Why I Don't Use Or Review Mods

Talking about how I approach mods as a review-oriented channel.
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#gaming #gamereviews #mods

[@CainOnGames]

I feel the same way about mods. I’m happy they exist, but they are optional and shouldn’t be considered part of the game. I’m not proud that I made both of the games that you cite as needing mods to play, but I can’t deny it’s true. We made some buggy games at Troika.

[@Vondora]

It was another time, game dev was much more risky at that time, specially cRPGs. So you are excused, Cain

[@Deckaio]

Yes, but I think modern mod-support should be praised. Making a game mod-able takes time, effort, and planing on side of the developer and thus is part of the game. While one cannot review the mods as part of the game, how easy or well mods are to integrate is something worth being mentioned.

[@armelior4610]

I'm not prone to celebrity-worship, but seeing a casual comment from a legend of cRPG here... Mort's channel has come a long way I'll take cult classics that have enough of a following to have modders want to fix them over forgettable, (relatively) polished slop where no one sees a point

[@Wagella]

Tim, they may have been buggy, but god damn where they good games. There have been thousands of games that launched without a hitch, but a tiny percentage of those are talked about in the same category as the Troika games. VtMB is one of my favourite games ever! You should be proud of that at the very least!

[@Mizquits]

hey Cain love your videos, congrats on hitting 100k

[@RustafRM]

Archolos and Enderal are one of the best RPGs I played. Hope to see video about them on my favourite RPG channel)

[@Tan3l6]

Yup, hard to call them mods. Technically they are.

[@tango200777777777]

Thxs for the archolos recommendation. Will look it up :)

[@Matheusss89]

Archolos is a special case. It's a full game, and it's more Gothic 3 than Gothic 3. A full review of it would be nice.

[@HarroK1]

Yep, Archolos is the missing Gothic 3

[@duhotatoday3277]

Archolos is insane. It's like the Gothic 3 we never got (except the main quest is аwfuI but everything else is amazing)

[@curtishimel]

As a dev myself, I sincerely appreciate your not wanting to disrespect the mod devs. But you're not a disrespectful person and it's possible to critique without being mean. I put 4.5 years of work into Lamplighters League, and I think me and my teammates (tools) did a really great job- even if the final complete product disappointed. It's hard to see that, but I didn't feel disrespected by your review. The mods may be free, but my *time* is not. I have very limited time for games. I absolutely want reviews for total conversion mods like Archolos or Enderal to know if they're worth my time.

[@malevolentmoose]

For me the most important thing to always remember about mods is that most* of them serve not to strictly improve the game, but to add on to it or change it in some way. This is both the most appealing and the most "dangerous" thing about them, as they can deviate from the game's core principles and change it at a fundamental level. Sometimes that's exactly what you want, but I have often found myself ruining my enjoyment of a game by modding it too drastically. * the only large exception to this are QoL mods

[@melodyseverything6999]

That's so true. I often only use a mod if there is something about a game that I don't like and that there is a mod specifically fixing or solving it. Like in Subnautica, I think the inventory capacity is just so small for the resources you need to collect that I got fed up and installed a mod just to expand it. Bliss!

[@normal6969]

To avoid overmodding I try to avoid redundancy. There should be no meaningless duplicate solutions for the same task. Maybe it helps that I change my viewpoint to what should feel other players when trying out my mad dreams? It definitely helps my dependence of storytelling, but without rpg-friends.

[@gemodemplay415]

I totally agree. Plus, you want to review a game for what it is, as mods are not included in the official package of the product. You want to be as honest as possible and present the product a company releases for what it is, not what could be. Which is more than fair.

[@LordInsane100]

I suppose that one could argue that acknowledging the variety of mods possible is fair if the game being highly moddable is, itself, part of the product the company releases? Though this isn't so much specific mods as bringing up things like how Morrowind included TESCS right there in the same box as the game from day 1.

[@rundown132]

You'd have to review a game several times if you want to cover all the mods too lol

[@markxv2267]

​@@rundown132lolol

[@sodapopinksi667]

'Control' has an advanced HDR and RT mod done by a dev at Remedy. It should be official, but they stopped updating the game. VTMB's patch comes installed with the GOG version. Mods like these are why I like PC gaming.

[@Jamesssssssssssssss]

Huh never used it, guess I'll have to play control. (Not me looking for a reason to play it again)

[@Jamesssssssssssssss]

An other point with "modding" Control is the Hideo Kojima mission. Its in the game, but only accessible on playstation, the mod unblocks it and lets you play it on pc.

