Justin Nation Avatar Image

Justin Nation

Windsor, PA
The Nindersect
Nindersect

Favorite Games:
  • Rocket League
  • Neon Abyss
  • Wreckfest

4389 games reviewed
70.7 average score
71 median score
43.3% 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!
6.2 / 10.0 - WildTrax Racing
May 29, 2020

So, yeah, when it comes to racing titles the Switch is definitely hurting...

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9 / 10.0 - Atomicrops
May 28, 2020

For me, Atomicrops is a story of early frustration, followed by a slow warming up, which eventually became a pretty deep and addictive love...

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May 28, 2020

While I’m a relatively recent fan of the Shantae series, having just been introduced to it in the collection release on Switch a while ago, I’m definitely getting into the groove and enjoying what feels like its consistency...

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7.5 / 10.0 - Turmoil
May 28, 2020

Games that were made for the mobile/tablet space coming over to Switch can often be a dicey proposition...

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7 / 10.0 - Fly Punch Boom!
May 28, 2020

I don't doubt that coming up with new ways to make competitive fighters/brawlers have a personality all their own and not be accused of being an also-ran clone of an existing property can be difficult, especially if you're aiming for a more mainstream appeal...

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May 27, 2020

As someone who played a ton of the original Missile Command in the arcades and at home (originally on the Atari 5200 and more recently on my MAME cabinet with a trackball controller) I was actually quite excited to see this classic get an upgrade of sorts...

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7 / 10.0 - Ailment
May 27, 2020

There's nothing wrong with a straightforward budget title that sets its sights on a goal and gets there, even if it may not feel terribly flashy or ambitious...

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5.6 / 10.0 - Concept Destruction
May 22, 2020

While admittedly getting the experience right has always tended to be a challenge I'm actually a big fan of destruction derby-style racing...

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9.1 / 10.0 - WHAT THE GOLF?
May 21, 2020

Bless the indie devs that are determined to just completely go off in left field and do something unique...

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8 / 10.0 - Monster Prom XXL
May 21, 2020

In the event your days as a teenager in high school weren’t traumatic enough, and you’re looking to recapture some of the unpredictability and excitement of that time (albeit in a monster-fied form) you may find Monster Prom to your liking...

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May 21, 2020

If you're looking for airborne thrills on the Switch the list is a pretty short one, so for fans of aerial domination should be excited for the arrival of Red Wings on the system...

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May 21, 2020

One quality I admire most of this title is that right from the start it leads with a pretty messed up sense of humor...

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Taking a more casual game base of a hidden object title and trying to elevate it to another level takes some guts, and that’s obviously the goal for the people behind Myths of Orion...

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6.7 / 10.0 - Crypto by POWGI
May 21, 2020

With certain types of word-based puzzles presentation isn't particularly a major concern, it's really just about an accessible and unencumbered experience...

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6.2 / 10.0 - Aqua Lungers
May 21, 2020

When it comes to local multiplayer games I absolutely respect an approach that shoots for simplicity...

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May 21, 2020

Much like the previous title from this game's developer, Friends of Ringo Ishikawa, Arrest of a Stone Buddha may be better defined as a gaming experiment than a traditional game...

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6.8 / 10.0 - Cannibal Cuisine
May 20, 2020

With the astounding success of the Overcooked series it was inevitable that a bunch of other teams would take on culinary local co-op, and one result of those efforts is Cannibal Cuisine...

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May 19, 2020

Over the years there have been a variety of takes on the game of mini golf, ranging from pretty great to lacking...

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May 15, 2020

I’ll admit that when I first started playing this title it was a struggle since there’s a distinct lack of explanation to much of what you need to do...

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6.3 / 10.0 - Thy Sword
May 15, 2020

Throwback-style games are always a mixed bag for me...

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