With another week out of the way - this time bringing a brand new Smash Bros. update, a new Animal Crossing update, and even an apology from Nintendo over Joy-Con drift(!) - it's finally time for us to sit and chat about our weekend gaming plans. Members of Team Nintendo Life have discussed just that below, and we'd love for you to join in via our poll and comment sections. Enjoy!
Liam Doolan, news reporter
This weekend I think I'll be allocating most of my free time to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I tried out the new fighter Min Min earlier this week but haven't really returned to the game since then. Based on the few hours I've spent with this fighter so far - I'm impressed. Obviously her biggest strength is keeping her opponents at arm's length.
The other game I plan to spend some time with over the next few days is Pokémon Shield. I admittedly dropped off it, so the plan is to return to the Isle of Armor, finish levelling my Kubfu and make a trip to the Tower of Darkness. That's likely it for me, happy gaming!
Ryan Craddock, news editor
My gaming time on Switch has quietened a little over the last couple of weeks, partly thanks to the fact that I'm spending any time I get on The Last of Us Part II - which has been pretty amazing so far - and partly because I'm now waiting for Paper Mario: The Origami King to arrive later this month.
I will, however, likely try to squeeze in a little time with Pokémon Sword. I think I mentioned this last week, but I'm just a handful of monsters away from a complete Pokédex across the base game and The Isle of Armor expansion, and I'm keen to rope fellow NLife'er Liam into doing some trades. Then I'll be all ready for the second part of the expansion later this year.
Gavin Lane, features editor
I managed to finish the excellent Firewatch last weekend after starting it sometime last year. I enjoyed it so much that I’d really like to go back to the beginning again and jog my memory of Henry and Delilah’s initial conversations. It’s unlikely I’ll have the time, though – I’m currently playing something else for review which is occupying my every minute. Look out for my thoughts on that mysterious game sometime next week. Until then, have a good one.
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...
Comments (116)
My default game is Paladins and Monster Hunter World but I've been making my way through New Super Luckys Tale. It's such a good game that I feel many won't try because it looks childish but I want to say to look past that and give it a try. It has really good level designs and characters.
The bards tale remastered and resnarkled.🎶Beer, Beer, Beer, tiddly beer, beer, beer, tiddly beer, beer, beer🎶..😁
Then some Xenoblade chronicles DE.
Dark Souls Remastered. Having dabbled in the series before and quickly getting bored I wasn't planning on playing this at all. But my wife and father-in-law were both going on about it, so here I am.
ACNH. Gifted before my birthday, today.
I said last week that I would hold off from the Witcher. That failed, I’m thoroughly immersed in that world again.
However I’ve also dusted off my 3DS and I’m playing Mario and Luigi Paper Jam Bros. It’s taken me a while but I’ve made some good progress with it.
@super08mario my son has New Super Lucky's Tale. It's a well designed game and I'm planning to give it a go at some point.
Witcher 3... finally! Just finished main game and HoS DLC now onto B&W. Then who knows it’s always difficult to enjoy a lesser game after
Smash bros and Final Fantasy 3 (or 6, however you wanna say it) for me. I've been wanting to beat ff3 for a while, so I'm finally gonna do it this weekend.
Probably going to keep diving in ACNH, managing to catch these new creatures at a worryingly fast pace though
-But Tetris 99's Xenoblade event is always a good backup!
Still trying to get Xenoblade and LOU2 completed before Paper Mario in 2 weeks time.
I've just started Atelier Shallie so that'll be keeping me pretty occupied for the next week. A bit of Animal Crossing, Project Diva and 51 Worldwide Games on the side.
@themightyant my plan after finishing Witcher is to go into Xenoblade 2
Blazing Beaks, addictive cheap little game.
This week I will be mostly playing
Mario & Rabbids
Zack and Wiki on Wii. Yeah, a little old school classics this time. lol Also, Animal Crossing for the swimming and turnips.