[@sodapopinksi667]

@@Jamesssssssssssssss I wasn't aware of the Kojima mod. I'm going to try it. I haven't played the foundation yet. I did the graphics mod to play AWE before AW2. It feels official how it's integrated. The graphics mod is by Filippo.

[@ckn3481]

Thanks for all the videos and insights about up-coming games. It is nice to have a KZbin corner about games I never heard about and try them out later if they are to my tastes.

[@adammoynihan2589]

This topic does get more complicated when we talk about older games like Morrowind that are very difficult to run vanilla on modern hardware so mods become much less optional in those cases

[@LordInsane100]

Indeed, Mort's retrospective review of Morrowind actually did go outside Morrowind-as-released, even if OpenMW isn't technically a mod.

[@Buzzerker_1775]

Any BGS game, really

[@SpecShadow]

or Fallout 3 - it's near unplayable on modern hadware (maybe GOG copy works fine?) so you pretty much must use projects like Tales of Two Wastelands to enjoy FO3 these days on PC

[@HavelockVetinarii]

I don't mind or anything but reviewing or giving constructive criticism to a mod isn't mean spirited - they put alot of time and effort for us to enjoy it and helping them with their craft doesn't seem inherently bad.

[@TwinFather0420]

While you are 100% correct…. Most people these days cannot even take constructive criticism and take any type of negativity as an attack.

[@AyarARJ]

Probably not worth the hassle that comes with the 25% of people, and their bros, that give you angst because of honest feedback. There's no profit motive to hold them back a little (like at least to Helldivers CM level) in that angst either. This said and logical, love mods and modders and there are some wicked ones for certain key games.

[@rwulf]

@@TwinFather0420yep, modders are - by definition- not professionals and in my experience they almost always act that way. It's just not worth Mort's trouble to stick his hand in that beehive.

[@View619]

Agreed, constructive criticism in the hopes of improvement isn't mean-spirited. But some people take everything badly, unless it's blind praise.

[@TehPwnographer]

It’s different when criticism is offset by money earned.

[@Dazraell2]

I still feel you could take a swing at total conversion mods like Enderal, The Nameless Mod, Fallout: London or Chronicles of Myrtana without compromising your stance as these are essentially standalone games using the same engine they're based on. Similarly reviewing The Forgotten City game and then looking back how it evolved since its original mod version to Skyrim could be a really fun topic for additional video. But yeah, it's an understandable approach.

[@MortismalGaming]

Yeah as I mentioned, not reviewing doesnt mean I wont ever take a look at them for a video. Forgotten City I wouldn't mind just reviewing as it is a paid full game even if it started as a mod.

[@ComissarYarrick]

Well, some extremely succesfull games ( CS, TF, DotA, LoL to name just s few) started originaly as mods.

[@user-il2gy2rq5x]

Ah, the Nameless Mod for Deus Ex. Such an underrated Masterpiece!

[@TheFawz]

An overhauled Mod experience might as well be treated like a different game, especially things like Endereal for Skyrim that are single-install and that change just about everything. For a game's review I would agree to not modify the game experience for the most of it, but I would at least reserve a section or video for the kind of notable enhancements or additions Mods can offer.

[@pedrohitemup]

I love this channel! I rarely ever comment on videos and when I do it’s always something funny. Never praising a channel. I’ve been binge watching so many of your videos. Keep it up 💪🏽

[@LilFeralGangrel]

Enderal broke me as a person and I think other people should play it! so I do hope to see you make a video on it! i do understand why you won't make a review tho, there's good reasoning there!

[@heavyartillery-qm5hu]

Is the mod really that bad?

[@realbroseatcornflakes491]

Consider reviewing Enderal. Its really a stand alone game that just requires you to own Skyrim.

[@MISOFOREVERRR]

💩💩💩💩

[@Koutchise]

I like that you stand on your beliefs and this was no exemption at all as someone who is all over the prospect of modding games. Since we're in the topic of mods, total conversions and content creation, I hope that you consider coverage on those whichever you see worthy of delving into. They can be something else entirely beyond the scope of the definition of "reviews" since people want to hear your takes on mediums that are worth your time and I'm telling you, there's a lot of great mods out that we would love to hear from you. Maybe consider also having a metric in your reviews regarding the modability of a game? Or probably start covering fan content that is indeed converted into something you can buy, ala The Forgotten City. You covering Enderal would be awesome. Any content from you really will be awesome. Thanks for the quick video.

[@SuperFizzah]

True, there's a big difference between something that changes a texture or two, adds an item, etc... and a mod like Enderal or some of the Dark Souls mods that are like entire DLC bundles.

