Man, this thread looks and sounds like a lot of fun, so let me join in :)
Your post and positive vibes inspired me to go for the same, although I'm not confident I can make it to 52 given I adore RPGs. Here we go :)
January
1.) Little Nightmares (Playstaton 4, 4 January)
A little plattformer that really serves up some crazy nightmares on its short journey. Great visual and audio design. Some control issues.
7,5/10
2.) Horizon: Zero Dawn (Playstation 4, 11 January)
I was sceptical Guerilla Games could pull of a game as good as this, but boy I was so wrong. One of the best games of the generation, especially thanks to its visual design, gameplay mechanics and a GREAT story on top. The way ancient high-tech civilizations long forgotten are tied to cool, dangerous robots and the society Aloy is living in is just very well done. Still have to play The Frozen Wilds at some point this year.
9/10
3.) What Remains of Edith Finch (Playstation 4, 13 January)
Whoever enjoyed Gone Home, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, Dear Esther (see below) or similair games will love this game, too. So many little stories in this game and house.
8/10
4.) KAMIKO (Nintendo Switch, 14 January)
Cheap, little game that does it all right where it counts most: Game mechanics. It feels like a super-short Zelda with small puzzles. Great game.
8/10
5.) Oxenfree (Nintendo Switch, 21 January)
One of these games you haven't played before. It's as much about friendship as it is a thriller. You should check it out.
8/10
February
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March
6.) Thimbleweed Park (Nintendo Switch, 3 March)
Such a throwback old-style point-and-click adventure. It's about solving murder in an American Twin Peaks-like setting. You gotta think hard and draw your clues, puzzle-solving and experimenting a lot on the way. Great NPCs in this town, too. Pick this up, great to see games like that still developed.
8,5/10
7.) Red Dead Redemption (Xbox One X, 24 March)
I was years late to the party, and completed the game just before the 4k patch came out, too bad. I never felt like playing a last gen game anyways. America's Wild West has been underused in games, and Rockstar again shows why it they are considered the open world king.
9,5/10
April
8.) Song of the Deep (Xbox One X, 2 April)
An underappreciated smaller title of this generation, this game is a classic Metroidvania with a beautiful setting and soundtrack. It's not the most memorable game you will have played, and not everyone likes underwater levels, but it's still an underused setting.
7/10
9.) Quantum Break (Xbox One X, 8 April)
Quantum Break is in my top 3 favourite exclusive games of Xbox One. The game tried a new approach with the live action series. It wasn't liked by everyone, but I personally support experimental game design. Playing around with all those time mechanics in battle was really cool, although it probably looked better than it played. Final boss was a chore though. Everyone should play this title!
8,5/10
10.) Super Lucky's Tale (Xbox One X, 18 April)
Xbox One has more plattformers than you might think. While not on Nintendo's masterclass of Super Mario Odyssey, Ori, Lucky and Recore (see below) have been more than fine exclusives. Super Lucky's Tale gave me good vibes all around. It's decently well made and better than Yooka-Laylee (see below). I'd like to see Lucky again in a bigger 3D game.
7/10
11.)-13.) Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Xbox One X, 3 episodes, 18 April)
While never coming close to Season 1 of LiS, some open questions in the past of Chloe, Rachel and Max do get solved with this prequel. I never played the bonus episode because you cannot get it seperately after having beaten the base game, which is a shame.
8/10
May
14.) God of War (Playstation 4, 1 May)
A lot has been said of this masterpiece in other places. I was sceptical about the concept of this game. Kratos, the bad-ass slayer of all gods.... has a son sidekick? Yep, and it's done so brilliantly within this game that I should never have doubted. The gameplay is also quite different from the original games, only to feel familair again very far in the game, but no spoilers here! The nordic mystic setting is released beautifully, facial animations are great as well. I'm also a big fan of the decision to use a single, unbroken shot for the whole game. No cutscenes needed, immersion was always right on top! Quite possibly my favourite game of the year, certainly for new 2018 titles.
10/10
15.) Owlboy (Nintendo Switch, 5 May)
One of the bigger disappointing released of the year for me. Visually a compelling game, game mechanics, controls and even story never convinced me. Owlboy was in development a long time, too bad.
6,5/10
16.) ReCore (Xbox One X, 5 May)
Too bad ReCore never got the required time to get polished before release as much as the title deserves. Heard the loading times were crazy as hell before, thankfully I never experienced such a problem. I played the Definitive Version of ReCore and enjoyed it a lot! Fun combat, challenging jump puzzles, some cool robots are all in it!
