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It's a packed session this week as a veritable stampede of writers on Nintendo Life share their chosen gaming goals for the weekend. As you might imagine, there's a lot of Splatoon 2 to be had over the next couple of days, but there's also a handful of unexpected entries, a few predictable entries and even a token Wii U game (we bet you can work and what - and who - without even looking). As always, drop a vote in the poll if you're playing any of the games mentioned and feel free to leave us a comment detailing your Nintendo-based plans...

Ryan Craddock, news reporter

Originally, I had told myself that I would dedicate some time this weekend to trying out the new(ish) Luigi’s Balloon World update in Super Mario Odyssey. I haven’t had the chance to give it a go yet and I’ve heard it’s a whole lot of fun. The recent Nintendo Direct has got me all flustered, however, with all the new Splatoon 2 news suddenly making me desperate to jump back into the splatting action. The problem is that once I turn Splatoon 2 on I get stuck there, hopelessly addicted, for rest of the day. Not the worst problem to have, I suppose.

Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer

Do you Danmaku!? I Danmaku. I Danmaku all the time! Danmaku in the morning! Danmaku in the evening! Danmaku 24/7. Danmaku season 9, episode 99! Danmaku Unlimited 3 will be out next week and I hope you give it a spin when it does because I most certainly been doing so. Until that time Steredenn: Binary Stars gives me a brand new horizontal shmup experience every time I start a game. But no one is paying attention, you will probably find me back at Aqua Kitty UDX. The milk must flow.

Glen Fox, guides editor

I’ve been making good progress through my Switch backlog, smashing through RiME and Severed this week alone. Okay, I beat RiME twice because I bloody loved it and wanted to get all of the collectibles (I didn’t). I’ve now moved onto Yooka-Laylee, so I’ll spend the weekend working my way through that, taking a break here and there to attempt a few B-Side levels in Celeste. I don’t really fancy dying young from an aneurysm, so I’m taking my sweet time on those. Man, Celeste is so hard.

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, editor

I really shouldn't have broken out the Wii U last week, because now I'm struggling to put my GamePad down. Yes, I'm still hooked into the five-and-a-half-year-old maps of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2, even if the servers (which average about 750 in the evenings) are mostly populated by French kids shouting words they really shouldn't know yet.

Post-Direct, I'll also be jumping back into Splatoon 2. With so much content coming in 2018 - including the awesome looking Octo Expansion - I can't wait to break out my Splat Dualies and make a mess on Turf War. It might even fire up Rocket League and take those new DC Heroes-themed cars for a spin. I might even score a scorcher of a goal, should the planets align in my favour.

Liam Doolan, Australia correspondent

I’m somewhat ashamed to admit I never actually completed the single-player hero mode in Splatoon 2, so this weekend I’ll be trying to rectify the situation. With the newly announced Octo Expansion on the way, I’ve been inspired to return to the original base game content before the new DLC arrives. I guess I got so caught up in the multiplayer offerings on release (especially Salmon Run) that I sort of just forgot about the fact Callie had gone missing. I’ll do my best to refrain from the multiplayer portion of the game throughout the weekend, but I’ll likely put in a shift or two to keep Mr. Grizz happy.

Tony Stephenson, social media manager

I'd thought I would change things up this week by giving my 3DS some love. Okay, I'll probably dip into Splatoon 2 at some point but my priority will be to finish Metroid: Samus Returns. I was actually at Nintendo HQ for a Splatoon event when the pre-orders went up, the buzz around everyone trying to secure a special edition with both amiibo was crazy. We all managed to do it, high-fives all around. I wonder if Nintendo noticed us using the HQ's Wi-Fi to do it?

Anyhow, the game. I didn't get around to playing Samus Returns too much at release and when I loaded the game I had no idea where I was, I'd even forgotten the controls! Decided to start a fresh and glad I did as I didn't realise you could melee counter the Metroids! This has made the game a lot easier, I feel such an idiot. Blasting through now, just about finished area three before the red light started flashing on my 3DS. It's on charge ready for another session as I'm writing this. Will I finish it before the weekend? Who knows, my track record on completing games is not the best!

Dave Letcavage, contributing writer

My Xbox One and PS4 will be receiving the majority of my attention this weekend, but that doesn’t mean Switch isn’t in the mix. In fact, I’ve got a good deal of Toki Tori 2+ left to play, and I’m sure I’ll be nudged back into Pinball FX3 at some point. (Those Jurassic World tables still got their claws in me!) Also, the wife has suggested that we start a co-op playthrough of Cave Story+, but I’m not sure it’s yet time for that with so much else currently on my plate. It’s Cave Story, and I know it deserves nothing less than my undivided attention.

