What we're playing this weekend: Ashes of the Mario Party Edition
The entire Mass Effect trilogy is now backwards compatible on Xbox One, just in time for this week's Mass Effect: Andromeda marketing blitz. GQ magazine remembers that weird video game about the Clinton's cat, Socks. And Epic Games founder, Tim Sweeney, donated 7,000 acres of his North Carolina property to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
What are you playing this weekend?
Sean Colleli, Staff Writer, @scolleli
I started another playthrough of DOOM, because whatever you want to say about the multiplayer and Snapmap, the campaign is just that good. I'm also determined to finish DOOM 64 EX, the PC port of the classic N64 shooter. I've never beaten DOOM 64, but I want to finally get through it as most fans consider it to be more of a real DOOM 3 than the actual DOOM 3 was. I'll also be playing Mario Party Star Rush for my upcoming review, if I can convince enough friends to play a few rounds with me.
Charles Husemann, Editor-in-Chief, @chusemann
I going to be continuing with Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation this weekend as I try to wrap up my review. So far I am really impressed with what Stardock has done with this expansion pack, but the game feels a bit generic in parts. I'm hoping some time with the single-player campaign will interject some personality into the mix.
I'll also be playing the usual amount of MechWarrior Online as I explore some of the meta builds a bit more.
Randy Kalista, Staff Writer, @randykalista
Watching Griffin McElroy and Nick Robinson play an outrageously modded Skyrim is enough to 1) make me laugh a lot, and 2) wish I wasn't stuck on the limited PS4 version of Skyrim Special Edition, where the craziest, most popular mods are, like, "snow sticks to your clothing" and "There are some lamp posts along the road now." Yawn.
Up for review, I've got Small Radios Big Televisions. It's a trip collecting cassette tapes, traveling to parallel worlds via tape player, and puzzling my way up, through, and around polygonal Fez factories.
Also up for review is XCOM 2: Shen's Last Gift. I am definitely ready to get a robotic soldier on my team. I'm tired of losing my top squadmates to nasty enemy targets. RIP John "The Chef" Yan. You were my #1 ranger. But also my #2 maker of deliciously pan-fried noodles.
Then, for review #3, it's Just Cause 3: Bavarium Sea Heist. Time to go heist the seas. Nothing like a little Rico Rodriguez to fire up some watery environments. I was in the Navy, so I'm totally into boats with guns.
Don't tell Chuck that I'm going to be sneaking in some play sessions of Mass Effect, too. Hey, it was N7 week, and a lot of new info came out about Mass Effect: Andromeda. There's no way I'm not getting back into Commander Shepard's boots for another go 'round.
John Yan, Senior Hardware Editor, @TheJohnYan
This weekend I'll be spending time on Titanfall 2 again as I work my way through the single-player campaign. It's been pretty enjoyable and it's a shame that it's having a hard time generating sales. But then again, EA shouldn't have released a title sandwiched between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. I'm also going to take some time to enjoy some virtual reality with some Golf Club VR and a new military cover shooter in Overkill VR.
