Best Game Mods

Based upon Starcraft's Aeon of Strife map, Defense of the Ancients has players running around the map, trying to destroy each others' -- what else -- Ancients. These are heavily-guarded structures situated around the four corners of the map. With the addition of powerful units called Heroes, this little mod soared to the height of popularity with Warcraft players. Every aspect of the game was right on par with it's Blizzard-based parent -- which is saying a lot because it's Blizzard we're talking about, here. They're all about quality.

And if you need just one more piece of evidence why this is one of the best game mods... it spawned a whole new video game genre.

The concept is simple: you're either a terrorist or a counter-terrorist (or a spectator). There are objectives to complete, and you've gotta complete them. This Half-life mod is one of the most played game mods of all time, and small wonder. The gameplay is addicting. The graphics (for the time) looked great. And everything's polished to such an extent that even the OCD people at Valve would be proud. Wanna know what else? People still play it today. A LOT of people.

Are you absolutely in love with Team Fortress 2? Of course you are. Well, this game franchise also has its roots as a mod -- a Quake mod, to be exact. This little mod that could revolutionized squad-based combat, with two teams squaring off against each other. The twist, of course, was the class system. There are quite a few to choose from: Medic, Sniper, Soldier, Demoman, Pyro, Spy, Heavy Weapons Guy, Scout, and Engineer. Each one has their own strengths and weaknesses, and like any squad, you need all of the above to get the job done properly.

Mods are good for satisfying weird cravings, and this mod (a mix of RTS and FPS gameplay) is one such contender. As in many mods, there are two teams. In this case, it's the Marines vs the Kharaa. And here's the cool bit: The Marine team chooses one person to act as "commander." For that person, the game turns into an RTS. They get a top-down view from which they issue orders, purchase upgrades and monitor troop movements. Everyone else on the team, meanwhile, plays an FPS version of the map. Good stuff!