No Man's Sky
Image: Hello Games

We did it, everyone. We made it through the working week with only 306 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet news drops to write of - perhaps this is a slight over-exaggeration, but you get the picture.

This week we were lucky enough to head behind the scenes at Ubisoft to get a look at Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope as the game nears release. We also got all nostalgic over the passing trend of hearing licensed music in video games, and we got a chance to chat to Sea Power - the geniuses behind Disco Elysium's soundtrack.

There have also been reviews a-plenty on the site this week. We took to the skies to give our thoughts on No Man's Sky and say a word about Pilotwings 64, and then came very much back down to Earth in our review of LEGO Bricktales.

Now, as is traditional, a group of our writers have come together to share their gaming plans for the weekend. Have a read through what we are all up to and then get involved in the comments below to share what you are playing.

Enjoy!

Jim Norman, staff writer

This weekend I will finish Tunic. I swear I will. Ok, I might not. I am stuck on one particularly frustrating battle which with any other game I probably would have just given up by now, but I love this game so much and can't put it down - regardless of the toll it is taking on me mentally to keep going.

Aside from this, I have also been playing Haiku the Robot this week which is a really fun little metroidvania. This is a genre that I have never really got into - I know, please don't shout at me - but this has been the most adorable way in and I am excited to play some more.

Alex Olney, video producer

I've recently become besotted with No Man's Sky, so every chance I get I'm going to be dropping hours into that beast like it's hot. Sadly I've got some sort of social appointment about two hideously good friends of mine celebrating their relationship with rings or something so the hours I shall be dropping will not be as numerous as I would otherwise have liked. Very inconsiderate to organise one of the most important days of their lives so close to the game's release date. Tsk.

Alana Hagues, staff writer

Another week goes by, and another weekend of not much gaming arrives for me! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going back to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 this weekend. Wave 2 just dropped so I want to see how Ino shapes up and I'm also going to take on Challenge Mode. If it feels like I’ve been playing Xenoblade 3 forever, readers, it’s because I have. But I adore it.

In terms of new stuff, I’ve been really enjoying Penko Park and I’ll likely finish it this weekend. It’s a short, sweet, and extremely weird take on Pokémon Snap – sometimes I’m side-eyeing the creatures in the park, while other times I just want to cuddle them and take them home.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Gonçalo Lopes, reviewer

My new music album is coming out this Sunday and I already have butterflies in my stomach. Still no excuse not to get some game time so back to Aionios I go to unlock all the swimsuits and the new hero in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 new DLC content. Turns out Prodeus was released under the wrong build last week, so I am cautiously making my way trough the campaign while waiting for the next crash. Massive re-balance patch for SD Gundam Battle Alliance gives me the confidence boost to soldier on.

Game of the Week is NieR: Automata. After so long and seeing so much 2B fan-art / cosplay it is nice to be at last in the loop. Will probably take me quite some time to see every ending, but its a worthy goal. Glory to Mankind and all that, eh?

Kate Gray, staff writer

I'm still on Disney Dreamlight Valley, which is getting an update (and hopefully a ton of bug fixes) next week. I've just learned about the power of the pumpkin — the economy is really unbalanced, so you need to make a ton of cash, fast, and growing and selling pumpkins is the way — so that's been my focus lately. It's not particularly exciting, but sometimes you just need a mindless game, you know?

I also just downloaded a new PC game called The Case of the Golden Idol, which I knew absolutely nothing about until I saw a tweet from Lucas Pope (creator of Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn) recommending it. I bought it IMMEDIATELY. I'd trust that man with my life, apparently! Anyway, I've played an hour or so. It's really good.

As ever, thank you for reading! Make sure to leave us a comment below with your weekend gaming plans!