Games where pistols aren't useless

[schwerpunk]

It's already been mentioned, but the Half-Life 2 magnum scores very highly for me. A big part of it is the design of the actual weapon, but it's also very well introduced:

You pick up the weapon in a dimly lit room and a Combine barges in suddenly. Often, when a skilled player picks up a weapon with not-a-lot-of-ammo, s/he will stow it for a later time, but here, there isn't a chance to do this with the sudden appearance of an enemy, so you get to see the power of your new weapon suddenly and dramatically.

[sheridan]

schwerpunk said:

You pick up the weapon in a dimly lit room and a Combine barges in suddenly. Often, when a skilled player picks up a weapon with not-a-lot-of-ammo, s/he will stow it for a later time, but here, there isn't a chance to do this with the sudden appearance of an enemy, so you get to see the power of your new weapon suddenly and dramatically.

That is a good point! They probably did this because most testers didn't realize the potency of the weapon right away, and forcing them to use it would demonstrate just how devastating it can be.

[Lila Feuer]

Should also mention the Wolf3D pistol, to get an idea it can kill an SS in as little as two shots at point blank range sometimes, or just one from behind if the numbers play in your favor.

[ssfsx17]

ARMA series - pistols are easier to use than rifles in close quarters. This is especially noticeable in the Invasion 1944 mod, where you assault trenchworks in the D-Day scenario.

Shadowrun Returns with the Shadowrun Unlimited mod - not a shooter at all, but it has a legality / concealability system, so carrying around heavy weapons results in nastier encounters with the rent-a-cops.

Alpha Protocol - third-person rather than first-person, but pistol specialization has some neat abilities

Warframe - third-person rather than first-person, but pistols are useful it in mainly by virtue of having "endgame" pistols with really high damage

[Komenja]

The Redeemer from Darkwatch. You can rapid-fire it by holding another button, and with consecutive headshots it takes down just about any of the enemy monsters aside from the really tough ones.

The M-80 Blasters and Revolvers in Duke Nukem: Zero Hour, especially when you dual-wield them. I find it funny that this is the only game Duke ever uses the huge sci-fi pistols he was always pictured using in the late 90's and early 2000's.

Fully upgraded, the pistol from the new Shadow Warrior. Extra points for a LoZ reference when you first acquire it.

[Clonehunter]

geekmarine said:

Oh, since TF2 was brought up, I'd also say the Scout's pistol is pretty handy for picking off low-health enemies from a distance. It's a more specialized/situational dependent weapon, but in those situations, it's actually pretty useful.

The stock pistol, luger, and pretty boy pocket pistol are also all very useful for picking off unattended sentries (And buildings in general) at long range. That five shot pistol isn't too great, though.

[Avoozl]

Komenja said:

Fully upgraded, the pistol from the new Shadow Warrior. Extra points for a LoZ reference when you first acquire it.

Eh, I found the pistol utterly useless when fighting larger enemies.