In "The Hidden", players choose the role of either a near invisible killer, Subject 617, or one member of an Intercept squad who have to capture him, I.R.I.S. In the simple but challenging gameplay of an 'one against all'? mode, Subject 617 creeps/sneaks through the maps armed only with a knife and three pipe bombs. The IRIS team carry a selection of weaponry, fully customisable at round start, from F2000 assault rifles through to shotguns or sub machine guns as well as a pistol as a secondary weapon. However, they can hardly see Subject 617 as, just like the 'Predator', only the outline of his silhouette is visible. On top of that the Hidden also moves a little faster and has many abilites such as pouncing, wall grabbing, corpse pinning and the fatal pigsticker attack. Therefore co-operation is necessary for I.R.I.S. if they wish to prevail (if they dont want to become the prey/victim themselves). This leads to an outstanding gaming experience on public servers:...

Report RSS Mods of 2006 - Editors' Choice

The gamers and players have spoken and picked their favorites and to keep things interesting, we didn't totally agree. Now it's time for the Mod DB editors to step up and tell you what we were playing in 2006.

Posted by on

There are a whole lot of mods, both released and in development, that are really quality products and have had blood and sweat and tears poured into them. Mods represent some of the most ingenious and innovative developments in the gaming world, and are all done by hobbyists and enthusiasts.

It is this time of year that we actually take the time out to recognise these mods and try to reward the amazing efforts people put into their work. Our Players' Choice awards show which mods have done something right, something that has allowed them to develop their own communities and fill servers up with players enjoying the end result of all the hard work.

Yet, as those who do the housekeeping around Mod DB, we feel that there are other mods that shine. These mods have a certain something about them that stands out to us. We want to recognise the mods that have an exceptional aspect that gives them a certain edge. Sure, we wish we could give out more awards, and there are many, many worthy candidates, but after much deliberation (read: bickering and whining), we have decided which mods stand out to us, and we plan to tell you why. Not all of us agreed with the awards and, unlike previous years, we felt it important to share many different viewpoints with the winners. Hopefully, this will give you a wider perspective towards these solid and noteworthy mods.

Feature Image

Reinvention: Goldeneye Source

Honorable Mention: BlockStorm
Goldeneye Source is a remake of the classic Nintendo 64 game that made console first person shooters a force to be reckoned with. While not an exact duplicate of the original, the team is working with community opinion to make a mod for all to enjoy.

Cradle Control

INtense! says:
Before Goldeneye, first person shooters on console systems were a joke. They were slow, ugly and hard to control before this game came along. Goldeneye was action packed, innovative and classy just like James Bond himself. The Goldeneye: Source team have managed to recapture the joy of the original--and that is a guaranteed winning formula.
methulah says:
Who didn't love Goldeneye on Nintendo 64? Goldeneye: Source has proved that the game had a whole lot more to give and has built on the original enough to be a wholly fun experience.
Wraiyth says:
A re-invention of one of the true classics of console gaming has been inevitable over the past few years. As a big Goldeneye fan, I was one of the many that greatly anticipated the release of Goldeneye: Source, but was left disappointed by its shortcomings in failing to capture the essence of the console version. Several design flaws that hindered the gameplay and flow of the classic version have kept this mod from reaching its full potential.

Innovation: Iron Grip : The Oppression

Honorable Mention: Kreedz Climbing
In an alternate universe, the Rahmos army rules with an iron fist, its people mere pawns beneath their might. Now, as a ragtag rebel army, you must rise up against them in this genre-defying real time strategy \ first person shooter online game.

