I´m in! I seriously doubt I´ll get to 52...but I´ll try
Game 1: Metroid Prime (replay) - Completed
I had already beaten it some years ago, but I wanted to complete the Trilogy so I replayed it from the start. I can´t really say anything about this game that hasn´t been said before, Retro did an awesome job with this one. The only weak points are that the sceneries aren´t very original at their concept (forest/ice/fire), but they are executed masterfully and giving them all an alien feeling that´s just great. Magmoor Caverns were too linear, but all these are just minor complaints about an incredible game. This is really Super Metroid FPS, with all the good things that implies.
Game 2: Metroid Prime: Echoes - Completed
I had played it before years ago but didn´t complete it, so this time I started from zero. It has some flaws that aren´t present in Prime, mainly the ammunition system. However, the setting and atmosphere in this one is the best of all Metroid games, even surpassing Super Metroid. Without Sanctuary Fortress I may have liked Prime more, but this level elevates the whole game to a godly status. I will surely be replaying it again in the future. Some of the new powerups like the Screw Attack feel great to use and the Morph Ball unleashes all it´s potential in this game, from the clever boss fights to some cool puzzles and new uses like the ability to jump from spidertracks using the boost I was enjoying every second I was in Ball form. Also, Quadraxis is the best Metroid boss ever.
Weak points: some powerups aren´t fully justified: the triple underwater jump is used in 2 rooms in the whole game when you get it and never again, the echo visor or Annihilator Beam is used just for counted occasions, the ammunition system wasn´t of my liking...Teleporting was a cool addition to travel the map faster, but too many cutscenes made this process tedious.
Game 3: Metroid Prime: Corruption - Completed
Currently playing it, the beginning was great but as the game progresses I´m finding I liked Prime and Echoes much more. Getting rid of the overworld was a big mistake and constantly having someone talking to you and telling you where to go goes against the Metroid formula: isolation and exploration. Anyway, I´m still too early in the game to make a final judgement.
Update after completion: As I went further into the game I started to like the game much more. I still think that loosing the huge interconnected world was a mistake, but each location is very well designed and this allowed Retro to create great lore for each of them:
Bryyo: ruins of an ancient civilization where a war of magic against science took place. Details like the spaceships in the background chained to the planet, the huge golems...The planet also doubles as a gel fuel facility.
Elysia: steampunk city in the air ruled by a race of robots dedicated to study the cosmos. This is my favorite level in the game: the setting is brilliant and the way you open different shortcuts with each new ability is masterfully designed.
NFG Valhalla: I got Dead Space vibes from this level; when I opened a door and a marine´s dead corpse came flying at me due to despressurization I jumped on my chair
A very cool level.
I liked a lot the implementation of the powerup location map room in Elysia: watching where the powerups were gave me the incentive to 100% the game, whereas I finished with around 80% completion rate in Prime and Echoes.
Corruption uses Samus abilities the best of the three games: the Grapple Beam is used in a lot of puzzles and successfully included in combat, the visor is at last useful with the capability of zooming into some enemies´ weak points to one-shoot them...The Phazon system however is a bit redundant and feels like a win button. It makes the normal beam useless. The Morph Ball doesn´t add anything new, it seems Retro used all their ideas for it in Echoes.Getting into the ship to go somewhere was tedious with all the cutscenes everytime, but I liked the idea of the ship visor and giving orders to your ship to lift this or shoot that, it was very original. I still don´t understand what all the controls inside the ship are for: shield? Weapons? Medical scanner? Radio? You never use them through the game.
Overall, I think my ranking for the whole trilogy goes: Echoes>Prime=Corruption.
Game 4: Metroid Zero Mission (replay) - Ongoing
I had already played this years ago, so few surprises here. A friend was asking me what game to buy for this new Game Boy Advanced he had been gifted, so I told him to play this or Fusion and after thinking about it, I had to play them too. Game is very similar to Super Metroid which can only be a good thing. The stealth segments are something fresh for Metroid and are well executed. Great game.
