History Main / PunchPackingPistol

* In both ''Left4Dead'' games, the ordinary pistol is quite an effective weapon, particularly when it's upgraded to GunsAkimbo (while the weapon's technically being upgraded, it remains the EmergencyWeapon). The original even has an achievement for completing an entire campaign with one.

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[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In AlphaProtocol a silenced, well-modded pistol can see you through the entire game with only a modest investment in Stealth skills. The pistol skill's special ability, Chain Shot, allows you to essentially pause the game and line up several shots before time resumes. In short it allows you to [[BoomHeadshot put down]] just about any boss character before he can blink.

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This gun is everything. Cleanly polished, bright silver. It never jams, it has a large magazine so it barely ever needs to be reloaded. It has the stopping power of a shotgun, the fire rate of an SMG, and it can do [[BoomHeadshot headshots for instant kills]] from a mile away, and it has a scope and a laser sight to boot.

It is . . . a 9mm/.45 caliber pistol?

There is a strange tendency in some video games to make the starting pistol so ultimately powerful that you may never have to use anything else, since ammo is so plentiful and the gun is so [[BoringButPractical practical]]. These are those guns.

!Examples

[[AC: VideoGames]]

** The first game is infamous for its pistol which almost perfectly fits the trope description.

* HalfLife:

** The [[RevolversAreJustBetter Colt Python]] does far more damage than one could normally expect from a .357; they should have said it was a .44 Magnum or even something bigger like the .454 Casull.

** ''HaloCombatEvolved'' is infamous for it's Magnum handgun, which did have a sort of scope, and ridiculous power.

** ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' originally had a handgun just as powerful that you could DualWield. [[GameBreaker This was later patched.]]
* In both ''Left4Dead'' games, the ordinary pistol is quite an effective weapon, particularly when it's upgraded to GunsAkimbo (while the weapon's technically being upgraded, it remains the EmergencyWeapon). The original even has an achievement for completing an entire campaign with one.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' gives you a 9mm handgun at the start that you can make very powerful through upgrades. Then, a second gun comes around with better starting stats that can be made even better. Infuriating, right? Nah, the upgrades on your old handgun make it astoundingly valuable, so you can buy the new gun and get started on upgrades. That's an overpowered pistol that breaks ''two'' parts of the gameplay system.

* ''VideoGame/ResonanceOfFate'': Breaking your pistols is actually one of the main game mechanics. It doesn't show on the models, but in the inventory screen you can see your pistol decked out with ridiculous stuff like a drum magazine for absurd amounts of ammo before having to reload (really good, since you unload one cartridge with every attack), scopes stacked on top of each other, and multiple handles for decreased recoil.
* ''SplinterCell'' also features one of these. Even better, it's silenced from the start and never stops being that way.

* For ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' characters who don't specialize in combat, the late-game [[RevolversAreJustBetter Colt Anaconda]] offers the best combo of accuracy and firepower. Even combat-based characters may find themselves using it primarily, despite the availability of automatic rifles and shotguns.

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There is a strange tendency in video games to make the starting pistol so ultimately powerful that you may never have to use anything else, since ammo is so plentiful and the gun is so [[BoringButPractical practical]]. These are those guns.

In VideoGames, SniperPistol is a subtrope, in RealLife, [[CaptainObvious a scope can be a worthwhile addition, but that doesn't make the gun overpowered]].

See also: StandardFPSGuns, HandCannon

** ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' continues the tradition by making a silenced pistol with a laser scope and armor-piercing mod one of the best weapons in the game. Then they went even further and added in a .357 Magnum [[RevolversAreJustBetter revolver]] that can be upgraded to shoot [[HandCannon explosive rounds.]]

** For some reason, the same 9mm cartridges do more damage when fired from the Glock than when fired from the [=MP5=]. Also the Glock is given the miraculous ability to be fired underwater.
** The Python does far more damage than the .357 it's supposed to be; They should have said it was a .44 Magnum or even something bigger like the .454 Casull.

** ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' continues the tradition by making a silenced pistol with a laser scope and armor-piercing mod one of the best weapons in the game. Then they go even further and add in a .357 Magnum revolver that can be upgraded to shoot explosive rounds

** ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' continues the tradition by making a silenced pistol with a laser scope and armor-piercing mod one of the best weapons in the game.

** ''Halo2'' originally had a handgun just as powerful that you could DualWield. [[GameBreaker This was later patched.]]

** For some reason, the same 9mm cartridges do more damage when fired from the Glock than when fired from the [=MP5=]. Also the Glock is given the miraculous ability to be fired underwater. This is in addition to its absolutely ludicrous accuracy, being the most accurate gun in the entire game.

* ''{{Halo}}''

* ''Left4Dead'': The pistol is quite an effective weapon, particularly when it's upgraded to GunsAkimbo (while the weapon's technically being upgraded, it remains the EmergencyWeapon). The original even has an achievement for completing an entire campaign with one.

** For some reason, the same 9mm cartridges do more damage when fired from the Glock than when fired from the [=MP5=]. Also the Glock is given the miraculous ability to be fired underwater.

* ''MetalGear''

** ''MetalGearSolid3'' not only skips the step of making you find the Silencers which make the pistol so effective (though you can run out and need to restock them), but when you get it, Naked Snake goes on an extended monologue about how awesome the pistol is, and if you call [[MissionControl Sigint]] later, he'll go [[UpToEleven even more in depth.]]
** ''MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' almost seems to lampshade this when they give you the Operator at the beggining of the game, which is already a good gun, (according to the in-game stats) but then you can acquire the [[TheSameButMore similar except better Mk.45 (the SOCOM from the original) and the M1911A1 that Naked Snake used in the third game, each gun being better than the last]].

* ''ResidentEvil4'' gives you a 9mm handgun at the start that you can make very powerful through upgrades. Then, a second gun comes around with better starting stats that can be made even better. Infuriating, right? Nah, the upgrades on your old handgun make it astoundingly valuable, so you can buy the new gun and get started on upgrades. That's an overpowered pistol that breaks ''two'' parts of the gameplay system.

* ''ResonanceOfFate'': Breaking your pistols is actually one of the main game mechanics. It doesn't show on the models, but in the inventory screen you can see your pistol decked out with ridiculous stuff like a drum magazine for absurd amounts of ammo before having to reload (really good, since you unload one cartridge with every attack), scopes stacked on top of each other, and multiple handles for decreased recoil.

* For ''VampireBloodlines'' characters who don't specialize in combat, the late-game [[RevolversAreJustBetter Colt Anaconda]] offers the best combo of accuracy and firepower. Even combat-based characters may find themselves using it primarily, despite the availability of automatic rifles and shotguns.

** ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' continues the tradition by making a silenced pistol with a laser scope one of the best weapons in the game.

* ''MassEffect'': Pistols tend to have decent range and are often the best weapons to use against armored opponents. Not to mention that all classes have proficiency in them. But they have less ammo than anything but sniper rifles and some shotguns.

* ''DeadSpace'' has the pistol-equivalent, the Plasma Cutter, and many people genuinely believe it to be the most efficient weapon in the entire game, especially once fully upgraded. There's an achievement for going through the game using nothing but the Plasma Cutter and it's actually not all that hard.

* ''DeusEx''

** ''DeusExHumanRevolution'' continues the tradition by making a silenced pistol with a laser scope one of the best weapons in the game.

* ''DeadSpace'' has the pistol-equivalent, the Plasma Cutter, and many people genuinely believe it to be the most efficient weapon in the entire game, especially once fully upgraded. There's an achievement for going through the game using nothing but the Plasma Cutter and it's actually not all that hard.

** For some reason, the same 9mm cartridges do more damage when fired from the Glock than when fired from the MP5. Also the Glock is given the miraculous ability to be fired underwater.

