BFG (weapon)

Lore & Background

The BFG first appeared in the press beta release of Doom, where it fired a cloud of 80 small plasma balls that could bounce off floors and ceilings. This version was scrapped because developer John Romero stated it "looked like Christmas" and severely slowed the game due to the large number of on-screen sprites. In the commercial release of Doom, the BFG9000 became a large energy weapon firing giant balls of green plasma and 40 invisible rays in a cone shape, described by Computer Gaming World as "the Ultimate Weapon." It could clear an entire room of foes in one shot and was only obtainable in the third and fourth episodes of the first Doom. The weapon appeared virtually unchanged in Doom II: Hell on Earth, Final Doom, Doom 64, and Doom RPG.

Reader's Guide

The BFG stands as one of the most recognized and influential fictional weapons in video game history. Its debut in Doom established a benchmark for powerful in-game weaponry, with UGO.com ranking it number two on their list of top video game weapons of all time, stating it was "marvellous and complex" and should be recorded as one of the best. X-Play ranked it number one on their list of top "badass" weapons, noting it was the first weapon that "really made us swoon." IGN placed it at number two among the hundred best weapons in video games, asserting that "The BFG established exactly what we should expect when it comes to powerful in-game weaponry." Machinima.com named it number one on their list of top video game weapons, asking rhetorically, "Do you really need a reason why this tops the list?" The weapon's various incarnations across multiple id Software titles—from the original BFG9000 to the BFG10K, BFG 10000, and the Ballistic Force Crossbow—demonstrate its enduring legacy and adaptability. Its presence in spin-offs, movies, and other games like Rage and Wolfenstein II further cements its status as a cultural touchstone in gaming.

Did You Know?

• The BFG's original press beta version fired 80 small plasma balls that could bounce off floors and ceilings, but was scrapped because it 'looked like Christmas' and slowed the game.
• The Quake II manual says the acronym stands for 'Big, Uh, Freakin' Gun,' a euphemism for the more profane 'Big Fucking Gun.'
• In Doom 3, overcharging the BFG 9000 causes it to overheat and explode, killing the player instantly.
• The BFG 10000 in Doom Eternal is a massive interplanetary particle-beam weapon mounted on Mars' moon Phobos.