Top 10 Named Video Game Weapons of All Time

Weapons are those invaluable tools that help us achieve greatness in video games. Some weapons are so iconic or legendary that that bear their own individual names. This list will touch upon some of the most famous named video game weapons of all time. How many do you recognize?

10. Valentine – (Soul Caliber)

Ivy is arguably the first character people thing of when they hear “Soul Caliber” and with good reason. Her design is iconic from her femme-fatal aesthetic to her powerful and graceful combat style. Part of that iconic look is Ivy’s signature chain-sword, Valentine. Ivy needed a powerful weapon in her quest to destroy the Soul Edge, and using alchemy she created the Valentine. Influenced by her study of Asian chain-whips, Ivy sought to empower her “Ivy Sword” mechanically to achieve that effect. Her efforts to use engineering failed and she turned to a mysterious dark power that she would later learn was power from the Soul Edge. Because of Ivy’s cursed bloodline she synchronizes with the sword perfectly and upon learning this she changed the name of her forged weapon from “Ivy Sword” to Valentine, based on Ivy’s own full name.

9. Jim – (Earthworm Jim)

Only in a game like Earthworm Jim can the hero himself be wielded as a weapon. In the games Jim has an advanced supersuit that is what takes him from an ordinary earthworm into the powerful hero of the galaxy. Of course, Jim mainly uses his blaster to handle his foes but that’s not the entirety of his arsenal. One of the key attacks that Jim can do is have the suit grab his earthworm body and use it as a whip to attack enemies and to grapple distant objects. This hilarious yet effective method of attack is an iconic part of the Earthworm Jim experience, and for that reason he makes our list as one of the more unique, and giggle-worthy, weapons.

8. Pow-Pow and Fishbones – (League of Legends)

Jinx: The Loose Cannon is easily one of the most recognizable characters in League of Legends. What people might not know is at first glance is that her weapons are named! Jinx is a talented tinkerer and inventor, and she hand-builds all of her weapons. Pow-Pow is Jinx’s mini-gun and her main weapon. Dawned with a cute pair of rabbit ears, it rapidly sprays a seemingly endless stream bullets at her targets allowing the psychopathic Jinx to revel in the chaos it causes. Fishbones is Jinx’s shark-themed rocket launcher. It’s handy for when Jinx wants to do larger more explosive damage. It fires exploding rockets at a farther range than her mini-gun, it also fires off her Super Mega Death Rocket ultimate for a massive explosion that comes out of nowhere for unsuspecting victims. These weapons make Jinx a formidable force for chaos and destruction.

7. Ragnell – (Fire Emblem)

Ragnell is Ike’s sword in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. It is an extremely powerful weapon boasting high attack and accuracy. It is also one of very few swords capable of ranged attacks. The Ragnell also negates critical hits except for those activated by the Wrath skill. Ragnell and it’s sister sword are both blessed by the goddess Ashera which grants them this divine power and makes them incredibly formidable.

6. Falchion – (Fire Emblem)

The Falchion is the legendary blade seen wielded by Marth and his descendants, Chrom and Lucina, in the Fire Emblem franchise. It is a divine blade forged by the holy dragon Naga due to her love for humanity. Because of this it has to power to slay all dragons, and also has a direct relationship to the Fire Emblem itself. This powerful weapon is indestructible and has healing magic so the wielder can heal themselves a little during fights.

5. Pyra – (Xenoblade Chronicles 2)

Pyra is the powerful fire blade, and deuteragonist of the game. Blades in Xeboblade Chronicles 2 are unique as they are living beings as well as the physical weapons their drivers wield. As separate beings they can offer their abilities to support their divers and use powerful magic. Pyra known as the Aegis, an extremely powerful legendary blade. Her physical sword form allows Rex to use powerful slashing and cutting attacks and fire magic. Because she is a blade, Pyra is immortal and can only die if the core crystal on her chest is destroyed, or if her bonded driver Rex is killed. Rex and Pyra’s quest to find Elysium is critical to saving the dying world.

4. Vampire Killer – (Castlevania)

The Vampire Killer is the signature weapon of the Belmont Clan. Created through alchemy, this whip was used by heroes and became endowed with holy power. This gave the weapon the ability to transform from from a leather whip to the iconic chain flail with a spiked mace on the end. Because of its holy power this weapon is one of few that can kill vampires, demons, and can even harm divine figures like the grim reaper.

3. Scarborough Fair – (Bayonetta)

The Sexy Umbran Witch Bayonetta is a force of nature unto herself. Her powerful magic grants her unreal abilities like using her hair as weapons, summoning demons, and even temporarily slowing down and stopping the flow of time. The first thing many will notice about Bayonetta’s fighting style is that she uses, not two, but four guns at once. She has a gun for each hand, and a gun strapped to each foot acting as the heels to her styling high heels. This set of crimson guns is collectively names Scarborough Fair. The individual guns are named Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. These magical guns were crafted by Rodin specifically for Bayonetta. They allow her to shoot magical bullets that can harm angels and demons alike. In Bayonetta 2, they have a new incarnation called “Love is Blue” with the guns baring the names Prelude, Minuet, Toccata & Nocturne.

