That's right, folks, this week we've gone recursive. Who says we can't be our own special edition? Here's what we'll be playing this weekend. Be sure to let us know what games will be occupying your time!
- Alexander Sliwinski: With my upgraded PC, I've been checking out some higher end games from the last three years. FEAR, not so bad. Black and White 2, gorgeous but flawed. The big plan for this weekend is Spore ... now I just need to get a copy somewhere.
- Andrew Yoon: Braid. Second ending.
- Christopher Grant: I've returned from a brief respite in the woods, but I wasn't alone. Something else came back with me. Specifically, my appreciation of the very portable Professor Layton & The Curious Village. I've got 30-some puzzles left and an intense desire to crush them using little more than my carefully honed intellect and a plastic stylus. Also: I've been winding my way through an advance copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – I should be able to wrangle a couple hours this weekend to polish that one off. Still in various stages of completion, waiting to return to favor: Castle Crashers, Siren, Fable 1.
- Griffin McElroy: My new roomie recently hooked up his slimline PS2 to our big screen, so I've been playing some classics as of late -- Shadow of the Colossus, Tony Hawk's Underground (you know, the last good one), and a copy of Chrono Cross I recently found at this awesome used game store in Chicago. Also trying to hit the level cap with Mr. Orange in Castle Crashers, and anxiously waiting for GameFly to deliver me into pure pinata pleasure. ... Also, for the theme: perhaps something football related, as the season just started? Or perhaps, the inaugural use of the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, which could ostensibly create a micro black hole, instantly destroying our world on Sept. 10? WRUP: The World Ends with Large Hadron Collider Edition?
- Kevin Kelly: I will be playing this thing called "finish your damn PAX posts while doing interviews and watching movies at the Toronto Film Festival." By the way I highly recommend The Brothers Bloom. Great movie. If they made a game out of that, I would die happy.
- Kyle Orland: I'm also looking for a copy of Spore to see whether it's a new paradigm in gaming or, as the meta-review seems to indicate, a disappointment. Also hoping to get some more time with The Last Guy and maybe finally take a look at Castle Crashers.
- James Ransom-Wiley: Goin' down the shore for one last weekend. Friends are asking me to bring that thing the kids are doing these days ... The Wii.
- Jason Dobson is still moving.
- Justin McElroy: If I can bring myself to ignore the title, I'm going to be playing some Infinite Undiscovery in between checking on my new and improved pinata garden.
- Ludwig Kietzmann: I hope to double my efforts in stopping the evil Count Waltz in Eternal Sonata, provided I can even manage to switch on my Xbox 360 without instantly firing up Geometry Wars 2. I also plan to feign struggle against and almost immediately succumb to the desire to play through the post-Trophy Uncharted. Again.
- Randy Nelson: Like several of my fellow Joystiqers, I'll be tracking down a copy of Spore (no, my attendance at last night's launch party hosted by Mr. Wright did not come with "perks"). I also plan to brush up on my SOCOM skills thanks to the Confrontation beta, although I won't be playing it with the benefit of Sony's nifty new Bluetooth headset. Also: Castle Crashers (go orange!) and The Last Guy (go Himalayan zombie hero!).
- Ross Miller: I've got a tough choice to make. I've finally caught up on school work (thanks, PAX!) and PAX articles (thanks, school!), and my copy of Too Human came in early this week – a bit late, yes, but now I get to play it without all the controversy and anger and hype. So I'll finally be trying it out. In between hours-long sessions of Spore, that is.