[@Evanz111]

Seeing this video right under the new dev diary 5 for Skyblivion - well timed! Good topic for a video too, getting to hear your thoughts on why they should be approached differently. Even if I understand your reasoning, it would at least be interesting to see your thoughts about any mods you play, maybe just not from a critical perspective? Even if it’s like “5 things I enjoy about Fallout London” kind of video where you cherry pick the work you appreciate!

[@SerpC]

Appreciate your thought out takes. Nice video!

[@strigoi_guhlqueen8355]

I love to play with mods. But i can also totally understand why you stick to what you do. And your presice analysis und great recomendations are always welcome.

[@nicholasjepps8546]

I get your point but one thing to consider is that me, and im sure others, go to excellent reviews like yours, not so much focused on cost, than on fun factor and if its worth sinking a lot of time into a game. I only have maybe a few hours a day i can spend playing a game and love reviews like yours because it helps me decide what to play without having to put weeks of time into (which only correspond to 20 hours of gameplay) befote finding out it starts strong but then goes nowhere. The same with mods - its helpful and valuable for people to know which are worth spending time on or which are buggy messes that arent worth going near. Especially larger ones. I might not be paying money but I'm paying a lot in time!

[@You2oob]

You've fast become one of my top gaming subs. All I need now is a crossover episode to Last Stand Media!

[@zanethezaniest274]

I do hope u end up checking out Chronicles of Myrtana : Archolos one day, it’s an experience that honestly does surpass Gothic 2.

[@taomahNEGEV]

Missing Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos and Enderal is an Immortal Sin.

[@MisterNightfish]

I hugely prefer Enderal over Skyrim. The story and characters are actually good. Despite the hype, I could never get into skyrim. It just seemed so bland and boring to me. Enderal fixed that.

[@Thompsoncs]

​@@MisterNightfish I was specifically impressed by the voice acting and soundtrack (including bard songs), typically areas where mods simply show the lack of resources. They also tried to make builds more interesting. I did love (modded) skyrim, but in terms of actual story and characters Enderal puts it to shame.​

[@Darkholow]

My thoughts exactly. Chronicles of Myrtana Archolos feels like it's an official standalone game in the Gothic universe.

[@voice_of_terra7228]

This. They aren't really mods, more like fan-made games.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

Archolos is one of the best RPGs of the past 10 years, easily. (I'm less of a fan of Enderal but it's obviously an amazing achievement as well)

[@MrJekken]

I think this is a good approach for your channel, given reviewing at 100% would mean with mods fully included in the review, you could theoretically never reach 100% but at the same time mentioning mods in a review and maybe quickly recommending a couple in passing as ones you like or think are necessary (eg; SkyUI) since modding is such a big part of particular games and can be considered a fundamental part of the value proposition for customers as well.

[@Tan3l6]

I think I've never played any other fan-made "mods" than Enderal and Archolos. At least any that were good enough to remember, as the two mentioned are very fine games.

[@Darkholow]

I don't usually mod at all, because I tend to finish with the games way before the proper mods can be developed by the community. I do install some quality of life mods like I did in Starfield to make my life easier (SKY UI, compact inventory and encumberance), but that's pretty much the extent of it. Enderal (Skyrim) and Chronicles of Myrtana Archolos (Gothic 2) are a different beast that I hope, eventually, you will go and review because they are better than the games that they are based on.

[@user-lz5vh9bb5w]

Another consideration against the argument of reviewing mods is that game updates can and will break mods, and not all mods are updated to the new version. This is even more relevant in games with smaller mod communities.

[@spellandshield]

I am looking forward to your discussion of Skywind and Skyblivion even if they are not reviews. They look very promising.

[@spaceghostohio7989]

Always run through the game the first time with no mods. I tend to heavily mod games I've been playing for ages ( i.e. Fallout 6 , Skyrim , etc ) just to add some fresh stuff to them.

[@Namenlos555]

Since I am of the ones who requested, that you have a look at Enderal: I honestly think, that Enderal is on the quality level of a complete game; and I do think, that the story and experience of that game is so good, that almost every RPG-enthusiast will like it - and since you belong to that category: I do belief, that you will love this overhaul. So my suggestion still stands: Have a look at it (even if you do it just in private without making videos about it) Otherwise: I see this the same as you: Some people may prefer to mod their games to a certain extend, but for reviews the vanilla version is better.

[@ghostninja1874]

Great video. I feel the same way. I hate it when you see someone playing a game, then you buy it only to realize you're not really playing the same game, because you have to download a 2 page list of mods to get that same experience.

[@Hoigwai]

I never use mods the first time through a game. If I use mods it is 99% for correction of issues like in Starfield for the UI and menus to make them easier to read and use. Fallout is the only game that I use a major mod like Sim Settlements 2 and that is because it is also a quest mod. For most other games it might use something like I did in Cyberpunk an eye texture mod for some better cosmetic selections.

