Justin Nation Avatar Image

Justin Nation

Windsor, PA
The Nindersect
Nindersect

Favorite Games:
  • Rocket League
  • Neon Abyss
  • Wreckfest

4356 games reviewed
70.7 average score
70 median score
43.2% 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!
Oct 1, 2019

While Sniper Elite 2 had a certain visceral thrill to it the way its missions were set up and the fact that when you weren't looking through your scope you felt very vulnerable held it back a bit...

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8.5 / 10.0 - Freedom Finger
Sep 27, 2019

When I originally caught this title at PAX I was drawn in by its sheer attitude, blending together some great voice acting, an abundance of perhaps crude but entertaining humor, and an absolutely kicking soundtrack...

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6.5 / 10.0 - Dreaming Canvas
Sep 27, 2019

Intended as a casual and newbie-friendly title, whether you're young or just not a veteran gamer, Dreaming Canvas lets you walk through several environments and take in their pretty wonderfully soothing atmosphere...

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7.7 / 10.0 - Fight'N Rage
Sep 26, 2019

After many years where the classic beat-em-up wasn't getting much representation indie developers have really begun to rejuvenate the genre...

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Sep 26, 2019

While the first game tackled the journey of the Horseman War, this time around you'll be taking control of his "brother" Death...

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Sep 26, 2019

With the abundance of platforming options on the Switch it can take some effort to stand out from the crowd and make an impression...

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7 / 10.0 - Cyber Protocol
Sep 26, 2019

Helping to prove that there can be far more to a game than what it looks like Cyber Protocol was a title that seemed simple at a glimpse but once I got going with it quickly got me hooked...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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