It still requires Steam to play though. ;)
Anyway, I totally agree! Releasing stuff Origin-exclusive (or Steam/Impulse/???) to force people into these applications is just wrong. It's a move in right direction by Valve at least.
This is a mod you either love or hate due to it's bizarre gameplay. Played it a few days ago with a couple of friends and three "playthroughs" later I'm still in love with it. The TV scripted to play videos from Youtube on the top floor made us spend almost an hour there :D