History Main / SecondaryFire

* In ''Franchise/Metroid'', Samus has a beam cannon as her primary weapon, and a rocket launcher secondary, which can be fired or switched to at the touch of a button.

* Another RTS example is ''GroundControl II'', where every single unit (except for the deployable turrets and radars) had two modes. Those varied from switching between a tank's machine gun and cannon, having infantry kneel down and pull out anti-tank weapons, disabling a unit's weapons to boost speed or health regeneration, to deploying a tank's side armor, making it vulnerable in the sides and rear but almost impervious in the front, and giving cover to nearby vehicles.

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'''Rapid Fire''':

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'''ChargedAttack''':

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'''Under/Overslung Weapons:'''

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'''Melee Attack:'''

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'''Zoom:'''

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'''Spinning Up Barrels:'''

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'''Related but Different Secondary Fire:'''

* In ''VideoGame/{{Evovle}}'', Renegade Abe's shotgun will empty all loaded ammunition in a single slug.

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'''Completely Unrelated Secondary Fire:'''

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'''Uncategorized/other:'''

* [[JakAndDaxter Jak's]] [[MorphWeapon Morph Gun and Gunstaff]] can be used to smack people around and combining them with a jumping spin-kick can increase their rate of fire.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' succeeds in Inverting this one. The Scout's main Melee weapon is a Baseball Bat. Two of his alternate bats can hit projectiles (Baseballs that Stun, and Ornaments that inflict Bleeding).

* ''{{Painkiller}}'' plays this trope to the hilt, and then a bit farther: each weapon has two modes of fire, each drawing from a unique ammunition pool (exception: the rocket launcher and grenade launcher both draw from the same pool.) Additionally, it gives some weapons a third mode that can be used by combining the existing two modes -- for example, if you use the Painkiller's primary fire (spinning blades) then hit the secondary fire (launching the blades) you get spinning blades flying through the air. And it is awesome.

* The Hive Hand in ''VideoGame/HalfLife1''.

** The newer Beggar's Bazooka can ready up to 3 rockets for a rapid fire attack, but try to load a [[ExplosiveOverclocking 4th rocket]]...

* ''EternalDarkness'' features an OICW in the second to last level which fits types 1 and 2. The rifle portion can be switched between semi-auto, burst and fully automatic fire, and it is also underslung on a ''semi-automatic grenade launcher''.

'''Melee Attack:''' Often used in place of a default hand-to-hand weapon, a secondary fire might involve stabbing or whacking the opponent with the gun, which may have [[BayonetYa bayonets]] or spikes specifically for that purpose. See also PistolWhipping.

* Every gun can be used to make a melee attack in WW1 shooter ''Verdun'', and several roles have a bayonet attached to their rifle (and in one case to their [[RevolversAreJustBetter Webley revolver]]) which allows for one-hit-kills. Otherwise the melee attack involves bashing with the butt of the weapon and two hits to kill.

* The Plasma pistol from the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' games do this, activated by holding the primary trigger.

* In many games where you control tanks, noticeably in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' and ''Halo'', one button will use a machine gun turret mounted on the tank, while the other will fire the tank's artillery canon.

* Most guns in the ''VideoGame/XCom'' games can switch between single-shot and rapid fire. Or rather, Aimed Shot (slow but accurate), Snap Shot (fast but less accurate), and Auto Shot (woefully inaccurate individually but you get a burst of three).

* ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters: Future Perfect'' has this for most if not all weapons.

* A nerfed version of the Farsight also appears in ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters: Future Perfect'', a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Perfect Dark''.

* Both ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters 2'' and ''Future Perfect'' had miniguns that had spinning barrels as secondary fire, at the cost of making the gun overheat faster. ''2'' had it worse, since if you overused this function then it triggered a sound glitch that caused the sounds of the barrel to persist throughout the entire match.
* The Autocannon from ''{{Singularity}}'' must be spun up with the iron sight button to fire.

* The [[{{BFG}} Death Machine]] from ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps2'' is a minigun given to you from [[DeathFromAbove Care Packages]] (in Black Ops 2, it is rewarded when a certain number of points is received), and when you [[SightedGunsAreLowTech try to aim down the sights]], it will instead spin the barrels. Same for the mounted miniguns in the ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' games.

* ''Franchise/BioShock'' effectively goes the mode-selector route by giving guns different ammo options, some with widely varying effects.
** Best example: The chemical thrower in the [[VideoGame/BioShock1 original game]], which fires [[FireIceLightning napalm, liquid nitrogen, and electric gel]].
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'' handles it well with every gun having two firing options, including explosive grenades and room-clearing circular attacks.
** in [[{{VideoGame/DeadSpace3}} the third game,]] due to overhauling the weaponry system and replacing it with a crafting mechanic, you can have nearly any weapon as your guns secondary fire. However, there are a few weapons (like the [[{{BayonetYa}} Hydraulic Engine]]) that are secondary-fire only.

