To be honest, I wouldn't even like those things. It still devalues the beams. I think they are perfect as they are in retail - Big, scary, and almost solid looking as they lash out to deal hurt to the enemy. Anything coming off them aside from the specular lighting will just look like wasted energy, and anything traveling along them will take away the feel of them being instant death. Nor do I like the star-like powerup glows that are starting to crop up everywhere, for about the same reasons.
It all just gets too flashy. They're weapons, not magic. So they should look like weapons. Powerful, functional and to the point, nothing more. I mean, when a battleship fires its guns, they just go boom so loud you'd bust your eardrums at 500m and shoot out a 30m plume of smoke, they don't do a 720 spin, launch fireworks, sing the national anthem and leave a trail of pink baby butterflies after the projectile, right? Yet they are still impressive as hell. And that's exactly how I want my beams. No fuss, just death.
