Tuesday, November 28, 2017

The 2017 Steam Awards


If you're asking yourself, "What the heck are the Steam Awards?" then there's a good chance you shouldn't be reading this blog. If you want to know what they are anyway, then please read on! I know you gamers out there are probably familiar with them, but if you're anti-Steam it's okay -- I'm going to go over the basics either way.

Last year was the first round of The Steam Awards, letting any Steam account holder vote for any game in the store for a variety of categories. The next month, the winners were announced and (if my memory is correct) were placed on sale alongside the winter sale games. Do I think Valve already has games selected? Sure do. But it's fun to nominate games anyway, and it gives me a great reason to blog.

If you didn't vote already, I'm afraid you're out of luck -- voting ended this morning, which is why I'm sharing my nominations now. I secured my participation badge and I won't feel like I'm telling people to go vote. (Must have more badges... more!)

You won't find any real descriptions of the games I've nominated, but I'd be happy to do so in future blog entries if you let me know in the comments!



🙞 Categories & Snarkqueen's Nominations 🙜

The “The World Is Grim Enough Let's Just All Get Along” Award
Games delight and entertain us, giving us much needed breaks from the sorrows and low points of our lives… and let’s be honest, for a lot of people it’s been a rough 2017. That is why the SASC has chosen to celebrate a game that doesn’t involve combat or conflict.

My Nominee: KAMI
Reason for Nomination: A relaxing game that is easy to become addicted to as you strive to solve the paper-folding puzzles in the number of moves allowed. Despite how hard this game makes you think as you progress through the levels, the music and paper-strewn graphics make it easy to spend hours playing.
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The “Choices Matter” Award

Games are about agency, and this award is for the game that has it in spades. Maybe it’s because there are 31 ways you can breach into a villains lair. Perhaps there are dozens of potential partners for you to build a romantic future with. Or maybe you find yourself constantly saying “Where oh where should I plant those turnips”? In all three scenarios there is a common bond: the choice was always yours.
My Nominee: Monster Loves You!
Reason for Nomination: Every step of this game is a choice, and your combination of choices create a different experience every time you play. You might think that sounds tedious, but there's a lot of mischief and fun to be had as you try different things and explore your options. (Anyone who's managed to end the game as an Undercover Neurosurgeon knows exactly what I'm talking about. Flaunt that achievement, my brethren!)
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The “Haunts My Dreams” Award
This award is slightly a misnomer, because this game doesn’t just haunt your dreams. It consumes your thoughts every waking moment of the day. This game doesn’t demand your time. You give it willingly.

Reason for Nomination: If I don't give it to the game that's happily consumed 3,148 hours of my life in the last five years, what game would I give it to? They're promising Elk Mounts and further adventuring into Northern Mirkwood next year. Why would I not give this game the majority of my attention? "Look, Thranduil -- I have an Elk, too!" ...is what I hope to say next year sometime. (I had a dream about it. It will happen. I'm sure of it.)
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The “Mom’s Spaghetti” Award
There are games that make you excited. There are games that make you happy. Then there are games so intense that they elicit a physical reaction. We’re talking weak knees. We’re talking sweaty palms. We’re talking fear-induced accidents. We’re talking your friends reminding you to breathe. We’re talking about mom’s spaghetti.

Reason for Nomination: You've got one chance to get the jump on that orc over there before he alerts the huge mob around the corner -- blow it and, well, you end up Googling what the heck this award name means in the first place. (Yeah, I'm one of those uncool people who doesn't know an Eminem reference when I see one.) Seriously, though -- this game was STRESSFUL to play. One wrong move and BAM, you're back at a spawn point and there's one more guy you have to go exact your revenge on. But hey, at least it's a game where that happens because you're already half-wraith and can't really die! Even so, I waited for this game for over a year, preordered it and got all the extra goodies, and still haven't made much of a dent in it.
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The “No Apologies” Award
This award is for the game that you love unconditionally. Does it have some faults? Maybe. Do other people not understand your love for it? Sure. But make no mistake. There is no guilt here. Only pleasure.

Reason for Nomination: It's all about the racing (which is, admittedly, DLC you have to get separately). Horses with funny get-ups and different power-ups along the track make this one of my go-to games when I want to do something silly and disconnect from reality. Don't knock it til you've tried it.
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The “Cry Havoc And Let Slip The Dogs Of War” Award
The Bard said it best. This game doesn't necessarily offer the biggest explosions... it offers something better. Potential. Potential to be a rampaging force of nature. Or not. Who knows. You're an agent of chaos and no one is going to tell you what to do.

