Even celebs need to lose weight

So, wait, the Mayans weren't wrong, it was just crazy conspiratorial types and a lazy media that talked about the end of the world? Well hot damn, let's play some video games!

Yes, 2013 is here, the world is still spinning, and we're all going to celebrate by playing games — not that we don't do that every weekend, but stick with us. The festive season has sadly passed for another year and some of the Nintendo Life team are poorer and a bit fatter as a result, though most are as equally fabulous as they were last year. We're also in the middle of what's commonly one of the quietest spells for new game releases in the year, but that's what backlogs are for.

A number of your humble writers want to share their weekend gaming plans with you, even if some poor, misguided souls are seeking entertainment on non-Nintendo devices. Counselling and support is being arranged, but in the meantime here's what we'll be doing to get our game on.

Tom Whitehead

ZombiU — Despite the fact that it's probably my favourite Wii U game so far, it's possibly the one with the lowest number of clocked hours. I love it, yet it terrifies me, and I'm on a new survivor in a rather difficult section that I'll just call "A", to avoid spoilers. Time to stop being a wimp and progress a bit further.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star — I enjoyed this a lot over the festive period but haven't played for a while due to a shortage of spare time. I intend to find a few hours to get back into it and finish World 2's boss.

Fractured Soul — It's great that this has arrived in PAL regions and I'm enjoying it but, gosh, it sure is difficult. I'm completely stuck at a jump in the "Alienation" level; seriously, tips are very welcome.

Jon Wahlgren

ZombiU demo — The demo is finally here and I plan on getting some quality time with it.

Rayman Legends demo — Downloaded this one a while ago but haven't clocked any time with it yet. That will change!

Halo 4 (Xbox 360) — With all the Wii U launch game reviews out of the way I can breathe easy and turn to my backlog some. Halo 4 is on top of the pile and I'm excited to get into what looks like a Metroid Prime-influenced Chief campaign.

Katy Ellis

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword — With my short foray into the Land of Ooo with Adventure Time on DS now done and dusted, it's time to get back to the pressing matters in life. Like finally completing Skyward Sword before our Nintendo news girl Orla beats me up. Really.

Far Cry 3 (PS3) — At the moment I'm currently obsessed with taking down enemy outposts and hunting endangered tigers in Rook Islands. I've been forced to join some tattoo-obsessed tribe, and pushed into a life of crime, and now it looks like I'm in too deep to turn back...

Desiree Turner

I'll be tackling Unchained Blades. I've never been a fan of dungeon-crawlers, but damned if Morgan's review and SMEXIZELDAMAN's crazy enthusiasm didn't make it sound tempting enough for me to take the plunge. Here's hoping I can make some decent progress this weekend!

Andy Green

I've let illness get the better of me this week so I'll be spending the weekend fighting it off with my brand spanking new 3DS XL — the blue one if you're interested. I might continue playing Pokémon Black but it's far more likely that I'll make a proper start on Paper Mario: Sticker Star. I'll also be playing through Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney because, put simply, it's amazing. I trust nobody has any objections to that...

Philip J Reed

Unchained Blades has gotten its hooks in me in a way I didn't expect. It's surprisingly engrossing so I'll definitely be playing a lot of that! I'm also slugging my way through ZombiU. I've put a few hours into the game but I'm pretty much nowhere, because the mood of that game is brilliantly oppressive and genuinely scary. Also thanks to its release on the 3DS VC I'll be playing the original Mega Man repeatedly, attempting to beat it without dying. The closest I've come is the final boss, so I know I can do it!

Ron DelVillano

I'm really excited to check out that ZombiU demo. I've been on the fence about the game, so it'll be nice to give it a shot before I commit.

I'm also looking forward to finally trying Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale. I got it on my Vita just after launch but I haven't had the chance to play it yet. And I'll probably be playing some Mass Effect 3: Special Edition multiplayer as well, because that's just good fun. Let me know if anyone wants to join!

Gaz Plant

Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS) — It's one of those games that just keeps on giving — be it a remorseful Wiggler segment or Kamek's love of flip-flops, the sheer randomness and humour is an absolute joy to play through. And the gameplay isn't bad either!

James Bond 007: Everything Or Nothing (GameCube) — I'm currently replaying some classic Bond games on GameCube, and I've just started Everything Or Nothing, a game that is for some reason proving very challenging. But you can't help but love it for Pierce Brosnan's quips!

Morgan Sleeper

I just finished the rather excellent Code of Princess as Solange, and this weekend I'm planning on playing through it again with Ali. It's amazing how different the game feels with each character! I'm also hoping to get in some quality time with the Professor in Miracle Mask and watch my girlfriend play through Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective — those two games represent the pinnacle of cozy, fireside entertainment for me!

Martin Watts

My weekend will mostly be dedicated to Nintendo 64. In particular, I've got a hankering to play some Wave Race 64. Maybe it's the mundane weather of late and the fact that jet skis are mighty cool. Naturally, I'll be playing the superior NTSC version, rather than the painfully sluggish PAL version with gigantic screen borders.

Otherwise, I'll try to dedicate a bit of time to Pilotwings 64 and some Beetle Adventure Racing. I'm hoping I can make some progress with the latter, as I never seem to have a memory card to hand when I play it.

So that's what we'll be doing, but we'd love to know what games you'll be playing this weekend. Let us know in the comments below.