Recently, I played through the newer ports of Doom and Doom II. And playing Doom II again, I was reminded of a simple fact: The super shotgun is amazing and is still the best video game shotgun ever made.
Doom II’s Xbox One port was one of many Bethesda games that ended up on Game Pass earlier this month. This happened because Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda was finally completed. To celebrate a giant company gaining more control over our collective pop culture, we got some games added to Game Pass.
As I flipped through these games I realized I hadn’t played the newer ports of Doom and Doom II, the ones that upset folks when they launched and required an internet connection. That’s been fixed, along with other issues via a few updates. The current ports are great now, with add-on support even. So you can even play new Doom episodes, like Romero’s Sigil.
After beating Doom, which is still a great game decades later, I turned my sights to Doom II. And when I picked up the Super Shotgun, it was like reuniting with an old friend. A good, beloved pal who can also blast away groups of demons in a few seconds. (That’s the best kind of friend.)
The Super Shotgun is fucking amazing. Simple as that. Let’s enjoy some Super Shotgun action, for those who need a refresher.
I love the sound it makes when you pull the trigger. It sounds powerful, which makes sense. The Super Shotgun is one of the most powerful weapons in the game. In fact, some might even suggest it is too powerful. But those folks are wrong. The Super Shotgun is supposed to be an unstoppable, ultra-powerful killing machine. It has SUPER right there in the name. It’s not a better shotgun or a double-barreled shotgun (well, it is but stick with me here…) or even an upgraded shotgun. The developers at id christened it Super for a reason.
G/O Media may get a commission
Unlike the standard shotgun, the Super Shotgun has both horizontal and vertical spread. It also does over twice as much damage as the basic shotty. It can easily take down enemies like the Cyberdemon with a few well-placed shots, especially if Doom’s RNG is being nice that day. If you want to learn more about the amazing Super Shotgun and how it works, Decino has a great video breaking down it and all the weapons in classic Doom. Check it out.
Later Doom games would bring back the Super Shotgun. Most of these versions are great too! I really love the Super Shotgun featured in Doom 2016. But none of them feel as powerful as the OG shotty from the original Doom II. It’s the true problem solver, able to save you from mistakes. Run into a room filled with a bunch of hit-scanning shotgunners? Two blasts from the Super Shotgun will fix that problem right up. And you get some shotgun ammo in the process. It’s wonderful.
Are there other great shotguns in video games? Sure! Loads of them. We’ve written about them before. But over two decades later and nobody has been able to make a shotgun as amazing as the classic Super Shotgun. The grandaddy of overpowered weapons. The ultimate demon-killing tool.