M-4 Shuriken

The M-4 Shuriken Machine Pistol is a submachine gun in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.

Description
A common but effective submachine gun. Fires three-round bursts, and can be pulsed for a higher rate of fire at the expense of accuracy. Very effective against shields and biotic barriers. As kinetic barriers have grown in popularity, so has the popularity of submachine guns. Manufactured by the Elkoss Combine, the Shuriken machine pistol has a reputation for being deadly and easy to use, but is weak against armor.

Acquisition
Automatically granted for all classes except the Soldier during the mission on Freedom's Progress.

Squad Use
This weapon can be used by Miranda, Mordin, Samara/Morinth, Thane, Kasumi, Liara and Dr. Amanda Kenson.

Player Notes

 * Unlike the M-9 Tempest, the Shuriken is not fully-automatic but fires in three-round bursts. This quality, combined with its more manageable recoil, makes the Shuriken slightly better at long range shooting than the M-9 Tempest, but its fire rate and damage rate leave a lot to be desired.
 * The Shuriken has a hidden feature: it can maintain a constant rate of fire if the trigger button is pressed quickly and repeatedly.
 * This weapon is very effective on squadmates, particularly prior to acquiring the Locust - they do not suffer accuracy reductions due to recoil, allowing them to land virtually every shot. In addition, the burst fire of the Shuriken forces your squad to drop back into cover more frequently, keeping them alive longer on higher difficulty levels.

Description
As kinetic barriers have grown in popularity, so has the popularity of submachine guns. Manufactured by the Elkoss Combine, the Shuriken Machine Pistol fires six-round bursts with a high rate of fire.

Acquisition

 * Single-player: Priority: Mars: Automatically obtained for some classes; otherwise, in the office, on a dead trooper.
 * Multiplayer: Starting weapon, Randomly upgraded by purchasing a multiplayer item pack(Common).

Player Notes

 * The Shuriken is a lightweight weapon, so its useful for those who like to use their powers regularly. Its main strength are its six-round bursts, which allow it to do serious damage at close range if most of the shots are to the head. It also has a reasonable accuracy level at close range, has a fast burst fire rate, and moderate rate of fire overall.
 * If the Shuriken is not used in cover, its recoil is quite high, meaning you could miss several shots in a burst if not adequately aimed.
 * One of its major weaknesses is its low damage level. This can make it difficult to employ on higher difficulties.
 * The Shuriken has a faster reload speed than other SMGs, meaning you can get back into the fight with minimal down time.

Trivia

 * Commander Shepard is seen using the Shuriken in a number of cutscenes even if Shepard's class is a Soldier, which cannot use submachine guns. It appears to be the default handgun of Mass Effect 2. In cutscenes it can be seen in the hands of non-combatant NPCs and squad members, regardless of what SMG they're wielding or weapons training they have. It is also seen in Jack's "quarters".
 * The Shuriken should be considered a type of machine pistol due to its compact size and rapid burst fire, similar in nature to a Beretta 93R.