* ''Halo''

** ''[[MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots MGS4]]'' almost seems to lampshade this when they give you the Operator at the beggining of the game, which is already a good gun, (according to the in-game stats) but then you can acquire the [[TheSameButMore similar except better Mk.45 (the SOCOM from the original) and the M1911A1 that Naked Snake used in the third game, each gun being better than the last]].
* ''ResidentEvil4'' gives you a 9mm handgun at the start that you can make very powerful through upgrades. Then, a second gun comes around with better starting stats that can be made even better. Infuriating, right? Nah, the upgrades on your old handgun make it astoundingly valuable, so you can buy the new gun and get started on upgrades. That's an OverpoweredPistol that breaks ''two'' parts of the gameplay system.

* ''MassEffect'': Pistols tend to have decent range and are often the best weapons to use against armored opponents. Not to mention that all classes have proficiency in them. But they have less ammo than anything but sniper rifles and some shotguns, [[spoiler: except for the pistol in the final bit of MassEffect3, which has unlimited ammo]]

See also: StandardFPSGuns

'''Examples'''

There is a strange tendency in video games to make the starting pistol so ultimately powerful that you may never have to use anything else, since ammo is so plentiful and the gun is so [[BoringButPractical practical.]] These are those guns.

In VideoGames, SniperPistol is a subtrope, in RealLife, [[CaptainObvious a scope can be a worthwhile addition, but that doesn't make the gun overpowered.]]

* DeusEx
** The first game is infamous for it's pistol which almost perfectly fits the trope description.
** DeusExHumanRevolution continues the tradition by making a silenced pistol with a laser scope one of the best weapons in the game.

** For some reason the same 9mm cartridges do more damage when fired from the Glock then when fired from the MP5. Also the Glock is given the miraculous ability to be fired underwater.
** The Python does far more damage than the .357 it's supposed to be; they should have said it was a .44 Magnum or even something bigger like the .454 Casull.
* Halo
** HaloCombatEvolved is infamous for it's Magnum handgun, which did have a sort of scope, and ridiculous power.
** Halo2 originally had a handgun just as powerful that you could DualWield. [[GameBreaker This was later patched.]]
* Left4Dead: The pistol is quite an effective weapon, particularly when it's upgraded to GunsAkimbo (while the weapon's technically being upgraded, it remains the EmergencyWeapon). The original even has an achievement for completing an entire campaign with one.

* MetalGear

** MetalGearSolid3 not only skips the step of making you find the Silencers which make the pistol so effective (though you can run out and need to restock them), but when you get it, Naked Snake goes on an extended monologue about how awesome the pistol is, and if you call [[MissionControl Sigint]] later, he'll go [[UpToEleven even more in depth.]]
** [[MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots MGS4]] almost seems to lampshade this when they give you the Operator at the beggining of the game, which is already a good gun, (according to the in-game stats) but then you can acquire the [[TheSameButMore similar except better Mk.45 (the SOCOM from the original) and the M1911A1 that Naked Snake used in the third game, each gun being better than the last.]]
* ResidentEvil4 gives you a 9mm handgun at the start that you can make very powerful through upgrades. Then, a second gun comes around with better starting stats that can be made even better. Infuriating, right? Nah, the upgrades on your old handgun make it astoundingly valuable, so you can buy the new gun and get started on upgrades. That's an OverpoweredPistol that breaks ''two'' parts of the gameplay system.
* ResonanceOfFate: Breaking your pistols is actually one of the main game mechanics. It doesn't show on the models, but in the inventory screen you can see your pistol decked out with ridiculous stuff like a drum magazine for absurd amounts of ammo before having to reload (really good, since you unload one cartridge with every attack), scopes stacked on top of each other, and multiple handles for decreased recoil.
* SplinterCell also features one of these. Even better, it's silenced from the start and never stops being that way.