8/10
17.) Pillars of Eternity (Xbox One X, 13 May)
This is a tough one. I've started and never finished Baldur's Gate a couple times, it was just too much, too long, too old for me at this point in 2018. I played enough to know why they were such gaming milestones though. Although I like Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian's first self-developed universe, I also have a lot to criticize on the game. I liked the world, lore, RPG mechanics and the different approaches to many quests. I never enjoyed the writing though, and found myself skipping a lot of texts by the end. Will still play PoE 2 some time in the future though.
7,5/10
June
18.) Kingdom Hearts II (Playstation 4, 3 June)
In quite similair fashion to Red Dead Redemption (see above) and Metro (see above), about a year ago I decided to finally play all Kingdom Hearts games in anticipation of Kingdom Hearts 3 releasing next January. Since its debut one a half decades ago a lot has happended in games design, and Kingdom Hearts 2 has aged quite a bit. The visited Disney worlds feel small and unpopulated. Even the story is a lot weaker than in part 1, because technically most things that happen in the worlds don't really matter much for the overall story. On the other hand, revisiting your Disney childhood worlds and characters in a game still feels so good! And the gameplay of Kingdom Hearts 2 is still rock solid and challenging.
7,5/10
19.) Golf Story (Nintendo Switch, 16 June)
Reminding me of Everybody's Golf and Tennis a couple years ago, Golf Story sure surprised a lot of people, including me. Some of the game's challenges were quite hard, but I enjoyed my time! One of these games you can always go back to for an hour or two as well. I'm happy this title has also sold rather well.
8/10
July
20.) Metro 2033: Redux (Xbox One X, 8 July)
I finally played through the Metro Series this year and do not know why I didn't earlier. SUCH. GOOD. GAMES. You are immersed into post-nuclear Moscow's Metro stations, their people and their fate right away. Little actions that are not openly communicated to the player very much matter in how your story plays out. Passages of the game are very scary and feel almost claustrophobic. Librarians might the be single most scary enemy I ever faced in a video game. The shooting was sometimes chaotic, but fun enough.
9,5/10
21.) Octopath Traveler (Nintendo Switch, 24 July)
Whoever loves retro SNES JRPGs and wants to know how it could look like with modern technic will have a thrilling time in Octopath Traveler. The artstyle cannot be praised enough for its blend of old and new. I will only say sunlight and water! The turn-based battle system also has to be one of THE best in gaming history alongside Final Fantasy X. Yes, it's that good, and enemies will never stop challenging you. While the individual storylines were also interesting, the 8 party members sadly never interacted much with each other. I still wonder whether Square-Enix should have made it compulsory to play all of them, but it would have made the game longer, too. Best Switch exclusive in 2018 for sure, and a surprising confirmation Square-Enix still has it's mojo somewhere.
9,5/10
August
22.) Prey: Mooncrash (Xbox One X, 3 August)
Prey was my GOTY in 2017, a game that should have sold so much more. Then I heard about Mooncrash. Roguelike?! WTF?! In the end, all my scepticism was vanished away. Mooncrash is the ideal DLC, feeling familair enough to the base game (especially abilities) while turning some game mechanics on it's head. Finding the escape route for the five passengers in one go required skill and careful planning. I can now see what can make Roguelike games so good, and might try more of them in the future.
9,5/10
23.) Metro: Last Light Redux (Xbox One X, 5 August)
*quotes Metro 2033 section minus librarians plus spiders; eagerly waits for the new Metro game in 2018, day-one, only is worried it will not have that Metro tunnel and station atmosphere anymore*
9,5/10
24.) Braid (Xbox 360 on One X, 5 August)
I will probably draw a lot of criticism for this opinion, but I never got into Braid. It's very easy to rush to the finish line in the levels, while solving every puzzle requires much more time and thinking. While I've enjoyed many puzzle games over the years, Braid never quite got me hooked. Sorry.
5/10
25.) Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (Playstation 4, 11 August)
Haven't I read many people praise Birth by Sleep over the years? Well, it's very justified indeed! Also, it's super important to play it to make sense of what will happen in 2.8 and KH3. Having three heroes that play so differently in Terra, Ventus and Aqua is great. They each follow separate story-lines that intersect at certain points of the story. Without any spoilers the endings also kept me thinking a lot about the three of them. I'm glad I played this game, it doesn't feel nearly as dates as KH2 as well.
8,5/10
26.) Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (Playstation 4, 12 August)
Well, only an interactive film on the Kingdom Hearts collections, but I will still list it here. It was nice enough to see the alternate digital world that had to become bug-free, also to discover why Jimmy's journal was changed and empty... But I'm not exactly sure this would have been fascinating me enough for a 40 hour JRPG.
6/10
27.) Old Man's Journey (Nintendo Switch, 21 August)
The game's overall topic of ageing , thinking back of the fun experiences in the past is great. Being 31 now I often also start to think about these topics. The game mechanics itself never let me jumpf out of my seat.