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled. Just fancied playing it, lol
I'm 48 hours into Ni No Kuni 2,really loving the townbuilding and playstyle but the story is pretty weak compared to the first game.
And anyone that likes the games should check out the film on Netflix if they haven't already done so.A great visual feast.
Also I'll be playing Death Stranding which I'm 25 hours into and only chapter 3.A great game but can be difficult working out how to get to next destination.
Finally,Animal Crossing and Xenoblade Chronicles on Switch.
@charlieonholiday XC2 that’s a good one, enjoy. I think I’m going to try and clear out a bunch of around-10-hours games after spending hundreds of hours on Witcher 3
Just played a bit of Tetris 99 for the Xenoblade Chronicles definitive edition theme. Not sure what else, but hopefully a bit more of Last of Us 2 this weekend (slow trudge through that due to limited gaming time during the week, and it's not great for playing in front of the kids).
Animal Crossing New Horizons All Day Long.

I really want Raymond so bad. 😭
If you have Raymond in the box, please reply me.
I’ve started Fire Emblem Awakening, given that it’s JRPG July. Three Houses was my first real FE experience (I’ve dabbled with the first GBA game), so I was a bit worried about going back to a 3DS title. I needn’t have been - it’s terrific. Only three hours in, but I can already state that I like it at least as much as Three Houses.
@Steelhead I really liked the time I put into Lucky's Tale. The platforming is well designed and the visuals are nice. I hope you enjoy it!
Animal Crossing New Horizons!
I am going swimming!
Besides the usual stuff mentioned for the past few weekends, I hope to dedicate some time to some of the new stuff, particularly Mary Skelter (another thing I had to turn to my US account for - that region's sale was actually my first alert that the game I'd been STILL waiting for to come out... had long skipped Russian eShop, too 🙄 ) and Fallen Legion bundles. Already tasted the former this week, and Nightmares offers some quality dungeon crawling with an intriguing plot, some quirky mechanics and systems like the FFV-esque "change jobs, create skills therein and then mix your assorted skillset from across the board". Oh, and with a Red Riding Hood we would all much prefer encountering IRL over Yoko Taro's SinoAlice one. 😅 After catching up with Sore ga Seiyuu earlier this year, seeing Earphones on the opening themes and among the cast was a welcome surprise, too.
Been working through the back catalogue of games I have played it always amazes me that you can try something one week and it not clicking then the following week it seems incredible . Anyway had another great week played bioshock 1 and it seems to get better each year I revisit. Infinite I tried going back to but couldnt get into again. My fave experience this week has been completing the last guardian again since it game out. A really emotive experience , I’d forgotten how good those team ico games are . So my weekend is shadow of the colossus for another play through, then di e again to the back catalogue. Happy gaming everyone x x x
I'm still playing Xenoblade Chronicles DE. With over 40 hours on the counter I'm nowhere near the end.
Even though I'm playing Xenoblade, I've also started Trails of Cold Steel 3. Probably not wise to play two JRPGs at once.... Oh well 😅
Burnout Paradise (which I enjoy a lot both docked and handheld), Missile Dancer (thanks for the heads up Nintendolife!), Jump Rope Challenge, Star Wars Racer, Streets of Rage 4 (received cartridge in the mail), Super Mario Maker 2, Kingdom New Lands (games like this as well as Mario Tennis on Switch load up extremely quickly, which draws me in and gets me to start them up more often), and Tetris 99.
Resident Evil 5 on two Beamers with a friend. We finished Resident Evil 6 in two very long sessions last weekend and now it's time to go back.
Star Wars Episode One Racer and some Splatoon 2..
@playthedangame Have you played the previous games in the Trails series? I’d love to dive but I don’t know whether I should really play the other games first.
I’ve been playing Xenoblade X. On chapter 4 at the moment. Also on my way to the elite four in Pokemon X.
Im between Xenoblade definitive edition and CoD MW as double xp weekend and play it with my mates, bit of Minecraft dungeons for a chill co op game with them as well, which is surprising fun.
