In every action game, there is always that one weapon a player yearns for. A weapon that is so powerful that it turns the game upside-down, turning fearsome enemies into fodder, even if but for a minute. The BFG 9000 from Doom and Master Sword from The Legend of Zelda are two such weapons.

The Master Sword first appeared in A Link To The Past and is required to beat the game. Before it can be used, you have to find the three Pendants of Virtue that are scattered throughout the world. In The Breath of The Wild, you need 13 heart containers in order to pull it from its resting place. Like in all Zelda games, when Link is at full health and wielding the legendary weapon it can shoot a beam of energy from its tip. First impressions are important and the sword's first impression is a great one.

When it goes from Tempered Sword to Golden Sword, it becomes four times stronger and can kill enemies in one crushing blow. Its first appearance also has it showing off its magical abilities by giving Link the ability to use Bombos -a spin attack that creates a ring of fire and explosions in all directions - and Ether, which freezes enemies after finding both medallions.

The sword's abilities widen over the years. In Twilight Princess, it acts as a key giving Link access to hidden temples, and a hidden dungeon within the Temple of Time. In Skyward Sword, the infusion of Fi - a humanoid spirit - into the weapon gives it the power to guide its user. Its Skyward Strike ability is also charged much faster once the sword is blessed by Zelda and transformed into its purest and final form. Despite its elemental power and magical abilities, the sword doesn't always start off powerful. In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Ganon kills the Sage of Earth and the Sage of Wind, which dulls the blade and severely weakens its power to ward off evil.

The sword remains dull and weak until you awaken two new sages Makar and Medli to replace the sages that were slain by Ganon. The Breath Of The Wild version has a long recharge time of several minutes, but like in previous games can be rapidly recharged with a bolt of lightning. In a game notorious for its easily breakable weapons, perhaps the Master Sword's greatest feature is its unbreakability. It's a really strong weapon when fully charged, allowing you 40 strikes post-recharge, and dealing up to 60 hit points of damage.

Compared to the BFG 9000, the Master Sword's ability to recharge normally gives it a huge upside because ammo for the BFG 9000 in the Doom games is rare. The giant plasma gun can take out around six enemies per shot due to its high range of splash damage. In Doom Eternal, it takes about two seconds for it to reach the desired target.

But due to memory constraints, not all BFGs were created equal - the SNES version being the most notable. In that version, its projectiles were scaled down and its splash damage was centered more around an overall radius instead of tracer rays to detect other nearby enemies. It says something about the weapon's power that the greatest 16-bit console of the era literally couldn't handle it in its pure form!

The 32X version of the BFG could only be accessed with a cheat code, but it came with a sacrifice. Instead of ending the game properly and getting the actual ending, it would cut to a DOS screen (whether this was an error or gag by the infamously prank-loving developers at Id Software remains a mystery). The gun itself and its range of fire were increased in Doom 64, where its damage range was measured by whatever enemies its cone-shaped projectile area touched. In Doom 3, you could increase the power by holding down the 'charge' button for a more devastating shot, but if held down for too long the gun will lay the hurt on you rather than your intended targets due to overloading.

The best part about the BFG 9000 is that unlike the Master Sword it does not require any upgrades in order to kill enemies in one shot and can be used to stun bosses - although it cannot be upgraded or modified like other weapons. It's a weapon that, while powerful, should be used with extreme caution and only in moments where you're fighting a final boss like the Spider Mastermind or are surrounded by multiple enemies.

When you compare the two weapons side by side, the Master Sword is a better weapon, and more important because you need it to advance in key areas and ultimately kill the final boss Ganon, giving the world an at least temporary reprieve from his schemes. The BFG 9000, while powerful, is reliant on scarce ammo, and beyond its all-killing 'wow' factor doesn't offer the same satisfying level of versatility or technique as the Master Sword.

The Master Sword is the Swiss army knife of videogame weapons.