[@zoestraw6444]

There's an interesting discussion to be had about what is most useful from criticism. From the perspective of evaluating the creation of a team, all that should matter is the game that they ship, unaltered beyond official updates. This is the most honest way to evaluate their work if that is your goal. But as a player, if I can significantly improve my experience through unofficial patches or some mods that change and add things that significantly improve the game, it's a no brainer that I would use those. I'm a huge retro gamer, I love playing a large variety of old games, but modern tools like save states, shaders and screen filters that modern emulation allows for significantly improve the experience for me. There are many old games that I loved playing through that I simply would not have been willing to put the time in to if I had to play them on their original lives / continue system due to how incredibly hard they are. I don't think Skyrim is a very good game. I don't think that Skyrim VR is a very good game. But holy crap, Skyrim VR with a bunch of mods is one of the most amazingly immersive and compelling games I've played in my life. Now, Bethesda doesn't get to take credit for the fact that modders improved their game after the fact... But as a consumer, I don't really care about that, I just care about getting the best experience for myself.

[@galaxyforce6252]

love your channel, always grinding your videos. Greetings from germany

[@liamdevlin1862]

point about mods being free is extremely valid and fair, you the best Mortym :)

[@JemyM]

I agree with your take. Depending on the game I tend to run them vanilla if I haven't played them before and then I am rarely interested to replay the game again. A "community patch" I generally do not tend to see as a mod and they are usually needed to get the games to run nowadays and I know will probably give the game a better chance than not using them. There have been few cases where I felt a mod being essential. Three that comes to mind were a facemod for Oblivion (like "Character Overhaul version 2"), the "Full Dialogue Interface" mod for Fallout 4 and The Paarthurnax Dilemma for Skyrim. And as of personal preference I tend to remove companion limits from Bethesda games since I prefer large parties more than game balance. That said, Skyrim to me now is more of an engine to try mods in than a game.

[@daniel.holbrook]

I used to love the potential of mods but now I use them as little as possible. There's something more fulfilling to me about deep-diving into a game's pre-existing features and limitations, working within those rather than expanding them simply because the option's there. Also something to be said about experiencing a game the way the developers intended (or, at the very least, the way the developers released it). I've also really come to dislike mods that simply add complexity or variety for complexity or variety's sake without actually enriching the experience (and often taking away from it in my experience)

[@sinclairo3349]

For my first playtrough on games I like to keep it as vanilla as possible, even if that vanilla gameplay is not the best. I want to experience the vision, the develeopers had with their game. And exactly this is the approach here on the channel, with mods mentioned when they are important like with oblivion. 🙂

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

I'm curious. Do you simply avoid mods as part of the review process or do you avoid them for your general game playing as well?

[@MortismalGaming]

Like 95% of my game playing is reviewing at this point but yes I do rarely mess with around them otherwise.

[@lengeyart]

Some mods for me, are like part of the game now. Like Xcom Long War series, Starbound Frank Universe or Skyrim UI and companions. I remember very well of the case of INIGO on Skyrim. It´s such a great job of voice acting and reaction to the world that I can't play the game wintouth him. It fits so well to the immersion that I forgot is not part of the original game, it´s crazy.

[@abraxis59]

Your answer to this question is both exactly what I expected and exactly how I would feel in your shoes.

[@sunilkumarsheoran2]

Felt like I got a whole video in response to one of my comment in your previous video :) cool. thanks.

[@Reoh0z]

I believe your reasoning is sound on this matter.

[@parkranga]

A very respectable stance Mortym! though you gotta atleast try out enderal one day, it's one of the best RPGS i've ever played.

[@pendantblade6361]

Understandable but it's a shame you won't check Tamriel Rebuilt anytime soon. There are some great ones out there that 100% deserves the recognition.

[@parkranga]

It's very much in the realm of possibilities for him to try it out or make a video on it; he just won't review it :)

[@MISOFOREVERRR]

It’s not canon …. If it’s not made by Bethesda / zenimax it’s fan fiction

[@MortismalGaming]

Its not that I wont take a look at it even for a video, it just wont be a review if I do

[@onatgz]

happy free comment for liberty.

[@tahnadana5435]

what about total conversions? like that one vampire the masquerade redemption one using skyrim

[@MortismalGaming]

Pretty much what I said in the video, that I'd potentially take a look but it wouldnt be a review

[@jaredb513]

I very much agree with the stance of not including mods in your game reviews That being said, wouldn’t mind seeing something like neverwinter nights mod content. The OC was mostly just to show off what the toolset could do, and some of the popular mod campaigns vastly exceed its quality. is a niche case though, where the main product is the toolset and not necessarily the campaign.