ingame shot Heavy Tank 3

hammy-bob says:
"Iron Grip is kind of like a cake made out of steaks. You know, steak tastes really good. And when you mix it with your favorite addition to any meal, such as cake, you have the perfect combo for a night full of fun and satisfaction."
Crispy says:
It's one thing being innovative, but it's quite another realizing an innovative concept as a core factor in a solid gaming experience. In my honest opinion, Iron Grip has a bit to go in achieving balanced gameplay ( e.g. I hate how the hapless Rahmos commander is the victory condition and he can't even be garrisoned in a tank while you attend to your troops on the other side of the map), but if it works out its niggles, you have here a mod with unique gameplay set in an original and well-crafted steam-punk universe. And not a lot of mods can say that for themselves.
INtense! says:
Personally speaking, I wanted this mod to win the ambience category--have you heard the musical score?! However, that isn't the only area it excels. This mod was built to be different and it has certainly achieved that. And like a good bottle of wine, it just keeps on getting better.
JoeX111 says:
I still can't figure out how to win as the Oppression. I click on the train to build some guys and the resistance kills my leader. I keep clicking for my tanks to move and they sit there. I say, "Ok, guys, just give me a minute to get oriented here," and the other players laugh at me and make fun of my mother. Finally, I get mad, change back to the Resistance side, and everything becomes awesome again. Ever wanted to know what it would be like to fight overwhelming odds and be a true rebel? Then sign up.

Old Skool Classic: Ragnarok Arena

Honorable Mention: Median 2008
Enjoy a trip back to a time when bleeding edge graphics didn't matter, and where the idea of a third dimension was only dreamed of. Ragnarok Arena allows you to jump miles, gib your friends into little pieces with rockets and actually have a fighting chance without the use of that crazy mouse object.

ra_blackmesa Power her up!

Karuto says:
Ragnarok Arena isn't what I would like to classify as "old school". Sure, it's a 2D side-scroller. That's where the label ends. It's just another run-and-gun shoot-em-up with no actual intelligence behind it. I'll admit -- it has its moments. With a packed server, there's enough action and mayhem going around to get anyone in the mood. However, it plays just like any other mod you've seen or played before, just in a different perspective.
jacksonj04 says:
Remember those days when you could only go left, right, jump and crouch? Now, stick that side-scrolling fun into the Half-Life engine, mix in some cleverly designed maps, and go shoot each other. I think we have a definite winner for bringing old-skool 2-dimensional movement into this graphics driven 3D world. How did it go now? Left, left, right right, up, down...
INtense! says:
From the time I first played Halloween Harry and Duke Nukem 2D, I've always been a sucker for 2D side-scroller mayhem. Something about the crazy weapons, massive explosions, huge jumps and jetpacks keep me coming back for more. Ragnarok Arena isn't quite Halloween Harry, but it sure does bring back the memories and thats gotta be worth something...right!?

Visuals: The SoulKeeper

Honorable Mention: World of Padman
The SoulKeeper is a 3rd/1st person melee combat action multiplayer game. Experience the heat of medieval-like combat, in gorgeous and detailed environments making use of the powerful Unreal Engine.

Dragon vs Artedian Captain SE_PreRelease Shot5

Karuto says:
The SoulKeeper has amazing visuals. There is enough detail packed into each polygon on-screen that you wonder how they were able to accomplish what they did. The gameplay has its moments as well. Let's just say dragon-riding has never felt so much fun. However, that's where the buck stops dead. This mod is perhaps infamous for its terrible A.I., bad balancing issues, and a real lack of anyone actually playing the mod, even around the time of its release. And you know what? They're all true. The mod team has already given up updating this mod, so we'll never know just how good it could have been.
methulah says:
The SoulKeeper is one mod that has me really confused. I don't enjoy playing it. In fact, if I try to play it for more than a few minutes, I get so bored it's not even funny. However, it just looks so damn good that I can't help booting it up every couple of weeks and just sitting in awe, staring at my screen.
JoeX111 says:
The Soulkeeper is a mod I've never been able to play for more than five minutes. It might help if I read the instructions or found an online match with somebody in it, but I never have a damn clue what to do. So, I jump on a dragon, sail around for a little bit, crash into the side of a castle and promptly quit. At least it looks good while it lasts, though.

Ambience: Hidden Source

Honorable Mention: Hollow Moon
He stalks in the shadows. Watching. Waiting. Killing without warning, forcing you to run and hide, to fight to the last man in this brutal, yet innovative Half-Life 2 multiplayer game. Survival horror takes on a new meaning when death carries a knife.

