Justin Nation Avatar Image

Justin Nation

Windsor, PA
The Nindersect
Nindersect

Favorite Games:
  • Rocket League
  • Neon Abyss
  • Wreckfest

4353 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!
8 / 10.0 - FAR: Lone Sails
Aug 18, 2019

This is one of those titles where I walked into the experience not really knowing much about it, being surprised by it being something quite different, and coming away very impressed...

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6.2 / 10.0 - Gravity Duck
Aug 16, 2019

Sporting a relatively simple premise with a weird twist on gravity shifting, in that there are spots where you will shift 90 degrees to walk on the walls as well, Gravity Duck is a decent but not amazing budget puzzler...

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Aug 15, 2019

When a game starts up showing a warning that establishes it isn’t meant to hold your hand I’ll admit my “Ruh Roh Raggy” meter tends to go off the charts...

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Aug 14, 2019

Contrasting pretty heavily with the likes of Milkmaid of the Milky Way from earlier in the list we have this entry in the Edna & Harvey series...

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8 / 10.0 - Exception
Aug 13, 2019

As a massive fan who has always loved the movie TRON you know that a game set inside a computer where you play a warrior of sorts who must overcome enemies and obstacles to succeed will get my attention...

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Though I've always been a fan of the concept of asymmetric multiplayer games (a game where you're not playing with evenly-balanced sides, one side will be more powerful but less numerous) there's no denying they aren't for everyone...

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7 / 10.0 - Never Give Up
Aug 13, 2019

Ever since Super Meat Boy hit the indie scene developers have been scrambling to recapture the addicting and aggravating qualities that can make almost constant failure and punishment engaging...

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Aug 13, 2019

This may be about as niche a title as I've played on the Switch, and yet as someone who has assembled my own PC from scratch more than a few times, I'm happy to say that PC Building Simulator absolutely delivers the authentic goods...

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7 / 10.0 - #RaceDieRun
Aug 9, 2019

Filling a space somewhere between a racing game and an endless runner we have #RaceDieRun, a game that can sometimes hit a satisfying groove but that is also just a bit odd...

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6.5 / 10.0 - Sagebrush
Aug 9, 2019

With an isolated setting in what appears to be an abandoned compound of a religious group Sagebrush is all about a slowly unraveling mystery to discover what happened...

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Damn RPG lovers, the Switch has been a terrific return to Nintendo fully delivering a variety of options in this genre...

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7.4 / 10.0 - Pix the Cat
Aug 8, 2019

Classic arcade action fans who appreciate a game focused on chasing high scores will likely get a kick out of Pix the Cat...

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Aug 8, 2019

I've been a fan of the space dogfighter/shooter genre since way back in the day when it was pretty well defined by the Wing Commander series...

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7 / 10.0 - Grave Keeper
Aug 8, 2019

In principle this should be a solid and entertaining game, combining twin-stick shooting with hack-and-slash combat as you work through waves of enemies and bosses...

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Aug 8, 2019

Starting with the elevator pitch, a game mixing up a rhythm game with a beat-em-up, Terrorhythm had my interest...

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Aug 8, 2019

This variant take on the classic arcade shooter ala Space Invaders and others keeps things pretty simple but as you progress manages to consistently change things up a bit...

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6.4 / 10.0 - Tap Skaters
Aug 8, 2019

One button action games always have a very mobile feel to them but Tap Skaters in particular feels like an experience far better suited to your phone or tablet than the dedicated Switch...

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7.5 / 10.0 - Quench
Aug 7, 2019

This is a title I initially checked out at PAX East and it made enough of an impression I was excited to get a chance to play more of it...

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6.7 / 10.0 - Damsel
Aug 7, 2019

When you envision what a game that involves killing vampires and saving innocent humans would play out like you're probably figuring on something high on intensity and action...

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6.1 / 10.0 - The Forbidden Arts
Aug 7, 2019

The pitch of a side-scrolling adventure where you'll use elemental powers to combat evil is always a good start, but while The Forbidden Arts has some flourishes in places for the most part it unfortunately fizzles...

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