Justin Nation's Reviews
Strangely enough this isn't my first rodeo, back in the day I wrote for the N64HQ as well as a few other outlets on freelance gigs but then when the HQ closed I decided to step it up and started The 64 Source. As the first word of a follow-up system to the N64 began to swirl I then decided to venture out into completely new territory and started OperatioN2000, where I had very little regular reputable news to share. With no other options I decided create my own content focused on profiling key developers and their current relationship with Nintendo or "dream games" where I saw opportunities for Nintendo to dust off classics or recently-made games and do something new with them on improved hardware.
This was all going pretty well until my wife and I decided to have our first child and I then decided that it was time to hang it up and focus on my family. As I closed down both sites I did decide to partner with Billy Berghammer, another former N64HQ writer, who had created his own site, PlanetN2000. We agreed to move over the relevant content from the older sites to his and on top of that I had taken a grad school class in programming in ColdFusion and decided to offer to code the front-end and back-end for a new version of his site. Through these efforts the newer and more complete Planet GameCube was born! While I would occasionally contribute to that site, helping do things like working out Louie the Cat doing rumors and other odd things, I eventually decided to stop as my family obligations grew.
While I had continued to follow Nintendo through both the Wii and Wii U eras my TV time was limited enough that I began playing more PC games again. It is in the PC space that I began to play a number of independent games and they started to be the games I enjoyed the most. Between their lower price, their often less traditional gameplay and approach, and their great variety I was hooked!
With the launch of the Nintendo Switch I was already excited by the possibilities. The portability factor alone meant that I would have far more options and places I could play away from the TV, and games like Breath of the Wild looked impressive. With my oldest daughter poised to start her senior year in high school and my youngest finishing out junior high I started to see an opportunity to get back into amateur games journalism once again with what is now Nintendo World Report as well but I'd initially just thought about writing some editorials periodically. Then, right before the launch of the system, Nintendo had their Nindie-focused presentation and I saw my two most beloved gaming worlds colliding. The games I had been playing on my PC could now be played in a portable way and on Nintendo hardware! Being the type who tends to work against the normal current the concept behind Nindie Spotlight was born!
Undoubtedly hoping to re-ignite the passions of old-school fans of NBA Jam, RoboDunk just can’t quite hit the mark
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Roughly an attempt to recreate the OG Super Mario Kart experience, it mostly succeeds but fails to impress
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While there have been quite a number of solid retro point-and-click adventures on Switch, none have quite had this flavor to them
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There’s no doubt that it does some things differently, and there’s merit to that, but Gunbrella just falls short of next-level greatness
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Sure it plays as a reasonably approachable platformer, but they’re also pretty well a dime a dozen in the eShop so it’s underwhelming
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If you’re looking for an opportunity to apply your deductive reasoning skills in search of connections and answers, this delivers
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While its puzzle solutions aren’t typically intuitive, there’s no question its unusual art style and humor carry the experience
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Mobile-esque simplicity make this budget title reasonably playable in bursts, but there’s not much depth to be found
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A great art style, a hook that has you trying to decipher unknown languages through some trial and error, and puzzles await
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A few generations ago it could have made a bit more sense, but it's very retro look and bland play don’t hold up now at all
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While, at a glance, the game’s dated look is an issue, the real problems lie in its uninspired tactical combat
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While more of an evolution than revolution from its predecessor, some refinements, new weapons, and enemies improve it nicely
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Wonderfully pleasant, but also quite predictable, the strength here is in the characters you’ll be working to build relationships with
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Building on the foundation of an already-solid predecessor, Blasphemous 2 soars to new heights of brutality
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While it has a budget-friendly method of allowing for co-op play with only 1 copy of the game the experience isn’t always great
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If you enjoyed the original, the addition of 2 new and distinctive characters as well as a roguelike survival mode makes it better
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Calling this collection of arcade titles a bit odd and eclectic would be an understatement
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Charming and a bit odd at times, while much of the experience is a bit generic, odd touches like periodic musical numbers help it stand out
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Undoubtedly a pretty unique mix of puzzle and platforming elements, along with a sense of humor, it’s a good time but the novelty can wear off
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In practical terms without flaws, and filled with thoughtful and creative touches from top to bottom, this game truly is a star
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