Overview
{{Infobox fictional artifact
|name=Super Shotgun
|image=Super Shotgun.png
|caption=The super shotgun as it appears in Doom (2016)
|first=Doom II (1994)'
|creator=id Software
|type=Double-barreled shotgun
|affiliation=Doomguy
}}
The Super Shotgun is a weapon in the Doom and Quake series by id Software. It was first introduced in Doom II: Hell on Earth, released in 1994 and is depicted as an incredibly powerful double-barreled shotgun with high killing power, hence the title "super". It has been considered one of the most powerful weapons in the series alongside the BFG. The weapon's high power and satisfactory combat usage has been praised by critics, who have considered it one of the greatest video game weapons of all time.
Characteristics and appearances
The super shotgun is a double barrel shotgun. The weapon fires 20 bullets at once, each dealing a random amount of damage. The weapon debuted for the first time in Doom II, released in 1994. The weapon returned in the series' 2016 reboot. In Doom Eternal, the super shotgun returned and was given a grappling hook attachment, which was noted to change the gameplay drastically to where it effected development. The weapon appears in the Quake series as well, in Quake, Quake II, and Quake Champions.
Development
The original shotgun was considered the definitive weapon in the original Doom, being usable in almost every situation. With the upcoming release of Doom II, id Software approached weapons more conservatively to try and keep it simple, only doing the one they thought everyone would love". The result of this was the super shotgun, though it was originally called the combat shotgun. To prevent the gun from being completely overpowered, the developers made it where the super shotgun's damage output would always be one of the lowest possible numbers, resulting in damage from a range of 5 to 15, when it could have been up to 255.
Reception
The super shotgun has been praised by many for its incredible power and satisfaction when used in combat and has been considered one of the greatest video game firearms ever made. Kotaku labeled the gun as "the best video game shotgun" and the "ultra-powerful killing machine" against enemies such as the Cyberdemon, praising its power in combat and stating that id Software "christened it Super for a reason".
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).