Highlights
- The Profiler from Watch Dogs uses software to disable security systems and gain vital information on their targets.
- The Multi-Vision Goggles from Splinter Cell allow Sam Fisher to see in the dark and switch between various vision modes for optimal stealth.
- The Cloaking Watch from Team Fortress 2 lets players become invisible or disguise themselves to take out opposing team members, making them silent, invisible killers.
The realm of espionage has been a great theme for video games, especially during the mid-2000s up to the mid-2010s. Developers made it a point to get creative and made some amazing titles along the way. This gave rise to iconic games that made it fun to sneak around and take out enemies silently or from the shadows.
But what video game weapons and gadgets do spies need to complete their missions with minimal hitches? From state-of-the-art software that can disable security systems, to non-lethal weaponry that can incapacitate unwitting personnel guarding key information, here are some of the most iconic spy weapons and gadgets that players got to use in video games.
5 The Profiler: Watch Dogs
After staking out which establishment a spy needs to infiltrate, they would need something to deal with the security within the premises, specifically those pesky surveillance cameras and other digital failsafes.
This is where hacking software is needed. The Profiler from the Watch Dogs games provides players with the essential tool to decode and control the whole CTOS network once they’ve breached and accessed their many towers within the city. Using the Profiler allows Aiden Pearce to get vital information on NPCs, jam communication, and even cause blackouts.
In the hands of a spy, the Profiler can quickly disable any safeguards that their target command post or base of operations might have. The Profiler and its upgraded versions have since been the standard hacking program that the protagonists in the Watch Dogs games use in their fight against CTOS and other nefarious corporations and private militaries bent on oppressing the people.
4 Multi-Vision Goggles: Splinter Cell
Another essential gadget that spies need is something that allows them to see in the dark once they’ve cut the power on the building they’re about to infiltrate. For this, the Multi-vision Goggles from the Splinter Cell games are the best tool to have when sneaking around dark areas or waiting for those guards to pass by.
The Multi-vision Goggles are made from highly-concentrated plexiglass and give its users vision in areas with minimal or no light. Sam Fisher is especially lethal when he equips these goggles during missions. During his time as an operative of Third Echelon, he would use these state-of-the-art goggles, proceed to lurk in the shadows and take out any hostiles on the premises. These goggles also have various vision modes to help Sam get the best visuals, such as thermal and electromagnetic vision when switching between areas that have varying visibility.
It even has its iconic start-up sound whenever players turn the goggles on, adding to its iconic status as a must-have spy gadget.
3 Cloaking Watch: Team Fortress 2
The Spy in Team Fortress 2 is an iconic class that uses subterfuge to take out the opposing members who aren’t paying attention to their surroundings. This can be attributed to one of their signature PDA tools: the Cloaking Watch.
The Cloaking Watch allows Spies to either become invisible or disguise themselves as one of the opposing team’s members. Spies usually look for a place with minimal activity to activate their Cloaking Watch. From there, it’s their job to get behind enemy lines and take care of any stragglers or enemy snipers at key areas which will help their team secure more ground and ultimately win matches.
Combining the Cloaking Watch with their primary weapon of choice, the Knife, often leads to Spies steamrolling against unprepared players since these two items can render a Spy to be a silent, invisible killer who can win rounds for their team.
2 Cardboard Box: Metal Gear Solid
A more tongue-in-cheek disguise option, the Cardboard Box in the Metal Gear Solid games is iconic for being silly as well as functional throughout the franchise. Given that most of the games’ settings are in factories or warehouses, using a Cardboard Box as cover isn’t that far from a stretch, at least as far as the games’ logic is concerned.
Players can equip a Cardboard Box to get past patrolling guards. However, players have to place themselves in areas where cardboard boxes wouldn’t look too out of place. If a player suddenly equips a Cardboard Box in the middle of a room or hallway where a guard is patrolling, the guard will likely be curious and kick the box, exposing the player and alerting the whole base.
In Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, players can use the Cardboard Box not only for sneaking around bases but as a makeshift sled. They can equip it and jump on any surface that has a slope, and Venom Snake will proceed to slide downhill. This is an unconventional yet fun way to cover ground.
1 Air Taser: Syphon Filter
The Syphon Filter games are underrated gems that got their start back in the PlayStation 1 days during the late 90s. Players are whisked into the shoes of special operative Gabe Logan, a super-spy who is tasked to arrest the leader of the international terrorist group Black Baton.
Gabe Logan is armed to the teeth with weapons, ranging from pistols to machine guns. But one of his iconic weapons is the Air Taser. While the Hand Taser in Syphon Filter 2 is the primary weapon in Gabe’s arsenal, it is non-lethal and can only be used in close quarters. The Air Taser, on the other hand, has some range and infinite bullets since it only shoots to cables that latch onto targets. Electric currents then shoot through the cables, electrocuting whoever is on the business side of the cable.
Using the Air Taser on an enemy will set them on fire. The person will then scream in agony until they stop, and become charred. This prolonged use of the Air Taser on enemies made this a popular gadget for fans of the series.