The same thing we do every day, Pinky. Try to take over the worl- I mean, play Animal Crossing.
Persona 5 when I have access to the TV and Persona Q2 when I don’t.
I had started Persona 5 last year, but after the first palace I was waiting to see if a Switch version was likely. Especially as you can’t save anywhere it’s harder for me to get through on the TV as I only get snatched moments where the rest of the family aren’t using it.
Persona Q2 I’ve been playing on and on off in bursts for a while.
Ash of Gods: Redemption on Switch. Ring Fit Adventure, of course. Maybe some Pokémon Crystal if I have the time.
Pokemon, Xenoblade, Animal Crossing and Tetris 99.
VGC in Pokemon, Sword Valley in Xeno, Swimming in AC, Tetris is Tetris.
When there's a Maximus Cup event on, there's only one game that requires my time and attention......Tetris 99 of course!
Since last weekend when I posted, it's been a pretty legendary time for me with beating games, due to the fact that I was on vacation. I finished Good Job, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Castlevania Bloodlines, Wide Ocean Big Jacket, Unlock the King and Stick It To The Man.
Good Job picked up much more steam towards the end of the game, but it was still hampered by poor controls and quite a few tedious missions throughout the game.
King of Cards was the weakest Shovel Knight campaign since I found the bash mechanic kind of finicky and harsh to stay airborne with. Despite that, it was still really fun. I played
Castlevania Bloodlines on my Genesis Mini, but I have to admit that I saved pretty frequently, as I found the enemy placement to be pretty brutal. It did have really creative locales for a Castlevania game though.
Wide Ocean Big Jacket was my favorite of the bunch, and while it did only take one sitting to finish, the writing, characters and atmosphere had me captivated from beginning to end. Its low stakes nature, witty humor and camping theme really kept me hooked.
Unlock the King had really interesting and tricky puzzles, and was a unique take on Chess. It certainly was worth the 50 cents I got for it on sale.
Stick It to the Man disappointed me compared to Flipping Death. I thought I would like it more, but the segments where you have to avoid the goons are VERY annoying and frustrating, and a glitch in the final chapter made me have to start the entire chapter over, killing the momentum I had for its story.
Finally, this weekend I'm trying to finish Super Crush K.O, since I'm near the end. It's a nice single player 2D action game reminiscent of Smash Bros with a super rewarding score system that requires you to keep juggling a multiplier, and not taking any hits. My wife and I also started Hypercharge Unboxed last night, which is an FPS combined with Tower Defense, but you play as toys in big environments like bedrooms, kitchens, etc. We will definitely have to try some more of it.
I’m replaying my whole retro collection with my new mClassic. Love it so much.
I'm back on the Isle of Awakening in DQ Builders 2. Having lots of fun, overshadowed only by the fact that I can only play in handheld as it heats up too much when docked.
I'm really depressed about the overheating. I bit the bullet and bought a repair kit for my Switch, opened it up and cleaned the vents, put new thermal paste on - the original paste was almost completely gone. Felt like an ubergeek when I got it all reassembled afterwards, but I still have an overheating problem. It's not even any better.
I'm contemplating tearing the whole thing apart to actually get the fan out and clean it, too. But the fan is buried under another layer or two of parts, and I'm kind of afraid to do that much disassembly. My eyes just don't work at that scale anymore - those screws are practically microscopic.
Hope I will beat the true boss of Diddy Kong Racing, continue Xenoblade DE and Valkyrie Profile Lenneth
Assassins Creed 3 on the Switch 👌
Starting my third playthrough Fire Emblem Three Houses. Also bought Borderlands last week, now 10h in, and impressed by the performance. Like to play now and then to scratch my FPS itch, but the story doesn't hold my attention unfortunately. And finally, finishing up Witcher DLC Blood and Wine.
Xenoblade Chronicles, Trails of Cold Steel III, Wargroove, The Wonderful 101.
