Hello there gamers! This is Final Part.
Yo, let me take you through the list of award winners of 2020 as Steam players voted for.
Steam allocated its nominees to 10 different categories and wanted to finish off the longest year of the century with fun memories.
Labor of Love
“Labor of Love” is the first category I’d like to mention. Steam describes the nominees in this category as having a dedicated scene of developers who have been updating the game with new content although it was released quite some time ago. The oldest game on the list of nominations was Terraria which was released almost a decade ago, in 2011 and the youngest was one that Twitch accounts turned into a virus (can’t stop) in the last 6 months, Among Us that was actually released in 2018. The winner was Counter Strike Global Offensive – it’s 9 years old now yet it receives seasons and content like it is CoD: Warzone. Quite dated in my opinion, the weapon feedback and graphics do not appeal to me anymore but the developer’s love for their product is adorable, so is the community’s interest and the game’s ability to become a title that makes it to graphics benchmarks after all these years.
Better with Friends
Next up is “Better with Friends” bracket – the games that bring captivating fun to the masses when those masses are together on a session of the game. The shortlist is composed of the multiplayer pirate adventure of Sea of Thieves, the ever-psycho and goddamn fun Borderlands’ 3rd installment of the series, Deep Rock Galactic – a newcomer to the scene where teams of 4 dwarves clash against each other on a fun-packed map and Hopoo Games’ Risk of Rain 2 in which you mow down hordes of aliens trying to make your way out with your friends..aaaand the Wipeout with the most stupid setting imaginable, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. The winner was obvious. Among Us and Fall Guys took streaming platforms by the storm and you could hardly fight these two when it came to online fun.
Most Innovative Gameplay
“Most Innovative Gameplay” category runners were a bit unfortunate this year in particular since the long-awaited brainchild of his majesty, Hideo Kojima was released. Set in an alternate future after a cataclysmic event, Sam Bridges is a courier that delivers supplies and connects cities, of whom performance in turn is assessed by the delivery company and by people with their “likes”. The world he travels has been breached by creatures known as BTs that accelerate the time around them, hence deteriorating the courier and his cargo when nearby. The ideas sparked were executed beautifully under Kojima’s guidance, making the title a no-brainer winner of the category.
Outstanding Story-Rich Game
“Outstanding Story-Rich Game” was a category many of us wished Cyberpunk 2077 could compete by getting released earlier but was relieved to see that it was fortunate that it was not released in time after its catastrophic launch. The PC port of Detroit Become Human, Mafia Definitive Edition and the novel-based Metro Exodus with Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition indeed had talented writers to convey their stories however Red Dead Redemption II was like playing your favorite spaghetti Western and feel like a part of it indeed thanks to its marvellous storytelling.
Let’s continue with the other winners in the next post.
Game on!
Anıl Uzun.