I found the shotgun to be rubbish against bosses, the crossbow seemed to be the most powerful weapon against those. Also, it didn't dismember the enemies - that would mean that it cut their limbs off. What it actually did was evaporate their body, but limbs were left in place. It's disbodiment :-P Yeah, that shotgun was awesome. Kind of like the rest of the new Shadow Warrior really.

Best is obviously the Doom 2 double-barrelled shotgun.

Worst? I'm thinking SWAT3. Found it not really very powerful and it sounded weedy. Tried it once or twice and then never went back to it again.

pfff, technicalities.

The best shotgun - for me it's a draw between Doom 2 double barrel (and contrary to an opinion above, it is great for taking tough enemies up close and personal, circle strafing a baron of hell and pumping its a** full of shells two at a time is awesome!) and Blood sawed off, especially with Akimbo. A very recent honorable mention is the shotgun from Insurgency, which just feels great to shoot, and can be devastating even at longer ranges, if used properly.

Worst would be TK's Wave from Borderlands. I have no idea who conceived that thing, let alone have it drop as a quest reward

Best, as in most useful in-game:

1.) Worms 2: Getting up close with ninja rope plus shotgun is a favorite tactic. You get to aim and shoot twice with the shotgun and damage is reliably consistent: 2 x 25, meaning a worm with 100 health gets his HP reduced by 50%. Can be used from very far away, too.

2.) Duke 3D: Some people get more kills with the RPG but I prefer steroids plus shotgun. You need to get up close (from behind, of course) to use the shotgun effectively and the steroids are perfect for that. Plus jetpack, so you can surprise drop down right behind your opponent. Duke3D on steroids makes for just about the fastest gameplay you can have in a FPS multiplayer and at such high speed, you need a controllable and reliable weapon for a clean kill, not something spastic like the RPG or Devastator.

H&K CAWS and Pancor Jackhammer (Fallout 2 ), Spas 15 and CAWS ( JA2 )/ are my best.

Worst: shotguns in XCOM 2012

best for me a shotgun in Resident Evil 2 - you get to love it as it literally saves your life many, many times...

Totally not game related but when I think of shotguns the first thing that comes to mind is this classic scene from one of the greatest movies of all time, "The Wraith".

Nice Shot!

The Doom 2 Super Shotgun proves that you can have too much of a good thing. Doom 1 is yet again where it's at.

There are a bunch of very fun shotguns in the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. The Claymore, Wraith, Disciple, N7 Piranha, Graal Spike Thrower, Reegar Carbine...

Best shotgun : persian gulf inferno, on amiga.

Max Payne series.
Wow, the shotgun there is awesome - you can really feel its power. The sound effects, enemies flying like rag dolls after getting hit, its badass.

Mafia The City of Lost Heaven.
Same reasons as above. This game generally executes the firefights flawlessly, all weapons feel like powerful killing devices (unlike many modern games in which it feels more as if someone was firing an airsoft gun, than a real one).

Best: Marathon 2: Durandal/Marathon Infinity, WSTE-M Combat Shotgun - an awesome weapon when dual-wielded, with a "mysterious" reloading mechanism strongly reminiscent of Arnie's shotgun from the motorbike chase scene in T2: Judgement Day. You could take down even a Juggernaut with a few well-placed blasts.

Worst: Red Faction 2: I've not wielded a weaker shotgun in a while. Wow. Even though it's a fully-automatic weapon, emptying a full clip at point blank range does almost nothing.

This is my favorite. Killing Floor's Hunting Shotgun with a lvl 6 Support can clear a hall if timed well. Rag dolls flying everywhere. It's extremely satisfying to use as the finishing blow for a charging fleshpound or skrake (giant zombies of certain death).

The best:
The Cat Lady.
Yes, you use it only once and it's not any kind of direct control of the gun... and yet, it was one of the most satisfying kills in videogames I've ever seen. Also, it has its own song :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx6j2I8v2Z0

The worst:
Country Justice: Revenge of Rednecks.
Why? Just look at it. Everything about the game is the worst :)

Shotgun in fallout tactics was dreadful (silverhawk or something)

loved the shotgun in duke nukem 3d