Hidden Beta in-game 03 Kasim Slovak, the ninth member of IRIS

JoeX111 says:
The Hidden: Source is the only game that has ever made me truly jump. Ever. Silent Hill creeps me out. Condemned: Criminal Origins makes me kind of tense. FEAR, well, is exciting, but is about as scary as a trip to the urinal. But The Hidden is something else. The Hidden is the kind of game that, when my brother bursts into my room to tell me something, makes me leap screaming out of my chair like a high school girl.
hammy-bob says:
*The following is an example of me playing Hidden Source: "Hey, look at the pretty flashing light...HEY, WHY ARE YOU STUCK TO THE CEILING!?! EEEK...what was that sound? Hi there, Mr. Invisible Monster Thing. Want to be friends?" *Hammy-Bob has died*
jacksonj04 says:
Ever been hunted down by an invisible experiment gone wrong? No, me neither, but The Hidden certainly gets you ready for it. Everything from the maps to the music helps draw you into the experience, making this a definite winner for the ambience.
methulah says:
If you look in a dictionary written by someone who has played Hidden: Source, their description of the word "ambience" would be about the same as yours. Hidden: Source doesn't need to use excessive sound or visuals to ooze ambience, it does it through some of the most clever gameplay mechanics ever.


Upcoming Standalone: Infinity: The quest for Earth

Honorable Mention: World of Padman
Make a name for yourself in one of the largest, most open-ended space sims ever made. Infinity: Quest for the Earth utilizes procedural techniques to generate hundreds of thousands of seamless worlds, all ripe for privateers to pillage, explore, trade and battle over!

ICP 2.0.c screenshot Infinity77

INtense! says:
I hate to talk about visuals because this game has soooooo much more going for it, but have you seen the videos or played the tech demos? If this is how it looks on release, I'm not sure I'll ever get around to actually playing it--I'll be too distracted, gazing at the passing spaceships and planets floating around the galaxy.
hammy-bob says:
I like spaceships, because they can fly into space and this mod has many screenshots of space flying. Really, though, this is one of the most beautiful and promising standalone games I have ever witnessed.
methulah says:
What is there left to be said about this juggernaut? Everyone's already praised it enough, but I want to reiterate that it sounds like it's going to actually pull through and rock the online gaming scene, a massive feat for an indie title. Not only that, but the graphics are surely some of the most impressive ever.

Upcoming Mod: Drawn to be alive

Honorable Mention: Off Limits
A Mod DB favorite, enter the world of a hand-drawn figure brought to life in this quirky platformer that nearly defies description. Hide inside paintings, fold yourself to slip into tight corners and fight to return to the 2D world from whence you came!

Behind a TV There are a lot of people in here.

JoeX111 says:
I'm more excited about Drawn to be Alive than any retail game to be released in 2007. Forget Crysis, forget Bioshock and forget the next generation of video game consoles. This is going to be the next Psychonauts. If it isn't, I'll cry.
methulah says:
Drawn to be Alive is really, really, really tickling my fancy at the moment. I can't wait to play through what promises to be a totally unique and memorable experience.
jacksonj04 says:
This is, to put it simply, the coolest idea I've seen around recently. All I can say to you if you haven't seen the media releases is, "Where have you been?"
INtense! says:
There are tons of mods I can't wait to play, but none more so than Drawn to be Alive. Excluding a few Japanese games--Tomato Adventure anyone!?--this has got to be the most creative idea I've seen in a while, plus it looks to be a load of fun, which is something most creative games lack! Where can I sign up?

Standalone Game of the Year: Darsana

Honorable Mention: Tremulous
Welcome to Darsana! A standalone game in the works for the Darkplaces engine, Darsana is a combination of a fast paced first person shooter and a detailed statistics system with the strategy elements of an RPG. Darsana runs along the lines of a medieval fantasy with magic, swordplay and the encroachment of the Undead.

