View source for BFG (weapon)

{{Short description|Fictional weapon}}
{{Infobox fictional artifact
| name            = BFG 9000
| image           = BFG9000.png
| alt             = 
| caption         = The BFG 9000 as depicted in ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' (1993, top), ''[[Doom 3]]'' (2004, middle) and [[Doom (2016 video game)|''Doom'']] (2016, bottom)
| source          = [[Doom (franchise)|Doom]]
| source_type     = franchise
| company         = [[Id Software]]
| first           = [[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]] {{noitalic|(1993)}}
| creator         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Tom Hall]]
* [[Adrian Carmack]]
* [[Kevin Cloud]]
}}
| genre           = [[First-person shooter]]
| type            = Weapon
| owner           = [[Doomguy]]
| affiliation     = Union Aerospace Corporation
}}
The '''BFG''' is a fictional [[weapon]] created by [[id Software]]. It is largely found in their [[first-person shooter]] [[video game]]s ''[[Doom (franchise)|Doom]]'' and ''[[Quake (series)|Quake]]''. The abbreviation stands for "Big Fucking Gun", as described in [[Tom Hall]]'s original ''Doom'' design document and in the user manual of ''[[Doom II|Doom II: Hell on Earth]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Tom |date=1992-11-28 |others=Transcribed by John Romero |title=DOOM Bible |url=https://5years.doomworld.com/doombible/section14.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713142823/https://5years.doomworld.com/doombible/section14.shtml |archive-date=2020-07-13 |access-date=2022-02-25 |website=5 Years of Doom}}</ref> The ''[[Quake II]]'' manual says it stands for "Big, Uh, Freakin' Gun". This euphemistic label implies the more profane name of the BFG. Another version of the name used in the ''[[Doom (film)|Doom]]'' motion picture is "Bio Force Gun". The versions found in the ''Doom'' games are called "BFG 9000" and those in ''Quake'' "BFG 10K". The BFG 9000 is a power source to a even stronger weapon the BFG 10000 which concentrates its energy into a more powerful blast which blows a hole into the surface of Mars. The use of the BFG 9000 is to clear out large groups  of demons.

==Appearances==

===''Doom''===
The weapon first appeared in the press beta release of ''Doom''. In that version, the BFG9000 released a cloud of 80 small plasma balls (randomly green or red) per shot, which could bounce off floors and ceilings. However, it was scrapped as developer John Romero stated that it "looked like Christmas" and severely slowed the game down due to the large number of on-screen sprites.

''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' described the BFG9000 in the first commercial ''Doom'' game as "the Ultimate Weapon".<ref name="walker199403">{{Cite magazine |last=Walker |first=Bryan |date=March 1994 |title=Hell's Bells And Whistles |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=116 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=38–39 |access-date=November 10, 2017 |archive-date=November 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110115305/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=116 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a large energy weapon that fires giant balls of green [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]] as well as 40 invisible rays in a cone shape. The most powerful weapon in the game, it causes major damage to most types of enemies and can clear an entire room of foes in one shot, or deal huge damage to singular enemies. In the first ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'', the weapon can only be picked up in the third and fourth episodes. The BFG 9000 also appears virtually unchanged in ''[[Doom II|Doom II: Hell on Earth]]'', ''[[Final Doom]]'', ''[[Doom 64]]'', and ''[[Doom RPG]]''.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

===Other versions===
In ''[[Doom 3]]'', the BFG 9000 is a charged weapon: holding down the trigger causes the weapon to accumulate energy before release, resulting in a more powerful shot. Overcharging the BFG will cause it to overheat and explode, killing the player instantly.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

''[[Quake II]]'' and ''[[Quake III Arena]]'' pay homage to the BFG9000 with a pair of weapons both called the BFG10K. The ''Quake II'' version fires a slow plasma ball that fires rays at any enemies in range and [[Line of sight (gaming)|line-of-sight]]. The ''Quake III Arena'' version of the BFG fire a series of fast plasma orbs, and acts quite like the rocket launcher ([[rocket jumping]] can also be done with the BFG10K). The BFG10K from ''Quake III'' also appears in ''[[OpenArena]]'' (with a different appearance) and ''[[Quake Live]]'' (with slightly modified characteristics). ''[[Rage (video game)|Rage]]'' also pays homage to the BFG9000 with a weapon known as the "Authority Pulse Cannon", that fires "BFG Rounds".

