Looks like Valve is introducing a new review system to filter out "unhelpful" reviews

Valve looks to be introducing a new filter system to help players sift out user reviews not deemed "helpful."

As spotted by a member of the Steam subreddit, Valve appears to have briefly activated a "helpfulness system" that essentially hid joke or silly reviews from view.

The system has already been deactivated again, so it looks as though the feature is still under review, but a user was able to snap a screenshot whilst the trial (or premature launch) was live.

Valve is finally addressing bad reviews issue
byu/fuckingshitverybitch inSteam

Interestingly, the "learn more" link apparently took players to a non-existent blog post, adding credence to speculation that this feature is still in development.

It'll be interesting to know who will be the arbiter of "helpful", though, as this is currently one of Elden's highest-rated reviews with over 400 helpful votes: "Nothing in this game was as brutal as the moment when my son saw me fighting [a boss] and started cheering for [the boss]. 10/10."

In case you missed it, Steam has updated how demos "appear and behave" within the Steam library.

Valve said last month that with "thousands of playable demos launching on Steam every year, and millions of players trying them out, we've noticed some trends in feedback from both developers and players about the process and functionality. We've put together an update based on that feedback".