Game 5: The Room - Completed
Awesome point and click game for mobile. High production values and some really original puzzles. I played the second part first and when I beat it I had to try this one too. Didn´t disappoint. The only flaw is that it´s too short, but even if it was twice as long I´d still have been left wanting more. The setting is very well done, you just want to keep going to solve all the mysteries of the old house you´re in while imbued in a dark, almost scary atmosphere. The puzzles really make you think and inspect everything to find the solutions, but they are not overly complicated.
Game 6: The Room Two - Completed
Same as the first part, loved every moment of it. After finishing it I got the first one and then replayed this one again. If there was a 3rd one I would gladly play it too.
Game 7: Robotek - Completed
A simple game from developer Hexage, you are given command of a robot and have to beat the enemy in turn-based combat. You can summon different types of robots to help you, create barriers, hack enemy robots, heal, use powerful attacks...Even though the gameplay is very simple the game didn´t feel repetitive, there were always new upgrades to be had or strategies to test, but it feels like there really was room to include more things. The aesthetic is very cool too.
Game 8: Everlands HD - Completed
Another game by HexAge, in this one you control little animals in an hexagonal board which must defend their forest from an alien invasion. Each animal has it´s own properties (health, attack power, range and special abbilities) so you have to think carefully where you are going to place them. The gameplay is simple but it works flawlessly. Only flaw I see in this game is that it´s too short, it would´ve been great if there were more stages or game modes.
Game 9: One Finger Death Punch - Completed
Very cool game, you control a stickman who must fight against enemies attacking from the left or right in a sideview. You only decide if you attack to the left or to the right (or if you activate your superpower) but this simple gameplay is expanded with a lot of different enemy types and mechanics: some enemies can withstand more than 1 hit, others will switch sides when hit, there are melee and throwable weapons...Truly liking it. Cons: mobile stamina-focused game. Pros: Steam honest version available so i might buy it.
Update after completion: I´m sick of this game, it was cool at first but it´s just too grindy. The devs have hidden all the upgrades behind ridiculous prices so the only way of truly progressing is to either grind to death or pay. The mobile controls worked fine for the early game, but as the levels become more demanding the touchscreen just can´t keep up and I´m frequently dying because of failed inputs. I didn´t complete the game, but I feel I´ve had enough of this.
Game 10: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - Finished
Very enjoyable and cute. I´m liking it a lot but it hasn´t surprised me in any way.
Update after completion: Cool game, the presentation is fantastic and the game is more challenging than it seems when you start trying to collect everything. Very fun game, but no life changing experience.
Game 11: Hyrule Warriors - Ongoing
A great surprise. I had never played a Warriors game before and thought that it would get old easily, but with all the characters, weapons, levels and game modes it has content to last me a loooong time. Had to leave it on hold when Bayonetta came out, but I will surely come back to this.
Game 12: Terra Battle - Ongoing
Mobile game by the creator of Final Fantasy. You command a party of 6 heroes and fight in puzzle-like battles. Each character has different skills and properties so you have to carefully manage your team depending on the current enemy. There are a lot of special events, gifts from the devs and an infinite pool of heroes to unlock so the game will last you a while. I would´ve gladly paid for a stamina & energy free mode, but anyway the game is great and I´m enjoying it a lot. The art in this game is supreme.
Update: Yeah, I´m still playing this. Everyday. 4 months or so already, even when you finish the main quest there are so many things to do like alternate quests, special events, new characters...I don´t think I´ve ever played any mobile game more than this.
Game 13: Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Ongoing
I started playing this some years before, but for one reason or the other I didn´t finish it. Funny thing is I have it on my WiiU menu but I can´t remember buying it, so it´s been a pleasant surprise
This time I´m gonna 100% this game for sure.
