"I ain't telling you what game I'm playing this weekend, and there ain't a thing you can do about it (unless you use 'Bad Cop')"

Let's be truthful, 2016 was quite a quiet year for Nintendo gaming. This year's been rather different, however, which helped inspire the return of WGAYPTW™, in which we all talk about our weekend gaming plans. Last time out we had a Halloween edition where, to be completely honest, most people just said they were playing Super Mario Odyssey. Now, however, the field has changed.

The past two weeks have brought a lot of exciting new titles, with this week alone bringing L.A. Noire, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Rocket League, RIVE, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and many more besides. As a result we should see some interesting results as some of our writers reveal all in their weekend gaming plans.

So without further ado, let's get to it.

Tom Whitehead

This week I've been borderline burning out on EMBARGOED for Switch, but do plan a bit of me time with other games. A few weeks ago I got Fire Emblem Warriors for my Birthday and am nowhere near finished, so I'll give that another whirl. I think I'll buy RIVE while it has the Nindies@Home discount, and my other gaming systems (gasp!) will also get a workout. I'll play a bit of Football Manager 2017 on PC (I'll buy the new one when it gets a bunch of updates and an inevitable discount) and probably L.A. Noire too. Yes, I know L.A. Noire is out on Switch, but I have to spend money on grown-up things like groceries and furniture, so I'll stick with the PC original despite its annoying 'Rockstar Social' nonsense. Maybe I'll play a few games in Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 on PS4 as well, because PES tries to be like actual real life football rather than the arcade nonsense of FIFA - I know, I'm asking for trouble with that statement.

I'll also check into my matches in Chess Ultra on Switch, too, because it's a lovely way to enjoy the game.

Ryan Craddock

Super Mario Odyssey has become an almost nightly ritual in my house at the moment; dinner comes first (because very little beats food), but then it’s straight back into the action to hunt down more Power Moons. I’ve decided to dedicate tonight to exploring more of New Donk City, which should be great fun.

Aside from that I’ve been playing through Pokémon Ultra Sun, training a seemingly unstoppable (and beautifully elegant) Furfrou whose ‘Headbutt’ seems to be defeating pretty much anything, and Rocket League, as it has been almost a year since I last played it on PS4 and the Switch version has got me all excited for it again!

Morgan Sleeper

In our last "WGAYPTW", I mentioned that I was excited to try out Super Mario Odyssey but not sure how long I'd stick with it; as it turns out, two weeks later I can't put it down! I'm not at the finish line yet but I've been chugging along, knocking out a kingdom or two every few days as I get a chance to play, and I'm absolutely loving it. I can't remember the last time a game had me sore in the jaw from smiling so much, but that's exactly what Odyssey's done for me. I'm so glad I tried it out!

Aside from Mario's latest, I'm planning on spending some quality time with my 3DS this weekend, working my way through New Style Boutique 3: Styling Star for review and trying to polish off the last few 'A' ranks in Japanese Rail Sim 3D: Journey in Suburbs #2. Sonic Powered's train sims coming Westward has been my own personal 3DS localisation miracle, and I love dipping back into a different route every month or so - digital tourism at its finest.

Ron DelVillano

Now that I’ve finished Super Mario Odyssey’s campaign and collected around 500 moons, I finally feel like I can take a break! This weekend I’m hoping to get back to Fire Emblem Warriors, a game that was shamefully overshadowed by the beloved former plumber. I also just took advantage of this week’s eShop sale and downloaded Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, so I’m hoping to dig into that one too.

Let’s be honest though - I’m probably just going to play more Odyssey.

Conor McMahon

After finally digging into some of the really difficult end-game stuff, I'll be rounding off a few more Moons in Mario Odyssey this weekend. Every time I have a wander around one of the kingdoms I seem to find something new and end up playing for way longer than I originally planned, but focusing in on some of the more difficult challenges just makes it all the more satisfying. Luncheon Kingdom (also known as BEST Kingdom) really lights up as you progress, so I could even just find myself donning a chef's outfit and aimlessly taking a stroll around there. 

Aside from that, I'll be desperately trying to stay away from the eShop for fear of temptation, because neither my brain nor my wallet can handle the amount of releases I've wanted to check out in recent weeks. I know I'll eventually end up nabbing Skyrim, maybe even L.A. Noire, but for the time being I'm attempting to polish off some of my backlog. Both Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and ARMS are on my list, as well as NBA 2K18 which I promised myself I'd get better at! It'll be a real mixed bag, but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Dave Frear

I'll mostly be playing a couple of games I'm reviewing, but as I've gone and purchased Skyrim again I'd like to dip into that when I can. I'll pick up L.A. Noire and DOOM again at some point too (and Rocket League!), but right now I'm not sure when I'd get chance to play them especially as I've still got lots of Mario Odyssey to explore. Away from the Switch I've been meaning to set aside an evening for episode 2 of Life is Strange: Before the Storm since it was released, but haven't managed it yet. Hopefully this weekend I'll find time for a few hella fun/angsty hours in Arcadia Bay.

Arjun Joshi

Starting from today and over the weekend, I’ll be playing a handful of games. In my own spare periods of time, I’ll be looking to collect the 150 odd remaining Power Moons in my Super Mario Odyssey playthrough, as well as perhaps finally getting round to starting that mini Xenoblade quest in Breath of the Wild. Of course, I’ll be hopping on For Glory mode in Smash Wii U as and where I can too – I need my daily dosage!

As for multiplayer games, I have a few friends and colleagues coming round tonight and tomorrow, with tonight’s bunch being gamers and tomorrow’s being a lot more casual. For the former, you can best believe that the likes of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers, FIFA 18, and Rocket League will be on the cards. We also love our Mario Party, so we’ll likely get that going at some point later in the night – although we always spend a good 30 minutes deciding which one. Finally, we’re hoping to rekindle our ARMS obsession that we had over summer. Despite its new content and it being a great game in general, we just haven’t had the time or motivation to pick it up again. As for the casuals tomorrow, 1-2-Switch always goes down a treat, so I’ll be firing that up again. Maybe even some ARMS as that has the charm to entice both casuals and veterans alike.

Well, that’s me in a nutshell. It’s great timing that the “What Games Are You Playing This Weekend?” series has landed on this weekend – a weekend I’ve set aside for gaming with others and on my lonesome!

Jon Cousins

This week will most likely be dominated by the 'big third-party three'. I'm interested in them all, but I'm going to double dip into L.A. Noire. Probably my favorite R* game closely followed RDR and Bully. The interesting setting and narrative along with the incredible visuals make it an amazing feat for a handheld. Other than that, Rocket League. As soon as the details of the Switch hardware were announced, RL was top of my wish list and it's awesome that it's come over.

Dave Letcavage

WGAYPTW, huh? Been a while. I think I remember how this goes. This is where I tell you that this weekend I’ll be playing Ittle Dew 2 and RIVE on Switch, right? Maybe mention that there are only three moons standing between me and Super Mario Odyssey’s true conclusion? I wish I could add that I’ll be diving deep into Skyrim for the first time ever, but it seems Amazon thought I should wait a little longer for that. Anyway, I believe I’ve got more than enough entertainment to get me through the next two days. I’m also fairly certain I did this whole WGAYPTW thing correctly, which is super neat because it’s been, like, 100 years since I last participated. Yeah, for real: 100 entire years!

That's what we'll be playing this weekend - share your gaming plans in the comments below!