The results of Steam Awards 2023 are in. Every year, Steam turns to the community to vote on the best games of the year in a variety of categories. The role-playing game from Larian Studios was released this year Baldur’s Gate 3 Grab the game of the year while Deadly companya cooperative first-person horror game, received the Better With Friends Award for its co-op gameplay. The Last of Us Part I snagged the title of Best Soundtrack, which seems strange since it came out in 2013, but technically it wasn’t added to Steam until 2023.
Then there were some stranger decisions. Bethesda’s acclaimed and mostly good role-playing game Starfield Won the most innovative gameplay? And perhaps even more confusing: rock stars Red Dead Redemption II won the Labor of Love Award, a title reserved for games that continue to receive updates and support years after release. Rockstar announced in 2022 The Red Dead Online would no longer receive future updates.
Read more: Red Dead Online Won’t receive major updates if Rockstar switches to GTA 6
The Steam Awards are voted on by the Steam community, not in a secret, smoke-filled room of mysterious judges. No, the awards are chosen by an average player – and many of them were just as willing send Starfield moved to the rating status “Mostly negative”. As of December 25, 2023.
I had more than enough criticism of Starfield last year, and to be honest, my opinion of it has probably only gotten worse over time. But while it’s fun and valuable to frolic in Bethesda’s 1,000-planet galaxy, it’s hard to say that innovative. At best, it’s a fragmented Bethesda RPG joint like we’ve been playing since 2011. And games like that No man’s sky or Elite dangerous have certainly been more concerned with the concept of space travel, right? Can someone please explain to me how Starfield is innovative? Aside from New Game Plus’ clever use of playing with the idea of infinite universes, I’m hard pressed to find the innovation here – especially when it’s like this terrible in terms of accessibility.
And what about Red Dead Redemption II Win an award for the game that gets the most support this year? About games like Deep Rock Galactic? Online mode hasn’t received an update in literally years. Cyberpunk 2077 secured this award last year, but is there any reason it couldn’t have won it twice in a row? Cyberpunk 2077 Is hardly the same game it was released in 2022 after a major 2.0 update and a satisfactory expansion Phantom freedom. Or how about No man’s sky? It’s the game we all refer to when we talk about comeback stories, but it has never won Steam’s Labor of Love. Grand Theft Auto V grabbed both of them 2018 And 2019‘s Labor of Love Award.
Things get even stranger when you look at the selection of Steam Awards finalists in each category. EA Sports FC 24currently a football game sitting at “Mixed” review status, was in the running for Game of the Year and Best Game You Suck At awards. A sports game is certainly an odd choice an otherwise packed year with mega releases. And although Baldur’s Gate 3 When it took home Outstanding Story Rich Game, it competed with a game called Love is everywhere? Never heard of it? Do not worry. Neither did we until we looked it up. Love is everywhere is a full-motion video dating simulation game inspired by the developers who “want to go on a date every day, but never leave the house.” [into] the real world. Checkout the Steam pagee for the game here. Don’t worry, it’s mostly SFW.
As strange as these Steam Awards 2023 awards are, I think that’s just how it is Democracy works.