Update1: Wow, I can´t believe I forgot how good this game is. The comet challenges are incredibly well designed: when you tackle them at first they seem impossible, but after a few tries they become totally doable. Also, the level of polish in this game is one of the highest in every Nintendo game, which is already a pretty incredible standard. Everything from the controls, menus, transitions, layout, etc... is done perfectly. The level design is top notch, the freedom of movement is amazing, the music is supreme, I really can´t think why I stopped playing this game some years before. The difficulty level is spot on, it´s one of these games that makes you shout at the screen when you die but not because of frustration but because of the degree of implication you achieve during a stage. 3 seconds after that you´re already playing again with 100% focus. Then you get some nice exploration stages which change the pace. And after that, you can decide yourself which stage to play next, so you can set the pace of the game for yourself depending on if you want something frenetic like the timed stages, something more puzzle-y, exploration...The scale of the game seems gigantic; even if in reality the levels may not be bigger than those in 3D World the whole game is wrapped in a feeling of grandieuse. I´m really enjoying this game.
Update2: Did I already mention how good this game is? I really didn´t get all the praise GAF gave it (I already beat Galaxy 1 some years ago and played 2 but didn´t finish it), but this time something has clicked and the whole experience is being amazing. I´m liking it so much I may start a new playthrough of galaxy 1 once I 100% this. My only complain is that I´m having so much fun the game seems to be approaching the end too fast, even though I only have 58 stars yet so I know I still have a long way to go...I really don´t want this game to end!
Game 14: Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze - Ongoing
After all the love GAF has given this game, yesterday I finally followed suit and bought it. Will probably start it tonight.
Update1: This game is hard. Not incredibly hard, but you really need to get accustomed to the controls and physics and use everything perfectly with split time decisions. One thing I´m not liking is that I´ve found some obstacles which you couldn´t pass the first time, relying just on godlike reflexes and luck.Anyway, I´m liking the game, I´m only halfway on the second island. The music is great and the settings are very well done and original, there´s lots of creativity in this game. I feel the controls are overcomplicated and could have been simplified a lot: sometimes you roll when you want to pound the ground, but at the same time this button doesn´t do anything when you´re in the air. You need a button to grab things, but it would´ve been better if you just grabbed those things automatically upon making contact. However, I understand that maybe that would simplify the game too much. Pressing L or R will play a nice animation between DK and whoever´s the second character at the moment, but what is the gameplay utility of this? I´m guessing it may be for switching players on 2P mode, but it´s not explained anywhere. Also, I wish the game remembered my decisions between sessions so I didn´t have to confirm the controls, display and game mode every time I launch it.
Update2: This game is difficult, you die a lot if you try to get all the Kong letters, puzzle pieces and such...I´ve found that it´s better when playing a new level to just try to get it by and then return to it for completion, you do really enjoy a lot more the levels once you know what´s waiting for you, I´m dying a lot just because the second it takes me to realize what I have to do to get over a new obstacle is enough for a platform to fall/thing to squash me/whatever to kill me. That said, the levels are cool and yesterday I absolutely fell in love with level 3-1: not only the music is absolutely gorgeous but the whole level setting is great and is filled with great details. I love how the trees, giraffes and elephant platforms dance to the music, it gave me a massive throwback to watching the Lion King musical in Broadway.
Game 15: Metroid Fusion (replay) - Ongoing
I´m having mixed feeling with this game at the moment. It´s a Metroid game so it has a solid basis, but I´m finding it extremely linear. Having the computer AI push you from objective to objective and giving you the level map before even giving you the chance to explore anything, the constant messages and inner monologues and the remotely locked color doors are making me remember everything I didn´t like about MP: Corruption, but even worse. It´s not bad by a mile, but it´s not as good as other Metroid games. I still have a lot of the game before me so we´ll see if this hindrances disappear further in the game.
Game 16: Paper Mario (WiiU VC) - Ongoing
I started this one yesterday and I´m enjoying it a lot. The Battle System is simple but it seems to leave room for many tactics and interesting fights. The artstyle is very original and the paper effects really add to the visuals. I haven´t played it much yet, but I´m really liking it.
