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!
While fans of the franchise or parents may find it to be a safe choice, the quality of play is lacking in some pretty fundamental areas
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Not really a game so much as a very bare bones sandbox creation tool, and the lack of direction and depth falls far short of some contemporaries
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While yet another take on the monster training subgenre, it does manage to differentiate itself, even if not clearly exceeding its peers
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While there’s a nice throwback feel to the exploration and action to a degree, fundamentals like awful aim really take away from the potential for more fun
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For people who loved the original, or who love a very specific challenge, this looks great and plays well… but it offers a very specific flavor of pain
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Distinctly different from its predecessor Dark Descent, it has some narrative pull and tense moments, but if you’re hoping for horror, you’ll need to look elsewhere
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While there’s a fair amount of potential for fun in this asymmetric heist simulator of sorts, inconsistent server availability and reliance on online player availability could make it a risk
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Another roguelike variation on gambling, in this case using a slot machine, that offers up interesting play but ultimately feels ruled by both simplicity and RNG too often to be more consistent fun
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When you’re trying to compete in a crowded genre space, forgettable play and iffy controls don’t help make a great impression
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As we seemingly move into a space where all forms of gambling are mixed up with roguelike concepts, this shows unique promise but doesn’t hit the same playability highs as its competition
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A fun and refreshingly different take on the classic action-adventure formula, with a few unique touches to call its own
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A solid mix of strong characters, great story beats, and surprisingly-engaging action-based combat help this shine
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A somewhat odd cozier take on the Vampire Survivors formula to a degree, but it doesn’t quite work
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An impeccably written, and brutally honest, adventure that explores the anxieties of trying to transition to adulthood
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Runs with the ball from Call of the Sea, including smart and satisfying puzzles, and throws in a fair amount of creepiness and surreal visions to boot
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Takes the over-used bones of a roguelike deckbuilder and gives it more excitement and unpredictability with loads of classes, and satisfying dice-slinging technique
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Another anomaly-hunting walk through the same area over and over, punctuated by periodic jump scares, but dragged down by its ultimate shallowness
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While it does do some work to scratch a combat racing itch, whether it will go to the distance or just be a grind is a fair question
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Very much like its predecessor, there’s something somewhat relaxing about clicking away and developing your garden, but it’s still a very limited experience
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Packs a pretty flashy side-scrolling shooting punch for a very reasonable asking price
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