We have been firing guns as long as we could conceive of a pixel being a bullet. Heck, we were firing guns even before that! Light gun games existed before we had video game technology. You’d pick up a rifle which flashed a light on some freaky animatronics. Come to think of it, I really wish I had a rifle in Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Before I get off on a tangent about horrifying animatronic robots, my point is: guns are awesome, and video games have given us a chance to really get creative with our gun designs, bullets, and effects. While we may have to settle for AK-47s in real life, video games allow us to fire plasma balls, sharks, and even dubstep! We have come a long way since firing single pixels fired as bullets.

We have scoured all of video game history to find some of the most ludicrous guns ever made. No arm cannons. No ship mounted missile launchers. If you can’t hold it in your hand and pull the trigger, then it doesn’t make this list. We dare you to find any cooler, more powerful, more destructive, or more balls-out awesome guns than the 9 we feature on this list. These are 9 video game guns that are works of art.

Let them bring a tear to your eye before you blow your enemies away.