Valve has announced the first ten games to pass through Steam’s Greenlight. This means that the games have received enough votes from the community to get inaugurated into the official Steam library. From here on out, the developers of these games will be working with Steam to see their games across the finish line:
Black Mesa:
Requiring very little introduction, Black Mesa is the fan-created remake of the original Half-Life. While the apparently incomplete game is being released for free tomorrow, the game’s presence on Steam, and the involvement from Steam, may help the game develop further.
Cry of Fear:
Another mod here, this one looks pretty freaky. Click on the game’s description on the Greenlight page and view a trailer filled with people freaking out as they play this game. While it looks to be riding pretty heavily on the hype wave, but there are actually some legitimately creepy moments and some crazy jump scares. I might be picking this one up myself.
Dream:
I actually don’t know much about this game. Apparently it’s a first-person adventure game focused on exploration, with multiple endings based on player performance. The biggest draw of the game appears to be how creative the designers can be with the aesthetics of the game. The game has also been receiving some favorable comparisons to Dear Esther, and I don’t think anyone has a problem with that.
Heroes & Generals:
Whether or not you’ll be downloading Heroes & Generals will likely lean heavily on whether or not you are interested in the premise: a Free-to-Play WWII multiplayer shooter. Of course, these things are certainly hit-or-miss, but it seems that the developer is going the extra mile to get a good product out by letting beta players give feedback on the game. Free-to-Play is always worth a try for me, so I’ll see you online for this one.
Kenshi:
Awesome, I actually voted for this one. Kenshi is a free-roaming squad-based RPG with samurai. I love that the game seems to really seek to deliver a vast, dynamic experience for players that will challenge and test them. The injury system, that may hinder combat based on what has been damaged, also sounds exciting. Keep an eye on this one.
McPixel:
I don’t know a lot about this game, but the game’s title slide is a guy urinating on some dynamite, so that’s something. Upon closer inspection, it looks like something along the lines of Half-Minute Hero in the skin of an adventure game. You have 20 seconds to complete each challenge presented, but the main hook of the game appears to be a very strange and goofy sense of humor.
No More Room in Hell:
Another mod, No More Room in Hell looks really similar to the Left 4 Dead Series, but with a much more realisitic tone. Ammo is scarce and there are some scary-ass zombies to kill. Best of all, it’s free. Why NOT give this a try?
Project Zomboid:
Project Zomboid is another one I voted for. Another entry in the multitude of zombie games, this one is an isometric title focused on the tiny choices made by survivors, and how those choices can spiral out of control. It’s not a matter of whether you will die, but when, and how. The buzz on this is already quite positive, mostly stemming from the dark atmosphere. I am really excited for this.
Routine:
I can’t believe I missed this one. Routine is a survival-horror game set in a deserted moon base. The biggest hook of the game is that the base is completely non-linear, and some players may come across secrets that other players will never discover if they don’t go to that area. Also, there is no HUD and if you die it’s game over. Sounds intense.
Town:
I know by now it’s getting kind of ridiculous how nerdy I am acting about these games, but Town essentially allows you to build the hub town that dungeon-crawling adventurers visit in between quests. It’s like a combination of Sim City and Diablo, with just a tiny bit of tower defense to keep things interesting. This WILL be a day 1 purchase for me.
I’m so excited for this. What will you be picking up? Tell us in the comments, or head over to our forums!