WRUP: Goodbye to our Major Nelson

It is time for us to say goodbye to Randy Nelson, our very own snake eater. Being one of the few Joystiq writers on the west coast, he would tend the news fires at night. A lonely man. A necessary man.

With over a decade of experience, having been part of the birth of IGN and the death of a few gaming magazines, he knows the hardships of game industry media. A soldier from print, an officer in online and an editor off on the next adventure.

What's everyone playing?

• Alexander Sliwinski (@XanderSliwinski): It's a Fallout: New Vegas type of weekend. Also have to write the Warhammer 40K: Kill Team review, which may take longer to write than the actual game took to play.

• Ben Gilbert (@BigBossBgilbert): Maybe Ms. Splosion Man? Maybe I'll finally finish Dead Space 2, after an extended hiatus? Either way, I'll assuredly be grilling assorted meats and vegetables, which is, frankly, the best game of all.

• Christopher Grant (@ChrisGrant): I started Call of Duty: Black Ops before leaving for Imagine Cup, so hoping to wrap that up soon ... but Mr. Ben Gilbert also let me borrow Shadows of the Damned and L.A. Noire, so I'm pretty conflicted. Do I finish what I've started? Do I dive right into the longest of the three first?

• David Hinkle (@DaveHinkle): Thanks to a gift from a friend, I've now got Trenched, so I look forward to playing that this weekend. Outside of that, it'll be more of the usual: Mortal Kombat, You Don't Know Jack, Super Street Fighter IV and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Hopefully I can also find the time to dive into Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which I picked up during the Steam summer sale.

• Griffin McElroy (@griffinmcelroy): [Playing "Anthony's Song"]

• JC Fletcher (@jcfletcher): I'm having a religious experience in El Shaddai -- and then poring over another book-inspired work, Mighty Flip Champs DX, when I'm away from home.

• Jess Conditt (@JessConditt): I'll be at my friends' beautiful wedding this weekend, meaning I will be playing Words with Friends and Age of Zombies on my phone, hidden by whichever family member is wearing the largest summer hat.

• Jordan Mallory (@Jordan_Mallory): Since I just beat Repair Your Car Without Spending Any Money 2: Ultimate Alternator Challenge, I'll mostly be playing Post Poster 3: Post-haste until 1st Paycheck Saga arrives next week. Oh, and Mortal Kombat. There will never not be Mortal Kombat.

• Justin McElroy (@JustinMcElroy): I'm currently playing an Xbox Live Indie Game called Bureau: Agent Kendall. It's really interesting and, in many ways, handles investigation better than L.A. Noire.

• Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK): I'll be smashing all sorts of things with a large hammer in Bastion. I should also point out that I've been playing F.E.A.R. 3. The campaign's start-to-sewer time is much too low, but the shooting and formalized cover system both keep pulling me back.

• Mike Schramm (@MikeSchramm): I'm planning to lock the door and stay inside my West LA apartment all weekend long thanks to Carmageddon, so I'll probably have plenty of time to finish up Dragon Age 2 and LA Noire.

• Randy Nelson (@DangerPenguin): I have a hot date with Ms. Splosion Man. Literally. Because she's exploding.

• Richard Mitchell (@SenseiRAM) Enjoying Dragon Age: Origins much more now that I restarted the game as a mage. Beyond that, perhaps some 'sploding and marveling at my new DVR.

• Steven Wong: Picked up Cthulhu Saves the World. From Red Dwarf - Glory or insanity awaits!