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The Silksong Sweep: Redemption for Team Cherry

The biggest story of the #GOTY night is the absolute dominance of Hollow Knight: Silksong. After years of development that many feared would never end, the game launched as a massive critical and commercial success in late 2025. It managed to snag both Game of the Year and Best Game You Suck At, beating out heavy hitters like Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

While Expedition 33 was a critical darling at other shows, Steam users clearly preferred the tight, punishing platforming of Hornet’s journey. The “Best Game You Suck At” category was particularly competitive this year, with Silksong edging out Elden Ring: Nightreign and Marvel Rivals. It’s a rare feat to take the top prize while also being recognized as the most frustratingly difficult experience of the year, but for the Hollow Knight faithful, that challenge is exactly why they waited so long.

The “Labor of Love” Controversy

One of the most debated wins is Baldur’s Gate 3 taking home the Labor of Love award. Larian Studios has been remarkably consistent with free updates and massive patches, even rebuilding the Linux client from the ground up for native Steam Deck support in 2025. However, the win sparked a predictable amount of salt from fans of No Man’s Sky and Helldivers 2, who felt those titles—which have been supported for years (or in the case of Helldivers, fought through a rocky launch)—were more deserving. Still, the Steam community tends to vote for their current favorites, and BG3 remains the platform’s golden child.

Handhelds and Innovation

Best Game on Steam Deck: Hades II won this handily, proving that Supergiant’s rogue-like loop is the gold standard for portable play. It beat out Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor and the sleeper hit BALL x PIT. The developers worked specifically to ensure the sequel was “verified” and battery-efficient from day one, and that effort paid off with the community.

Most Innovative Gameplay: This went to ARC Raiders (affiliate link). It was a controversial pick for some, as many felt the mind-bending puzzles of Blue Prince or the genre-blending of Mage Arena pushed the medium further. However, ARC Raiders’ unpredictable community-driven “story generator” in an extraction shooter setting won over the masses, proving that even a crowded genre can feel fresh with the right execution.

Story & Style: The Rise of the New Classics

In a major upset, Dispatch from AdHoc Studio took home Outstanding Story-Rich Game. This superhero workplace comedy managed to beat out cinematic giants like The Last of Us Part II Remastered and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Players were enamored with its episodic structure and meaningful choices, showing a pivot toward tight, focused writing rather than sprawling open-world bloat.

On the visual front, Silent Hill f secured Outstanding Visual Style. It faced stiff competition from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and DOOM: The Dark Ages, but its unique, unsettling Japanese folk-horror aesthetic resonated more than raw graphical power. This win signals that Steam players are increasingly looking for a cohesive art direction that defines the game’s identity.

Rounding Out the Winners

The 2025 results highlight a community that is increasingly independent from mainstream trends. Whether it’s the claymation beauty of The Midnight Walk or the chaotic cooperation in PEAK, the winners reflect a year where creativity and community engagement mattered more than budget. How do you like Steam GOTY 2025 results yourself? Please leave a comment.

The post The Silksong Sweep and the Salt of Love – 2025 GOTY Steam Awards Breakdown appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

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1. What Is a “Gooner Game”?

Some gamers label Marvel Rivals a “gooner game” to criticize its fan-service heavy, often revealing skins. These include swimsuit-themed looks and over-the-top outfits that feel more lewd than classic.

The game’s creative director, Guangyun Chen, defends the designs, explaining they draw from classic comic book styles and real-world fashion trends, not just prurient appeal. He claims these elements celebrate comic-book legacy and storytelling, not merely shock value. 

But many fans still feel that characters like Emma Frost or a skull-themed Punisher Speedo cross a line between homage and fetishization.

2. Why Labeling the Bear Scene as B*stiality Its Own Problem

In Baldur’s Gate 3, one romance option involves Halsin, a druid who shapeshifts into a bear. While the game treats this as a comedic, absurd choice, it's still frequently described by critics as “b*stiality with a bear”.

That description is pushing it, but here's the context: Halsin retains his human intelligence and consent, thanks to D&D’s Wild Shape rules, meaning he's not an actual animal but a humanoid in bear form, which in-game justifies it as consented fantasy. 

Still, many viewers understandably perceive it as crossing a moral boundary, especially because the visual implies s*x with a bear, not a person.

3. Even Framed as a Joke, This Is Far Worse Than Sexy Characters

There are key reasons why even joking b*stiality is more troubling than alluring character designs:

• Innate moral taboo: Real-world morality regards any s*xual act with animals as fundamentally non-consensual and deeply wrong. Even in fantasy, the imagery can trigger discomfort and distaste.
• Social media fallout: The scene went viral, causing intense reactions. For instance, Larian was briefly banned from TikTok for featuring the bear romance, and the director’s son was bombarded with bear memes. 

Reddit commentary summed it well:

“The actual 1 to 1 comparison here would be if Larian made it so you could romance or f*ck the various animals you can speak to… That would be weird and problematic because those are actual animals, not a sentient adult humanoid...” 

Other users added:

“It’s literally played for laughs. The devs know how ridiculous it is.” 

While the scene was clearly meant to be absurd, it's difficult to argue it’s harmless just because it’s comedic.

4. Hypocrisy: Judging Sexy Characters While Celebrating the Bear

Think about it:

In one case, fans call Marvel Rivals fan-service, criticizing visual designs they see as shallow or pandering.

In the other, the same fans enjoy the bear s*x joke, celebrating an explicit fantasy that, by most ethical standards, is far more disturbing.

That double standard is hard to ignore: disapproving something intended to be stylish or appealing, while embracing something inherently taboo, even if framed as a joke, is a glaring inconsistency.

TL;DR (High‑School Version)

• Marvel Rivals uses sexy, comic-inspired skins, some love them as nostalgia, others call them fan service.
• Baldur’s Gate 3 includes a deliberate joke about shapeshifting romance with a bear, easy to label as b*stiality, even if the character is still human mentally.
• Even in fantasy, b*stiality, joking or not, touches on deep ethical discomfort that sexy costumes don’t.
• Judging the sexy stuff while enjoying the crazy bear moment is a double standard, and frankly, that’s hypocritical.