Game 17: Sin and Punihment: Successor of the Skies - Finished
I´d already beat this on Wii some years ago and I really liked it, so I decided to buy it again for the WiiU´s VC and replay it. This game is great, lots of action, tight controls, intelligent encounters, good level design and very spectacular. I completed a playthrough with Isa and I will replay it again as Kachi. The WiiMote controls really shine with this game.
Game 18: Punch out (WiiU VC) - Ongoing
Such a simple game, yet so addicting! It´s a boss rush game where each boss is designed with a lot of thought. I love how most boxers easily knock you down the 2 or 3 first times you challenge them, then you slowly start surviving more as you adapt to his rythm and getting downs yourself, then you discover some counter or chance to get a star...only for the enemy to show you a new special move and knock you down when you thought you had him. After some more tries you end up dominating the fight. Then you take on the next boxer and he KOs you on the first round so the cycle restarts. The challenges in exhibition matches are a cool feature, they really force you to learn all the perks of every fighter.
Game 19: Bayonetta (WiiU) - Ongoing
I have already completed this game in XBOX and WiiU, but recently I´ve decided to unlock some things I was missing (without using cheats). So the first thing is to get Platinum in every stage to unlock Jeanne. I´m replaying in Normal as that was my first playthrough of the game and I don´t have any P ranks, so this way I effectively have to replay the whole game, that´s why I´m including it here. I still need to unlock SaiFung and the Rodin fight. When I finish with this I´ll try to beat Angel Slayer mode, which will be probably be impossible.
This game is incredible, it´s been some months since I played it (or Bayo2) and in just 5 minutes I was already comboing everything to the sky. Truly engaging, I´m loving every moment of it even if I´ve spent 3 hours stuck with Fortitudo because I always miss the combo requirements to Platinum his chapter.
Game 20: Splatoon (WiiU) - About to splat
Is it the 29th yet? I´m going to play the crap out of this, I have already played it 3 times in the testfires and everytime has left me wanting more. And even buying the amiibos (my first ones!) and have bought a connection kit so I can use my laptop as TV when the main one isn´t free.
Update: This game will be the main responsible of me not achieving the 52 games in a year challenge. I´m only playing this now. A lot. In only 2 weeks it´s become my most played WiiU game and it´s going to easily become one of my most played games ever if things continue this way...and with all the updates in the horizon I see no way it couldn´t. Gotta go now, must play more Splatoon!
Game 21: Mario Kart 8 (WiiU) - Finished
This is a similar case to Bayonetta: I´ve already finished this game, but with the release of the second DLC I decided to replay it from the beginning in singleplayer and get stars for every cup in 150cc, both DLC included. I have never stopped playing this, usually with my gf or in online multiplayer, it´s such a great game it´s impossible to get bored of it. Future plans for this one include getting gold in mirror mode and 200cc in every cup.
It´s amazing how, after having played for so long I still discover new details in every track. It´s obvious this is a game that´s been made with the utmost respect and love, even the DLC, or better said, specially the DLC.
If only this had a real Battle Mode I wouldn´t need to buy another game ever again.
Games I´ll definitely be completing this year:
Splatoon: I´m not a fan of shooters but this game gives me crazy Portal 2 vibes. Also, I have 100% confidence Nintendo can successfully reinvent the genre.
Super Metroid: One of my favorite games ever, I don´t remember having played it again after I first beat it in the SNES. Now seems like a great time to replay it.
Games I´ll probably be playing this year:
Dark Souls 2 replay and DLC: I didn´t like DS2 as much as 1, but it´s still a great game and I´ve heard great things of the DLC. Will wait to hear people´s opinions on the Scholar of the First Sin edition and try that...and maybe replay DS1 for the 1000th time.
Axiom Verge: I´ve been following this one for a long time and the general opinion after release has been very good.
GOTY 2015: Splatoon
Runner up: Metroid Prime: Echoes