I dont know whether this will turn into a proper list, but it could do. Depends on the interest.
There are some games, and some mods, which seem to make the original vanilla version totally inferior in every single way. Sometimes its a mere change to the interface, sometimes its a complete overhaul. Mods are many and varied. Which ones do you consider to be the best you have ever played? I shall start:
X COM - The Long War
If you are a fan of X COM, then i highly recommend this mod. It does away with the 4 class system of soldiers replacing it with 8 new classes (medic, engineer, rocketeer, assault, infantry, gunner, sniper and scout). As well as a large sub section of mechs. The mechanics are completely redone and air combat reimagined. In fact, its list of changes is so extensive, i would go as far to say that its a reimagining of the reimagined game. Its different enough to be tantamount to a new DLC.
Civ IV the BUG/BAT mod with Blue Marble
Games like Civ need a good interface in order to enable the player, particularly on higher difficulties, to be able to play the game. This mod achieved just that. It didnt change much in the way of fundamental mechanics, it offered you more information. Lots of information. It almost reinvented the game for me. I found i became a much better player over night because the design was so much better than vanilla. I could now entertain thoughts of playing at immortal, whereas before i was on the periphery of emperor. When it came bundled with blue marble, this just made it even better.
Doom - Brutal Doom
Did you ever play and like doom? Well then, you should give this a shot. Its about the bloodiest game i have ever played and so much fun. check out youtube videos of it if you dont believe me. It warranted me to play through the game again after all these years, so it must be pretty decent. Its also highly compatible and runs with many other types of wad.
Doom - Risen 3D
I think doom was the first game to really be extensively overhauled by community fans. this mod, albeit not to everyones liking, deserves a special mention. It fully renders doom in 3D accelerated graphics with dynamic lighting and textures. A considerable amount of work went into this, and it was basically a blueprint for all those high texture packs you can grab now for games that are released today (Skyrim and oblivion texturepacks are a case in point).
Half life 2 - Cinematic mod
Like the above, a considerable amount of time and effort went into this. If you play its latest incarnation today, it transforms a game that is over 10 years old into a thing of beauty. you need a good system to run it however. But in terms of models and the like, this makes halflife 2 look as good as modern day shooters.
Half life - Black mesa
this could almst be considered a stand alone game, and if you have not played it, then i implore you to check it out. It totally over hauls the half life world in the source engine. The result? A game that many professional developers would be pleased with. Its also has the best music i have ever heard in a fan made modification.
Feel free to add your own. If we get a decent list up, we could collate them under some sort of index.
There are some games, and some mods, which seem to make the original vanilla version totally inferior in every single way. Sometimes its a mere change to the interface, sometimes its a complete overhaul. Mods are many and varied. Which ones do you consider to be the best you have ever played? I shall start:
X COM - The Long War
If you are a fan of X COM, then i highly recommend this mod. It does away with the 4 class system of soldiers replacing it with 8 new classes (medic, engineer, rocketeer, assault, infantry, gunner, sniper and scout). As well as a large sub section of mechs. The mechanics are completely redone and air combat reimagined. In fact, its list of changes is so extensive, i would go as far to say that its a reimagining of the reimagined game. Its different enough to be tantamount to a new DLC.
Civ IV the BUG/BAT mod with Blue Marble
Games like Civ need a good interface in order to enable the player, particularly on higher difficulties, to be able to play the game. This mod achieved just that. It didnt change much in the way of fundamental mechanics, it offered you more information. Lots of information. It almost reinvented the game for me. I found i became a much better player over night because the design was so much better than vanilla. I could now entertain thoughts of playing at immortal, whereas before i was on the periphery of emperor. When it came bundled with blue marble, this just made it even better.
Doom - Brutal Doom
Did you ever play and like doom? Well then, you should give this a shot. Its about the bloodiest game i have ever played and so much fun. check out youtube videos of it if you dont believe me. It warranted me to play through the game again after all these years, so it must be pretty decent. Its also highly compatible and runs with many other types of wad.
Doom - Risen 3D
I think doom was the first game to really be extensively overhauled by community fans. this mod, albeit not to everyones liking, deserves a special mention. It fully renders doom in 3D accelerated graphics with dynamic lighting and textures. A considerable amount of work went into this, and it was basically a blueprint for all those high texture packs you can grab now for games that are released today (Skyrim and oblivion texturepacks are a case in point).
Half life 2 - Cinematic mod
Like the above, a considerable amount of time and effort went into this. If you play its latest incarnation today, it transforms a game that is over 10 years old into a thing of beauty. you need a good system to run it however. But in terms of models and the like, this makes halflife 2 look as good as modern day shooters.
Half life - Black mesa
this could almst be considered a stand alone game, and if you have not played it, then i implore you to check it out. It totally over hauls the half life world in the source engine. The result? A game that many professional developers would be pleased with. Its also has the best music i have ever heard in a fan made modification.
Feel free to add your own. If we get a decent list up, we could collate them under some sort of index.
