Zacian

So, yet another week has been and gone, this time bringing with it a new Nintendo Switch system update, an announcement for new NES and SNES titles on Switch - just days after we moaned about it, no less - and even the addition of Link in Super Mario Maker 2. Phew!

But now it's finally time to sit back and enjoy some game time. The Nintendo Life team have shared their plans below, and we'd love for you to get involved via the comments and poll sections as always. Enjoy!

Ryan Craddock, staff writer

Another weekend, another chance to catch a few of 'em in Pokémon Sword! That's how the saying goes, right?

I'm pretty determined to complete my Pokédex, actually going as far as wanting a full 'living Dex' where you have one of every single Pokémon in your PC, and things are going relatively well. Of course, having a very limited amount of free time is an issue, but with the help of my Nintendo Life news reporting bestie, Liam, things should go a little smoother. Luckily, he's grabbed Pokémon Shield, so we're working towards finding all of the exclusive creatures for each other. Awh.

PJ O’Reilly, reviewer

This weekend I’ll be settling down to have a blast on some of the games I picked up during the Black Friday eShop sale. I’ll be blasting into some Super Bomberman R and Broforce as well as testing out my drifting skills in Team Sonic Racing.

Besides that lot I’ll also be continuing to make my way through the unbelievably great port of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag that’s rocked up on the eShop as part of the Rebel Collection, I’ve completed the main campaign but that huge big world map is still bursting full of secrets to set sail for. Avast ye! Binnacle! All hands ahoy…eh…that kind of thing. Arrrr!

Austin Voigt, contributing writer

This is the weekend where I will finally pull myself away from Pokémon Shield and attempt to finish all of the other games I got halfway through and never completed. Luigi’s Mansion 3, Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Dragon Quest XI S to name a few.

We also have a friend staying over this weekend who has - and I quote - “never played a Switch before”. So there will likely need to be some education on all of the other classic titles like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey happening as well.

Gavin Lane, staff writer

This weekend I find myself left to my own devices for an entire Saturday. I’m sure many of you experience this level of freedom every weekend – maybe even on Sunday, too – but it’s a rarity for yours truly, and the potential is making me a bit giddy.

Beyond the glorious non-gaming acts in which I shall indulge (like having a massive lie-in followed by a damn fine coffee while listening to some pleasant tunes and leisurely flicking through a gaming mag), I’ll be looking to tick off one or two things from the backlog. Earlier this week I managed to finish the excellent Sayonara Wild Hearts, and I’d like to polish off Gato Roboto this weekend, too. Then there are the inevitable Gym Badges I still need to win, and I also picked up Unravel Two in the Cyber Deals sale – kinda need a co-op partner for that one, though.

There are plenty of other things sitting on my micro SD, but that’s probably more than enough to keep me occupied for 24 hours. Have a great one everybody.

Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer

Tick, tock, tick, tock, the clock is running out of days left this year and my backlog continues to impress despite my best efforts to make it more reasonable and humanly manageable. Large doses of Valfaris, The Touryst, EarthNight, River City Girls, Astral Chain and an old Super Famicom friend with a new lick of paint - Star Ocean: First Departure R - are in order. Add in some mandatory DAEMON X MACHINA because who knew that running around as Geralt or Siri shooting giant mechs would be a thing!

My game of the week is the incredible Switch conversion of Alien: Isolation. I had never played it before because of the scariest reason of them all: it was never previously available on any platform I own. Check those corners, people... and what could possibly go wrong if I crawl inside this very dark, very tight vent?

Which games are you playing this weekend?

(You can select up to 3 answers)

As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to leave a vote in the poll above and a comment below with your gaming choices over the next few days...