Shacknews Best Mod of 2022 - Sifu Power Ranger Edition

Sifu was a decent, but not great game at launch due to a few issues that plagued the game, including its oppressive difficulty. Many of these issues were smoothed out over the course of the year, but on top of that, the modding community really boosted Sifu to new heights. One such bittersweet mod made us realize that we might never have a certain game of this manner, and yet showed us a beautiful look at what could have been. It was the Sifu Power Rangers Edition mod that took our Shacknews Best Mod of 2022 award.

This mod was crafted by Chewie and is available now over on Nexus Mods. Chewie’s mod has been an ongoing work of passion throughout 2022, bringing Power Rangers characters to Sifu and sticking them thoughtfully in place of characters throughout the game. You could play as Green Ranger, fight Putties and other evil characters, and even fight Lord Zed, and it all looked stylish in Sifu’s fluid and flexible combat system.

However, what really put this mod above the rest was, without a doubt, the tragic passing of the original Green Ranger, Jason David Frank. Everyone who ever interacted with or saw Frank out in the community knows he was kind, cool, and always willing to give his time to fans. He was a large part of what kept Power Rangers fandom alive well after the apex era of the TV shows.

Seeing the Green Ranger in action in Sifu is incredibly bittersweet in light of Frank’s passing because it shows a stellar example of what a Power Rangers brawler could have been. It makes so much sense and it works so well with the mod. The idea that we might never get a Power Rangers third-person beat’em-up or action RPG with Frank’s voice carrying the voice of Tommy Oliver is actually heartbreaking.

Nonetheless, the uplifting heart of Power Rangers and Jason David Frank feel well-enshrined in the eventually polished and highly enjoyable martial arts combat of Sifu. That’s why Chewie’s Sifu Power Ranger Edition mod gets our award for Shacknews Best Mod of 2022.

Check out our Year of the Games: 2022 article to see all of the other Shacknews Awards that have been announced so far.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.