Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 21st)

Another week has come and gone, and it’s been one of those weird “busy but not that busy” kinda weeks. We saw a bit of new footage from Sonic Origins, and it’s looking very tasty. An HD texture pack was showcased for Mario Kart 64, and we discovered yet another bonkers Breath of the Wild trick in which you can take your horse up Death Mountain!

In terms of features this week, our beloved Tom took a look at Nintendo’s extraordinary first-party flow in an age of seemingly endless delays, Kate spoke to Aggro Crab on their latest crabtastic title, Another Crab’s Treasure, and yours truly threw some lavish praise on Thumper for its fifth anniversary on Switch.

Now it’s time to chill out and discuss our weekend gaming plans. A few members of the Nintendo Life team have done just that below, so feel free to give our entries a read and then join in with your own via our comment section. Enjoy!

Alana Hagues, staff writer

I’ll be playing more Citizen Sleeper this weekend! I’ve only just really started it before getting sucked into other stuff, but I’m loving what I’ve played so far. I’ve not really played much else like it, and the writing is really fantastic. I think this is going to be one of my favourites of the year.

I’ve also started Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, and holy moly, this is some of the best-looking pixel art I’ve ever seen. I enjoy watching speedrunning events and I particularly love Metroidvania exhibitions, so I’ve seen this in motion a few times. But seeing it on your own TV is something else. It’s definitely a Symphony of the Night clone with more of a focus on elements, but that’s okay — I adore Symphony of the Night, and if this is even half as good as that, then it’s a winner. Enjoy your weekend, folks!

Thomas Whitehead, deputy editor

On Switch I’m currently blasting through Metroid Dread in ‘Hard’ mode, which has been a lot of fun. I’m also thinking of picking up Chinatown Detective Agency as part of an attempt to get out of my comfort zone and try different games every month. I’ve been gradually falling into more ‘detective’ games so it seems like a good candidate.

Elsewhere I’m still enjoying Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and have also started Trek to Yomi. On the latter I’m a bit undecided on whether I like the actual gameplay, but it certainly has a lot of storytelling style.

Ollie Reynolds, staff writer

Oh man, I don’t even know what I want to play this weekend. I’m in one of those “can’t really be bothered to commit to a game” kind of moods, so I’m probably more likely to spend my time reading or digging up a terrible horror movie on Shudder. Having said that, I am dipping in and out of DOOM Eternal, so I may boot that up at some point.

On other platforms, I’m currently replaying Silent Hill 2 after all the chatter of new titles from Konami. Yes, it’s the HD Collection version, and yes, it’s a terrible remaster – but it’s better than no Silent Hill 2.

Kate Gray, staff writer

This week, I am on quite the roguelike and roguelite kick. I’ve been playing a lot of Slay The Spire, and I’ve beaten the Heart with everyone but The Watcher, and now I’m checking out Dead Cells to see if it tickles the same dopamine gland. And yes, I will be playing EarthBound too. And maybe I’ll give one of the 3DS games that I bought ahead of the eShop closure a go?

Also, in non-Nintendo news, me and my partner are still playing through Elden Ring. We are at a point where we don’t really understand anything that’s going on, but every now and again we get to fight a weird looking guy or talk to a sad lady, and isn’t that what Souls games are all about?

Felix Sanchez, video producer

I’m currently playing through the second DLC for The Witcher 3. I’ve sunk over 200 hours into this game, and to think that I’m playing through the final chapter is a bit emotional. The DLCs thus far have been AMAZING, and are just a statement of how all DLCs should be made!

PJ O’Reilly, reviewer

Hello. This weekend I’m going to be diving headlong into Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition in preparation for the release of part 3, which is so close now I’m beginning to have trouble sleeping. I’ve played through both 1 and 2 before, but it’s been a very long time, especially with regards to the first one which I managed to wrap up on launch week, so I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with the gang over the next couple of weeks.

Elsewhere I’ll also be making a little bit of time to continue my adventures through the excellent Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion and getting stuck into helping my kids with their current journey through Dragon Quest Builders 2, which they’ve suddenly decided is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Have a great weekend!

Gonçalo Lopes, reviewer

Storing my A500 Mini away after many violent weekends of Speedball 2:Brutal Deluxe. I am sad to report I lost the first division championship by a meager 19 points. Exciting package from the East put SaGa Scarlet, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and last (but certainly not least) the brilliant Pocky & Rocky Reshrined in my hands. Two cool eShop releases also made into this weekend schedule: They Always Run and DEADCRAFT. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga continues with Episode VIII.

Game of the week is… shockingly and for the first time ever not a game but a joypad! I declare the Dark Age of Drift officially over, I picked up a GuliKit KingKong2 Pro Controller and can now properly aim in Valkyria Chronicles.

As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to leave us a comment below with your weekend gaming plans!