in the House of Wolves expansion pack. This expansion introduced a measly two Sidearms (a normal one, Vestian Dynasty, and a much rarer Exotic one, Dreg's Promise), but they are remarkably effective, since they fire and reload fast, have mags of 15 (Dreg's Promise has 18), hit decently hard and the player can carry lots of ammo for it.

* The last two pistols available in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', the [=Red9=] and Blacktail, pack a huge punch. The former (an antique Mauser C96) isn't as spammable as the other options, but its max firepower is a huge 6.5, it fires decently fast, and with a stock, it becomes a super stable carbine. The Blacktail is a more generic modern pistol, with firepower topping at less devastating 4.5 and being the fastest-firing handgun in the game, as well as the one with the highest magazine capacity.

In RealLife, there are very good reasons why the militaries of the world unanimously arm their soldiers with rifles as primary weapons. As a whole, long guns have ''far'' better accuracy, effective range, and muzzle energy than any pistol. Intermediate-power assault rifle rounds (ex. 5.56x45mm NATO) and Full-power battle rifle rounds (ex. 7.62x51mm NATO) have way higher kinetic energy than ''all'' common handgun calibers (9x19mm, .45 ACP. 40 S&W, 10mm etc). This also includes .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun caliber commonly used by civilians.

[[HandCannon Handcannon-tier]] handgun calibers stronger than .44 Magnum such as .454 Casull, .50 Action Express, .475 Linebaugh, and .500 S&W Magnum CAN surpass 5.56 NATO ''and'' match 7.62 NATO in energy, with specific ammo loads. However, rifle calibers stronger than 7.62 such as .338 Lapua Magnum leave the handcannon calibers in the dust, thus reinforcing the trope once more.

[[https://www.nij.gov/topics/technology/body-armor/Pages/standards.aspxT The best soft body armor vests]] will stop just about any pistol round short of "handcannon" tier calibers, (even the mighty .44 Magnum gets stopped), yet will be zipped through like butter by any intermediate-power rifle round. Wounding profile is slightly less lopsided in favor of rifle rounds due to some pistol rounds having fairly high momentum and mass, but even then, [[http://www.forensicmed.co.uk/wounds/firearms/ballistics/ assault rifle bullets tend to inflict far worse wounds.]]

But in video games? Not so. In both {{First|PersonShooter}}- and ThirdPersonShooter[=s=], starting handguns often have a damage per bullet that's at least comparable to the standard issue assault rifle, if not superior. These games also often offer the player a [[StandardFPSGuns 'heavy pistol']] or {{revolver|sAreJustBetter}} which is [[ArbitraryGunPower vastly more powerful per shot than even the sniper rifle]], usually capable of taking out mooks with a [[BoomHeadshot single headshot]].

Why does this happen? While having one weapon be overwhelmingly superior might be realistic, [[RuleOfFun it doesn't make for particularly fun gameplay]]. If video game pistols reflected the same role they do in Real Life, players would come to the same conclusion real militaries do: that there's little reason to ever use them other than as a backup tool. Developers want to give players a ''[[CompetitiveBalance variety]]'' [[CompetitiveBalance of more-or-less balanced weapons and tactics]] to choose from, and dramatically boosting the power of pistols allows them to stay fun and useful weapons, despite their lower capacity and (in games where you can aim weapons) harder-to-use ironsights, without making any glaring inaccuracies to the average player.

[[HandCannon Handcannon-tier]] handgun calibers stronger than .44 Magnum such as .454 Casull, .50 Action Express, .475 Linebaugh, and .500 S&W Magnum ''CAN'' match 7.62 NATO in energy, depending on the bullet load. However, rifle calibers stronger than 7.62 such as .338 Lapua Magnum leave the handcannon calibers in the dust, thus reinforcing the trope once more.

In RealLife, there are very good reasons why the militaries of the world unanimously arm their soldiers with long guns as primary weapons. As a whole, long guns have ''far'' better accuracy, effective range, and muzzle energy than any pistol. Intermediate-power assault rifle rounds (ex. 5.56x45mm NATO) and Full-power battle rifle rounds (ex. 7.62x51mm NATO) have way higher kinetic energy than ''all'' common handgun calibers (9x19mm, .45 ACP. 40 S&W, etc). This also includes .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun caliber commonly used by civilians.

But in video games? Not so. It's incredibly common for both {{First|PersonShooter}}- and ThirdPersonShooter[=s=] to offer the player a [[StandardFPSGuns 'heavy pistol']] or {{revolver|sAreJustBetter}} which is [[ArbitraryGunPower vastly more powerful per shot than their standard automatic rifle]], usually capable of taking out mooks with a [[BoomHeadshot single headshot]] while the rifle might only plink away at them even ''with'' those same headshots. Even more standard handguns often have a damage per bullet that's at least comparable to an assault rifle, if not superior.

Why does this happen? While having one weapon be overwhelmingly superior might be realistic, [[RuleOfFun it doesn't make for particularly fun gameplay]]. If video game pistols reflected the same role they do in Real Life, players would come to the same conclusion real militaries do: that there's little reason to ever use them when an automatic rifle is available. Developers want to give players a ''[[CompetitiveBalance variety]]'' [[CompetitiveBalance of more-or-less balanced weapons and tactics]] to choose from, and dramatically boosting the power of pistols allows them to stay fun and useful weapons, despite their lower capacity and (in games where you can aim weapons) harder-to-use ironsights, without making any glaring inaccuracies to the average player.