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!
Since this is a touchscreen-only title I wasn't able to capture video myself but in general what the game offers is basic enough that the title's simple trailer conveys all you need to know...
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Being only mildly familiar with the Vampire series, but having generally heard good things, I perked up when I heard about this...
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While it's extremely reductive to use comparisons to other games to describe new ones since it quickly paints a picture it is convenient...
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My first admission with this unusual game is that when I spend far too much time up-front waiting for a bunch of story to play out and allow me to really do anything of substance I tend to bore easily...
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One of the great things about indie games is that they can sneak up on you and defy expectations...
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While I’ve played many iterations of DOOM over the years going back to the original shareware the N64 incarnation of it was one that I’d missed out on...
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I'm all for weird and wacky games, especially when you're getting a group of people together for some laughs and fun...
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OK, so here we have an indie platform shooter with a reasonably good look, somewhat cute main character, and what seems like some promise out of the gate...
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I'm always a fan of running into games that tackle a well-known genre mechanic and add a twist, something Factotum 90 does admirably...
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When you think of a racing game, thoughts normally center on head-to-head contests between multiple contestants, but there are other styles and Overpass slots into one of those alternate categories...
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Combat, on the other hand, is more of a mixed bag on the whole...
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This is one of those games where with the elevator pitch alone I was revved up and ready to go...
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While I'm not as massive a fan of Enter the Gungeon as some are (given the choice I'd typically pick Nuclear Throne, but I get why Gungeon is popular) I have a great deal of respect for it and easily count it as one of the top roguelike shooters in the indie space...
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What can I say, if you didn't check out the original iteration of the game on Switch and love Picross-styled puzzles you've really been missing out...
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When it comes to casual games from the previous generation or so that I remember with great fondness, the unique Peggle is one that easily stands out in my mind...
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On several levels this game seems to be incredibly set for success...
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Though it can be a bit reductionist, sometimes the easiest way to convey the essence of a game is to give you an elevator pitch to help out...
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As a huge fan of classic arcade shooters, retro-styled shmups, and pretty well anything shooter in general the Switch has really come through with a ton of variety and options...
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There's no doubt that among the many influential indie games made over time Limbo is pretty high up there...
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Without a ton of viable budget first-person shooters out there on Switch, fans of the genre no doubt are curious about anything that shows up in the eShop fitting that bill...
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