Here it is. It's the list that no one can ever agree on, simply because there are so many good choices. I'm talking the most iconic video game weapons, people. We've only chosen five, and they're probably not the five you would have chosen. Or they might be too mainstream for your tastes. But they're recognizable. You know them. If you didn't, you wouldn't be able to dispute their inclusion on the list. We're ready for a little dissension in the ranks, though, as we bring you the top five most iconic video game weapons of all time.

BFG 9000, Doom

We all know what it stands for. Don't pretend you don't. But for the sake of political correctness we'll refer to it as the Big Freakin' Gun straight out of one of the most classic FPS series of all time: Doom. This huge hunk of metal is the most powerful firearm in the game, capable of destroying nearly any monster that crosses its path. As it fires round after round of green plasma, enemies quake in fear and players find sadistic grins etching themselves into their cheeks. It's so important that even Quake II and Quake III Arena needed a reason to include it in both respective games. The name alone makes it one of those aspects of gaming you just can't wipe from your mind. Accept it, or it'll probably blow your head off. That's not us making those threats, either.

Master Sword and Shield, The Legend of Zelda

Throughout the lands of Hyrule one couldn't think of going on an adventure without this memorable set of weapons: the Master Sword and Hylian shield. As one of the staples in The Legend of Zelda games, Link couldn't be expected to save Zelda, let alone all of Hyrule, without these irreplaceable tools. And with the Wii Motion Plus you too can feel like Link swinging his mighty sword as he raises it towards the skies. Not only is this sword memorable, the moves that you can perform with Link are just as strongly embedded into our minds. You and Link can take down enemies with sword thrusts, spin attacks, and a plethora of other deadly moves. The legend lives on, and through one of the most universally recognized symbols of all time.

Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, Portal

From the moment we were introduced to Chell and the maniacal GlaDOS, we became instantly smitten with the utterly insane portal device issued to Chell for her...experiments. Its sleek and attractive exterior, resembling of those fancy-schmancy Apple doohickeys we're so infatuated with belies its true potential. This thing can make portals. Imagine the practical real-life uses for this thing. Admit it: the first time you actually passed through one of the portals changed your mind about puzzle games and physics, right? Valve's ingenious invention will be forever engraved in our minds.

Buster Sword, Final Fantasy VII

With the advent of (see what we did there?) Final Fantasy VII and Cloud Strife, we saw the introduction of the angsty ex-SOLDIER's comically large Buster Sword, which has often been mimicked but never truly reproduced. It's actually a fairly uninteresting design, but it's so ridiculously huge and undoubtedly the inspiration behind every post-FFVII RPG parody. Emo kids everywhere cherish their life-sized replica and we swoon over Cloud's obvious over-compensatory sidearm, but it sure kicks a lot of ass where it counts.

Mega Buster, Mega Man

It's Mega Man! Come on. How can one not think back to their childhood and not remember their trusty Mega Buster? It was you and three little yellow dots floating across the screen versus the the evil robots set to take over the world! Er, at least that's how it seemed when you were just a kid. Only later did Mega Man get some upgrades to his faithful buster, allowing him to charge it, giving him a bigger blast to clear out more enemies in one go. No matter what, even if all your other weapons had run dry and you had no more energy capsules, you could always relay on your buster. That's the mark of a trusty weapon, right there.

So what did we forget? Let us know. Just be sure to keep the safety on.

Brittany Vincent is a freelance writer who routinely eviscerates virtual opponents and tempts fate by approaching wayward Zoloms. A connoisseur of all things bloody and bizarre, she's available to chat via Twitter @MolotovCupcake, and is always ready to take on new projects. You can peruse her archived work at PfhortheWin.com