[@Somebody374-bv8cd]

I agree with you. I love mods - but you're correct that you should review a game based on what it's released as because for something like skyrim with a million mods, you have no idea what one person's mod setup is compared to another because the vast majority of that is personal preference, and a review should be based on the original un modified product because THAT is what is being sold. I do however have a HUGE appreciate for people who put in time sweat and effort into modding and in particular, bug fixing the game (that the original devs honestly should have). Huge appreciation to the people who make total engine conversions for old games (like exult for ultima 7, openMW for morrowind, Sfall for fallout 2 and keeperFX for dungeon keeper, none of which are actually mods) who go out of their way to literally make the entire game run in another engine just to fix their engine issues and make it playable on modern systems. It's a sign that the games are so loved and enjoyed that people are willing to do all the extra legwork for it.

[@sayfmm]

I completely understand and agree with you 👍

[@emilm8603]

If I start adding mods to my games it's usually because I've played the base game to death, and I hope to squeeze even more enjoyment out of it. Typically some kind of overhaul mod that really shakes things up, like Darkness Falls for 7dtd or Legends for Battle Brothers, or just balance changes for a game like Civilization.

[@markula_4040]

I used to not touch mods but over the last few years I soften my stance and now check if there is anything that can help from a quality of life standpoint. When it comes to skins or added content, I still tend to not bother.

[@coconutologist]

Thanks for the video. At which point are you reviewing the mod or the game? Onward to 400k. All glory to the algorithm.

[@matthewcharles9813]

Yeah i think as a reviewer, all you need to do is mention if it has mod support or not and if it seems active. Like ten seconds after a few minutes of research. There's enough channels that cover mods anyways. I think only review a mod if it's one you really love and want to gush over it. Lol. Good transparent video. Love using mods as a fun optional add on.

[@AM-uo2kf]

I’m certainly not big on using mods for games. It’s great that they are there and some of them are incredibly varied and very impressive, I never can quite justify playing games indefinitely, always so many more i want to experience.

[@Deathmvp1]

One type of mod I think you could review is adventure mods. What I mean is like for Solasta they gave us tools to make different campaigns to play still called mods though. These give a different story all together but just using the mechanics of the game. This also give the game many more hours of play past the original story play throw.

[@JellyJman]

I mean it makes sense to review games for what you pay for, not what other people not affiliated with the company “fix” and make better or expand on. You make very good points on reviewing games for what comes when you buy it. But also it is true some really old games do require mods to run

[@bumblebeebat-te5xv]

I personally think your approach is sound. Certain mods help tweak a game so you get the experience the developers were aiming for but didn't quite achieve because they ran out of time, had other obstacles or challenges that got in the way, or because the game doesn't work on modern hardware, and I think it's fair to be charitable in those cases.

[@jizamkizam9611]

Initial reviews should always be the default experience without any mods/tweaks. Especially since many players who pick up the games on consoles might never get to use them. That said. There are many games I could never go back to without nodding them like crazy to get the most enjoyable experience out of it.

[@dangeroushandles]

This mans heart, makes up for my lack of one.

[@ricxx5324]

I only liked cosmetics mods like on Sekiro but there's one overhaul mod for Witcher 3 named Ghostmod that immensely improved my experience playing the whole game (except for 1 earth golem in the haunted castle in an island, screw that golem).

[@thorbasnthunderborn7475]

While on the topic, you should definitely check out Enderal, it is would be a shame to miss out on that game.

[@ComissarYarrick]

Ok, that is a fair point. Personaly I love mods (and this goes back all the way to like Baldurs Gate 2 20 years ago ) and I modded some games almost to the breaking point ( IIRC my Payday 2 had at some point 160 mods running simultaniously 😅), but I can see why you don't want to. Some mods deniniety are quite a copyright minefiled.

[@claudemoney6798]

The funny thing is, reviewing game sized mods are sometimes so good that you wouldn't have to feel mean spirited. When an unofficial project is as good if not better than the source material, i think they deserve to be treated as regular games. Thank you for your explanation tho, it's a personal choice in the end of course

[@jakeralph2011]

Have you considered reviewing the Banner Saga trilogy Mortym? I was almost certain that you'd reviewed them already and was surprised to find that you hadn't. It's definitely a good fit for this channel

[@MortismalGaming]

On my list of things to do

[@caites_mods]

I feel like despite all the arguments nothing really should stop you from sharing opinion/impression on popular mods (if reviewing them doesn't feel right). for a lot of people this channel is the main (sometimes the only) reliable source of games info, they would totally benefit from videos with your opinion on mods which drastically improve those games.

