The Lancer from Gears of War is the peak of form and function and just vibe.
It’s loud, powerful, has pretty good range, and it just feels so damn good to use. It is such a brutal, industrial design that looks like it would work in real life in a horrible, spectacularly grotesque fashion. It works at close range and medium to long range. In some ways it is one of the more realistic guns out there. It’s not like what we see in video games where shotguns can’t hit anything beyond 8 inches and a medium range weapon is like holding a 10 foot ladder with an angularly rotating barrel
From the damage, to the feel, to the sense of “weight,” to the acoustics, it is the greatest sci-fi weapon ever created and the most fun to use. Five campaigns later and it still feels perfect. No notes. Name one other object in the entire gear series that better exemplifies the COG and its values. And no, I don’t think the hammer of dawn is as great - though from a narrative perspective it certainly is fascinating and warrants its own discussion
Also, chainsaw bayonet.