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!
A paltry sum of 2 very similar versions of the same game, each with the same general shortcomings, does not a collection make
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While it has a definite 90’s racing vibe, and some niche drifting appeal, it’s also a bit too narrowly-focused and limited to garner greater attention
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Boasting a mix of gardening sim and organizational elements, Urban Jungle has potential, but also feels like it loses the thread of its appeal in some regards
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Working as a faster-paced take on deckbuilding roguelikes, opting for a swipe-left-or-right mechanic over meticulous planning, this works reasonably well
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Comes at you with a distinctive take on generational trauma and puzzle platforming where fundamentals don’t always work as well as they should
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While absolutely the most ambitious title in the series, that also doesn’t always seem to work in the game’s favor
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While the action can be a bit slight, there’s an amusing enough story and novel gameplay to make it a decent choice for cozy gaming fans
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While this is absolutely a far superior version of the game to play versus its original Switch port, in the gameplay department it’s still an acquired taste
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A really pleasant surprise of a budget-priced game that delivers smart 3D platforming and some creative building to accentuate play
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While not breaking away from the initial reboot title enough to demonstrate a clear evolution, it still plays brilliantly on the Switch 2 and is a rock-solid good time
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While featuring a pretty wide assortment of crime-solving equipment, the need to constantly go back and forth, some lack of clarity, and clumsy controls do the experience no favors
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Playing out as a pretty basic platformer, with little to distinguish itself beyond its weirdly amorous main character, there’s not much to get excited about here
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Aside from not being convinced that this vertical shooter holds its ground well against a load of solid competitors, the storyline including domestic abuse really took the wind out of my sails
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While its enthusiasm and positivity can be infectious, and there’s a carefree silliness to it all, not everything you do is executed that well, so it stumbles at times
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Helping to make a case for cozy survival games being a thing, a lack of mortal dangers and a few surprises along the way make this a more casual crafting good time if that’s what you seek
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Aside from the billed escape room-type puzzles often feeling poorly set up, the opening scene where you meet your character really gets caring about him off to a horrible start
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While there has been a slight change in scenery, this follow-up edition of this cozy cat-loving puzzler remains middling at best
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Looking and playing like an old web-based Flash game (or worse), this helps to define the rock bottom of platformers on the eShop
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While the game’s sense of humor and its visual style are fun, the old-school “click things until you accidentally succeed” sensibilities make it tough to enjoy
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While sharing multiple elements with the Coffee Talk titles, this franchise manages to have a distinct feel of its own worthy of some attention in its own right
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