Jon Cousins, Japan correspondent

With the direct still fresh in my mind (sorry) I'm going to dip back into Splatoon 2. As much as I adored The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, I never felt tempted to go back to Hyrule for the DLC content, but I really liked both of the single-player campaigns before playing online took over. Maybe revisiting Inkopolis will convince me to take the plunge come summer time. Other than that, I have been playing a lot of Flinthook (here's the review, fresh off the presses), and don't plan on stopping. It’s addictive as hell, an absolute blast and perfectly suited to playing on the go.

Richard Atkinson, contributing writer

We're all victims of this, I’m sure: buying countless games but shamefully leaving them unfinished because you got way too excited about your new, shinier purchase. In a bid to break my tradition of playing Turf War on Splatoon 2 throughout the entire weekend with very little time for toilet and food breaks, I'll be revisiting some Switch titles that I have (rather embarrassingly) not completed. Facing Calamity Ganon in The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is first on my list and then the brilliant indie title Fe will get my undivided attention. Oh, I almost forgot - it's the European Splatfest this weekend. #TeamChicken!

Alan Lopez, contributing writer

Alright, I’ll confess. I played Bridge Constructor Portal game while drunk this last week. Okay, maybe just a little buzzed. I don’t drink a lot and not much will do me in. But 17 levels into this game and I’ve needed pretty much all the brain power I could muster to get through these series of ultra-tough, Portal-style puzzles.

Like World of Goo and a litany of bridge-making games before it, this cute title takes both physics and geometry very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that the game offers up literal geometric equations as an aid to your tasks. So far, it seems that getting to hear my old friend GLaDOS’ voice on a Nintendo system more than makes up for these mathematical sins. This weekend I’ll be more prepared. And sober.

Conor McMahon, contributing writer

This weekend I'll be experiencing the wonders of public transport, and so consequently blowing the minds of everyone sitting around me on the bus while I whip through a few more chapters of Bayonetta 2. I still can't believe that one of the finest action games of all time is now available to play anywhere, and in a title where fluid movement is an absolute must, the framerate genuinely holds up while still looking stunning in portable mode. You might even call it... witchcraft. 

Dave Frear, retro reviewer

I’m not planning on much gaming this weekend but that Super Smash Bros. reveal trailer reminded me how much I enjoyed the 3DS game despite having been indifferent to the series up to that point. I guess I’ll be dusting off my 3DS for some battles between other things. Game-wise 'other things' means Splatoon 2 as there’s a Splatfest on (obviously chicken is the correct answer). I’m also curious to see if everyone’s got over their Dark Tetra Dualies obsession yet. I suppose the new Neo Sploosh-o-matic may help with that. I’m interested in trying it out myself, but will probably just revert to my trusty N-Zap ’89.

Morgan Sleeper, contributing writer

When Magical Drop II came to the eShop last year, my Switch turned into a portable Magical Drop machine and little else for weeks. Now that we have its sequel, Magical Drop III - my favourite in the series and my favourite puzzle game of all time - it’s déjà vu all over again, and Data East’s orb-matching magnum opus is all I anticipate spending my weekend with. I love how HAMSTER’s ACA release includes the Japanese version, with individual voices and story endings for each character. I’m working my way through the roster, and I’ve also been playing the Caravan mode just about every day — see if you can knock me off the #4 spot!

Which games are you playing this weekend? (375 votes)

  1. Splatoon 239%
  2. Super Mario Odyssey15%
  3. Danmaku Unlimited 3  0.5%
  4. Steredenn: Binary Stars2%
  5. Aqua Kitty UDX1%
  6. RiME  0.8%
  7. Severed  0.3%
  8. Yooka-Laylee,2%
  9. Celeste5%
  10. Call Of Duty: Black Ops 21%
  11. Metroid: Samus Returns3%
  12. Toki Tori 2+  0.3%
  13. Pinball FX32%
  14. Cave Story+  0.8%
  15. The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild14%
  16. Flinthook2%
  17. Bridge Constructor Portal  0.8%
  18. World of Goo  0.3%
  19. Bayonetta 210%
  20. Magical Drop II  0%

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So that's what we're playing this weekend, but what about you? Select something from our poll, if anything takes your fancy, and be sure to drop a comment below and get the weekend conversation going...