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!
Factory construction and automation games have been "a thing" and pretty popular in the PC space for quite some time now...
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Since there's a general lack of racing games on Switch, in particular those that aren't cart racers of some kind, it's always good to see another option available...
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While the beat-em-up was an arcade and early console staple in more recent years it hasn't had much representation...
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While its budget price and cute pixel art looks may call to you I'd say it is worth taking the time to check out Mochi Mochi Boy a bit before you consider picking it up...
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The definite stand-out title of the week is Etherborn, a gorgeous, challenging, and somewhat mind-bending 3D environmental puzzler...
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Delivering gameplay somewhere between an endless runner and a space flight simulator, Lost Orbit: Terminal Velocity is a pretty unique, and at times challenging, experience...
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Who doesn't love a decent action-RPG dungeon crawler where you can explore, kill, loot, and work out puzzles? Quest Hunter has most of those elements present, and it's great that you can party up with others for sure, but its main problem is that from top to bottom the experience just feels so vanilla...
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This is a title I've had my eye on since it initially hit early access on PC where I struggled to find the fun and had put it down in the hopes that on final release it would all come together...
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Without a doubt 3D platforming has a tendency to be a train wreck when implemented poorly...
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As a huge fan of the classic arcade run n' gun shooters I hold Contra in very high regard, so it's always a thrill when someone manages to put out a title that can give it a run for its money...
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With an abundance of puzzle games of all styles and flavors it is undoubtedly hard to make yourself stand out...
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Eye-searing colors and a lack of much variety make this a pretty short-lived diversion
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Having been previously introduced to the, shall I say "jiggly", nature of the Senran Kagura series a while back when a new title featuring pinball-style gameplay was announced it made me laugh and I knew I'd have to check it out...
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Among the genres with no lack of stellar representation on the Switch, Metroidvanias are pretty high on the list...
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If you're seeking third-person shooting action with a healthy dose of destructions peppered in while this title may show its overall age it can still offer up some fun...
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Ugh, there are just some games that you can't understand being released on Switch...
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I'm a bit torn on this one as I have fond memories of playing Combat way back on my Atari 2600...
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While I haven’t played a wrestling game in years, back in the day it was fun to throw down with some buddies for some arcade-style mat action...
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While there have been a few big robots battling in space games on Switch to date none of them have quite clicked for me...
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Let's face it, there are simply a ton of shmups on the Switch and they come in all shapes and sizes...
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