@mcdreamer
Yeah just the Cold Steel games, definitely worth playing. Been playing them on PS4 but its still weird that the first two games aren't on Switch.
Rise of the Tomb Raider on imac - it’s making me want a PS4 for more top quality single player adventure games.
Nintendo has dropped the ball for the last 2 years.
I was playing my switch non stop for the first year or so but there’s a real lack of games that appeal to me at the moment.
Been really enjoying Gunfire Reborn on PC. Man I hope that comes to Switch once it's done. A mashup of Borderlands 2 and Ziggurat. Done really, really well. As for Switch, Outer Worlds, Borderlands 2, and Minecraft Dungeons.
Xenoblade chronicles
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Shantae Seven Sirens and a few games on the Turbo Grafx Mini.
Smash and SMT Nocturne.
@JasmineDragon Considering how far you got, replacing the fan is not massively complicated. Mine was getting very noisey, so I swapped it out. The actual hard part was getting the normal back case off - broken screw head was a nightmare. Otherwise, 30 mins to replace the fan.
Finished streets of rage 4 last night. Playing crossing souls, borderlands 1, and clubhouse games. Eagerly awaiting curse of the moon 2, And paper Mario
Just finished unlocking the Xenoblade Chronicles theme in Tetris 99.
After that, it's more Dead Cells. The addictive gameplay loop is becoming real it seems.
Xenoblade Chronicles DE 👌
Haven't picked my switch up in a couple of weeks since I bought an xbox one x from a guy at work. Been engrossed in Remedy's Control ever since, such a great game!! Makes me want to play Alan wake as same studio and loved that game when it first came out....
Psyvariar Delta and Ghost Blade HD
Alternating between Nier: Automata and Sekiro on the Xbox One X, with a sprinkling of games on the PC Engine Mini in between
Finishing last chapter of Agent A (thanks to a hefty sale and the recommendation from this site earlier in the week on hidden gems), TONS of Ninjala (want a better outfit, gotta grind!), and maybe a level or two of Wonderful 101 (which finally arrived from my Kickstarter backing).
Damnit... looks like XCOM2 is gonna have to wait a bit more... there are so many great games to play!!!!! My backlog is a bit impossible at this point....
Mostly Rocket League
But also The Missing (from the Swery's studio). Pretty... unsettling... I have to leave it on mute sometimes... But I'm really liking the story
@Nye1779 Alan Wake literally made me stand up and clap when it ended. What a fantastic game and the music was just so engrossing.
Was so sad we never saw a true sequel and still hope one day we will (on Switch!)
I'm hoping to finish The Outer Worlds this weekend. Might play some Pokemon too.
Playing some Persona 4 Golden, Tokyo Xanadue, the New Animal Crossing: New Horizons update, and Bully SE.
@GregamanX I’ve contemplated picking up Wide Ocean Big Jacket for awhile now- I wish I would have snapped it up when it was on sale! I’ll be sure to check it out now.
I've finished Shantae and the Seven Sirens ... a really good metroidvania!
@JohnnyC “not great” is an understatement... it’s borderline abuse! 😬
Min Min is pretty cool!
I’m still technically working on Borderlands but am currently engrossed in the new season of Fortnite 😅 I’m sure I’ll be playing one of those this weekend. However having my nephew school me at Smash Bros- he was playing as King K Rool has irritated me enough that I might practice and try to take him down. That character is ridiculous! I’ve never seen a fat character fly like that!
I'll focus on playing Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition. Although I am still in the Great Sea map of Adventure Mode, I played the first stages of other maps to unlock Marin and Ravio.
Well to my huge relief and great joy I did finally beat Fire Emblem Thracia 776 last weekend which means I've finally completed all official FE games (Well aside from New Mystery but that one is poop anyway).
Thracia was so good that it left me graving for more FE, I'm considering playing FE Radiant Dawn which is a game that I haven't played in a long, long time but I'm still not entirely certain. I also tried to give the new Shantae game a shot also but that one felt very underwhelming to me compared to the last two entries to the point where I could not finish it.
