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!
7.3 / 10.0 - Dead by Daylight
Sep 24, 2019

Conceptually I'm a big fan of asymmetric multiplayer, and am always eager to see how another team has tried to tackle this tricky formula...

Read full review

The Dark Forces and Jedi Knight series from yesteryear are often spoken of fondly by vintage gamer enthusiasts, and to a degree you can understand why...

Read full review

9.1 / 10.0 - Untitled Goose Game
Sep 20, 2019

Bless indie developers and their ability to come up with weird concepts for gameplay that you probably never considered but upon seeing them are easily attracted to...

Read full review

6.8 / 10.0 - Niffelheim
Sep 20, 2019

Survival games have made their presence known on the Switch and have taken on a pretty wide variety of forms from casual to more hardcore...

Read full review

6.6 / 10.0 - Petoons Party
Sep 20, 2019

When making a family-friendly party game for a Nintendo system there's good news and bad news...

Read full review

6.5 / 10.0 - Zenith
Sep 20, 2019

Billed as an action RPG mixing traditional mechanics with a healthy dose of humor in concept Zenith sounds pretty solid...

Read full review

Though at times not feeling like much of a game Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse at least manages to deliver an experience that includes some laughs...

Read full review

Sep 19, 2019

While fans of the old school original game likely won’t even need to read this review, it’s worth noting that though some elements of this classic from the DS may be a little behind the current curve you can still easily see how it blazed a trail for the concept of a Match-3 Battle RPG genre...

Read full review

7.5 / 10.0 - Lost Castle
Sep 19, 2019

As a huge fan of both beat-em-ups and roguelikes this game is a bit like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup game for me, mixing things up to create a challenging and surprisingly varied package...

Read full review

Sep 19, 2019

This exploration horror title in many regards plays similarly to the Amnesia Collection but has a decidedly more Eastern theme and feel...

Read full review

7.1 / 10.0 - Inferno 2
Sep 19, 2019

As a huge fan of arcade-style twin-stick shooters any game raising its hand as being part of that genre immediately has my attention...

Read full review

6.5 / 10.0 - Police Stories
Sep 19, 2019

Tactical shooters are typically an acquired taste as they require a slow and steady approach over diving in with guns blazing...

Read full review

Sep 17, 2019

When it comes to reasonably-prices platformers typically retro pixel art games are what comes to mind, but in the case of Jet Kave Adventures you get a little more visual bang for your buck...

Read full review

Sep 13, 2019

If you’re either a massive Star Wars or pinball fan you can stop reading the review now and just buy this… rest assured, they’ve got you covered...

Read full review

7.2 / 10.0 - CHOP
Sep 13, 2019

While the Switch and independent developers have certainly helped bring about the full return of local competitive multiplayer action the result can, at times, feel like a very mixed blessing...

Read full review

Sep 13, 2019

One of the more interesting aspects of the full-on return of the classic point-and-click adventure genre is that indie developers have really explored using it as a vehicle for using that base and telling interesting stories with it...

Read full review

Going old school can be a risky proposition at times, but when it is done right the results can be rewarding as well as nostalgic (at least for people like me)...

Read full review

Sep 12, 2019

If you're into horror games or at least watching streamers play horror games there's a good chance you're already familiar with at least one of the titles in this collection...

Read full review

7.2 / 10.0 - Golazo!
Sep 12, 2019

The lack of raw numbers, let alone variety, in the sports game genre has no doubt been a letdown...

Read full review

7.1 / 10.0 - Newt One
Sep 12, 2019

While the Switch certainly has some noteworthy family-friendly titles that isn't to say they're available in great abundance...

Read full review