Best Fallout 2 Mods That Modernize The Game

May 2, 2024

Highlights

The Fallout series’ open world exploration is a huge draw for gamers, but its old CRPG roots are cherished by hardcore fans.
Fallout 2 is hailed as one of the best titles in the series, but modernizing gameplay can be challenging without mods.
Mods like MIB88 Megamod, Restoration Project, and SCAR enhance the gameplay, visuals, and UI of Fallout 2, allowing for a more modern experience.

Most people know the Fallout series for its full 3D open worlds and the trademark Bethesda touch that fans absolutely adore. The games did a great job of making the series mainstream, with the incredible exploration on display in these worlds being a huge part of what made the franchise so beloved among the masses. That said, many hardcore fans look back fondly on the CRPG roots of this franchise and how engaging the initial titles were.

Fallout Disturbing Characters Featured Image

The world of Fallout is a strange and twisted one, and it’s suitably full of strange and twisted characters.

Both Fallout and Fallout 2 are amazing titles, with the latter being hailed by many as one of the best games in the series along with New Vegas. However, there’s no denying the fact that this title can be pretty challenging to get into in modern times. Thankfully, there are some great Fallout 3 mods that fans can check out if they wish to enjoy this title today without getting hung up on its more dated elements.

Updated on May 2, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Fallout 2 is considered by many to be one of the best games in the series, with many gamers loving the nuanced role-playing goodness and dark humor it offers. The legendary status of this game makes it even more of a crime that most new Fallout fans haven’t experienced it, but it’s hard to put any blame on newcomers. Fallout 2 is a very dated game in many aspects, and there’s only so much lifting the writing can do before frustration begins to creep in. Thankfully, there are many mods that gamers can install to help modernize their Fallout 2 experience, eliminating the dated aspects and making it feel much fresher.

9 MIB88 Megamod

Downloads: 23,053

A mod that collects and compiles a bunch of small tweaks to make Fallout 2 as palatable for modern gamers as possible, the MIB88 Megamod is a must-have for players who don’t want to spend hours micromanaging mods for a game they can’t wait to jump into. It also helps that the suite of changes is quite extensive without sacrificing the vanilla aesthetic of this game.

From new locations to modern tweaks that help the gameplay feel as modern as possible, it’s easy to see why this so-called “Megamod” would please most players. While it may have some changes that are contentious, the full package has more positives than negatives and is well worth checking out for fans of the Fallout series who want to experience what many people tout as one of the best titles the series has to offer.

8 Fallout: Nevada

Downloads: N/A

A prequel to the first Fallout game with some lofty ambitions, Fallout: Nevada is a mod made in Russian that got an English translation because of its popularity. Featuring great gameplay, a unique story, and more quests to complete, it’s easy to see why fans of Fallout 2 would jump into any excuse to check out more of what this world can offer.

Despite some shortcomings here and there, Fallout: Nevada is a passion project that more than makes up for its faults with the sheer heart its developers have poured into it. Players should be prepared for a harder experience with this mod, as it takes no prisoners when it comes to the difficult combat.

7 Fallout 2: Weapons Redone

Downloads: 6,079

The weapons in Fallout 2 are pretty functional and something that players will covet once they dive in. However, there are moments when turn-based gunplay can become a bit too stale and predictable in the latter stages, with the difficulty of the combat becoming manageable enough that players don’t have to be cerebral with their decision-making.

Isometric view games have fallen somewhat from being as popular as they once were, but isometric open-world games have been incredible at times!

With the Weapons Redone mod, players will think twice before stepping into a fight. This mod changes the mechanics so that ranged combat is deadly at all times, and players must strategize to ensure that they can take out most enemies without being one-shot to oblivion. Melee is more powerful, too, encouraging players to tactically supervise each and every round of combat.

6 Restoration Project

Downloads: 101,924

A Scene from the Fallout 2 Mod 'The Restoration Project'

There’s no denying that Fallout 2 is an incredible game that is jam-packed with content, but there are still some facets of the title that didn’t make it to the final version. This is a shame, but players can easily integrate this content with the help of a mod that is considered to be downright crucial to enjoying the very best version of Fallout 2.

The Restoration Project adds everything from new locations, quests, NPCs, items, and everything else along the same lines. The creator attempted their very best to ensure that the vanilla experience of Fallout 2 remained intact, making for a great experience as players blast through the game and see the true extent of what the developers were trying to achieve.

5 Restoration Project – Talking Heads Addon

Downloads: 27,586

The Restoration Project does a great job of adding a wealth of content to the game while modernizing the experience to help players enjoy this legendary CRPG with as few problems as possible. However, while the restoration of content intended by the developers is pretty great as is, there are extra things that can be added to the mix if players wish.

The Talking Heads Addon is perfect for players who feel like there aren’t enough detailed portraits in the game. It makes conversations way more engaging as this mod adds more than 160 portraits to the game, which is pretty impactful in a title where players will spend a lot of time conversing with other NPCs.

4 FO2 Starting Inventory

Downloads: 15,051

A player exploring a radiated desert in Fallout 2

Fallout 2 is a pretty challenging game early on, to the point where many players may give up on this title before things even kick off. However, this challenge is a staple for most old-school CRPGs, and it doesn’t take too long for players to learn the ropes and become stronger before confidently fighting most enemies that have been giving them a tough time.

However, there’s always room for mods that make the beginning slightly easier for players who are struggling, and the FO2 Starting Inventory mod is a great fit for the same. It uses a bunch of complex metrics to see what equipment best suits the player in the early going, giving them a minor head start that is crucial for those who don’t want to be annihilated by early-game enemies.

3 MGO – Minor Graphic Overhaul

Downloads: 5,159

Given how old Fallout 2 is, it’s only a given that some of its assets look a bit rudimentary. This is to be expected from a title made back in the 90s, but this doesn’t mean that players have to face these issues with no respite whatsoever. Mods have ensured that these dated visual aspects aren’t something that players have to accept or tolerate during their playthrough.

Power armor is synonymous with the Fallout franchise. The following examples represent some of the best models.

Only a few assets in the game are touched up by this mod, and it’s great that they don’t clash with the art style of Fallout 2 in any way. The Minor Graphic Overhaul may only enhance a few objects, but every visual upgrade is welcome in such an old game.

2 SCAR (Skilldex Colour Aestetic Redux)

Downloads: 4,430

The skilldex in Fallout 2 certainly has some imaginative artwork of its own, but the monochromatic design can become boring to look at after a point. With players being spoiled with better menus, interfaces, UIs, and everything else along the same lines, it’s easy to see why looking at these drab menus can become rather uninteresting after a point.

With the SCAR mod, the skilldex becomes slightly more interesting to look at with colored portraits describing every skill. It’s a minor change, but it’s something that fans will love if they want the aesthetic of Fallout 2 to have a bit more color added to the mix.

1 Fallout 2 HD WideScreen Fix

Downloads: 6,512

Fallout 2 was released during a time when 4:3 screens were the norm. So, when entertainment transitioned to a more 16:9 aspect ratio, it was only a given that games needed to modernize their UIs and screens to adapt to this change.

However, extremely old games haven’t received this treatment for a bevy of reasons, and Fallout 2 is no stranger to this predicament. The Widescreen Fix ends up being pretty useful in this regard, helping the UI scale to widescreen resolutions more naturally while adding a plethora of support for other settings to make things easier to deal with.