Minecraft: Story Mode (Windows 10) - Finally starting on Episode 3.
Fallout 3 (Games For Windows) - Still doing DLC missions.
Uno & Friends (Windows Phone) - Pretty much time filler for whenever.
I finally picked up Astral Chain.
I am playing Kingdom Hearts 3 on Xbox One!
Another pretty busy weekend for me. Between July 4th festivities, cleaning, and a few house chores I've been neglecting...not a lot of gaming time.
I'll still be whittling away at the main story in Xenoblade Chronicles (starting Chapter 12 today) as well as tackling more side content. Colony 6 needs rebuilt!
I'm not sure I'll get to much else besides some Pokemon Go for a few minutes here or there. I should be able to fit in a raid or two.
Have a blessed weekend all! Happy gaming!
Playing a whole bunch of Animal Crossing trying to complete my museum by catching all those critters.. Also I think i might start Xenoblade Chronicles DE later today...
Wrapped up Outer Worlds last week. Awesome game. Doesn't deserve the flack some people have given it. More than playable on the Switch and a ton of fun.
This weekend, normally the 4th would be more active, but in this time of pandemic, it's going to be low key at home. Already got the special board from Tetris 99. Continuing Burnout Paradise (if EA made ALL their games on the Switch high quality like this one, they probably wouldn't be hated so much by all of us). Starting up Astral Chain.
Happy 4th if you live in the States. Otherwise, have a great weekend and game on!
@Mamabear Yeah its definitely worth grabbing at 50% off on sale because it's so short. Roughly around an hour to an hour and a half. But it was such an enjoyable romp that $5 was justifiable. Hopefully it goes on sale once more this summer. It may happen, with its camping theme making it a good opportunity to get it into the eyes of the public right now.
Wow, not a lot of options here. I’d say... ACNH, SMM2 and JRC.
Probably not gaming much this weekend tbh. Might get some time on with Ult. Alliance 3 as I finally got it and the season pass. I also snagged Dragons Dogma during the sale so I need to at least createy character.
Nothing for me really, I have to work all weekend and have a barbecue to go to.
Gonna finish up Ratchet and Clank (PS4) and then get back to my playthrough of Divinity 2 on Switch.
I was supposed to be working all weekend but a co-worker tested positive for Covid-19 so I decided to get tested two days ago. I'm not allowed to go back to work until the results are in (and if they are negative). I'm patiently waiting for a phone call this weekend to let me know the results. While I wait for that I'll be playing Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition. I just started it last night and currently at chapter 3, and I am hooked. I'm a little overwhelmed by crafting gems and other aspects of the game but I'm having a great time.
Aside from that, I was thinking of purchasing Lonely Mountains Downhill. I have no idea why I have the urge to play a game like that, and that one specifically, but why not?
Happy 4th of July weekend, everyone. Be safe and enjoy!
Began Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 on Switch, however also trying to get back into Trails in the Sky.
Playing ACNH, I started a new island so I have that to do. Might also play Tales of Vesperia. I can’t wait to get SoS and Paper Mario soon.
Xenoblade DE
51 worldwide Games
And maybe stick of truth
i just updated my Animal Crossing New Horizons, got a DIY recipe for a Mermaid Vanity from Pascal and donated some Sea Creatures to my Museum yesterday and today celebrated Apollo birthday, he was so happy that i give him Trowback Rocket as a birthday gift, and also trying to find all remaning Sea Creatures of july to donate to my Museum, sadly my Island dont have new Fish and Bug for this month and august.
@JasmineDragon I replaced my cooling fan a while ago and it wasn't too difficult. It's just a few steps more from changing the thermal paste and you should be capable of doing it if you got that far. Look up tutorial videos and just be very patient when removing it.
