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!
Survival games have really come in a wide variety of forms on the Switch and Aground may be one of the most basic of the bunch...
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This is one of those titles that I see being divisive, especially since I think enjoyment ultimately will spring from how much you enjoy the game's sense of humor rather than the gameplay itself...
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Whenever you have games come to Switch that were obviously originally intended for mobile devices the first question is whether or not they benefit from the move to a dedicated gaming console...
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It's always interesting to see variations on well-worn genres, whether it's in term of a game's tone or even overall feel...
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The My Universe series, obviously targeted at more casual and younger gamers, won't be for everyone...
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Anyone who has read a few visual novel reviews from me will know that I don't tend to be a fan...
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Never let it be said that the team behind Blue Fire lacked in ambition...
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While a great story in a game isn’t usually quite enough to singularly make its purchase a must, it can help to elevate a title beyond other elements that are more lacking...
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With a focus on the mischievous little woodland creatures, the squirrels, this is a pretty unique adventure you'll undertake as a wildlife observer of sorts...
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Point-and-click adventures have been converted over to work with console controllers in a variety of ways and, let's face it, none of them work as well as the traditional mouse unfortunately...
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Sports titles in general have been criminally under-represented on the Switch, and budget games within the space are next to unheard of...
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There's nothing quite like the monster truck game to change up the general play style of the typical racer...
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If you're in the mood for something different, often surprising, and at first a bit baffling, you may enjoy this card-based roguelike...
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I'm a fan of games that combine elements from multiple titles to make for a new experience so Glyph, featuring a mix of 3D platforming ala Mario and others with a healthy dose of Marble Madness (or Monkey Ball for younger gamers) mechanics firmly checks the box for unexpected...
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While my family and I have become quite jaded with multiplayer titles, since so many of them fall into pretty predictable gameplay, there are sometimes games that do something new that are worth getting excited for...
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Horror adventure / walking simulators are always a bit of a mixed bag, and many have unfortunately gone down the rabbit hole of featuring too many objects you can pick up and move around to look at fruitlessly, which is annoying...
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If you're low on funds and are looking for nothing but intense shooting action, while they aren't deep, arena shooters can be momentary fun in bursts...
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I have no doubt that fans of the classic Turrican franchise will be thrilled with the opportunity to play all 4 of the original titles on their Switch...
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As a relative fan of the first game in the Vera Blanc series I was eager to check out this new entry...
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