5/10
September
28.) NieR: Automata (Xbox One X, 2 September)
NieR: Automata finished like second on ERA's top JRPG list of all time, so I had to play it quickly after the release on Xbox One X. While unsure whether I'd place it that highly, the game is quite probably one of the best games this generation has seen. The game tackles question such as: What makes humans human? Why the hell are androids fighting a war for humans that you never see? How can androids and robots be so different? You are constantly surprised by the game, it is philosophical and satisfying, also makes you care about the androids you play as so much. Each of the three playthroughs adds new things to the story. While the second playthrough did not offer a whole lot of different stuff, the third playthrough will be what I call a mindfuck. It's that good.
9,5/10
29.) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Xbox 360 on Xbox One X, 4 September)
A 20-year old game that mechanics have inspired generations of game developers. Metroidvania are some of my most liked games to play. This one is a true classic that still plays so well in 2018. Must-have!
9/10
30.) Dear Esther (Xbox One X, 10 September)
Another groundbreaking game that has basically started a genre, the so-called Walking Simulator (I don't like this name). Play it yourself first, then listen to the excellent audio commenary that is on the Landmark Edition of the game. Dear Esther only gets to be understood when you replay it multiple times, which is perfectly possible because it's so short. You do need excellent English to understand it though.
8,5/10
31.) Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna (Nintendo Switch, 23 September)
My favourite JRPG of the generation alongside Persona 5 has honestly enjoyed one of the best post-launch supports of ANY game. The Torna DLC expansion similarily to Life is Strange: Before the Storm (see above) answers many unaswered questions depicted at in the main game. Also, battle mechanics are changed up just enough to feel familair yet fresh and new, much like in Prey: Mooncrash (see above). I didn't like the way developers forced you to play a lot of sidequests to progress to the final bits of the main story, but it really is the game's only fault. You gotta play this, and I rarely see this about expansions!
9,5/10
32.) Bastion (Xbox 360 on Xbox One X, 26 September)
One of the first indie games that caught a lot of attention was Bastion, released exclusively on Xbox 360 back in the day. It's a visually stunning RPG with solid mechanics and choice of weapons that sets itself apart by the narrator that comments on your actions, decisions and progress through the game. The developer's first game has apparently been surpassed by Furi, Transistor, but I wanted to play their first game first, with the others to follow some time soon.
7,5/10
33.) Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Xbox One X, 26 September)
Hasn't the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy been some of the recent big games with the most diverted fan base? Some liked the 2013 reboot best, other's praise the new Shadow for it's focus on stealthy approaches, more exploration and tombs. I personally liked the 2018 entry the most, rather not surprised by the game mechanics given Eidos has been mostly doing stealthy games as of late. Shadow still has its flaws though, especially in storytelling and sidekicks.
8/10
October
34.) Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Xbox 360 on Xbox One X, 2 October)
Alongside Metro this has been the biggest positive surprise of the year to me. I've always enjoyed stealthy games, but didn't expect the world of Deus Ex: HR to thrill me as much as it did. I even started a LTTP on here, my first thread ever! The Deus Ex cyberpunk future is one I could see humanity go to in all honesty, maybe to a lesser extent. Augmentations and expensive medical treatments for everyone or just for the rich? How would they be treated by normal human beings? Furthermore, this game gives you tons of options to complete levels. It has one of the best realized Asian/Chinese settings ever in a game. Go play it if you haven't!
10/10
35.) Valkyria Chronicles 4 (Xbox One X, 13 October)
An alternative Europa goes to war in Valkyria Chronicles, and you get to play the soldiers and squads that want to end the war for the Federation against the Imperials -- but Japanese-style! The world is colourful, the great war with its tactical and challenging battles are mixed with character-focused story sequences that range from brilliant to atrocious to probably sexist. The story is also not black and white and surprises along the way. With very solid mechanics, tactical battles are a treat once you get the hang of using different unit classes strategically. I found it a tad too long though.
8/10
36.) Yooka-Laylee (Playstation 4, 16 October)
I have backed two games in my life, Kingdom Come: Deliverance that I still need to finish sometime this year (coming up) and Yooka-Laylee. Ex-Rare developers going for a new IP reminisicent of Banjo-Kazooie? Wow! The shipped product unfortunately never comes close to its spiritual ancestor though. For a 3D plattformer, controls are not accurate enough and often feel off. The five game worlds vary in their quality, but tend to get worse and less creative as the game goes on. It jusn't doesn't have the magic also I liked it enough to finish the game. I wish Rare one day does Banjo-Threeie, but if they do, they should study carefully what went eright and wrong with Yooka-Laylee.
6,5/10
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Whew, that was a lot of work! Happy to join in, let's hope I can make it. Thankfully there are some other genres besides long RPGs in my backlog, too :D Happy about any comments, too.