In the [[Doom (film)|''Doom'' movie]], the "bio force gun" fires a bright blue projectile that appears to burst on impact and spray a caustic substance over its target and the surrounding area.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

The BFG is featured in Doom's [[Doom (2016 video game)|2016 reboot]], but unlike in its first two appearances, it follows the mechanics of its ''Quake II'' rendition, firing a projectile that shoots beams at enemies. The game itself does not resolve the acronym "BFG" either in-game or in its codex entries, although one challenge in the game's final campaign level involving the BFG is called "Big [REDACTED] Gun" as a nod to the original vulgar name.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 29, 2016 |title=Doom: A Sneak Peek at the FINAL Level |url=//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjoRosqiOV8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425214511/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjoRosqiOV8&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=April 25, 2020 |access-date=May 17, 2016 |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> In that game's pinball adaptation, it is called the "Big Fancy Gun", and is the most powerful weapon that the Doom Slayer can obtain;<ref>{{cite video game|title=''Bethesda Pinball''|developer=[[Zen Studios]]|date=December 6, 2016|platform=[[iOS]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]]|level=DOOM Pinball Table - Table Guide, Page 9: Lock 'n Load|quote=You're gonna want to find better weapons to deal with the demons and this mode is all about finding those Big Fancy Guns.}}</ref> collecting it will grant the player an extra ball. 

In 2020's ''[[Doom Eternal]]'', a new version of the weapon, the BFG 10000, appears, as a massive interplanetary [[particle-beam weapon]] mounted on [[Mars]]' moon, [[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]], used by the in-universe organization, the UAC, to protect its control of Mars and the surrounding space. The BFG 9000 also returns as the main component of the BFG 10000, and, after the BFG 10000 is commandeered by the [[Doomguy|Doom Slayer]] to shoot a hole into the surface of Mars,<ref>{{cite web |date=August 14, 2018 |title=The BFG 10000 Of DOOM Eternal Is Massive |url=https://www.vgr.com/the-bfg-10000-of-doom-eternal-is-massive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012054150/https://www.vgr.com/the-bfg-10000-of-doom-eternal-is-massive/ |archive-date=October 12, 2018 |access-date=September 11, 2018 |work=[[VGR (website)|VGR]]}}</ref> he removes the 9000 from its socket and carries it around as a usable weapon, where it is functionally identical to the 2016 version.

In 2025's ''[[Doom: The Dark Ages]]'', the Slayer obtains a powerful Night Sentinel weapon called the Ballistic Force Crossbow, or BFC, a large [[crossbow]] that fires Eldritch Lances and functions identically to the traditional BFG.

A similar weapon to the BFG makes an appearance in [[MachineGames]]' ''[[Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus]]''. According to the game's plot, the weapon, named "Übergewehr" ("Super-rifle" in [[German language|German]]), was developed by the Nazis in the 1960s. It utilizes a mixture of [[laser]] and [[Diesel fuel|diesel]] energy, as well as a mysterious third source of energy, described as “extra-dimensional microportals", possibly hinting that it is the same Argent Energy mentioned in Doom (2016) onwards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gach |first=Ethan |date=2017-11-02 |title=Another Hint That Wolfenstein And Doom Share The Same Universe |url=https://kotaku.com/another-hint-that-wolfenstein-and-doom-share-the-same-u-1820091839 |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}</ref>

== Reception ==
[[UGO.com]] ranked the BFG 9000 at number two on their list of top video game weapons of all time, stating "it was marvellous and complex, and we should not hesitate to put this weapon down in history as one of the best."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100317144049/http://www.ugo.com/games/best-video-game-weapons?page=5 Top 50 Video Game Weapons of All Time]. ''[[UGO.com]]''. Retrieved on December 17, 2008, now on archive.org</ref> ''[[X-Play]]'' ranked it number one on their list of top "badass" weapons, stating that while "not as fancy as the [[Gravity gun|Gravity Gun]]", it was the first weapon that "really made us swoon".<ref>(June 18, 2008) [http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/videos/26467/XPlays_Top_10_Badass_Weapons_Part_Two.html X-Play's Top 10 Badass Weapons: Part 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902180429/http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/videos/26467/XPlays_Top_10_Badass_Weapons_Part_Two.html |date=September 2, 2017 }}. [[G4 (U.S. TV channel)|G4]]. Retrieved on December 25, 2008.</ref> [[IGN]] also listed the BFG as one of the hundred best weapons in video games, placing it at number two, saying that "The BFG established exactly what we should expect when it comes to powerful in-game weaponry".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/top/video-game-weapons/2|title=BFG9000|website=IGN|access-date=July 17, 2016|archive-date=July 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724214636/http://www.ign.com/top/video-game-weapons/2|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Machinima.com]] named it number one on their list of top video game weapons, stating "Do you really need a reason why this tops the list?"<ref>[http://www.machinima.com/film/view&id=28263 Top 10 Video Game Weapons] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205182645/http://machinima.com/film/view%26id%3D28263 |date=February 5, 2009 }}. [[Machinima.com]]. Retrieved on January 30, 2009.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Doom series}}
{{Quake series}}

[[Category:Doom (franchise)]]
[[Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1993]]
[[Category:Fictional energy weapons]]
[[Category:Quake (series)]]
[[Category:Video game weapons]]