BFG 9000
Encyclopedia
The BFG 9000 is a futuristic weapon
found in the video game series Doom. The BFG 9000 is a huge, solid metal gun that fires balls of green plasma
. The most powerful weapon in the games, it is capable of destroying nearly any player or enemy in the vicinity with a single hit. Quake II
and Quake III Arena
pay homage to the BFG 9000 with a pair of similar weapons both called the BFG10K, although the Quake III Arena version acts more like a rapid-fire plasma launcher than a single shot mass destruction device.
's original Doom design document. In the Doom II user manual, BFG is said to stand for "Big Fragging
Gun". Another name, according to the motion picture
, is "Bio Force Gun" (although in the movie itself, "Big Fucking Gun" is spoken as it comes into view).
In the Quake II manual it says it stands for "Big, uh, freakin’ gun".
ranked it number one on their Top 10 Badass Weapons list, stating that while "not as fancy as the gravity gun", it was the first weapon that "really made us swoon". IGN
editor Tom McNamara listed the BFG as one of the ten best weapons in video games, placing it at number ten. Machinima.com
named it number one on their list of Top Ten Video Game Weapons, stating "Do you really need a reason why this tops the list?"
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
found in the video game series Doom. The BFG 9000 is a huge, solid metal gun that fires balls of green plasma
Plasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
. The most powerful weapon in the games, it is capable of destroying nearly any player or enemy in the vicinity with a single hit. Quake II
Quake II
Quake II, released on December 9, 1997, is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Id Software and distributed by Activision. It is not a sequel to Quake; it merely uses the name of the former game due to Id's difficulties in coming up with alternative names.The soundtrack for Quake II...
and Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena , is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game released on December 2, 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly...
pay homage to the BFG 9000 with a pair of similar weapons both called the BFG10K, although the Quake III Arena version acts more like a rapid-fire plasma launcher than a single shot mass destruction device.
Names
The abbreviation BFG stands for "Big Fucking Gun" as described in Tom HallTom Hall
Tom A. Hall is a game designer born in Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he received a B.S. in Computer Science. In 1987, he worked at Softdisk Inc., where he was both a programmer and the editor of Softdisk, a software bundle delivered monthly...
's original Doom design document. In the Doom II user manual, BFG is said to stand for "Big Fragging
Frag (video gaming)
Frag is a computer and video game term originating from the word fragging, a term indicating to kill an unpopular superior officer with a fragmentation grenade. A frag is roughly equivalent to "kill", with the typical main difference that the player being "fragged" can instantly respawn in most...
Gun". Another name, according to the motion picture
Doom (film)
Doom is a 2005 science fiction horror film, loosely based on the Doom series of video games created by id Software. It was directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak....
, is "Bio Force Gun" (although in the movie itself, "Big Fucking Gun" is spoken as it comes into view).
In the Quake II manual it says it stands for "Big, uh, freakin’ gun".
Critical reception
UGO.com ranked the BFG 9000 at number two on their Top 50 Video Game Weapons of All Time list. In the article they noted the strategic effect of the weapon, stating "It was marvelous and complex, and we should not hesitate to put this weapon down in history as one of the best." X-PlayX-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
ranked it number one on their Top 10 Badass Weapons list, stating that while "not as fancy as the gravity gun", it was the first weapon that "really made us swoon". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Tom McNamara listed the BFG as one of the ten best weapons in video games, placing it at number ten. Machinima.com
Machinima.com
Machinima.com is a gaming and media streaming website, that aims to be a hub for machinima, the art of creating animated videos in real-time virtual 3-D environments. The site features machinima-related articles, and news. Machinima productions can be submitted for possible redistribution after...
named it number one on their list of Top Ten Video Game Weapons, stating "Do you really need a reason why this tops the list?"
See also
- Leyden ballLeyden ballA Leyden ball is a fictional bullet used in a nineteenth century science fiction novel. It contains a capacitance charge of electrical energy, which discharges instantaneously upon the bullet's impact...
- RaygunRaygunRayguns are a type of fictional directed-energy weapon. They have various alternate names: ray gun, death ray, beam gun, blaster, laser gun, phaser, etc. They are a well-known feature of science fiction; for such stories they typically have the general function of guns...
- NeedlegunNeedlegunA needlegun, also known as a needler, flechette gun or fletcher, is a firearm that fires small, sometimes fin-stabilized, metal darts.-History:...
- Phased plasma gunPhased plasma gunThe Phased Plasma Gun is a fictional weapon from the television series Babylon 5. It fires a small charge of superheated helium. This gas retains both its shape and small volume via a residual magnetic field. Upon impact with an object, the magnetic field is dissipated and the heat discharged...
- Plasma riflePlasma rifleWhen discussing weapons in science fiction, a plasma weapon is a type of raygun that fires a stream, bolt, pulse or toroid of plasma...