What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members  of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and  which they’re most looking forward to.

What We Are Playing

Ryan Thompson – I absolutely love [easyazon-link asin=”B004FSE52C” locale=”us”]Tomb Raider[/easyazon-link]. It’s a reminder that the PR for a game doesn’t always speak to the game’s content… and it’s my first choice for a strong GOTY candidate. Looking forward to finishing it this week!

Nick Santangelo – I’ve mostly been playing Tomb Raider this week, and it’s fantastic so far. Though I’ve never enjoyed the series previously, I can confidently say that Lara’s latest is the best game to release so far in 2013. It also looks fantastic running at max settings with “fancy hair” turned on. Other than that, I messed around with Torchlight II and Orcs Must Die 2 a bit.

Chris Leggett – No Tomb Raider for me just yet – that’ll have to wait until next paycheck. But I’ve got plenty to keep me occupied in the meantime. First of all, I’m still in the very early stages of [easyazon-link asin=”B004HYK956″ locale=”us”] Skyrim[/easyazon-link], which is enough of a time sink on its own. Then I have my seven-game haul from the recent Games on Demand sale. Some of them are games I’ve already completed, but I also picked up [easyazon-link asin=”B004PAGJOC” locale=”us”]Dead Island[/easyazon-link], [easyazon-link asin=”B0054INKZK” locale=”us”]El Shaddai[/easyazon-link] and [easyazon-link asin=”B000A0XSN6″ locale=”us”]Tomb Raider Legend[/easyazon-link]. But out of the whole lot, so far I’ve spent the most time replaying [easyazon-link asin=”B000FRU0NU” locale=”us”]Halo 3[/easyazon-link], as I have a bit of a soft spot for that campaign.

Scott Baker – I was traveling this weekend, so I brought my Vita along with the handful of titles I picked up on sale. My favorite is Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath, which was released on the original Xbox. There’s something magical about playing a console FPS on the Vita. I also managed to experience Journey, which continues to earn awards everywhere. I’m going to give it the “Giggles, Gazes, and Gasps” award for the emotions it elicited in me. I’ve never played a game so stirring and elating. I walked away smiling like a preteen after his first kiss.

Matthew Smail – Well, whilst everyone else has been enjoying the brutality of the new Tomb Raider, or the hit and miss launch of the new SimCity, I’ve just been catching up with a few old titles. Firstly, I completed [easyazon-link asin=”B002DC8GKE” locale=”us”]Brink[/easyazon-link], [easyazon-link asin=”B003Q53VZC” locale=”us”]Homefront[/easyazon-link] and [easyazon-link asin=”B0014ULQB2″ locale=”us”]Red Faction: Guerrilla[/easyazon-link]. What can I say? None were as bad as I had heard and to be honest, for the 4-8 hours they each lasted, I had fun. Next up, I’ve started [easyazon-link asin=”B0022TNO7S” locale=”us”]Max Payne 3[/easyazon-link] – I loved the previous games, but this one isn’t quite clicking for me yet. It’s just another shooter so far, but I’ll let you know next week!

John Laster – I’m still really digging Guardians of Middle Earth. And since I’m a glutton for punishment I picked up SimCity as well. When it’s working that game is amazing.

Kevin Plumtree – I have been putting a lot of time into SimCity — unfortunately, my actual playing portion of that has been inconsistent thanks to the servers.  In addition, [easyazon-link asin=”B002I0H79C” locale=”us”]Gears of War 3[/easyazon-link] has been in rotation as I try to knock out some Onyx medals before the release of Judgment.

Nathan Bowring – I picked up [easyazon-link asin=”B000UU3SVI” locale=”us”]Fallout 3[/easyazon-link] during the Games on Demand sale this week. The game plays a lot more like Skyrim than I expected, which isn’t a bad thing. I love the feel of the game, there’s just something cool and eerie about exploring post-apocalyptic DC. I’ve also been playing a lot of Runner2, a near-perfect sequel and easily one of the best music games of all time.

Your turn.