We're not sure what the girl in the middle is playing...

The weekend is upon us, so it's time to break out the good-stuff — by which we main games, obviously. There are always more games to play, even if none of them happen to be new; if you haven't bought anything this week just play something you already have, unless it's a recently released online-only single player offering from EA, in which case get in the server queue and play error message bingo...

But hey, we don't have to worry about that with Nintendo games — yet — so we can just fire up a cart, disc or download file and get right into it. Naturally your humble Nintendo Life writers will be doing just that, with some even playing on Non-Nintendo systems, and we want to share all of the details with you. Mainly because, unsurprisingly, we like talking about games.

Anthony Dickens

F-Zero — One of my favourite franchises from Nintendo, I'm going to be jumping in to the Fire Stingray(?) and try and at least complete the game on standard to see if I've still got the skills!

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance — Ever since Madworld for Wii I'm always interested to see what Platinum Games come up with, the latest game with the Metal Gear franchise has been great fun so far, but more progress needs to be made!

Tom Whitehead

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate — I'm playing these for reviewing duties, as those spying on me via their friend lists on Wii U and 3DS already know, and can't say anything except that I have to devote every gaming moment to these two games until the job is done. It's a tough life, but please don't ask for opinions on Miiverse — I can't give them yet.

Jon Wahlgren

Spec Ops: The Line (360) — I had heard some intriguing things about the story of this one so I've been sinking deeper into it this week. It's gotten pretty hairy in there and I'm really curious how it'll all end.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition — This is now the third platform on which I'm reviewing this game and the first one with city swinging intact. A far better experience than on Wii or 3DS but still with a lot of the same gameplay hang-ups, as well as some gnarly screen tearing. More to come.

Fire Emblem: Awakening — Curse you, paralogue 10!

Ninja Gaiden: Razor's Edge — I've suddenly found myself inundated with great-looking beat-em-ups in the past few months and I'd like to start knocking them out. First on the list is a quick slice through Ninja Gaiden.

Andy Green

I know I always say this but this weekend I am going to finally start Paper Mario: Sticker Star or Assassin's Creed III. I've been extremely busy lately so I've been gaming in small little instalments. I recently started Professor Layton and the Curious Village so I'll probably complete a few puzzles on that this weekend too. A true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved.

Orla Madden

After a hectic couple of weeks with work and moving out, I finally have some free time over the weekend to get some gaming in. I made a vow to myself this week that I want to complete the National Pokédex, so the minute work finishes today I'll be picking up Pokémon White 2 and embarking on that epic journey. Be free to share your Friend Codes with me, I've only obtained 25 Pokémon as I write this and will surely need plenty of help. However, it may be a while, as I've just secured my 6th Gym Badge!

I'll also try and squeeze in some Playstation 3 action with Ni no Kuni while I'm at it, a beautiful game which is really only opening up to me now. I'm currently 9 hours in, I've just finished the Temple of Trials, and I can't wait to jump back into it.

Philip J Reed

I'll be playing catch-up this weekend, I think! I need to dive into the DLC for Fire Emblem: Awakening, which I've been buying religiously but not finding time to play. Also, a few weeks back I downloaded Rayman 3D from the eShop and 100%-ed it almost without putting it down, it was that much fun. Which reminded me that I still never picked up Rayman Origins. I'm rectifying that immediately. Finally, I'm plowing through Retro City Rampage, which was absolutely worth the wait, and if you haven't downloaded it yet we're no longer on speaking terms.

Ron DelVillano

This weekend I'll be playing quite a bit of Wrecking Crew before writing up a review for it. And I might watch Wreck-It Ralph just because I can.

I'm also very excited to explore the island of Yamatai in my shiny new copy of Tomb Raider. I'm all about open-world survival, and this one just looked too good to pass up!

Morgan Sleeper

I'm on the road this weekend, but my trusty 3DS will be along for the ride so I can sneak in some adventuring with Etrian Odyssey IV whenever possible! It caters to my deep love of maps and combines addictive dungeon crawling with a beautiful setting, so I've hardly been able to put it down since my beloved Aoraki guild started on their grand journey. I'm also in the final hours of Persona 4 Golden, but I'm dragging it out as much as I can - I'm not ready for my year in Inaba to end!

Gaz Plant

Nintendo Land — I finally picked up a Wii U this week, and while I'm still waiting for a game to make sense of the GamePad, Nintendo Land is providing a fun distraction. It's not exactly groundbreaking, but with a group of friends, it's as much fun as Wii Sports was 6 years ago.

Rayman Legends Demo — Castle Rock helps me cope with the release date passing last week...

Martin Watts

This weekend I'll be dedicating most of my free time to Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon in preparation for our upcoming review. I've already had the chance to delve into the multiplayer mode (which I was really eager to learn more about) and am looking to forward to experiencing more of it!

Otherwise, when I'm not busting ghosts, I'll hopefully get the chance to enjoy my beloved N64. I recently picked up a few Japanese import titles, including Disney Dance Dance Revolution and Densha de Go 64. I really love exploring obscure titles, even if my Japanese skills are a tad rusty (read: non-existent), so let's hope I can work my way around those menu screens!

Ken Barnes

Ni No Kuni (PS3) — I've left this awesome game sat in the PS3's tray without booting it up for so long that I can hear Mr. Drippy crying. He haunts me. I'll be sat there in my Mr. Drippy t-shirt, trying to make the Lord High Lord of the Fairies' mum laugh, if I remember the point I'm up to correctly.

If I don't finish the game this weekend then...I'll probably be playing it next weekend, too.

Tomb Raider (360) — With the story complete, I've got to run around collecting all the thousands of collectables on offer. Thankfully, the quality of the game engine means that it isn't feeling like a chore yet.

Mario Kart 7 — After being comprehensively whipped in the last Nintendo Life Mario Kart 7 game, I feel that I have to at least try to polish my skills. I'll never be a champion, but not finishing last in every race would be nice. Finally won all the 150cc cups, so I just need to head online and test my mettle against some real-life players. It probably won't end well.

So there you go, a fairly diverse mix of games being played by NL staffers. Let us know your weekend gaming plans in the comments below, if you want to...