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It's the weekend once more, which means it's time to break out your favourite Nintendo console and catch up on some of that much-needed gaming time. This week, Team Nintendo Life are giving a new free-to-play title through its paces, joining up for a tennis tournament and playing some rather unexpected games. Be sure to leave a vote in the poll below and a comment or two for good measure. Have a great weekend! 

Glen Fox, guides editor

Pokémon Quest has me hooked, so I’ll spend a bunch of time digging into that this weekend. I’m still kind of figuring it all out. For a game that looks so simple, it doesn’t half contain a lot of depth. It’s quite tough too, and I’m having to grind a lot in the hopes of evolving my favourite Pokémon and generally getting the ones I need to a high enough level to beat the worlds and unlock those statues I need. Overall, I’m stoked we finally have Pokémon in some form on Switch, and this will keep me busy until Let’s Go later in the year.

Dave Frear, retro reviewer

Mario Tennis Aces was revealed earlier this year and I’ve been uninterested in it ever since. The online tournament demo is running this weekend, however, so I suppose I will try it out and see if it can win me over. Other than that I bought the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection this week, so I will be continuing with various titles from that. In some ways it’s a little lacking, with Alpha 3 in particular feeling heavily cutdown compared to the home versions, but there are some excellent games here even if I do seem to have become terrible at Street Fighter III.

Jon Cousins, Japan correspondent

This weekend I will be attempting to channel my inner Mansour Bahrami and test out Mario Tennis Aces. It's fair to say that Ultra Smash on the Wii U left a lot to be desired, but when Mario Sports games are done right (strikers *coughs*) they are really fun, and if there's a decent single player, then I'll be convinced. Also, Pokémon Quest. Having not played a Pokemon game for over 20 years, it's clear that Nintendo is playing the long game, and a cheeky little free to start taster for Let's Go and then the ’core’ new gen game next year is a cynically brilliant drip feed to bring new players and long-lost cronies like myself back in.

Ryan Craddock, staff writer

I’m probably mostly excited for the Mario Tennis Aces pre-launch tournament that’s taking place this weekend. Everything I’ve seen of the game so far looks great, and while I’m more interested in the game’s campaign than online features, I’ll definitely be giving this one a go when I get a bit of time.

Other than that I’ll probably have another quick look at Pokémon Quest. I started it a couple of days ago, played until the first time restraint came up, and haven’t been back since. I liked the general idea of it when I was playing, but I can’t usually be doing with the constant waiting needed in free-to-play games. I’ll have to see if it can win me over with another couple of tries.

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, editor

This weekend I'll mostly be playing through Legend of Kay Anniversary in prep for our review. Having not played it since the original a decade ago, it should be interesting to see how well its aged. Plus, I love any excuse to play a 3D platformer!

I've also got a hankering to play some more Elder Scrolls. The new Summerset expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online isn't out on consoles yet, so to tidy me over I'll be jumping back into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and bothering folks with all manner of dragonshouts from my trusty Nintendo Switch.

Alex Olney, video producer

No wondering this time, when I've got a few moments between brewing steps I'll be enjoying Mario Tennis Aces thanks to the free online pre-release demo or whatever it's technically called. When that's not suitable to tickle my face, no doubt I'll indulge in a spot more Stardew Valley to take the edge off the high-octane action. You know, to mix it up a bit.

Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer

Give me an ‘I’! Give me a ‘KA’! Give me a ‘RUGA’. What does that spell? That’s right, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is my new de facto way of life. As the award ceremony begins, the crowd can be heard whispering: "Where is the champion? Where is Shiryu?” Already seeking the next challenge, ceremony means nothing to him. The Nintendo Life is everything… but no way I’m skipping the chance flesh out last minute net code bugs on Mario Tennis Aces. The brilliant Quad Fighter K (and bonus game Cyber Ship Nakku) seal the rest of the weekend off.

Richard Atkinson, contributing writer

Last weekend saw me travel up to sunny Birmingham to celebrate Pride and so I have a lot of gaming time to make up! Just as well really, as now I've been graced with an annoying cold that has certainly outstayed its welcome... what a perfect excuse to stay inside and play video games, eh? My attention will be turning to the just-released ICEY on Nintendo Switch with a review of said game landing on this site soon. I think I'll treat myself to RUNNER3 as I played the Wii U RUNNER to death. I mean, who can resist that voiceover from Charles Martinet!?

Austin Voigt, contributing writer

My weekend will involve remodeling – both digital and physical. Now that Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition is out on Switch, I’ll be plowing headfirst into my new farm. I’ve read mixed reviews of this game, so it’ll be interesting to see if it compares to Stardew Valley. As one of my favourite game series, I hope it does – but it seems like the student (Eric Barone) has become the teacher now. We’ll see after this weekend. In between selling crops and expanding my house, I’ll be doing some work on my new home in the real world - specifically, dedicating an entire room to videogames & nerdy memorabilia. Yes, I need a whole room.

What are you playing this weekend? (427 votes)

  1. Pokémon Quest14%
  2. Mario Tennis Aces36%
  3. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection7%
  4. Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash2%
  5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim3%
  6. Stardew Valley3%
  7. Quad Fighter K  0%
  8. Legend of Kay Anniversary  0%
  9. RUNNER33%
  10. ICEY1%
  11. Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition1%
  12. Something else! (Comment below)30%

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So those are our picks for the weekend, but what about you? Share your thoughts below and why not drop a vote in the poll while you're at it?