Sonic Mania Plus
Image: SEGA

It's 2023 and the lights are back on at Nintendo Life Towers. While January can often be something of a sleepy month as the gaming industry rears its head from a Christmas-induced slumber, we are up and raring to dive into what looks to be an interesting year for Nintendo.

This week, we have shared our thoughts on 2023's first big release, Fire Emblem Engage, as we got our hands on the game for a preview. We have also been looking forward to the year ahead as some of our writers got together to discuss their gaming predictions. Then, to top it all off, we dove into the ultimate question of Hyrule as we attempted to find the very best Zelda-themed Nintendo console.

Now, some of us have sat down to share our gaming plans for this weekend. Be it a new title or attempting to get through the shadow of 2022's backlog, it's going to be a big year for all of us Switch fans. Have a read and then take to the comments to let us know what you will be playing!

Enjoy!

Jim Norman, Staff Writer

I have seen in the new year by finally getting round to playing No Man's Sky on the Switch and.... I'm kinda mixed. The fact that the game runs at all is a huge surprise to me and I can't fault its ambition, but I am finding the controls hard to get to grips with and the incentive to come back for more is definitely tricky in the first few hours - we'll see if I make a breakthrough this weekend.

Aside from that, I can also see my weekend being defined by short bursts of gaming so I will probably be using these moments to play more Sonic Mania Plus and Into The Breach. A strange double bill, I will admit, but both are great for getting some playtime in when you only have 20 minutes or so.

Kate Gray, Staff Writer

My weekend is a bit stacked already and I'm not sure which ones I'll get time to play (I'M GOING TO IKEA), but it will be one of these: Wayward Strand, Norco (I'm close to the end), I Was A Teenage Exocolonist, Paradise Killer. I'll also potentially be watching my partner finish Outer Wilds — a feat I never managed myself because it got too scary and I'm a wimp.

Alana Hagues, Staff Writer

I’m starting 2023 off with good intentions and I’m diving into my backlog before the onslaught of JRPGs starts next month! First up, after playing lots of turn-based games, I’ve turned to the action-oriented Nobody Saves The World, which I’m having a delightful time with. I’m just heading to the second dungeon, and my favourite forms are the Slug and the Ranger so far. Yes, you can turn into a Slug, and it’s really fun.

That’s… kind of it, at the moment. I didn’t get any new games over the holiday period, so I’m currently trying to resist the temptation to pick up Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. And I don’t want to over-promise on the backlog goals, of course. We’re kicking off the year gently, folks.

Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer

With January being a reasonably quiet month for me (I’m definitely not a fan of the Fire Emblem series), I’ve decided to use my time to go back and revisit a few titles that I haven’t played in a good while. At the top of the pile is Luigi’s Mansion 3, which I still hold as one of the finest games on the Switch and certainly one of the better looking ones. I’m not too far into it yet, but it will definitely be keeping me busy in the days and weeks to come.

Over on the Series X, I’m currently working my way through Halo Infinite on Legendary. The highest difficulty setting here is revelatory and really forces you to consider how to approach each objective. For as much heat as this game has been getting in recent months, I find it difficult to fault the campaign; it’s great stuff.

Thanks for reading! Add the main game you'll be playing in the poll below and leave a comment with your gaming plans for the weekend ahead!

What game will you be maining this weekend?