7. The Nuke- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Photo Credit: Marcel B.

This is an elite powerup. To earn it you must consecutively kill 24 opponents, and in a game like Call of Duty that is never an easy task. Upon earning your nuke it immediately starts a short countdown to the end of the match no matter how much time is left on the clock. When the time hits zero its BLAMMO for everyone on the map. Game over.

6. Spread Attack- Contra

Photo Credit: Nanoo Nanoo

Contra is a game that’s all about the powerups. You’re a soldier on the run fighting the hordes of enemies thrown your way and your only weapon is a gun upgradable with varying powerups changing the style of your shot. They range from rapid fire to flame thrower, but the best is definitely the spread shot. It spread bullets out all over the screen, killing everything ahead and making the game a breeze.

5. Power Pellet- Pac-Man

Photo Credit: Z.L.Y

This might just be the most classic of video game powerups. We’ve all played this game and we all love picking this one up to turn the tides on the ghosts whose sole purpose is to exterminate us.

4. Bottled Fairy- the Legend of Zelda: a Link to the past

Photo Credit: sugar346195

Zelda games are hard. This is a fact. They take a long time to beat, the castles are difficult, and dying is just part of the game…unless you have a bottled fairy. Continues can take forever, but if you have a bottled fairy, upon death she leaves the bottle, brings you back to life, and your second chance starts immediately.

3. Blue Turtle Shell- Mario Kart 64

Photo Credit: kagekonen.com

We’ve all been at the back of the pack on some incarnation of Mario Kart, hit the mystery item box, and jumped for joy as we were rewarded with the blue shell. It’s so satisfying to send that guy up through the ranks, destroying opponents until it hits the lead car to knock them off of their pedestal. It’s not a guaranteed win, but it’s certainly a confidence booster for anyone lagging behind.

2. Lightning Plasmid- Bioshock

Photo Credit: J . Richardson

Bioshock is one of the best games ever, and it has one of the best powerup systems ever. You have plasmids that are spliced into your body essentially giving you extra human abilities much like the Bionic Man. Some plasmids come and go, but lighting will always be in your inventory. It stops enemies dead in their tracks giving you’re the opportunity to whack them with whatever blunt object you happen to be carrying.

1. Raccoon Suit- Super Mario Brothers 3

Photo Credit: Steven & Joey Thompson

This is hands down the most fun video game powerup off all time. It’s the one that rendered the flame flower on Mario useless. Once the leaf was introduced, no one cared about spitting fireballs anymore. Taking flight after the leaf or whacking enemies with your tail shouldn’t be so much fun, but it really is. Proof is that you never enter a castle without it. It’s integral to the game, and that makes it the greatest powerup of them all.

People certainly have their preferences, and that goes for video game powerups too. If you are really in to playing video games, then you know what I am talking about. If you don’t like any on my list, what would you call the greatest of all time?

Top image source: evilcontrollers.com