Lightning staff Beta 1.1 Broad Sword and buckler

methulah says:
Darsana is a very, very solid title that just keeps getting better with every update. With great graphics, solid gameplay and some very nice ideas, this is a very impressive title indeed.
JoeX111 says:
Darsana is a funny example of everyone voting for it overwhelmingly, then coming back to complain about its flawless victory after it was announced to the rest of the staff.
hammy-bob says:
Sometimes, you want some medieval online fun without spending hours gaining experience points, gold, or potentially falling in love with someone who just might be a girl. Darsana brings you all the fun of a classic rpg setting, but in a fast paced FPS environment. And, who knows? You might just find a girl on the server.

Singleplayer Mod of the Year: Afraid of Monsters

Honorable Mention: Katana
The drugs, you can't stop taking them. The visions are darkening, the illusions are becoming real. Can you stop them? Can a hospital put an end to the madness? But no, the madness, it won't end. The pills are there, there I tell you! Afraid of Monsters!

Screenshots Screenshots

Crispy says:
I thought this was very well done and superbly original, but in places hitting never-ending streams of monsters with your crowbar because you'd run out of ammo got a bit tedious. I think it's nice that the creator is working on releasing a "Director's Cut" version with improved ammo placement amongst other things, but I can also think of another mod that never got tedious and should have won this in my eyes.
methulah says:
It was difficult to pick singleplayer mods this year, and even though Afraid of Monsters is a simply unforgettable experience, we would love to see more good singleplayer mods. Go, quickly! Go make some more good ones!
hammy-bob says:
I want to thank the creator for making the scariest mod I have ever played. After just playing for 20 minutes, I almost had five heart attacks and had to change my pants eight times.
Chunky says:
Afraid of Monsters reminds me of the time my mom took codeine after her surgery and saw Felix the Cat and God on the wall. It's pretty damn trippy, anyway.

Multiplayer Mod of the Year: Killing Floor

Honorable Mention: Eternal Silence 2
Armaggedon is upon us. The dead walk and the cities burn, while blood runs through the streets. In Killing Floor, engage the forces of the damned in a relentless multiplayer battle to the death where making a stand may be the last thing you ever do.

a a

JoeX111 says:
Killing Floor is filled with classic, cinematic moments that you'll never find in another multiplayer game. I still remember my first time playing, when its creator wanted to show me the ropes, we were being chased through the city streets by a massive wave of zombies. We backed into a building and started welding the door shut, but some fool was still out there, blasting away. "What about him?!" I yelled. "He's freakin' toast," Alex yelled back. Seconds later, he was dead, the zombies were beating on the door, and everything went to hell.
methulah says:
Anyone who's given Killing Floor a shot at a LAN knows how amazing a multiplayer mod can be. Teamwork, communication, tactics and zombie slaughetering all in one neat package. Not only that, but the latest release completely changed the game, so much for the better.
hammy-bob says:
When I downloaded this mod, I expected all of the enemies to be giant floors and I would be killing them with more floors. I don't know, but this mod is so much more than that. There is nothing like having 10 people running through a lab with zombies pouring out of every corner after them.
jacksonj04 says:
Zombies! More zombies! Kill them all! But I'll be damned if it isn't fun doing so. Cooperative shooting, knifing and generally making a mess of the brainless hordes? What it lacks in depth it makes up for in the no-nonsense attitude.


We wanted to do something different this year. We wanted to have prizes, we wanted to change up our format, we wanted to make Mod of the Year something not only to look forward to, but also to be involved with. Did we succeed in everything? God only knows. We can never please everybody, so at best, we'll just do what we can and hope the praise outweighs the criticism we are bound to receive.

With Editors Choice, I wanted to give it a different voice. The problem with the Players Choice Awards is that, despite having so many people involved with the voting, it is a relatively faceless process. When we are describing the mods that won, we can't sit there and tell you why so many people voted for them. We can't read minds, so we can only guess. That makes it hard and a little unexciting.

