This month in modding...
The Chinese may tell you that 2007 is the year of the pig, but we at Mod DB are here to tell you that 2007 is the year of the mod. With next-gen titles like STALKER out (and other big-names like UT3, Crysis, and Bioshock still to come) - there isn't going to be any shortage of great games to develop for, or awesome mods to play. Plus many of the titles which won the "Best Upcoming Mod" category in the 2006 Mod of the Year Competition are also scheduled for release in 2007.
Speaking of releases, a recent highlight has to be the release of World of Padman, a gorgeous looking cartoon-style standalone game. But, it wasn't the only great mod out, with the following also released / updated: Mammouth Party for HL2, Kreedz Climbing for HL2, Urban Terror for Q3A and Digital Paintball for HL2.
That isn't all we expect to see from 2007; there is plenty more to be happy about if some of our predictions come true. It is about time we saw mods on consoles. The XBOX360, PS3 and Wii, unlike previous console generations, are not totally locked down. Already indie development communities are forming and creating amateur games for these consoles. Microsoft has even created an XNA SDK for interested developers and while mod support does not currently exist, with games like Half-Life 2, Halo and UT released on multiple platforms, mod support just makes sense.
Just imagine what mod makers could do on a console like the Wii, where the focus is on crazy fun. Modders are renowned for taking chances and being creative. Apply that philosophy to independant game development and you can bet entertainment will ensue.
Our next prediction is that digital distribution will build momentum. Steam has been around for a while and now all of the major publishers are catching up by creating their own digital distribution platform. Mod DB now even has its own digital distribution game store-- a shameless plug, but support us!
So why the prediction, after all digitial distribution isn't new? The most annoying thing about mods is downloading, installing and getting them running when all you want to do is kick back with some nachos and play your video games. Since mods are free--who says the best things in life aren't free?--they are the perfect candidate for digital distribution. Imagine having an application that manages your mod collection for you in real time! It would be sweet and you can bet this is something we will see in the future.
To keep up with all of these changes, Mod DB has big behind the scenes plans in the works. Rest assured we are preparing to tackle 2007 head on, and you'll be the first to hear and see these secrets. So stay tuned, that's it for another month. Thanks for reading!
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