The Steam Awards 2017 results are out and a number of popular game titles emerged as the platform users' top picks, among them Studio MDHR's "Cuphead."
The retro-themed Cuphead made the cut twice in the second edition of the Valve Corporation annual honor rites, bagging the "Best Soundtrack" and "Even Better Than I Expected" plums. Another standout is "The Witcher 3," finishing the online popularity race as first in the "Choices Matter" category.
"Games are about agency, and this award is for the game that has it in spades," read the first line of honor extended to The Witcher 3. The RPG title squeezing a win was hardly surprising as it's a certified Steam platform bestseller despite being in the market since 2015.
The Witcher 3 proved phenomenal in the Steam digital distribution channel as the single-player game consistently drew in thousands of players so far, which should explain its immense popularity.
Equally expected to snag a win is the action-packed "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," a fan-favorite nearly by default. In the latest Steam Awards, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or PUBG got the belt labeled "Mom's Spaghetti," which indicates the title is a source of intense excitement and happiness for gamers.
"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," continued the award description given to PUBG.
Honor Roll Extraordinaire
With the Steam Awards, Valve created an honor list that went beyond the usual superlatives. If other bodies will issue plaques littered with all sorts of "Best" badges, the Steam creator opted for the unique honorifics such as "Labor of Love" and "Suspension of Disbelief."
Likewise, Valve made it even relatively easier to land a win on the Steam Awards. All it takes is for game titles to maintain a Steam digital presence and then "Steam users were able to vote for the nominees in each category, even if the game was released earlier than 2017."
As it turned out, one classic title made the list notwithstanding that it was first released more than 10 years ago. "Garry's Mod" by Facepunch Studios was originally created as a "Half-Life 2" mod in 2004 before its 2006 debut as a separate game title.
Over the years, Garry's Mod managed to stay relevant, and this year Steam users even voted for the game as the one that "Defies Description," which as the award label states is hard to describe but certainly fun to play with.
Rounding up the rest of the awardees are:
- "Labor of Love" - Warframe
- "Suspension of Disbelief" - Rocket League
- "The World Is Grim Enough Let's Just All Get Along" - Stardew Valley
- "No Apologies" - The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut
- "Cry Havoc And Let Slip The Dogs Of War" - Just Cause 3
- "Haunts My Dreams" - Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- "Soul Of Vitruvius" - Rise of the Tomb Raider
- "Whoooaaaaaaa, Dude! 2.0" - The Evil Within 2