2. Kingdom Key, Oathkeeper and Oblivion

Since first appearing on the scene in 2002, Sora and his keyblade have gone on to become gaming legends. The default keyblade that Sora wields is called the Kingdom Key. Keyblades have a unique key-shape and they are legendary weapons that appear before a chosen few who posses a strong heart. Despite the name, keyblades don’t usually possess a cutting edge they havea special magic that allows Sora it open and close the doors to other worlds including hearts. The Oathkeeper and Oblivion are two special keyblades that contain Sora’s memories of Kairi and Riku respectively. They most often appear when Sora is duel-wielding keyblades.

1. The Master Sword – (The Legend of Zelda)

Naturally, it wouldn’t be a proper list of video game weapons without the most famous of them all. The Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda series is Link’s ultimate weapon. It is a sword with immense power to slay evil. It was forged by the gods of Hyrule and passed to the legendary hero. The Master Sword has a will of its own and chooses a hero that has faced many challenges and proven they possess power, wisdom and courage worthy of the the sacred power to vanquish evil. It is indestructible and is often locked away awaiting the chosen hero. Over the series the sword has taken on a life of its own and become as iconic a character in the franchise as Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf.

That’s the list! Of course this is only a taste of the plethora of named weapons in video games. What do you think? Are there any weapons we missed? What’s your favorite named video game weapon? Let us know!

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Guide to Parasocial Relationships in Streaming and Social Media

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The term “parasocial” is becoming something of a buzzword among the gaming community recently. The advent of huge streaming personalities that appeal to vulnerable audiences has long been an issue in the community. From Twitch metas to VTubers, to streaming ban appeals, everything about the current Twitch culture is about cultivating and tweaking the parasocial relationship between the viewers and the streamers. The term “parasocial relationship” is tossed around to refer to the unhealthy results of bad parasocial practices.

What is a Parasocial Relationship?

We’ll start at the beginning. What exactly IS a parasocial relationship? The term may sound like a complex ‘abnormal’ condition, but it is actually very simple and a common and critical part of the human experience.

A parasocial relationship is when an individual experiences a one-sided relationship with another individual, group, or organization that doesn’t know that this individual exists. The individual feels all of the genuine emotions and connection that come with this relationship, however it is not reciprocated. The term was created by sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl in their 1956 research article. They observed that viewers of mass media experience real emotional connections to the figures on the television and radio programs they consumed. They noted that these relationships were one way, but the emotions and cognition of the individuals were the same as if they had a face-to-face relationship with the mass media figures.

Parasocial relationships are voluntary and the individual often experiences positive emotions like happiness, gratitude, loyalty, love, and encouragement. The individual will also often feel that they identify with the media parties, sometimes the experience can help the individual find and reinforce their own personal identity.

Is it Bad to Have a Parasocial Relationship with a streamer?

Parasocial relationships are not bad in and of themselves. Studies have shown that these relationships build positive emotions that are crucial for mental health, and that individuals actually grow their social connections through parasocial relationships. The stereotype that it is only lonely sad individuals that form these parasocial bonds is entirely incorrect. People form parasocial relationships all the time and the vast majority of these parasocial relationships are healthy and productive. Have a favorite sports team? What about a historic role model that inspires you? Favorite band? Do scientific institutions make fill you with marvel at the possibilities of the future? Well, all of these are examples of parasocial relationships.

The one-sided nature of parasocial relationships is great for building self-esteem. The individual is free to engage sincerely in the emotions and bond in safety without the rejection, meanness, manipulation, and abuse that can show up in other relationships.

How to Spot When Para-social Relationship is Unhealthy?

The signs of an unhealthy parasocial relationship are very similar to those found in other unhealthy relationships. The individual can experience body image issues. Parasocial relationships also become unhealthy when the individual’s feelings become obsessive causing them ruminate on these negative thoughts. Parasocial breakup is a phenomenon where the individual experiences a break-up of their parasocial bond with the other party. This results in all of the pain and mental distress that accompanies break-ups in other types of relationships. The individual can experience feelings of bitterness, resentment, and anger towards the party.

Parasocial Bonds and Twitch Streamers

The advent of social media has given viewers more access to mass media than ever before. People can spend all day watching content, and engaging in fandom of their favorite creators. However, this comes at a price because social media is designed by function to create and exploit parasocial relationships. Streamers learn to foster parasocial bonds because it creates a fiercely loyal fanbase that will always engage with content. In some cases streamers will feed their own narcissistic and manipulative traits by cultivating toxic fanbases where no criticism of the streamer is allowed. These streamers will even rally these fanbases as a personal attack force to go after critics and other creators. The tier three sub meme has come to represent these fans that have crossed the threshold into unhealthy parasocial relationships with streamers.

