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News video games 12 December 2019, 22:47

First Nominations for Steam Awards 2019

Valve has published a list of five Steam Awards 2019 nominations in the Outstanding Visual Style category. In addition, it was revealed when the voting for the winners will start - the date concides with the beginning of Steam Holiday Sale 2019.

The Steam Awards 2019 nominations are over, so it's time for Valve to disclose the titles nominated in each category. As it turns out, the owners of Steam intend to dose the information gradually, starting from today, revealing one category each day.

However, before we start discussing the titles that have a chance to win the statuette for Outstanding Visual Style, we are in a hurry to inform that, according to earlier reports, this year's Holidays Sale on Steam should start on December 19. It is also the day, when we can start voting in order to select the winners in each category.

Now that the formalities are over, it's time for the highlight of the show.

Like Gris, no games nominated for the Steam Awards 2019 has aimed for visual photorealism.

Nominations in the Outstanding Visual Style category

As you can read on the official website of Steam Awards, the visual style of the following games "doesn't aspire to real-world graphical fidelity (though a noble goal in itself)", but "describes a distinctive look and feel that suffuses an entire game". Additionally, we are talking about games showing "visual cohesion", whose appearance makes "our world look paltry by comparison".

Gris

According to many gamers and reviewers, graphics is the best what this adventure game and platformer hybrid has to offer. No wonder, since the developers invited professional artists to cooperate in order to make their work look as beautiful as possible. The game developed by the Nomada Studio team enables us to play the role of a young girl plagued by traumatic memories from the past.

Total War: Three Kingdoms

The Total War series does not need to be introduced to any strategy game enthusiast. When working on Total War: Three Kingdoms, the developers at Creative Assembly were inspired by Chinese artworks, which is reflected in the characteristic graphic style of the game. Nevertheless, next to Subnautica: Below Zero, it is by far the most realistic title, in terms of visuals, nominated for the award.

Astroneer

The third game on the list is Astroneer, a sandbox game that enables the players to take on the role of space explorers. The visuals of this position retains a characteristic style, shimmering with a wealth of colours, evoking certain associations with No Man's Sky. This enabled the devs to put many unique, memorable locations into the hands of the players.

Katana ZERO

Pixel art has both dedicated fans and zealous opponents. The devs of Katana ZERO were clearly inspired by the style of hits from the 1980s, although they added contemporary visual effects to the "stone-age pixels". And there is nothing strange about that, considering the fact that the action of this title was set in the 1980s. However, the inspirations do not end with the visual sphere, because the team at Askiisoft prepared a platform action game, in which, success is guaranteed by dexterity and quick reflexes, as it was back in the days.

Subnautica: Below Zero

Just like the original Subnautica, Below Zero may appeal to some of you. The devs once again prepared a lively world filled with extraterrestrial plants and beautiful (though sometimes a little scary) representatives of fauna. The eye is captivated by both the densely overgrown sea depths and the ice-covered surface, which is shyly penetrated by picturesque flora.

  1. Steam Awards 2019 - official website

Christian Pieniazek

Christian Pieniazek

Started working with Gamepressure.com in August 2016. Although the Game Encyclopedia has been his pride and joy from the beginning, he also writes for the Newsroom and the Editorial section. Gained professional experience through a now-defunct service, in which he worked for almost three years. Graduated in Cultural Studies at the AGH University of Krakow. Runs his own business, jogs, cycles, loves mountain hiking, is a fan of nu metal, is interested in space, and of course, enjoys playing games. Feels best in action games with an open world and RPGs, although won't turn down good racing or shooting games.

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