** In a more realistic portrayal, ''Sven-Coop'''s shotgun modeled after the HD packs [=SPAS-12=] dropped the "double barrels" for rapid, semi-automatic fire, much like the real weapon, at the cost of a [[{{ShortRangeShotgun}} higher pellet spread]] than the primary, pump action fire.

'''Spinning Up Barrels:''' If your game has a [[GatlingGood Gatling gun]] among your arsenal, it may take time to spin the barrels up to firing speed. Many games feature a secondary fire that spins the barrels without firing, so that when you ''do'' hit the fire button, it starts shooting immediately. This feature often causes the gun to overheat faster as a drawback. If overheat isn't a mechanism, it may slow down the user to a snail's pace or alert enemies within earshot.

'''Related But Different Secondary Fire:''' Weapon which has secondary fire which uses same type of ammo as the primary fire, but the projectile itself is different. For an example, the ASMD/Shock Rifle from the {{Unreal}}/{{UnrealTournament}} series has an instant-hit concussive beam as its primary fire, but its alt-fire takes the form of a plasma ball. As a bonus, these two attacks can be combined (shoot the ball with the beam) to form a [[UpToEleven TERTIARY]] attack by exploding the ball powerfully.

'''Completely Unrelated Secondary Fire:''' Weapon where secondary fire uses different type of ammo and its nature is very different, too. ''{{Painkiller}}'', primarily. This is for weapons that don't fit any other category, where the secondary fire has little to do with the primary, such as a shotgun with a freeze ray attached.

See also SwissArmyWeapon. Not to be confused with [[FriendlyFireIndex Friendly Fire]]

* Most guns in the ''{{X-Com}}'' games can switch between single-shot and rapid fire. Or rather, Aimed Shot (slow but accurate), Snap Shot (fast but less accurate), and Auto Shot (woefully inaccurate individually but you get a burst of three).

* ''VideoGame/{{Goldeneye1997}}'' had selective fire on most of its automatics. Tapping the trigger button would fire a single shot, pressing it once would fire a three-round burst, and holding it would engage fully automatic fire.
* As a rule, handguns and miniguns in the ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' series have slower, more-accurate fire on primary and a faster, less-accurate fire mode on secondary.
* Some guns in the original ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' had the option to switch between full-auto and semi-auto (or between "full auto" and "slow auto" for the BAR), though since most people just stuck with full-auto they removed it for the second game. Some developers [[DummiedOut apparently tried to re-implement it as an attachment in later games]], but it has never been used.
** There is now an attachment introduced in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps2'' that allows you to switch from Full Auto to Burst Fire, or from Burst Fire or Semi-Automatic fire to fully automatic firing.

** More true to the trope is the Tau Cannon- the primary fire shot quick blasts, while the secondary fire could be charged up. When charged, the thing could be used to take down ''helicopters''.

* ''Film/{{Aliens}}'': the marines fire grenades and bullets. Ripley's duct - taped supergun also has a flashlight and flamethrower.

* The SMG in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2''. Unlike the standard grenades, these grenades explode on impact. (They are also rather rare.)
** Its predecessor in the first game was either an [=MP5=] submachinegun or an M4 assault rifle (depending on whether or not you have the Hi-Def pack) equipped with an M203 'nade launcher. It was much more powerful and practical than the Half-Life 2 version; grenades were more common and you could carry ten of them instead of just three. They also arced less and dealt more damage.
** A trait they both have in common is that [[BottomlessMagazines neither ever need to reload]]. In the first game in particular, this was quite hilarious (and overpowered).

* Every gun can be used to make a melee attack in WW1 shooter ''Verdun'', and several roles have a bayonet attached to their rifle(and in one case to their [[RevolversAreJustBetter Webley revolver]]) which allows for one-hit-kills. Otherwise the melee attack involves bashing with the butt of the weapon and two hits to kill.

* The ultimate example has to be the Farsight rifle from ''VideoGame/PerfectDark''. Not only could you shoot through walls, but the secondary function caused you to automatically zoom in on the the closest target!
* A nerfed version of the Farsight also appears in ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters: Future Perfect'', a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/PerfectDark''.

* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'''s Reaper can do this, with the addition of blades on the barrels, allowing you to grind things up.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'''s shotgun alt-fires both barrels at once. Which is funny, since it's ''not a double barreled shotgun''. On the RealLife SPAS-12 the in-game shotgun is supposed to be, the "second barrel" is in fact the tube magazine.
** In the same game, hand grenades can be thrown with the primary fire button or tossed underhand with the secondary.
*** The latter function is vital for getting grenades through narrow holes at close range, such as during the sequence where you take down the Suppressor.

* In many games where you control tanks, noticeably in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' and ''Halo'' one button will use a machine gun turret mounted on the tank, while the other will fire the tank's artillery canon.

* A truly bizarre example is found in the original ''RedFaction'' in the form of the sub-machine gun, which is effectively two entirely separate automatic weapons bolted together. Primary fire uses the same rounds as the pistol but at a much higher rate, whilst the secondary trigger fires the same rounds as the ''assault rifle'', only with half the magazine size and not as accurately. Even the bots in multiplayer appeared to think the latter function was completely pointless.

** Naturally, every weapon save lightsabers and generic explosives from the ''VideoGame/JediKnight'' games also had a secondary fire function that fulfilled one of the types above.

** Perhaps lazy programming or a lampshade hanging, in ''VideoGame/JediAcademy'', toggling a console command changed Force Lightning into a flamethrower.
** The lightsaber actually did get a secondary fire in ''VideoGame/JediKnightII'': [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks the saber throw power]].

* A rare RTS example: ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer Red Alert 2'', which had a love affair with letting units deploy to unleash a secondary, related attack (usually requiring them to remain stationary). For example, the Desolator unit's normal attack was a radiation gun capable of wiping out individual infantry, but it could also deploy to poison its entire surroundings and kill many more infantry and even other ground units like tanks.

* The [[{{BFG}} Death Machine]] from ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps2'' is a minigun given to you from [[DeathFromAbove Care Packages]] (in Black Ops 2, it is rewarded when a certain number of points is received), and when you [[SightedGunsAreLowTech try to aim down the sights]], it will instead spin the barrels. Same for the mounted miniguns in the ''ModernWarfare'' games.

* ''GearsOfWar 2'''s Hammerburst rifle was automatic and had no recoil, but fired slowly. Pressing the trigger continuously as fast as possible would make it fire much faster, but give it a lot of recoil.

** There is now an attachment introduced in Black Ops 2 that allows you to switch from Full Auto to Burst Fire, or from Burst Fire or Semi-Automatic fire to fully automatic firing.
* The bullet-hose [=HS010=] submachine gun in ''EYEDivineCybermancy'' has a fire mode to ''triple'' the already absurdly fast fire rate to 3000rpm, which causes it to fire faster than the [[GatlingGood Sulfatum]]. When in triple-fire mode, the gun sounds like it's ripping itself apart as you fire.

* Oddly enough, the shotgun analog in ''Tron 2.0''

* The [[KatanasAreJustBetter Facere Mortis]] and [[{{BFS}} Damocles]] swords in ''EYEDivineCybermancy'' both have a charged attack. On the Facere Mortis, the sword simply glows red and does more damage. On the Damocles, the sword spouts static electricity and makes enemies explode in a [[LudicrousGibs shower of gibs]], while igniting anything nearby.

* ''Aliens'': the marines fire grenades and bullets. Ripley's duct - taped supergun also has a flashlight and flamethrower.
* In SeriousSam II, secondary fire, with the exception of sniper rifle, throws grenades.
* {{GURPS}}: Ultratech allows you to attach a ''grenade launching railgun'' to most two handed weapons. It only gets one shot, but still pretty awesome.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty 4: ModernWarfare'' and its sequels both have grenade launcher attachments to most of the game's assault rifles. ''ModernWarfare 2'' and later also have a similar shotgun attachment.

* ''GunmanChronicles''. Every gun had a whole menu to configure it.

** The same game gives us a number of less memorable examples. The assault rifle and shotgun ''both'' have the option of burst or fully automatic fire (the shotgun works a bit like the option for twin-linked or alternating fire for certain weapons in ''Descent''), the rocket launcher can be either dumb-fired or homing, and the grenade can be set to either a four-second timer or impact fusing. Another slightly odd one is the flamethrower, whose fuel tank can be unscrewed and thrown to act like a MolotovCocktail when it hits. Even for a MegaCorporation whose [[NoOSHACompliance lousy safety record]] is actually a plot point, that makes very little sense. It also follows the convention for vehicles which is discussed above.

* As a rule, handguns and miniguns in the ''VideoGame/Unreal'' series have slower, more-accurate fire on primary and a faster, less-accurate fire mode on secondary.

* The stakegun in ''VideoGame/Painkiller.''

* All the weapons in ''Bulletstorm.''