Reason for Nomination: When you say "rampaging force of nature," how can you choose anything but a game where you play dinosaurs and humans trying to kill each other? I have many fond memories of dive-bombing unsuspecting humans as a pteranodon -- and either carting them to the heights for a fun drop or ratting out their hiding places to the other dinosaurs. Good times, good times...
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The “Suspension of Disbelief” Award
Let’s be honest: games can have some pretty ridiculous elements in them… from the stories that drive the action, to the items required to conquer obstacles, to even the protagonists themselves. This award is for the game that has a key component, which when described out of context, seems totally insane, but while playing the game doesn’t even make you bat an eye, because in the moment it makes total sense.

Reason for Nomination: You have to move to the rhythm of the music to fight and survive the dungeon. When the music teacher in school says it's important to stay on the beat, they probably never anticipated it meaning your survival in a dungeon crawler, but there you go. (And may I just add that the OST is superb.)
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The “Soul Of Vitruvius” Award
The Vitruvian Man was Leonardo’s celebration of the ideal form. And in that spirit the SASC looks to celebrate the game with the most lovingly rendered character… be it human, alien, anthropomorphic cat people, or even a piece of produce.

My Nominee: Remember Me
Reason for Nomination: It's all about Nilin. She is probably the only character in any story ever to remain functional and personable despite having forced amnesia. Seriously -- think about all of those cliche plots where someone has amnesia. They're a useless lump that some other protagonist has to drag around and babysit and they somehow don't have any inherent value until they get their memories back. Not Nilin. She is a determined, thoughtful, strong protagonist who faces the challenges of living in the present with no memory of her past. DONTNOD Entertainment clearly thought very highly of this character they created -- and many other aspects of this fantastic game.
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The “Defies Description” Award
This game is like... well actually it's more similar to...picture a combination of... ya know what, I can't describe it, just play it.

Reason for Nomination: Not so much a game as a dialogue about the meaning behind a creator's choices in making games and what they are trying to say to the players. There really is no adequate description for The Beginner's Guide. Created by the guy who brought us The Stanley Parable, you'll enjoy this exploration if you enjoyed the unraveling story of Stanley.
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The “Labor of Love” Award
This game has been out for a while. The team is well past the first unveiling of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation. This game, to this day, is still getting new content after all these years.

My Nominee: This War of Mine
Reason for Nomination: 3 years after the game's release on PC and it's still getting new DLC! I've not had the opportunity to play the game myself yet, only watch others play -- it's clear from the characters and their stories that there's some good dev parenting going on here.
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The “Whoooaaaaaaa, Dude! 2.0” Award
The Academy wasn't clear enough in the awards description last year. Let's try this again. This award is for the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” of video games.

My Nominee: Jazzpunk
Reason for Nomination: Look, I could say any number of things about the game, but nothing I'd say compares to the Key Features listed on the Steam store page. It's practically a game parody of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, only much funnier and more ridiculous. If that deters you, don't let it -- there's a reason this game has Overwhelmingly Positive reviews.
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The “Even Better Than I Expected” Award
We’ve all been there. You get super excited for a game, you pre-order it, and you anxiously wait as it downloads. Then you finally play it. How do you feel now? If the answer is “Elated beyond words because even I, a conductor aboard the hype train, was blown away with how good this thing was” then you have found the perfect candidate for this award.

My Nominee: Transistor
Reason for Nomination: After the joy that was Bastion, and Bastion's OST, I was elated for Transistor and its OST... and I was all over it when it came out. My first playing of it was during my Extra Life marathon that year, and it blew me away. I was reluctant to move on to the next game in my schedule. I STILL listen to the OST. If you haven't played it, you should. Everyone should.
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The “Write-In” Award
You are a member of the Steam Award Selection Committee and your voice needs to be heard! What additional category needs to be added for the 2017 steam awards? Best Use Of A Lighthouse? Best Game To Play While Listening To The Hamilton Soundtrack? The only limit is your imagination (and a vague sense of decency)!

My Nominee: Aviary Attorney
Reason for Nomination: Best Use of Classical Music. The entire OST is music by Camille Saint-Saëns. Need I say more, truly?


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I'd love to know what you may have nominated for the Steam Awards this year -- so please leave comments! Want to know more about any of the games I nominated? Their titles are helpfully linked to their Steam store page where you can find videos, pictures and reviews. If you want to know more about them from me, please say so in the comments and I'll see about whipping up a proper blog entry!

As an added note: Today is Giving Tuesday. After so much rampant commercialism and consumerism of this past weekend, I'd like to remind all of my readers -- no matter how few you are -- that this is a season of giving, not receiving. I am still raising funds for Extra Life through the end of December because the kids at Children's National need us. If you haven't blown all your money on deals this past weekend, please consider a donation for the kids to help them have a healthier holiday season.

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