The Best Mods: Transforming Mediocre Games into Remarkable Experiences
The best mods haven’t just improved the gameplay of the best PC games, they’ve transformed mediocre games into something truly remarkable. While some games may be mediocre on their own, the creativity of the Modding community has the power to breathe new life into games, turning a forgettable experience into one that’s unforgettable.
While it’s easy to celebrate the best PC games with well-developed communities, sometimes modders are the only reason some games have endured. The likes of Assetto Corsa and rFactor are mere shadows of their console counterparts, but mods have transformed them into some of the best racing games you can play. The base game of Neverwinter Nights 2 was considered lackluster, but the Infinity Engine community breathed life into the RPG game by improving the overall gameplay.
While many of the best PC games rely on the base game to carry them, modders have stepped up to the plate to improve games from the ground up. The most popular game modes like DoTA and Autochess were originally created in Warcraft 3 by its map-making community. The likes of Skyrim, while not mediocre, are greatly enhanced by mods, making combat more dynamic and adding new features. On the other hand, some might argue that Skyrim is a mediocre game on its own, relying on mods to make it enjoyable – which is where things get complicated.
So, if you’re struggling to determine if a game is mediocre or not, let’s celebrate the best mods by highlighting games that were, on their own, lackluster but transformed by the creativity of the community. These are some of the most mediocre games before mods, and how the modding community breathed life into them:
Skyrim
“Skyrim is a mediocre game that became great through mods” is a sentiment echoed by many, but is it fair? While the unmodded Skyrim is a serviceable Elder Scrolls experience, modders have greatly improved the combat. This is in part because Bethesda’s engine is easier to mod than Morrowind’s, and also because combat in Skyrim is lackluster on its own.
The same can be said for Fallout 4, which is also seen as having a better modding scene than Skyrim thanks to the improved mechanics. Others mention that Skyrim’s combat is mediocre and mods help to make it more dynamic and modern, while still others believe that unmodded Skyrim is still a fantastic game.
Warcraft 3
The Warcraft 3 map-making community is responsible for some of the most popular game modes in the history of gaming, from DoTA and Autochess to Tower Defence and Hero Line Tower. While the base game was considered lackluster and Warcraft 4 was in development, the modding community breathed life into the RTS game.
Enderal
A massive mod for Skyrim, Enderal transforms the open-world game into a completely new experience with its own world, lore, and gameplay mechanics. The mod is so massive that it has its own wiki to help you get started.
Castle Fight
A Warcraft 3 mod based on the popular Castle Wars game mode, this is a fun deathmatch game where two teams of four compete to blow up their opponents’ towers.
Super Mario World
When the kaizo community started creating the most insane Super Mario World levels, we knew everything about the original game was about to be pushed to its limits of creativity.
Neverwinter Nights 2
The base game of Neverwinter Nights 2 was considered lackluster, but the massive Neverwinter Nights modding community breathed new life into the RPG game by completing the incomplete content.
Battlefield 2
Project Reality revolutionized the gameplay of Battlefield 2 by introducing new mechanics such as suppression, increasing the importance of squad-play, and transforming the shooter game into a more tactical experience.
Kotor 2
The modding scene breathed new life into the RPG game by completing the incomplete content, turning KotOR 2 into a solid, playable game.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
The Knights of the Old Republic modding scene is incredible, turning the sequel into a completely different RPG game with new mechanics, classes, and more.
