Image via icecreamtees.com

It's been a while, for which the features editor in question is receiving a firm reprimand, but the treasured WGAYPTW series returns. And it's all grown up for its 21st issue — that means doing the laundry, paying taxes and being more miserable than in its younger years. Thankfully video games are here to save the day.

We're also in January, which means a wasteland of very few new games, when backlogs are raided and we await the next big thing. That can be a blessing in disguise, of course, and some of your fearless Nintendo Life writers are diving into those piles of previously ignored discs (or virtually diving into virtual download games) to seek entertainment. It's also Winter in many places, which means going outside isn't the best option.

So without further aimless preamble, let's get to it.

Tom Whitehead

This weekend I'll be playing two Wii U eShop games and EMBARGOED for reviews, one of which is running late and hanging over my head, haunting my every waking moment. When not doing that I'll be attempting the ludicrously difficult last stages — the actual last stages — of Super Mario 3D World. Good grief, they're nasty, but I can't stop going back to them...

Jon Wahlgren

I've got a lot of catching up to do this weekend but will likely not get to any of it on account of attending a wedding as well as feeding my current dogecoin obsession.

I've got some Young Justice Legacy to play for review on 3DS, and then ideally I'll sneak in some time with Wind Waker HD and Wonderful 101. But realistically, I'll probably just end up sinking hours into Dr. Luigi with NFL championship games going in the background. Having moved from New England to Seattle, I suddenly find all of my casual sports interest at its peak.

Ron DelVillano

This is going to be an odd weekend for me. I have so much free time that I plan on plowing through my backlog and figuring out which games are worth hanging on to and which I'd rather trade in. I'm not a huge collector so I don't keep every game that I've owned, instead I keep them until I realize I won't ever play them again, then use them to get new games. I have an appreciation for collecting, but it's really not for me.

That being said, I'm excited to finally play Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon on my PS3. I've heard so many great things about it, and it seems like a game that I'd enjoy, despite my limited experience with FPS'.

Morgan Sleeper

I've been in hop-and-bop heaven on the Wii U lately, and I'm planning on getting in plenty of platforming this weekend with Sonic Lost World and Super Mario 3D World. Mario's absolutely brilliant, of course, but I've really been enjoying Sonic as well! Playing the NiGHTS bonus level has left me wanting to revisit Journey of Dreams - one of my favourite Wii games - so I'll try to spend some time flying around Bellbridge too. And thanks to Club Nintendo, I'll be bombing down the bunny slopes of my youth in 1080° Snowboarding! I'm still hoping for a Wii U reboot - it's my favourite snowboarding series and it's been on ice for far too long! "Work your body, work your body..."

Dave Letcavage

After months of searching I’ve finally got my eager mitts on copies of Astro Boy: Omega Factor and ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth, so you better believe I’ll be spending time with those this weekend. Also, my Nintendo 64 collection has grown exponentially in recent months and I think it finally deserves the proper attention. What my wife and I like to do is separate all the racers from the lot and go head-to-head in a big race-off. Basically, we play one random race in each game and whoever wins holds onto that cartridge, which signifies a point. Then at the end, the person with the most cartridges lined up is declared the winner. I’m going to be honest with you guys…I always win. And it's definitely not because I like to unplug the controller on her in the middle of a race. Definitely not.

Then, when I’m not kicking my wife’s butt at her favourite games, I plan to do a little more retro game hunting. The other day I stumbled onto CIB copies of Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion that I haven’t been able to get out of my head. I imagine those will own a place on my entertainment centre by the time the weekend is over. I have the hardest time saying no to Samus.

Lee Meyer

his weekend, I'm planning on checking out The Banner Saga on Steam, as well as Joe Danger Infinity on iOS. On the Nintendo front, I think it's time to take a little vacation from my Animal Crossing village; the drama is just too stressful! I'm also looking forward to collecting more NostalJunk and exploring the bizarre world of Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder. How did I miss the first Chibi-Robo titles?!

Kerry Brunskill

This weekend I’m going to be playing some more Monster Hunter 4 in the vain hope of eventually becoming not-awful at it, and when that gets too much I’ll switch to Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict so I can bask in nostalgia for a bit and leave my Wyvern killing woes behind me.

Mark Green

Despite having beaten Super Mario 3D World last week, I've still got 4 stamps to hunt down and collect. This is why I love Mario games, they really bring out the completionist in me. That five star rating will be mine! As well as stomping on goombas, I'll also be stomping on criminals in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies on my 3DS. It's been sat there since it released but now I've finally gotten round to playing it. Loving it so far and I don't plan on letting my 'Chords of Steel' rest any time soon!

So those are the plans for some of team NL. What about you?