We look back at some of the slick attempts at making firearms more than just "Bang! You're dead."

Pixel Bullets
Found in: Every game before Nintendo
We guess you have to start somewhere. Merely making a white dot appear on a TV was considered innovative back then, but having it move across the screen too? There be a devil in this'ere box o' lights!

Big Bullets
Found in: Every Mario game
Flying turtles, enemies commandeering clouds, and boomerang-throwing green thingies (seriously, what the hell were those?) were the least of your worries in the Mushroom Kingdom. Every now and then, you'd hear the 8-bit equivalent of a gun shot—more akin to a thunderous Goombah fart—and an oversized bullet would come hurtling your way.

Slow-Mo Bullets
Found in: Max Payne, F.E.A.R., TimeShift, Strangehold, Fallout 3, The Matrix Online, among others
You can thank Keanu Reeves' magnum opus, The Matrix, for the birth of this phenomenon. The 1999 flick opened the flood gates for the inclusion of bullet time—and, unfortunately, Keanu Reeves—in both movies and video games.

Specially-tipped Bullets
Found in: No One Lives Forever, Mass Effect, Resistance 2
Frankly, we never got the purpose of including cyanide or explosives on something that travels thousands of feet per second and can turn a person's cranium into an exploding cantaloupe. But, hey, we appreciate the effort anyway.

BULLETS THAT SPREAD
Found in: Contra, R-Type, Descent, Gunstar Heroes, Bionic Commando, among others
Sometimes you begin a game with nothing more than a small gun that sounds like its on its last legs. Its incessant pewww-pewwing is only made tolerable when a few powerups turn it into a gun that fires an almost impenetrable wall of plasma or lightning.

BulletS THAT CREATE Portals
Found in: Prey, Portal
It's an established fact you should think twice before messing with anyone holding four pounds of machinery primed to shred you into pieces. But these futuristic bullets add a level of brains to an otherwise explosive arsenal, allowing you to teleport behind opponents and around obstacles with ease.  
TURN EVERYTHING INTO Bullets
Found in: Half-Life 2, Doom 3
*Click* *Click* You're out of ammo. Not to worry with the newest generation of attitude adjusters. Simply turn on one of these physics-operated guns and you'll be able to pick up, throw, and manipulate anything around you to your heart's desire. (However, using this to bring home girls is still illegal.)

Bullets That Bend
Found in: Wanted: Weapons of Fate
The movie Wanted created a whole new subcategory of ammunition with the introduction of bullets that curve more than a Tim Wakefield knuckleball. Fortunately for you, it's useful for more than two innings at a time.