[@Adamthegeek70]

When it comes to Bethesda Games, Neverwinter Nights etc.... you are totally missing out. They add so much new game play, missing game play not just game fixes. Hope you still play them even if you don't review them.

[@AyarARJ]

I find more and more that what I'm paying for--in particular what gives _insane_ levels of purchase value--is moddability, mod community recognition, mod support (redmod and such), etc. Triple hour games all heavily modded. And super enjoyable. And not necessarily fixing things the devs left undone, just adding value to my play style or specs or whatever. Modding, especially how easy and prevalent it is, on Mort's platform of choice is a key value add over other platforms. So. Recognize. But Mort's policies here make sense. Not so much the paid/not-paid thing. But being focused and having solid concept for his content. Plus with mod reviewing he'd be sampling a wider population of people, most of whom have no profit motive to check their base reactions no Steam reviews to bomb and affect future sales, so some constructive criticism can bring Mort a LOT of frustration. Due to how people are and the broader sampling and this sample bias. Both of those said though, perhaps at least some mention by Mort of whether the game is (a) actively antagonistic or supportive or neutral toward modders, (b) whether any modding community exists [yet! remember Mort the Machine], (c) whether it's biased to lewd. Ok forget (c). No review, just a fair mention. Especially valuable might be (a). No installation nor gameplay for these, just reporting. Anything else? Probably you want a different channel with lots of clickbaity thumbnails and sensational non-relevant titles. Dime a dozen.

[@sirjonsmithiii992]

Love my mods. But also like your reviews.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

I do use mods, but sparingly. I always use a mod that addresses something very specific or has a specific goals. Usually it's because I have an issue with a game, and I'm looking for something to remedy that issue. All three Troika games should not be played without their respective fan patches and mods, but that's because those mods address very real issues those games have. There are a bunch of total conversion mods that I do think you should play Mort. The Chronicles of Myrtana is one of the best RPGs of the past 10 years. The Nameless Mod for Deus Ex is just amazing (if you can stand the change in tone). Enderal is a very impressive achievement as well. Don't look at them as mods. Look at them as fan-games on an existing engine, because that's basically what they are. All three of those are incredible experiences that at times exceed the work they were inspired by. Fallout 1/2 also have some great total conversions, but those are a quite a bit more "raw". What I really don't like are all these "modpacks" floating around, that cram your game full of crap curated by some crazy person who loves to put everything he can find into this pack. There's a bunch of really bad ones like that floating around for Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, STALKER, etc. Or some of those "complete overhauls" for Daggerfall Unity. Ugh, I can't stand some of those. Or sometimes I use a couple of mods to spice up another playthrough of a game I've gone through many times. Though my backlog is so big these days that

[@adampospisil6419]

Weird take, but I'm used to playing GZDoom total conversions where the line between a Doom mod and a standalone game is very blurry. E.g. someone not wanting to review games like Hedon or Ashes 2063 because they are mods would be very strange to me. I also don't get the reasoning behind "free games are not reviewed" - while I'm not paying money I still might be interested in someone whose opinion I trust telling me that it's something that's worth the *time* investment. This is not me wanting you to change you in anyway (though admittedly more people playing archolos is always a good thing), but you wander in wisdom as well.

[@L33C333]

AGREE, would like to play what the devs put out and if it somehow crashes I dont have to worry about "is this mod the reason the game crashed?" and troubleshoot when I can just play the game. Like how with Fallout New Vegas I cant even get it to not crash without downloading some mod and even then it still crashes

[@chrisbauer5905]

Hope to see u do a Neverwinter Nights paid module, could be wrong but I think Swordfight is

[@GianinaoBoss]

The only bad thing about mod is when u cant get the achievement like Baldurs Gate 3. For me the developers need always to suport the mods if u want your game to be more alive.

[@cmackay76]

makes sense if you review a game thats modded its no longer the base game review but the modds in a way... cheers and keep them great reviews coming..

[@roncinephile]

Modding games means choosing to use the Illithid Tadpole. Some do some don't, It's a matter of taste.

[@jakehopgood7446]

Can we get a 100% solo on Whoa!- Grounded?