Too many streamers and people in the industry see the toxicity of these parasocial relationships and make an attribution error, blaming the toxicity on parasocial relationships rather that looking deeper and seeing that it is the way in which that relationship was cultivated that is what makes a parasocial relationship shift from typical to unhealthy. This is the same thing as when people say that all relationships are bad rather than looking at behaviors of the individuals involved in a relationship and how they maintained it.

What Can We Do?

As a viewer it can be difficult to maintain a proper perspective in the age of social media and content creators pushing closer and closer parasocial bonds to drive engagement and views while at the same time ultimately treating their fans as faceless nobodies at best, and holding them in utter contempt at the worst. It’s important to keep these things in mind when enjoying your favorite content:

• Remember the streamer is selling a product at the end of the day. Approach it as your would any other salesperson.
• Your feelings are your own, and they are valid. However, the streamer is never obligated to reciprocate.
• Always take care of yourself first. A friend wouldn’t want you to deny yourself or suffer for their sake.
• It’s okay to take breaks. There is nothing wrong with unplugging from your favorite streamers/content for a while.
• Try to friends and forge new bonds with other members of the streamer’s community.
• Explore other streams and types of content. Spread your wings and broaden your horizons.
• Respect yourself. If a streamer/creator is legitimately mean or abusive to their audience, you have the power to walk away. You don’t need to announce it or give a reason why.
• Enjoy yourself. If the parasocial relationship between you and a streamer/creator is causing you pain take a step back and assess if the bond is healthy one, and if it isn’t consider changing your perspective or taking a break.

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How Social Media killed Etika

Today it was announced that the YouTuber Etika was found dead. This comes days after he posted a suicide note vlog to his YouTube channel after which he went missing near a Manhattan bridge. Several hours later police discovered some of his personal items in the river, and 48 hours later they found a body which they confirmed to be Etika.

The news of Etika’s passing has been met with the now traditional empty platitudes that accompany any tragedy in the era of social media slacktivism. Accounts post lists of suicide prevention numbers and repeat the dry pre-packaged mantras and farm social media engagement as everyone swarms to be noticed and gain a little more of that social media clout. This is especially bitter as just last week many of these accounts would have been tearing people to shreds for daring to mention that June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and that should be acknowledged,insisting that anyone that would being up that fact is merely “trying to take away from pride” an attitude that leads to mental health awareness going ignored.

We wade every day through a society that not only stigmatizes and ignores mental health in general but is actively destructive towards men’s mental health issues. The world of social media is overflowing with open misandry, terms like “kill all men”, “virgin”, “neckbeard”, “incel”, “cuck” and more are passed about like candy to ostracize and stigmatize men as a whole, and especially those that fall outside of the societal norms. Men are encouraged to be more open, but the very second any man shows a flaw they are roundly crucified on the alter.

Etika had several serious breakdowns in the previous months, from parasuicidal musings, to getting his own YouTube channel deleted, to multiple suicidal tweets, to the incidents on April 29th and May 1st that led to his being hospitalized for threatening suicide. Every step of the way he was pushed harder and harder by the social media sphere, friends of Etika that were content creators farmed his suffering for social media engagement and clout. Others were either ill-informed or willfully malicious in showing disgust with Etika’s parasuicidal actions and, disregarding their severity by claiming “he’d never go through with it”. Etika’s support system was flimsy at best.

Even as the people inside of Etika’s social media sphere are coming to grips with his passing, they appear to be struggling to find their sincerity as in the world of social media sincerity is dead. I watch the responses waiting to see someone step outside of themselves and do something more than post tweets, and petitions, and stream. I wait to see if it dawns on anyone to do something that is tangibly impactful and completely anonymous and thankless.

Go volunteer at one of those mental health and suicide prevention organizations you copy/paste for a free 6k likes and retweets. Challenge yourselves and your communities to stop engaging in toxicity, next time you see a guy that seems way too emotionally invested in something how about respecting it rather than slapping some degrading label on them and proceeding to make fun of them. Have an honest talk with a friend that you know is going through something. Be there for them, be REAL, be engaged.

Challenge the notion that Pride Month can’t or shouldn’t coexist with Men’s Mental Health Awareness month. Break the cycle of farming social media engagement that drove Etika to his death and take a break from all social media. Don’t click on, like, reply, respond, or otherwise engage with the swell of Etika exploitation in social media. End the call outs, and hot takes, and cancel culture, the muck and mire of social media.

The thing is seemed that Etika wanted most was for his life to have meaning. He never realized that it always did. In a perfect world he wouldn’t have had to die, the best thing we can do to honor him is to end the cycle that drove him to death.