Long weekend, so I'll be playing Animal Crossing, Pokemon Switch, Overwatch, and Diablo 3 to quench my multiplayer and grinding needs. Otherwise, Outer Worlds (space adventures with a crew is fun) and Grim Fandango (craving an adventure game) are it for me.
Same thing as for the last 3 months: Pokemon Shield and the Witcher 3.
Links Awakening on Switch, almost completed it so New Super Lucky's Tale will be next. Xenoblade Chronicles X too, creating augments to take on the super bosses which are driving me mad.
Also played Point Blank on DS, it's ok but nothing to shout about.
Back to Xenoblade to level up my party and finish off the rest of the side quests. By the time that's finished, Paper Mario will probably be released as I keep finding lots of new quests.
I’ve been mostly playing the DLC characters in Blaster Master Zero 2 today, Copen from Luminous Avenger IX is particularly awesome. I’ve also been playing Mr. Driller a bit.
Playing through Octopath finally. Truly a great game! One of my fave JRPGs so far, and I love how different and emotional each story is on different levels. Really hope they make a sequel. I won’t complete it this weekend, but next up after this I’ll be tackling Wasteland 2. Need to start clearing backlog / space on SD Card. Realized I had 100 games in the cloud, 90 of which are waiting to be played. And I have a full 400gb card! 🤣😂
For me it's Pokemon Ultra Sun and Mario Kart 8
Can't bring myself to play Smash at all given all the things that transpired in the last 3 days.
Probably gonna continue DOOM Eternal
Finishing Spyro 3 on switch.
Also playing some smash and asphalt legends.
Finishing up Mass Effect 3 and chipping away at Persona Q2!
Switch - Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
PS4 - MLB The Show 20, The Last of Us Part II
Trails of Cold Steel 3! And it’s a stunner.
Playing Smash to work on a video. It's coming along pretty well. Then I'll try and finish up Xenoblade. I fell off for a couple days because I got frustrated with Colony 6 reconstruction, the last two categories to be precise.
Skyrim! Always finding new things. Love this game to pieces.
I finished astral chain mid week and started the messenger. Also started rhythm heaven megamix on the 3ds, but was thinking about playing alliance alive instead.
Switch: Rocket League
PS4: Doom Eternal
Finishing Link's Awakening, can't wait for Catherine on 7/7!!
Super Mario Maker 2
im addicted
I finished Golf Story, but I'm saving the quality games in the backlog for when I get traveling with work again.
In the meantime, I picked up Galaxy Champions TV for about £1.30, just using eshop points. I loved Smash TV when I was a kid, so it instantly got my attention, and man I am hooked. It's such a good little game, meaty weapons, frantic action. Absolute bargain.
Stardew Valley with a side order of BoTW and Blades - (gotta get the daily play!) - also dabbling in Detention...
@TimboSlice I was the same- so impressed with what they achieved with that game, and having played more control last night that game is heading in the same direction. Apparently the dlc coming soon links control and alan wake somehow which is exciting!! If you have any console to play it on would recommend it fully
Animal Crossing and P-47 so far.
I'm dedicating all my time to FFVII until I beat it.
Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bower’s Minions, Mariokart 7, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
Urban Trial Playground. Working on 5 Starring each level before I work on completing all the challenges. Fun game and I much prefer it over Trials Rising.
@mcdreamer you need to play the first two games it is a build up to the third game honestly a very interesting world and each game builds on that world and has a different theme and tone.
@Mamabear Sheik is a good choice his speed makes k rool look like he is standing still he can pick him apart.
@MonkeyDLuffy19 Thanks for the tip! I’ll be giving Sheik a try then.
@MonkeyDLuffy19 Yeah, I was just kind of hoping the story summary they've included might be enough to get going. Not the same as experiencing things first hand, just wondering if it might save me 100 hours catching up!
@mcdreamer I get where you are coming from but if I skipped the first two games the third game would have felt odd and awkward honestly not recommended
@MonkeyDLuffy19 Cool, that does seem to be the general vibe with these games. I have a PSTV so could easily grab them on there.
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