Like every year, in parallel with its winter sales, Steam has asked its users about the best games of the year that we have just fired. Thus, it is already a tradition to wait for the first days of the year to find out which titles are the most outstanding in the multiple categories that make up this competition, the last or the first of the year, depending on how you look at it. This year there have been eleven categories in which users have had to vote and, in general, we can affirm that there have been no big surprises and that, once again, Elden Ring adds new (yes, plural) awards to the already long list of which he has achieved.
And it is that, we start with the game of the year, that is, the most important of the awards granted, Steam users have chosen Elden Ring as the best of 2022. He was up against Dying Light 2, Stray, God of War and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, a select list of rivals but, make no mistake, they had no match against the last of the souls.
Although virtual reality remains untapped, in terms of its adoption, it is seeing constant growth, and we know that Steam attaches a lot of importance to this technology. Thus, another of the choices submitted to the criteria of the users is that of the best virtual reality game, a title that has been obtained hitman 3. It has faced BONELAB, Green Hell VR, Among Us VR (which I admit I would have been excited to win) and Inside the Baqckrooms.
I couldn’t agree more with the third winner, the one in the “With love and dedication” category, which recognizes the work carried out by its developer with a title that has been on the market for some time. This award can value titles that started well and have gotten even better, as happened with Stardew Valley, but also reverse a negative launch. Thus, surely you already imagine that the winner has been cyberpunk 2077which was up against DOTA 2, Project Zomboid, No Man’s Sky, and Deep Rock Galactic.
The “Better With Friends” category is self-explanatory, and it’s always a good time to celebrate all the good things multiplayer has given us and gives us. The choice of Steam users has been Raftingwhich shared a candidacy with Ready or Not, Monster Hunter Rise, MultiVersus and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.
The games that have caught our eyes the most were up for the prize in the category “Exceptional Visual Style”, and the incredible recreation of New York has made the winner Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Scorn, Bendy and the Dark Revival, Cult of the Lamb (my favorite in this category, I confess) and Kena: Bridge of Spirits have been left behind.
Fun is measured by many parameters, and one of them is how innovative is the proposal that the games offer us. There are classic formulas that work wonderfully, of course, but we always like to see evolution and novelties. Thus, this year the “Most Innovative Gameplay” award went to stray, the cat simulator that caused so much talk a few months ago. He was up against Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, Teardown, Neon White, and Dome Keeper.
Difficulty in games is like spicy food or rear-wheel drive cars, not everyone likes it, but who likes it, loves it. Thus, Steam also recognizes the “Best difficult game”. And, as I told you before, Elden Ring has won more than one award, as this category seems created to celebrate every FromSoftware release. Competing for second place (Elden Ring’s first era since he entered the design studio) were GTFO, Victoria 3, Total War: WARHAMMER 3 and FIFA 23, the farewell to the most important football franchise in history.
It’s been a long time since a game soundtrack consisted of a series of beeps with some tuning, at best. Soundtracks today stand on their own and deserve great recognition. Thus, the award for the best soundtrack of the year has gone to the FINAL FANTASY VII Remake Integratedwhich was up against Metal: Hellsinger, Sonic Frontiers, Persona 5 Royal and the debut of the great digital diva in rhythm games, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+.
Fantastic graphics and an excellent soundtrack are of little use if the plot doesn’t hook us afterwards, and unfortunately we’ve seen many such cases over the years. To reward this point, Steam also values the “Exceptional game with a good plot”, an award that this year has gone to god of war (which does not require any explanation). His rivals to him?, A Plague Tale: Requiem, UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection, The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered.
Sometimes, what we most seek from a game is disconnection from our surroundings, fun without complications and a good taste in our mouths, whether we play it for five minutes or five hours. That is what rewards the category “Sit back and relax”, which this year has been for the hilarious LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagawhich was up against PowerWash Simulator, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Dorfromantik, and Slime Rancher 2.
And we finished the review of the Steam awards with the “Best Portable Game” category, which rewards titles that can be played both on desktop and portable as well as on… of course, as on Steam Deck, obviously the Valve console could not be left out. The winner has been Death Stranding Director’s Cut, which has been seen with Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, Vampire Survivors, Brotato and Marvel SNAP.
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