For Editors Choice, though, I wanted to share our thoughts in the process of awarding these mods. Every year, we start a thread in the staff section and spend the next month yelling at one another over what should win. It is always a very heated debate, with people getting pissed off, demanding changes, votes being tallied and tensions rising. In the past, you've never seen this side of the story. All you see is our final selections, a brief little blurb, and that was enough. But I'm sick of doing that. By putting a brief little blurb on our award, we aren't telling you the truth about what we as a collective whole feel about Mod X. We're just giving you a few people's opinions and calling it unanimous.

This year was about voices. People wanted video features on the site, so we started the modcast theater. People in the staff section with strong opinions wanted to be heard, so we decided to give them a voice. Now, you can see what we truly think about the winners. Some might find this a backhanded slap in the face to go along with the awards. Others might find it humorous. Our detractors will point out that, basically, we are just ripping off what Eurogamer does.

But at least we tried to do something different. And if we entertained you for just one minute, or gave you a slightly different perspective on a mod you may have overlooked, then we've done our part.

--Joe Johnson, Mod DB Content President
January 23rd, 2007

Follow this link if you'd like to read the Players Choice 2006 Mod of the Year

Post comment Comments
Cegras
Cegras

(buried)

Hidden is a horrible, horrible game.

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slayer_sashima@hotma
slayer_sashima@hotma

yes yes it is but it was neat to be the hidden but still HARSHLY unfair there shouldve been more then one of him

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weirdkid5
weirdkid5

you say its unfair. there is a zombie style gametype for hidden. you say its unfair for the hidden. i find it completely fair, the hidden is invisible, the iris has guns, its just a matter of how well you can be at playing as the hidden.

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AJ_Quick
AJ_Quick

By Cegras | Sat 27th Jan, 2007 @ 11:15:33pm
Hidden is a horrible, horrible game.


no.

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VulpineComplex
VulpineComplex

Woah, Ragnarok Arena won something. I'm jumping up and down madly. :D

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nowhere
nowhere

Wooooooooooooo, GE:S got one. I'm incredibly ecstatic.

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BlueWolf72
BlueWolf72

is giving someone an award and not happy about how they got it kind in any way shape or form.

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Wraiyth
Wraiyth

is giving someone an award and not happy about how they got it kind in any way shape or form.

Remember that this isn't a unanimous system. If it was, there EC wouldn't exist, so theres always going to be people who disagree with it.

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INtense! Author
INtense!

It won Standalone of the Year because the majority of editors love it. We then take a random assortment of opinions from each staff member and obviously not everyone is going to agree. I've edited the comment

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-BaroN-
-BaroN-

Whoa. GoldenEye: Source, the only mod to reel in two awards. I'm very honored to be apart of the mod and that awesome achievement.

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TheHappyFriar
TheHappyFriar

i liked the way this was done. Letting us know what you thought. Nice. :)

I gotta say though... these awards have shown one thing: to many dark/evil type mods out there. Zombies, hiding, post-apocalyptic settings... I'd REALLY like to see more mods along the lines of the medevil/"out there" (ie drawn to be alive). Those are true gems. Need more (but not to many more, then we're in the same boat as before)

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Darkcraft
Darkcraft

Yay more awards :D

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Darkcraft
Darkcraft

What? That isn't the storyline of Iron Grip.

It has nothing to do with the Soviet union.

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Darkcraft
Darkcraft

Wow TA: Spring didn't get a mention at all.

I mean they only built an entire 3d rts engine and most content from the ground up...then support a large group of people who decided to make their own mods for it...and now it is the centre of a massive community, and has become one of the most popular open-source standalone games ever. Wow I suppose they didn't really achieve anything, anyway.

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GKAvalon
GKAvalon

Too many HL2 mods tbh..But still congrats to the winners.

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slayer_sashima@hotma
slayer_sashima@hotma

yes there really is most fail too :( they really should group togather instead of wasting their time making 1000 mods about one thing when they could group togather and instead make one mod to rival the 1000

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drunkill
drunkill

Need the old system where you could choose why you wanted the mod to win, if it had great level design or storyline or gameplay or whatever.
Too many newer game mods, true, but you get that. Seeming most people forget all the old mods.

A bit disappointing most were HL2 mods (for the player choice) oh well. it seems people enjoy graphics over gameplay for quite a lot of things. Goiod job if you won though.

