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 mix of old titles with distinctive (and sometimes spicy) art, one that plays reasonably well, and the other that’s a bit more of a floaty mess
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While you can see the bones of good game here, and some likely inspirations, the net result can feel like it’s standing in its own way to greater success
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While the game has an interesting mystery to be solved, and plays well enough, there’s also just a lot of walking around and satisfying pretty basic quests which gets tiresome
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Sort of taking a page from the classic Dungeon Keeper 2, you’ll play the part of an entity in control of a haunted house, protecting its heart and dealing with unwanted guests
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While there’s some appeal in a simplified zombie shooter, this runs out of steam pretty quickly
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There’s something to this formula, out on the road and trying to make your way, that’s interesting, but it can feel very random and doesn’t explain all of its elements well
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If you were a fan of the likes of Myst back in the day, Quern has some qualities that will feel familiar
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Takes a base of many smart puzzle mechanics, experiments with mixing them together, and pulls together an overarching puzzle adventure in the process full of challenges… if you stick with it
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While it has a certain amount of old-school arcade appeal, it fails to do much more than repeat itself while getting just a little harder, making it quickly forgettable
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Taking what worked well in Shadow of Mordor, refining it, and then adding in a load of included DLC content, this is a package with depth of play that’s hard to ignore
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Full of great references, whimsy, and creativity, this remains an outstanding platformer even by today’s standards
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Not bad for a budget-friendly and pretty accessible classic platformer, but it’s pretty basic
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While I admire the game’s positivity, spirit, and variety, in execution it also feels a bit uneven
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As a fan of dice-based games and roguelikes of various kinds, this has some appeal, but I’ll admit it’s also in the zone of games where I can be successful, but don’t always know why
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For fans of the Tolkien universe, or who just love well-made action titles that put up a challenge and play incredibly well, this and its sequel are well worth a look
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This cute budget mix of simple puzzles and platforming is pleasant enough, but lacking in anything that helps it to be memorable
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A bit of an unusual top-down action title intended for challenging co-op play, it works, but it’s also likely going to be very niche
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While this harkens back to the likes of early simulation titles, a lack of overall depth and a technical concern hold it back
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Playing solo, or especially trying to partner with someone else, this is an exercise in pain and frustration if that’s what you’re seeking
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While very pleasant, and generally feeling pretty distinct with its mix of exploration and puzzle-solving, the somewhat loose controls and some quirks keep it from being better
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