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What game(s) had/has the best shotgun?

My choice is split between a few of the Resident Evil games.

In RE2, you could decapitate 6 or 7 zombies in a single blast, and that's pre-upgrade! Upgraded, it gets a larger spread, more damage, and a higher capacity, though this comes at the expense of a slightly slower firing speed. It basically becomes a magnum that hits multiple enemies. When playing as Chris in Extreme Battle Mode the upgraded shotgun fires faster than the un-upgraded counterpart; it's pretty damn good as a result!

All of the shotguns in RE4 act as great panic buttons that decimate large groups at close range. Props to Striker for having a 100 shell capacity; you can probably clear the game without reloading it once (assuming you don't use it all the time).

The Hydra in RE5 is a shotgun that does more damage than a magnum at medium range, yet it fires faster and can hit multiple targets, even if they aren't lined up. Makes the game an absolute breeze, even on the hardest difficulty.
 
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lol, what game is that again?
 
I'm a bit surprised there are people who didn't like it. It's a very useful weapon the whole game, and the sound and feel of it is great.

I'd agree that it's decent functionally, but I think it's pretty weak visually and sonically, which kind of ruins it for me.
 
OP, you already posted the greatest shotgun in video games.

A close contender for best shotgun is probably the one from Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, though. The animations, sound, and actual handling of the weapon was amazing.

I'm gonna go with this.

Quad-barrel shotgun.

And that reload animation is great.
 

It kills mooks with ease, it can freeze tougher enemies (who can than be shattered in a single hit), and you never have to reload it. The best part? You get it in the first level of the game.

EDIT: Damn it Fassbender!
 
I always enjoyed the Rossmore in the Resistance series.

Shotguns in Red Dead Redemption had a great kick close-range.
 
The unsung heroes of this thread is ragdoll physics and/or gore, or simulated physics in older games.

You can't have a proper shotgun without a proper reaction to getting blasted by one. You can have a rocking design, ear bursting sound effects, and tight animations, but if the enemy isn't getting his shit ruined just right, that shotgun will never be a GREAT shotgun.
 
Killing Floor has such a satisfying shotgun where you can follow the pellets all over the maps.
Also F.E.A.R. obviously.
 
When you design gameplay entirely around CQC play being deliciously deadly, you know you got a winner. Gnash Shotgun from Gears.
 
Modern Warfare 2 Akimno 1887's pre patch.

As utterly bullshit broken as it was, this was probably the only implementation of a shotgun I have seen in a video game that was even half way accurate to real life.

I hate video game shotguns that spray magic clouds of death which dissipate in a few feet. Sure, game balance requires limitations on the distance and accuracy of almost any firearm, but shotguns get particularly misrepresented in this transition. This is probably due to a greater misunderstanding of the weapon in popular media in general.
 
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