Awesome Steam

Land Rover is working on electric versions of its vehicles. But this particular British SUV has driven in the opposite direction. Its builder Frank Rothwell explains how he replaced its internal combustion engine with a steam-powered one. It runs on coal, ignited with wood kindling soaked in diesel fuel, so it’s not exactly eco-friendly.

The way that steam engines can propel things using boiling water is pretty amazing. This video from How It’s Made takes us inside a factory that makes radial steam engines and shows not only how they come together, but how they work.

Most bikes and trikes are driven by human power. But Professor Pardal Brasil created a tricycle that runs on steam power. It’s operated by burning wood to heat the water inside an oil drum, which pushes a piston that drives the rear wheels. It’s ridiculously loud and not very fast, but we still love it. It also doubles as a smoker.

Currrently available on Steam Early Access for Windows and Mac, Darklight is an intense 2D-scrolling action platformer with impressive lighting and cool cyberpunk aesthetics. As you move through its dimly-lit industrial levels, you’ll encounter dangerous creatures who only appear under the light of your companion drone.

You could have a steam train, if you’d just lay down your tracks. Russian railroad enthusiast Pavel Chilin took Peter Gabriel’s advice literally, and built himself a working steam train engine that runs along a set of narrow-gauge tracks in his backyard. Additional footage here.

Door Kickers: Action Squad is a simpler yet still somewhat tactical spinoff of the original Door Kickers game. It’s a side-scrolling action game where you take one of four SWAT characters and complete mission objectives. It’s best played with a buddy via online co-op.

Better late than never. Steam now has a digital version of its gift cards. You can send them to anyone who’s been on your Friend list for at least 3 days. Its value will automatically be converted to your friend’s currency. Don’t worry, you can still gift specific games.

An upcoming game for PC and Mac which sends players on a ride down the side of a mountain on their bicycle. The game will offer open level designs which allow you to take whatever path you want all the way from the top of the mountain to the bottom. Follow it on Steam.

While it’s still in Steam Early Access Alpha, this physics-based space simulator is still incredibly impressive, with the ability to create your own planets and universes, then play god with gravity, climate, and even collisions to wreak havoc on your worlds.

A gaming PC optimized for Valve’s upcoming SteamOS. Unlike most computers, Jetpack’s internal components are arranged horizontally instead of vertically, so you can mount it behind your HDTV. Drops 1/1/14 for $1,000+.

No joysticks. No D-pads. The Valve Steam Controller instead has 2 trackpads augmented by a super-precise haptic feedback system. It also has a touch screen, 16 buttons and, in usual Steam fashion, will be open to hacking.

Superhot is a browser-based first-person shooter that takes bullet-time to its extreme. In the game, time only moves when you move or look around, making it as much of a puzzler as it is a shooter. Coming soon on Steam.

It’s summer gamers, and you know what that means: your money’s about to evaporate with the Steam Summer Sale. To help you spend wisely, we recommend using Steam DB’s nifty Steam Sales Tracker.

A free service by Jeff Minard for Steam members with tight budgets. Specify a game and your target price; Steam Alerts will send you a notice via email when the game is discounted to or below that price.

Fresh out of public beta, the free Steam mobile app lets members chat with their Steam contacts and most importantly browse and buy games. Available for both iOS and Android devices.

The Xbox Live tower defense/shooter hybrid finally gets a PC version – on Steam no less. If you buy Monday Night Combat before Feb 1, you get Team Fortress 2 items for MNC, and MNC items in TF2.

To commemorate this year’s QuakeCon, Steam is having a massive sale: grab all of the id and Bethesda games on Steam – 27 games with a total price tag of $300 – for only $70. Go. Now. Buy.

Steam is concerned for your safety – the summer heat can make you do dangerous things, like swim at the beach or go to the mall. So they’re having a sale, so you’ll have more reasons to stay inside.

With Half-Life 2 finally hitting Steam for the Mac today, the guys at Valve created this humorous little teaser commercial as a tribute to the classic 1984 Macintosh Superbowl commercial.