[@tylerhouston69]

I feel like there's nothing wrong with giving your experience and review how much fun you had. How much fun you had is down to the individual not down to the actual game since people's game tastes can vary soooooooo much. A review can be a lot of different things but I respect sticking to a particular niche of "paid games or games I've spent X amount of time in"

[@johnlisowy2475]

The thing is that, at the end of the day, the majority of people who play games never play them with mods, so I never think it's fair to consider mods in a review as most people will never enjoy or experience that aspect of the game, though I do think mods should at least be mentioned if there are some particularly good ones and if they're a major aspect of the game's community. That being said I would love the occasional "shoutout" video for really good mods for people who are interested in them, as well as people who might inclined to start getting into them.

[@ex0stasis72]

I tend to err on the side of thinking, if a mod exists, it exists for a reason. Someone had to have been so dissatisfied with a particular part of a game that they otherwise loved so much that they volunteered dozens or hundreds of hours of their own free time to fix the game. So in general, I tend to assume that it a mod exists it's probably an improvement on the game, unless it's a cheat mod. The only game where I regret installing mods was Witcher 3.

[@ephasm]

I completely agree with everything here, however the only addendum I would add, is that some games, like the Elder Scrolls games, have dated so much that I literally wouldnt recommend playing them UNLESS you were going to mod them, especially for a first time player so long after they came out. Newer gamers going back and playing a lot of the older RPGs will immediately run into issues that aren't bug or graphics related, but simply dated gameplay. Many times, I think a good "vanilla plus" style mod overhaul is the definitive way to play these games nowadays, especially now that some of these games have been out so long that there are "definitive" mod overhaul guides you can follow, and tools specifically created for you to use. I'd never recommend a new player play Skyrim, for example, unless they were willing to put a couple of hours into modding it first. Sure, that will put a lot of people off, but they'd get put off by the gameplay itself immediately if the idea of modding for an hour or two would. Also, I said this a couple years back, but you still need to review the old point and click RPGS like Eye of the Beholder, and Lands of Lore etc

[@devonmarr9872]

Some mods save games or turn games great. (Watchdogs) Some mods are full blown games with the same engine and assets. (Enderal)

[@H0VA]

if you need mods to run some of the older games, i just simply don't really play them till a source port comes along first.

[@themris]

Seeing Gothic 2 makes me so nostalgic. Might need to play through it for the 12th time

[@spectre_26]

Makes sense, I'd rather hear a vanilla review of a videogame but also completely understand the reason you don't want to review free expansion mods. I never use mods on my first playthrough, I want to experience the devs' concept first. Later or, I'll introduce things I prefer or just incorporate quality of life mods.

[@ryanz486]

Not sure if it's a "I'm getting too old" thing, but I just can't bother with mods anymore, especially on games that still get updates. Only Cities Skylines 2 I use mods on and that is limited in what I use, otherwise I stopped using them a few years ago, mostly out of frustration of a small updating breaking things.

[@Paddzr]

Archolos is probably the best example of these. Especially since it's hosted on steam etc. It's one of those things where a showcase video helps passion projects a great deal and people who sub to channels like yours, would appreciate having another game worth it. Something you HAVEN'T mentioned, while there might be no costs to trying a mod... What about the time? Something like Gothic 2 New Balance could take +200h to beat. That's a huge investment time wise not everyone has.

[@Biouke]

I tend to cater around mods that only improve or tweak what is already in the game. I don't like straying too far from the original vision, specially when it comes to game mechanics as modders often make things cool and OP without regard for balance or lore. How many times have I played a game in which, say, spells felt off and searching for overhauls I couldn't find a mod which didn't go overboard in one way or the other. With mods adding classes or races, while I'd love to experiment new things those often clash too much with the base game design. Same for cosmetics, I can sum up most armor mods to 3 categories : Historically accurate / cosplay of characters from other IP / hardly even dressed up. Like, I loved to play dress up in the first Dragon's Dogma and the sequel's armors I find either too covering or too revealing. So I checked the Nexus to see if someone had tweaked some and, as expected, no middle ground was found (the game is still young, thought, I have hope) :p There's also the online component and the type of game, I have an easier time modding offline sandbox games (Kenshi, Mount & Blade) for obvious reasons.

[@markf9138]

I only mod sandbox games (modtly strategy like CK3 or survival like PZ) as they are easy enough to restart if a mod or update breaks my game. I don't mod any gane with a story (rpg, adventure etc) due to loss of immetsion, esoecially if the mod breaks my gane and i have to restart.

[@Zytech]

Mods are fine, but I would like to experience the original vision of the game, good and bad. I will do mods after I have completed the games.

