The most influential mods on PC

Modding, the great retort of the PC Gamer; whenever a snooty console player boasted of superior visuals for lower cost, the modding scene was there to kick ass and take names. For those of you not in the know, a game modification (mod) is user-created content that varies from tweaking gameplay balance, adding new units, changing the way the game looks or sounds and even adding new gamemodes. With consoles now starting to get in on the action, we figured it was time to recap the most influential Mods on PC, alphabet style.


BT-MOD

More of a GUI (Graphical User Interface - basically the menu, inventory screen and such) tweak than a mod per se, the BT mod for Oblivion didn't reinvent the wheel but it smoothed it off and polished it to a sheen. Expanding the tiny inventory screen, enlarging the map, adding toggle able view modes and much more, BT-Mod felt how the Oblivion interface would have been designed had it been a PC exclusive. The logical and consistent look saved gamers precious minutes of backpack rummaging. The console versions could keep their HD graphics because PC gamers could actually find things in their inventory.


COUNTER-STRIKE

The world's most successful mod  still has 25,000 players some ten years later. Counter-Strike was influential in making gaming a truly competitive sport. The classic counter-terrorist vs terrorist first-person shooter evolved signinficantly over the years; the Riot Shield, the Auto-Sniper and Dynamic Weapon Pricing, all these elements rocked the core foundation of the original game, but never lost the appeal. Perhaps deep down it taps into our childhood pastimes such as playground games like cops'n'robbers. No matter how many times PC gamers slammed the keyboard in disgust from being killed by an opponent's fluke shot, they always came back for more.


DEEZIRE

Designed to enhance the pleasure and performance of... multiplayer Red Alert 2, DeeZire dared to unlock content that developers had left in the game but not integrated. From banana throwing monkeys to spitting camels, DeeZire added countless ‘lost' units and tweaked the gameplay for a more balanced experience. Whilst it didn't unlock a hidden store of pixellated boobies, in the vein of the infamous ‘Hot Coffee' mod for GTA San Andreas, what it did do was to make sure that even today, Red Alert 2 remains a highly evolved strategy simulation.


GARRY'S MOD

A literal sandbox, Garry's Mod has so many features it would be difficult to sum up in a whole article let alone a hundred words. Using a form of Half-life 2's infamous gravity gun, players can manipulate objects from any of the Source engine games they own to create inventive machines, complex gamemodes, clever machinima or simply a phallic looking rocket. Long before Little Big Planet decided it would have a crack at giving players the tools to create: Garry's Mod was already allowing people to populate the world with their deliciously mad creations. Will Wright eat your heart out.


GTA MULTIPLAYER

Does what it says on the tin really, when GTA 3 was announced PC Gamers couldn't wait to go online to race and kill their buddies. Sadly when it arrived and no multiplayer mode was included, a group of modders set out to rectify this mistake. With versions for Vice City and now San Andreas, GTA Multiplayer has everything you want; racing, deathmatch, capture the flag, and a whole host of custom modes. If your PC can't handle GTA IV and you fancy some online mayhem, check it out.


MAX PAYNE KUNG FU 3.0

When Kenneth Yeung released his Kung Fu modification, tears of awesomeness streamed down the faces of players everywhere. Kung Fu added sweet kicks and punches to Max's already lethal arsenal and combined them with simple yet rewarding controls; Kung Fu 3.0 perfected the mod and added a snazzy intro and cinematic camera control. For most of gamers, this mod was as close as you could get to being a Kung Fu superstar. Creating a near perfect simulation of Kung Fu in gaming, it proved that you didn't need a huge budget and Hollywood stars to make a great game, *cough* *Enter the Matrix*.


NATURAL SELECTION

Combining RTS and FPS into a seamless package, Natural selection took the familiar, yet at the time underused,
Alien/Marine confrontation and added the secret touch of strategy. Radically different sides created a unique gaming experience; the human side led by a commander, who controlled the action in an real-time strategy-style overlay, had to follow orders to succeed; whilst the Aliens had to work as a single force to anticipate the needs of the hive. The tacked on combat mode brought more hardcore first-person shooter enthusiasts into the fray but the true genius remained in the standard mode.


TOWER DEFENSE

The ancestry of Tower Defense heralds back to Rampart (incidentally, also a great game for all you PS3 owners, other consoles should seek it out on the Midway Arcade Treasures Compilation, or on Dosbox for PC addicts) but, the kickstart to the modern flash craze was with Warcraft 3. Released as a map within the Frozen Throne expansion, players had to defend their base with towers of variable types and power. Addictive and frustrating at the same time, Tower Defense was one of the first mods to blur the barriers between casual and hardcore gaming.

There you have it, the evolution of games at your fingertips and proof that the PC scene is where creativity calls home.