Justin Nation Avatar Image

Justin Nation

Windsor, PA
The Nindersect
Nindersect

Favorite Games:
  • Rocket League
  • Neon Abyss
  • Wreckfest

4392 games reviewed
70.7 average score
71 median score
43.4% of games recommended

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!
6.7 / 10.0 - Hot Shot Burn
Oct 1, 2020

Promising some "hot" multiplayer shooting action, to its credit Burn doesn't lack in personality...

Read full review

Trying to make a puzzle platformer a success on the Switch has become a bit of a challenge given the thick library already available in the genre...

Read full review

Sep 29, 2020

I’ll admit that simply seeing this game for the first time I pretty well fell in love, completely digging the unusual aesthetics and the promise of creative puzzle platforming it showed...

Read full review

7.9 / 10.0 - Alwa's Legacy
Sep 29, 2020

Games that aspire to capture the look and feel of earlier eras can be a mixed bag, but when executed well can be quite a treat...

Read full review

6.7 / 10.0 - MindSeize
Sep 29, 2020

While for quite some time on the Switch Metroidvania offerings were a bit scarce in total number and variety a few years down the line things have changed and the bar raised...

Read full review

7.5 / 10.0 - Jet Set Knights
Sep 25, 2020

This is absolutely one of those titles that sort of shows up out of the woodwork and gives you a pleasant surprise… at least if you’re an old-school arcade aficionado like I am and can appreciate the simple but effective gameplay...

Read full review

8 / 10.0 - Embracelet
Sep 24, 2020

This, for me, is one of those titles where it’s hard to articulate why I’m so taken in by it...

Read full review

8 / 10.0 - Going Under
Sep 24, 2020

As an enormous fan of anything roguelike Going Under has been on my radar since I first saw it announced, billing itself as a sort of insane 3D beat-em-up where you can pick up just about anything to use as a weapon...

Read full review

Ever since the original title in the series way back in the day I’ve been a big RCT fan...

Read full review

Sep 24, 2020

City-building games, where you'll work to conquer the world through a mix of smart growth and careful management of your resources, are a staple of the strategy genre...

Read full review

7 / 10.0 - Breakpoint
Sep 24, 2020

When I saw shots of this gloriously old-school retro arcade title I was instantly drawn in with visions of Geometry Wars-style twin-stick shooting coming to mind...

Read full review

7 / 10.0 - Lost Ember
Sep 24, 2020

Games that dare to be different are always a bit of a risk...

Read full review

7.2 / 10.0 - CastleStorm II
Sep 23, 2020

While the original CastleStorm had an old school sort of appeal the best thing about the sequel is the increased ambition to provide a more varied experience...

Read full review

6.7 / 10.0 - Unrailed!
Sep 23, 2020

While new and different ways to play are always an exciting thing in principle, how they work out in practice isn't always quite so great...

Read full review

Sep 22, 2020

As an old school fan of the Wing Commander series I’m always excited to take on any new space sim promising dogfights, exploration, and excitement...

Read full review

6.5 / 10.0 - Worm Jazz
Sep 21, 2020

There's nothing wrong with a decent casual-ish game to provide some challenge while also letting you unwind...

Read full review

Sep 18, 2020

Who knew that an incomplete circle (who looks suspiciously like a certain gaming icon) and an oddball mix of plants and normally inanimate objects would have so much to offer in the way of philosophy? Circle, who feels incomplete, is in search of feeling whole and wants to explore the world...

Read full review

7 / 10.0 - GORSD
Sep 18, 2020

This is one of those titles where it's hard to put together your thoughts in a way people who haven't played it will quite understand...

Read full review

6.8 / 10.0 - Georifters
Sep 18, 2020

While Georifters has an unusual look and dialogue between characters who are fixated on candy (it's a bit weird) in the end this is really a puzzle platforming game, and for the most part a generic one at that...

Read full review

6.7 / 10.0 - Tamiku
Sep 18, 2020

I have a great reverence for classic arcade games (as you may have gathered by now) so from the get-go seeing Tamiku open with a classic ROM boot-up screen of sorts hit me right in the nostalgia bone...

Read full review