Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is upon us--this means potential time off of work to relax and play some games, gifting some games, playing games with your family, or just contemplating all those sweet holiday deals that start popping up.  It's a great time for games!  I've been enjoying some time off work and dipping my toes into the God of War waters while also thinking deeply about some holiday sale purchases (haven't done it yet though).  Weirdly, God of War was 50% off in a weekend sale just before the holiday sale began (and, it's still 50% off as part of the holiday sale!).  I'm in no way close to reporting on my God of War experience, but am feeling a bit weird about the Steam Awards.

One feature of the annual Steam Holiday Sale is the Steam Awards.  Basically, as part of the autumn sale (in November), gamers are given the opportunity to nominate games in a number of different categories such as the straightforward Game of the Year to the more esoteric Labor of Love award.  There are 11 total categories and since I generally don't play a lot of new releases, I just randomly vote because you get free silly virtual rewards like chat emojis.  Here's my lukewarm take on the nominees in each category.

Game of the Year: (nominees include--Baldur's Gate III, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Love is All Around, and Hogwart's Legacy.

My Vote: Baldur's Gate III

Have I played it yet?  No.  I've read very good things about it and people seem to love it.  I've played Larian's other titles and enjoyed them (although I will admit that getting myself going with CRPG's is always a bit of a struggle).  Someday in the future I might give it a go (maybe when it's a bit cheaper).

Should RE4 even be eligible since it's a remake?  I did enjoy the first Star Wars: Jedi game, but haven't played Jedi Survivor yet--it looks cool, but I think it might be on the high end for my aging PC (pretty sure I read some not-so-great performance reviews).  I've never even heard of Love is All Around--it looks like some sort of Korean dating sim type thing.  Not my cup o' tea.  Hogwart's Legacy looks pretty cool, but I'm not a die hard enough Harry Potter fan to feel a real calling toward it.

VR Game of the Year: (nominees include--Gorilla Tag, Labyrinthine, F1 23, Ghosts of Tabor, I Expect You to Die 3)

My Vote:  I Expect You to Die 3

Do I care about this category at all?  Nope.  Have I every played a single VR game?  Also, nope.  As someone who gets motion sickness, I don't see VR gaming in my future.  I've heard that the nausea kicks in pretty quick.  I picked this one because the name seems vaguely funny.

Labor of Love Award: (nominees include--Red Dead Redemption II, DOTA 2, Apex Legends, Deep Rock Galactic, Rust)

My Vote:  Deep Rock Galactic

This category is always one that sparks a bit of contention.  It's meant to represent a game that is continuing to be improved even if it's an older release.  Last year, Cyberpunk 2077 was the winner and some folks weren't thrilled about that one (given the state of the game upon release + cut content on release + general gaming grudges = bitter taste for some folks).  This years nominees seem to also cut a vein along the confusing line--most of them are multiplayer sort of "games as a service" types that basically have to be updated to keep people playing.  Should that even count?  And then there's RDR2, which feels a bit like a sarcastic kind of vote.  It's a great game, and yes there's an online component, but I'm fairly positive that players have complained that it's very neglected (whereas GTA V seems to get lots of updates to its online components).  I voted for Deep Rock Galactic because out of all those games it seems like one I might be tempted to play.

Best Game on Steam Deck Award:  (nominees include--The Outlast Trials, Brotato, Dredge, Hogwart's Legacy, Diablo IV)

My Vote:  Dredge

This is another one of those niche categories that I probably shouldn't even vote for because I don't have a Steam Deck.  Dredge has been on my wishlist for awhile and looks interesting, so I voted for it.  Diablo IV probably would be pretty good on a handheld system, but I haven't played it yet (and my carpal tunnel is thanking me).

Better with Friends Award: (nominees include--Sons of the Forest, Sunkenland, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, Lethal Company, Party Animals)

My Vote: Party Animals

I don't really play multiplayer games anymore, so I voted for the game that has cute little animals.

Outstanding Visual Style Award: (nominees include--High on Life, Inward, Darkest Dungeon II, Cocoon, Atomic Heart)

My Vote: Cocoon

I read some favorable things about Cocoon, a game that I had never heard of before a few days ago.  It was on an end of the year " best of" list and it sounds like a great game.  Darkest Dungeon II  being on the list seems like a bit of a surprise--I read that there's not much variety between the first and second game, so I opted to skip it (even though I did spend many torturous hours getting to the point of giving up on the first game).

Most Innovative Gameplay Award:  (nominees include--Your Only Move is Hustle, Contraband Police, Starfield, Remnant II, Shadows of Doubt)

My Vote:  Shadows of Doubt

Shockingly, this was the only category in which Starfield was nominated.  I figured it would be on the Game of the Year list for sure.  Again, I have zero experience with any of these games so I picked on that I thought looked the most fun or interesting.  I didn't read anything about Starfield's gameplay being innovative, so I'm wondering if this wasn't a bit of a ha-ha kind of nomination.

Best Games You Suck at Award:  (nominees include--Overwatch 2, FC24, Sifu, Lords of the Fallen, Street Fighter 6)

My Vote:  Street Fighter 6

I have played exactly zero of these games, but I know how badly I suck at fighting games, so I bet I would be very bad at Street Fighter 6.

Best Soundtrack Award:  (nominees include--Chants of Sennaar, Hi-Fi Rush, Persona 5 Tactica, Pizza Tower, The Last of Us Part 1)

My Vote: Hi-Fi Rush

Hi-Fi Rush has been sitting on my wishlist for awhile.  It's a rhythm based fighting game that has very positive reviews.  I've been hesitant to purchase it due to my total lack of rhythmic skills.  So, why not vote for it?  I've also read some very positive things about Pizza Tower but find modern platformers to be difficult.  Of course, The Last of Us does include some very nice music, but I haven't played it (and probably won't).

Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award: (nominees include--Baldur's Gate III, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Love is All Around, Lies of P)

My Vote: Baldur's Gate III

This category almost exactly mirrors the Game of the Year one which makes me think...maybe having good stories in games actually matters!  I hope all the devs are paying attention to that.  Knowing the strength of writing in Larian's games, I had to vote for Baldur's Gate III.

My Bancho Sushi in Dave the Diver.

Sit Back and Relax Award: (nominees include--Train Sim World 4, Cities: Skylines II, Dave the Diver, Potion Craft, Coral Island)

My Vote: Dave the Diver

Of all the categories, this one actually had a game that I nominated and I played.  Of course I had to vote for Dave the Diver!  If you haven't played it yet, I would highly recommend it.  Calling it "relaxing" might be a bit of a stretch, but it is a highly enjoyable game that surprised me in a lot of ways.  (You can read my full review here) If you're a fan of Dredge, there's also a free DLC that is a crossover between the games (I haven't checked it out yet, but plan to at some point).  If there's one game you should definitely vote for, it's Dave the Diver.

The entire concept of the Steam Awards is kind of silly.  I don't even think that the winners get much other than a trophy and getting to call themselves award winners.  Some of the nominations always seem a bit jokey (which is going to happen anytime you have internet voting) or sarcastic.  You'd have to be buying a ton of games to be in tune with all the different categories (and, according to the Steam Year in Review, most people aren't playing many "new" games).  I think we can take the Steam Awards with a grain of salt--I'm sure most people vote exactly along the lines that I did--"oh that sounds cool!" "what a goofy name--I'll vote for it."  

Happy holidays, go vote for games you've never played, and take advantage of those magical sales!