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flipperthepriest
flipperthepriest

GAAH! STILL NO MENTION OF MARIOKART:SOURCE! this was an awesome N64 game and will be masses of fun online. worthy of at least 1 award

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flipperthepriest
flipperthepriest

while im ranting, the pilotable strider mod should get an recognition, along with plan of attack

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Zirty
Zirty

It looks they distribute the award randomly.

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bluseychris
bluseychris

and hadn't been out for ages they'ed of gotten somewhere.

OA and CR:AA? Awful attempts thrown at a saturated market. WoP does it far better, IQfA is so epic it blows all others out of the water.

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BrotherLaz
BrotherLaz

I was going to post a wall of text about how they picked the most popular mods and only for the games they actually own. Then I saw Median 2008 as a honourable mention under 'old skool classics'. Now that I've thought about it some more, the awards are actually fine, other than the fact that their honourable mentions don't get enough coverage. ;)

Just kidding. :D

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methy
methy

Congratulations all the winners.

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tibz
tibz

lol gota love the edrama this creates :x

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Kai-Li
Kai-Li

Thanks for the honorably mentioning of World of Padman for "visuals" and "upcoming standalone". It's great and we are working really hard on it to hold the standalone release date (01. April 07). Internal Betatests already started and there are some very nice new features coming up with the standalone of World of Padman. I enjoyed your radioshow yesterday but the volume was really low sometimes. I had some problems to understand you guys but it was a great show. Keep on. ;)

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Jyffeh
Jyffeh

=D

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Chunky
Chunky

I'd rather have the comment removed than edited to something I didn't say. Apparently the whole "Darkplaces gang" can hand out insults but when they get some criticism on their own work, they flip out.

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[W3D]OWA
[W3D]OWA

Any idea about when we can see a ranking table or something?

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Mars_3K
Mars_3K

Hollow Moon owns. And where's the Doom 3 talent?

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iVANGRAPHICS
iVANGRAPHICS

Tanks for honorable mentions for Hollow Moon!!! And thanks for commenting for the honorable mentions of hollow moon :D

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Brindled
Brindled

the whole modding community needs to get behind this site's potential for proliferating mod content. it became a bookmark for me over a year ago, and this site has been getting bigger by the month. many times i've noticed mods are not getting updated, or deleted, which leaves you guessing. modders need to realise that updates are the best means of advertising their mods. keep sending in updates, even small ones.

all the people spouting off about not getting mentioned need to realise just how many mods didn't get mentioned and just be humble that they're even listed on this site.

Thank you to the hosts of this site. i've enjoyed having it as a resource.
Brindled
:o)

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Faizu
Faizu

I am happy to know that Rumpel's great piece of work won, and what is his piece of famous work? If you say "Afraid of Monsters", you are right! Afraid Of Monsters is the best game I ever played, recreating normal Vortigaunts into Nightmare versions of Vortigaunts and other Half-life monsters (except for zombies, although their movements are the same as the Half-life headcrab zombies, one exception is that they don't have the headcrabs on their heads and they wore different clothes).

And to Killing Floor team leader Mr. Kadish, you would be happy to know that your project won the Editors' Choice award. But what a shame, the pride got better of you (I hope your teammates doesn't). But winning the award doesn't mean you attained God-status, it won't. And just an interesting note, thanks for insulting me in the forums.

But then again, if there were two choices for me, to nominate Rumpel's Afraid of Monsters or Mr.stupid Kadish's Killing Floor if not too late before the announcement, I would defintely nominate Rumpel's tour de force masterpiece Afraid of Monsters rather than Killing Floor. Oh sure, sure, Killing Floor's gameplay is great, but what I don't like about is the team's lack of self-esteem and full of pride and presumption or a game designer's symptoms called Hubris.

Three cheers for Rumpel!

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Maddieman
Maddieman

Hey guys, thanks for giving Katana an honourable mention! We're thrilled to be included alongside these other great mods, and would like to congratulate the winners and extend our thanks to everyone in the ModDb community. All the best for 2007! :)

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