Hey everyone, I've been part of the game modding community for about 8 years now and I'm always blown away by what people create. I'm specifically looking for total conversion mods that completely transform the original game into something new.
I'm talking about mods that change gameplay completely, not just minor tweaks. The kind of ambitious game modifications that make you feel like you're playing a brand new game.
What are some of the best total conversion mods you've come across? I'm especially interested in mods that reinvent games and create entirely new experiences. Any recommendations for total conversion mod reviews or showcases would be great too.
Oh man, where to even start. The Enderal total conversion for Skyrim is probably the gold standard for me. It's not just a mod it's basically a whole new game built in the Skyrim engine. New world, new story, new gameplay systems everything. It's one of those mods that completely change games in ways that feel professional.
Another one that comes to mind is Black Mesa for Half Life. Started as a mod and became a commercial release, but it shows what the game modding community can achieve when they're really ambitious.
For something more recent, I've been really impressed with some of the total conversion mods for Mount and Blade Bannerlord. There are mods that transform the original game into completely different historical periods or even fantasy settings.
Enderal is definitely up there. I'd add The Frontier for Fallout New Vegas to that list. That mod is absolutely massive and adds a completely new campaign that feels like it could have been official DLC. The level of polish and attention to detail is incredible for a community project.
For something different, check out the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. modding scene. There are total conversion mods like Anomaly that basically create entirely new games using the original assets. The way they reinvent games in that community is really impressive.
If you're into strategy games, the Third Age Total War mod for Medieval 2 is legendary. It transforms the entire game into a Lord of the Rings experience with completely new factions, units, and mechanics.
I have to mention the Counter Strike story. Started as a Half Life mod and became its own thing. That's the ultimate example of a mod that created new experiences and turned into a franchise.
For current impressive game modifications, the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes in the RE Engine actually started as fan projects before Capcom took notice. Shows how talented the game modding community can be.
The Portal modding scene has some amazing total conversion mods too. Portal Stories Mel and Thinking With Time Machine are basically full new games that completely change the gameplay while keeping the core mechanics intact.
What I love about these mods is they showcase game modding innovations that sometimes even influence official game development.
Don't forget about the DayZ mod for Arma 2. It literally created an entire genre of survival games. That's probably one of the most influential mods that completely changed games in recent memory.
For RPG fans, the Baldur's Gate modding scene has some incredible total conversion mods. There are mods that add completely new campaigns with professional level writing and voice acting.
The Minecraft modding community deserves a shout too. Mods like TerraFirmaCraft or SevTech Ages completely transform the game into something entirely different. They're not just adding content they're changing fundamental gameplay systems.
These mods that reinvent games show what's possible when the game modding community really pushes boundaries.
Great suggestions everyone. I'd add the Hearts of Iron modding scene to the list. Mods like Kaiserreich or The New Order completely transform the game into alternate history scenarios with entirely new mechanics, focus trees, and stories.
The Elder Scrolls modding community has some amazing total conversion mods beyond Enderal too. There's Beyond Skyrim which is attempting to recreate all of Tamriel, and while it's not complete yet, the released provinces show incredible ambition.
For racing games, the modding scene for Assetto Corsa is insane. There are total conversion mods that turn it into completely different racing experiences with new physics, cars, and tracks.
What's amazing about these mods is they often become games within games, creating dedicated communities of their own within the larger game overhaul modding community.
All fantastic recommendations. I want to highlight something a bit different the modding scene for classic games.
System Shock 2 has total conversion mods that completely overhaul the graphics and gameplay to modern standards. Thief fan missions are essentially new games using the original engine. These mods that transform original games from decades ago into something playable today are incredible achievements.
Also, the Doom modding community is legendary. Total conversion mods like Brutal Doom or Project Brutality completely change the gameplay experience while mods like MyHouse.wad show how creative the community can be with storytelling.
These mods showcase game modding achievements that keep old games alive and relevant, which is something really special about the total conversion modding scene.