LAGWAR | GAMING'S BEST IN TOP NOTCH MEDIOCRITY

Whenever I first buy a game, I want to experience it as ‘vanilla’ as possible. I prefer to go in and come out the way the developers had planned. Now that Fallout 3’s fifth and final downloadable content pack has been released, I decided to check out some mods. There are a ton of great mods ranging from weapon/armor packs to graphics and gameplay altering additions. Out of the 15 or so that I checked out, Marts Mutant Mod and MERC are two that stand-out as musts for any Fallout 3 PC owner.

Marts Mutant Mod
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3211

Marts Mutant Mod is a game changer. The mod changes textures, weapons, stats, and numerous other features of both creatures and NPCs, as well as adding new variations of both. The AI of enemies is significantly improved and the abundance of them is increased, however like nearly everything this mod offers, they are adjustable using sliders. The behavior of creatures and NPCs turned out to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of the mod. You will encounter creatures and NPCs in mini skirmishes that you can choose to take part in. All corpses remain loot-able no matter who did the deed, so you’ll find yourself stumbling upon free loot from time to time. One word of advice: wait until you complete the game or are at a high level before you use this mod. Not only is the difficulty and quantity of enemies raised, but it will create more for you to do and experience when you’re done with the main portion of the game.

MERC
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4022

MERC (Military Engagement & Reconnaissance Corporation) is a fine example of the talent and hard work that is poured into PC game mods. MERC is an expansion mod that comes complete with an original story and new quests, new characters, a HQ base area, an interesting faction system, and new items including weapons and armor. You form a faction and are given six characters to recruit. Enemy factions become involved in the story and you must attack & defend against them while running your corporation. In my opinion, MERC is more enjoyable than a few of the official downloadable content packs that Bethesda has released. This mod requires Operation Anchorage to work, but is definitely worth checking out.