Justin Nation Avatar Image

Justin Nation

Windsor, PA
The Nindersect
Nindersect

Favorite Games:
  • Rocket League
  • Neon Abyss
  • Wreckfest

4727 games reviewed
70.7 average score
71 median score
43.8% 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!
7.4 / 10.0 - Mom Hid My Game! 2
Apr 28, 2021

Taking the baton directly from the original quirky point-and-click puzzler released some time ago, Mom Hid My Game 2 definitely adopts a policy of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and that's both a good and bad thing...

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6.4 / 10.0 - The Skylia Prophecy
Apr 23, 2021

Making throwback games has got to be a difficult proposition, especially when trying to find a balance between classic and modern sensibilities...

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Having been a gamer all the way back to the days of Zork and text-based adventures I'm a fan of games that evoke nostalgic charm...

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5.7 / 10.0 - EQI
Apr 23, 2021

When you're working in the budget gaming space it can be tricky to define a fair basis for expectations, but while a lower asking price can make room for being more forgiving you can still sense when things have sort of run off the rails...

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8.8 / 10.0 - Picross S6
Apr 22, 2021

The Picross series has been around for so long at some point that it has become a sort of puzzle game staple, but that can also make people a bit numb to it...

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8 / 10.0 - Smelter
Apr 22, 2021

Appropriately named, as it combines elements of multiple styles of gaming, Smelter is a game that defies a simple explanation...

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Apr 22, 2021

Just from its pretty unusual title you could guess this will be a bit of an oddball ride, and though its length and depth are a little lacking there's no doubt that Turnip Boy and his many associates bring a unique flavor to mostly traditional play...

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Apr 22, 2021

Featuring anthropomorphic buildings who have many of the same quirks, cliques, and pet peeves that their human occupants do, there's no doubt Buildings Have Feelings Too is a bit odd...

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Apr 22, 2021

When you've got a crowded eShop first impressions can be everything, so when you struggle with a title right out of the gate it can be tough to recover...

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6.3 / 10.0 - Mystic Fate
Apr 22, 2021

At first glance the voxel-based dungeons (though perhaps a bit sparse on detail) and puzzle-like elements of working your way through in Mystic Date are at least interesting...

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While fighting games have been around for quite some time, and each franchise certainly has its own signature feel, there are certain constants gamers have come to expect...

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5.8 / 10.0 - Bamerang
Apr 22, 2021

Local multiplayer is certainly back with a vengeance on Switch, but for developers an unfortunate side effect of this fact is that even in the budget space you need to bring an "A Game" experience to make an impression...

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Apr 22, 2021

In my mind stealth-type games are tough to truly get right but when they come together the right way they offer up a very satisfying mix of strategy, tension, and even some action...

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7 / 10.0 - World Splitter
Apr 21, 2021

When you start talking about twin-stick controls the shooter maniac in me instantly thinks of shooting but in World Splitter my favorite control scheme is put through new paces with a puzzle platformer instead...

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Apr 16, 2021

Certainly the puzzle genre, in general, has been quite well-represented on the Switch...

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7.5 / 10.0 - Hitchhiker
Apr 15, 2021

As the definition of what’s a game has continued to evolve and diversify over the years we’ve seen increasingly creative titles enter the space...

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7.5 / 10.0 - Rain on Your Parade
Apr 15, 2021

While most people spend so much of their lives consciously trying to be kind and courteous with others that isn’t to say they can’t have a mean streak in them...

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The classic point-and-click adventure Renaissance is really quite a thing to witness, and it is quirky and funny titles that The Darkside Detective that help not just to keep that spirit alive by existing, but by being a genuinely good time as well...

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If you're a fan of hidden object and puzzle games there has been a rash of releases of late so you'll have plenty of options, for sure...

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Apr 15, 2021

There's a challenge in the indie space, since top-quality and deep titles don't typically carry a premium price, so even games that are more modestly priced don't get much of a shield when it comes to quality and polish...

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