[@HelloKolla]

So you won't review Enderal? Damn shame Mort, it's one of the best written games I've played, and it's a SKYRIM mod of all things, although it's really a whole new game just built on the Creation Engine. Emotional, thought-provoking main story, equally good side quests, fantastic voice acting from the whole cast, a beautiful open world with a surprising variety of biomes (abt half the size of Skyrim), and what's honestly an OST that's on the same level as Skyrim's IMO, it's a miracle that a team of modders made something that matches and even trumps Skyrim in so many areas. Edit : Finished the vid, and Mort should definitely try it out. In terms of legality, Enderal has reached the point of getting it's own Steam page w/ achievements (you can actually 100% this 'mod') and cloud saves, so it's safe to say there's no problems there. And regarding being wary of critiquing a passion project, I myself struggle to find flaws with Enderal outside issues it carries over from Skyrim, so no problem there either lol.

[@lenymo40]

Calling Enderal a mod is kind of a disservice to it. It's basically a whole ass RPG game complete with everything you can think of. And it's easily in the top 10 written games of all time for me. Mort should play and review it!

[@realbroseatcornflakes491]

I second this

[@taomahNEGEV]

I never understood how I was but still never looked like a ghost. Not even anybody treated me as if I were a ghost. Apart from that confusing detail I really enjoyed Enderal. Much more than Skyrim.

[@allthingsconsideringfine1473]

I came here to say this. It was one of my top played games last year and maybe one of the most memorable gaming experiences ever. Everything fit so perfectly well together story-wise. Gaming experience was harder than Skyrim and beginning was struggle, but when you got things going it became manageable. I don't remember having any serious bugs so that is also quite amazing feat considering how heavily modified Skyrim we are talking about. I did not expect much but that thing over delivered. No need to review it Mort but I still recommend you try it.

[@HelloKolla]

@@taomahNEGEVnot to spoil, but you're not exactly a ghost per se.

[@duhotatoday3277]

Mods, modules and rom hacks gave me some of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. Apart from often mentioned Archolos, Endereal and XCOM Long War, I can mention: 1) The entirety of Neverwinter Nights 2 (especially 2's) community work. Where else can you play full remakes of classic D&D videogames like Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and PооI of Radiance? 2) The entirety of Mount&Blade community work. Enough said. 3) Fire Emblem Vision Quest is the perfect GBA Fire Emblem Experience 4) Pokémon rom hack community. Enough said. 5) Grim Dawn's Diablo 2 remake

[@noukan42]

Why in the name of Ashera there is a path of radiance mod for neverwinter night 2? Did you mean Pool of Radiance?

[@duhotatoday3277]

@@noukan42 lmao yes, sure, I was thinking about Fire Emblem games as I was writing this😅

[@danel5411]

I know this channel is about rpgs mostly, but for stategy games like total war series improves a lot the vanilla games

[@TuanHoang-zy7of]

I honestly don't have an answer when it comes to rating a game should include mod or not. On one hand, it is clearly not the original game and not all people will have that mod experience. On the other hand, it its technically a part of the game and being moddable is actually a blessing that we tend to take for granted, so a game that support mod should get bonus point. At the end of the day I like the way you review game and wouldn't care if you touch on mod or not. But for players, I highly recommend mods, because not only they increase quality of game immensely, some expansion type mod is truly magical like Skyrim's Vigilant

[@SpecShadow]

First playthrough with mods feels weird - how can you make comparison with vanilla without playing vanilla?

[@shroomer3867]

Hey, even if you are not going to review mods, I would recommend Sim Settlements 2 on Fallout 4 because it's a gem of a mod which makes settlement building fun and adds quests into that part of the game. The review stance is understandable, but that doesn't mean you can't just try out mods in your free time if you want to. Also as everyone else is suggesting, Endreal is also really good on Skyrim.

[@murderycatdoll1380]

I share your points. I only have a PS, so my Options are limited anyways, but i use some Mods in Fallout 4. And i LOVE what the Mod Community can do for some Games. If i would have a PC i would use the SHIT out of Elden Ring Mods, like Randomiser or Cheat Engine to practise better. But Mods over all are an edition and should not be reviewed as Part of a Game.

[@Greenhead24]

The only mod i use for jagged alliance 3 is the Rambo as a character mod.

[@JemyM]

That said, hearing you talk about "paid mods" and playing Gothic made me imagine how much you would rip Forsaken Gods or Fall of Setarrif.

[@donleyp]

One thing I’ve noticed about mod reviews from other creators is that they’re almost always positive and don’t contain much in the way of honest critique. That’s good imo. Creators should highlight the mods they like, not bash the ones they didn’t like.

[@usov656]

I dont generally use mods that change gameplay except for games that were basically made for that, like mount&blade, though I admit at times mods just put things in the game that should have been in it in the first place, like the disassembler machine mod for fallout 4, because God knows im not going to develop some carpal tunnel disorder just to scrap all the tons of loot I have in my workshops.