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!
Making retro games that are meant to emulate the look and feel of key series from platforms past is a tough business...
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It’s that time again to hit the post-apocalyptic world button, which has given us games that range genres from shooters to RPGs to side-scrolling action titles… but how about a puzzle-platformer? Enter Giga Wrecker Alt from the talented folks at Game Freak who are obviously trying out something new and different...
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It’s hard not to have mixed feelings with transplants from the mobile space sometimes...
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Ahh, the kart racer… a genre Nintendo has pretty well defined solo since they got things rolling with the original Mario Kart on the SNES...
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In the world of more casual games one of the subgenres I’ve enjoyed quite a bit over the years has been the puzzle RPG...
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You’ll play as the title dog and your objective is always to find your bone within the level...
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While the audience Rollin’ Eggz is intended for won’t know or understand it the principle gameplay of Rollin’ Eggz is either based on or simply very much like the classic Game & Watch game called Egg...
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For anyone who has played the classic Ice Hockey on the NES (or on Nintendo Online, where it’s currently available) the general idea is easy to understand...
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Right out of the gate (after a nice classic bit of music) anyone should be able to recognize the inspiration of the initial wave in the game, Space Invaders...
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As always the presentation is polished, and the controls are generally responsive and sound...
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Despite my feeling that it lost some steam towards the conclusion, SteamWorld Quest is easy to count among the most polished and engaging games on the system...
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Rocking great 16-bit-ish looks, some great chiptune tracks, and plenty of retro gaming feels Aggelos is definitely a title classic gaming fans should adore...
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If you’ve got a bit of a sick streak this game absolutely delivers great moments that will make you break out your most evil laugh...
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Depending on what you’re looking for Cytus ⍺ may be either a home run or a bit of a swing and a miss...
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In the case of Homo Machina I have mixed feelings, as I’ll give it credit for its novelty...
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Keeping it brief in order to not spoil the deep complexities of the plot you’ll be playing as a young woman whose love for all panties without bias has made her a “Warrior of Love” in a battle for to protect all of humanity...
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Type:Rider is an oddity, as I’m not entirely sure which foot it intended to lead with...
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In the case of Vandals we have a title with pretty pretty cool presentation layered onto what amounts to a relatively generic puzzler with a unique artistic hook of sorts...
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In the game you’ll play as Rufus, a character that falls pretty firmly into the “lovable loser” template who mixes brash overconfidence with a general lack of self-reflection, but who can probably grow on you as you get to know him better...
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Theatre Tales provides a means to enjoy classic fairy tales in a semi-interactive fashion with your kids...
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