The Steam Autumn Sale has begun, Steam Award nominations are now being taken

The Steam Autumn Sale has begun, and once again the gang at Valve is taking nominations for this year's Steam Awards . Steam users can put their favorites up for consideration in the following categories, four returning from previous years and four brand new:

• Game of the Year
• VR Game of the Year
• Labor of Love
• Better With Friends
• Most Innovative Gameplay
• Outstanding Story-Rich Game
• Best Game You Suck At
• Outstanding Visual Style

Nominating games will earn you a badge that can be advanced through four levels by completing "tasks," like playing or reviewing a game you've nominated. Nominations will be open through the Autumn Sale, and voting will take place during the Winter Sale, which is expected to begin on December 19. Winners will be announced on December 31.

And yes, there's a sale afoot, too. There's a lot to see and throw your money at, as usual, and also as usual I feel compelled to point out that Max Payne 3 is a stylish and excellent shooter, worthy of the Max Payne name and well worth the current $7/£5/€7 price. (Hey, you have your holiday traditions, I have mine.)

I never thought I'd actually say this, but given the recent announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, this is also a good opportunity to make sure you're caught up on all things Half-Life before the new game comes out. Every game in the series is 90 percent off, which makes them about a buck each, or you can save a few cents by springing for The Orange Box (remember how big that was, way back when?) which is down to $3. It doesn't include the original Half-Life but if you haven't played that yet then it's probably best to just let it go.

See any other particularly primo deals? Let us know in the comments. The 2019 Steam Autumn Sale runs until December 3.