Technic/Tekkit
Platform: PC
The Director's Rating: 10/10
This is a Minecraft Mod Pack that is ridiculously fun. It's just like normal Minecraft, except with machines and magic! Well, kind of magic. More like "Alchemy" as defined by "Full-Metal Alchemist". It includes the Equivalent Exchange mod, the Balkin's Weapon mod, the Buildcraft mod, and the Blutricity mod. There are more ores as well, such as copper, tin, and silver. There's also a couple more trees, like the Rubber Tree. You can build wires to connect different machines (even including electric furnaces that don't require coal!) and pipes to pump things into and out of chests! There are dozens and dozens of new things to craft in Technic/Tekkit. The difference between the two is that Tekkit is a newer modpack that is multiplayer, while Technic is single player. Tekkit also includes a single player mode, so Tekkit is probably the one you want.
Combat: With the Balkin's Weapon mod, PVP becomes ridiculously intense. Not only are there new weapons (muskets, cannons, battle-hammers, etc) but there are also new armors. The weapons and armor can be made to the point where they are very OP, but these are commonly banned on PVP and anti-grief servers.
Building: With Tekkit, building is easier than ever, while at the same time challenging. You can make it to where you can instantly get an entire inventory full of whatever you want to build with, but to build what you need to do that takes a very long time. There are many different things and ways you can build in normal Minecraft, and Tekkit adds to that exponentially.
EMC: EMC is basically the in-game currency for creating items with Equivalent Exchange. Some things are worth very little EMC, like Cobblestone, while others are worth a lot of EMC, like diamonds. EMC can be transferred into creating items. For instance, if you "condense" a certain amount of cobblestone (around 8k) then you can get a diamond, and a diamond can be exchanged for 8000 cobblestone.
Synopsis: This game is a mod-pack that is so different from the original game that it counts as it's own game. It has been described as "how Minecraft SHOULD be played" and I agree in earnest. It is 10x more fun and engaging as normal Minecraft, and is relatively easy to download and play. The only downpart is that you need 64-bit Java installed, and you need a "premium" Minecraft account to play it. The game comes with it's own launcher, and you can select to play Technic, Tekkit, Vanilla Minecraft, Yogsbox, and one other that I forget. While this game is widely popular in the UK and in certain circles elsewhere, it is largely unknown by the gaming community (i.e. most people here have no idea what it is).
The Director's Recommendation: This game is MASSIVELY worth it to get. You do need to have a Minecraft account (i.e. the full minecraft game) but other than that it's completely free. I recommend getting it. I don't often give out 10's, but I couldn't find anything to rationalize a deduction for this game. You can find the download link with a google search for "Tekkit" and you can find instructional videos on how to download it on youtube. Seriously, if you have a Minecraft account and are a bit tired of Minecraft, you need to try this mod. Lonely girlfriends guaranteed.
If you have a recommendation for a game that I should review, then let me know in the comments (I follow all of my threads ;D). Remember though, if it's a hyped up game then I won't do it. "Lesser Known" is in the title after all. Hope you enjoy your time in the world of games.
Wanna see the others? Check out the menu! http://www.343indust...own-games-menu/