Honourable Mention: Just Cause 2 Multiplayer

The only reason this amazing mod is not officially on the list is because it hasn’t been released yet and it is still in beta. The recipe behind this mod is as follows: a dash of huge open world, a pinch of a game that doesn’t take itself seriously, a bucket full of insanity and a dash of 1000s of players. Oh and don’t forget the Q-Claw from 007. This rocket fuelled, never calm, rollercoaster ride, almost didn’t happen. It was started in 2010 when Just Cause 2 was released but was later cancelled. It was then picked up again in July 2012 and is currently still in beta testing. In February 2013 the beta test featured over 1000 players playing on the same map. As of April 2013 the developers have hosted 12 beta tests. The release is set for sometime in 2013 and is said to have several 1000’s of players on a single map doing whatever they want. This seems like a recipe for endless YouTube videos full of god know what.

So there you have it, there are the 8 + 1 best mods of all time. In a bizarre case of art imitating art, some of these mods have gone through what I call mod-ception. Many of the mods in this list now feature their very own modding community. I remember when Call of Duty Black Op’s came out and my younger cousin told me I have to play this brand new game type called Gun Game. I almost cried with laughter because for years I had been playing a much superior version of Gun Game on Counter Strike. This just one example of a mod within a mod there are countless others. The modding community needs to be embraced by the consoles and this has already started to happen. Ouya is great example of an open source console and I strongly believe that it will help shape the future of console market and more importantly the future of gaming.

My final thoughts go towards Valve, (I guess I am a fanboy after all). Unintentionally Valve has played a significant role if not a direct role in at least 5 of the 8 titles on this list. Valve has always been forward thinking and community centric and they deserve all of the success they have achieved. By keeping their games open to the public to modify, by hiring and encouraging modders Valve has been behind some of the greatest evolutions in the gaming community. Kudos to Valve for embracing change and if Valve ever does release the heavily rumoured Steam Box, I will pick it up just because I know it will be a console that supports AAA games and modding.

But what do you think? Agree or disagree? Did I miss one of your favourites or am I just fanboying? Let me know on Twitter @OfficialGamzo

Hammad Fasih