Weekend Warrior: 10/23/09

In case you missed our post, the Game Informer crew is kicking off the weekend at the Be Excellent to Each Other benefit followed by a live set featuring our very own Reiner and his band Tripping Icarus. If you're in the Minneapolis area, check out our "Help Kids, Watch Reiner's Band Play" story for more details.

Now, without further ado, here is what our staff is up to this weekend (and be sure to share your game plan in the comments section below):

Jeff C.: I don’t think the drizzly weather could have come at a better time. Rather than waste the weekend with a rake in hand, I can catch up with some critical gaming. This time, I’m planning to split my time between plugging away at Borderlands, saving the day in Brutal Legend, and cracking wise (and skulls) in Uncharted 2. I’ll also try to find time to check out Way of the Samurai 3. I’ve been reading good things and always have room for a fun samurai epic. We’ll see if it fits the bill…

Bertz: Friday night's doubleheader of the Be Excellent To Each Other charity event and the Tripping Icarus show should be a blast. Saturday will likely be spent recovering from a massive hangover by shooting Skags and Psycho Bandits in Borderlands. Sunday, as always, is all about Vikings football, Mad Men, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Kato: I've already started Uncharted 2 and Borderlands, but I hope to invest some serious time into them at some point this weekend. I also want to check out the drums for the Beatles: Rock Band Abbey Road DLC since I've already done a lot of the guitar and bass parts. Despite this crowded docket, I assuredly will also be able to fit in a couple games of NHL and Madden. I usually like to play several games at once so I can switch between them depending on my mood. I've also gotten in the habit of reading magazines during load screens, so you won't hear me complain about long load times!

Andy Mc: Friday night I'm going to party for the children at Be Excellent and then I'm off to see Reiner's Tripping Icarus show. The rest of the weekend will be spent with Borderlands and hopefully, if I have the time, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time.

Dan: Tonight I plan on checking out the Child's Play benefit at 501 and then I'll make my way to First Avenue for Reiner's CD release show. Saturday night should be amazing, as I finally get to see Norm MacDonald. My dad and I have had a weird obsession with him since the mid-90s, and I've been wanting to see him live forever. Outside of that, any free time I have will most likely be taken over by Borderlands, as it has been for the last couple of weeks.

Phil: In addition to hanging out with friends, I'm going to take advantage of the crazy game release season that has begun and devote a huge amount of my free time this weekend to some incredible games. Topping my list is Uncharted 2, which I'm about half-done with and would like to complete. After that, I want to sink as much time as possible into Borderlands. If I happen to need a break from leveling and looting, I'm going to jump into my fresh copy of Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time. As a fan of platformers and a long-time lover of the Ratchet & Clank franchise, this is one of the most exciting releases of the year, even amid a ton of other heavy hitters.

Tim: My weekend will almost certainly be dominated by leveling up my Soldier in Borderlands. When I’m not busy grinding Skags and deploying Scorpio Turrets, I’ll likely be found with Annette’s secret crush, Nathan Drake. I’ve been saving the entire Uncharted 2 experience for this weekend, knowing that I’ll really be able to sink my teeth into it. Let’s just hope I’m actually able to be pulled out of Pandora long enough to beat it.

Annette: I’m kicking off my weekend with co-workers at the Be Excellent to Each Other charity event followed by the Tripping Icarus set. The rest of the weekend will be spent (finally) starting Uncharted 2 (starring my secret crush according to Tim) and Borderlands where I plan to get a little trigger happy.

Jeff M.: Borderlands, Borderlands, and more Borderlands. Whatever video game time I have this weekend will be spent in the world of Pandora, shooting bad guys with insane guns, then using their insane guns to shoot more bad guys. God, I love this game!

Meagan: I’m off to GI Alum Lisa Mason’s charity benefit  Be Excellent To Each Other 2009, so some Rock Band is in my immediate future. Tomorrow I plan on hunkering and polishing off the last 5% of Uncharted 2, then diving into Borderlands in a big way. And at some point I need to rake my yard. Ugh. All and all though, not a bad weekend.