Justin Nation Avatar Image

Justin Nation

Windsor, PA
The Nindersect
Nindersect

Favorite Games:
  • Rocket League
  • Neon Abyss
  • Wreckfest

4345 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!
Apr 13, 2018

For the most part this is a purely multiplayer-focused title, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing...

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6 / 10.0 - Burly Men At Sea
Apr 12, 2018

Burly Men At Sea isn’t something that’s going to light the eShop on fire or likely excite people, it’s selling an experience far more than anything else. That said I could see it being a hit with the right audience, and yet another casual-friendly option on the system to help widen the console’s appeal. If you’re looking for a change of pace and something that you can simply enjoy exploring all of the variations in story with it’s not a bad pick up.

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6.5 / 10.0 - Gal*Gun 2
Apr 12, 2018

Over the course of playing the game I will say I was impressed with the fact that even though it very obviously is targeted at a specific audience who’d probably buy it regardless underneath it all there’s a reasonably decent game. It may be a bit repetitive but then again most shooters are in some way. Some stages, especially the ones where you’re trying to find the mini-figures, are actually pretty challenging and if you’re not on top of your game you will fail missions. Though the story takes some really odd turns and may turn things a bit too uncomfortable for some people there’s also a notable effort to try to make something out of the hodge podge of ideas and themes in the game, again doing a better job than I would have imagined for a game like this. Gal*Gun 2 is by no means a by-the-numbers thin veneer of a game on top of a bunch of pervy and weird stuff, which it likely could have gotten away with. Instead it is a middle-of-the-road game with decent mechanics that just happens to have a bunch of stuff that you wouldn’t want to be caught playing in public or by any of your loved ones. It’s very actively not a game that’s appropriate for everyone but I give it credit for indeed being a legitimate game in its own right.

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Apr 12, 2018

What may or may not add appeal, depending on both availability and your preference, is that this game can be played with other people...

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Apr 12, 2018

Since Generations is actually composed of 4 different experiences we’ll start with the core game, Shelter 2, which is the main event...

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What you’ll find as you play is that while you can certainly work through enemies one by one the key to success is getting them into groups and killing multiples at once...

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8 / 10.0 - Skies Of Fury DX
Apr 12, 2018

While we'll overlook the fact that for the most part it utterly ignores gravity as you loop through the air, Skies of Fury DX is an excellent and often exciting dogfighting game...

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Apr 12, 2018

Given its very reasonable price, overall weirdness, and intense bursts of excitement #Breakforcist Battle is a pretty entertaining variation on the classic Breakout...

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Starting out the game with only the game’s main character Wilson as an option you’ll find yourself dropped into the wilderness with pretty well nothing and not a whole lot of direction...

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Apr 10, 2018

All that said Super Daryl Deluxe is a pretty substantial (easily in the 20+ hour range), challenging, action-packed, boss-filled, weird and wild adventure-action-rpg-metroidvania. Its hilariously odd soundtrack is a labor of “Daryl”-filled love, its art is like something straight out of a trippy comic book and yet looks great in motion, and it has more jokes and feel-good nods than you’d believe. Just like its title character there’s much more to Super Daryl Deluxe than some video or this review can fully convey, and its a trip (perhaps acid?) well worth taking.

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9 / 10.0 - Bombslinger
Apr 10, 2018

Overall, Bombslinger is one of those titles where it feels like a crime if the world isn’t shouting from the rooftops about how much fun it is. Seeing only a few screenshots and a short description the possible impression would be that it’s merely a pixel art Bomberman clone and that’s a pity. Flat out, Bombslinger absolutely puts all attempts at the single-player Bomberman experience to shame, and confirms the sneaking suspicion I’ve had for years that the potential was always there for it to be much better than it was. Throw in a great generally classic multiplayer mode and the package is a real winner!

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7 / 10.0 - The Bunker
Apr 9, 2018

Since it isn’t a very long experience (maybe 2 - 3 hours, total) I suppose you could go back through to try to find everything or see how it could play out differently but I found my one run to be satisfying enough. Overall, if you’re down for an experience in this bleak sort of setting, with a story that intrigues and an outcome that may telegraph a bit but is still interesting to watch unfold, The Bunker is a very different kind of experience you haven’t yet had on the Switch.

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8.5 / 10.0 - The Adventure Pals
Apr 8, 2018

It’s likely any and all criticism of the game would be centered either on the cutesy nature of it all or its more modest level of difficulty but given the abundance of brutally-hard platformers on the system already The Adventure Pals is a welcome change of pace. While it can easily be enjoyed as a solo experience the inclusion of co-op in the game is a great touch, and given its more modest overall difficulty it would seem perfectly suited to being played with someone younger or less experienced. If you’re able to play the game without cracking a smile at the sheer joy of it all you may be dead inside.

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6.5 / 10.0 - INFERNIUM
Apr 8, 2018

While Infernium presents itself very well, has a certain unique sense of ambiance, and can certainly be conquered given careful observation, its trial-and-error nature and pacing will likely lead to polar opposite reactions in people. For people who enjoy the puzzle adventure aspect, exploring the spaces and working out an optimal path to success while staying a few steps ahead of doom it may scratch an itch. Unfortunately I would imagine for just about anyone else it will likely be an exercise in frustration and burn through the patience of people hoping for more immediate gratification. Just be sure to go into the experience with the proper expectations and you’ll improve your chances of enjoying it.

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Apr 5, 2018

Overall, if you’re looking for something fast and fun to play with your friends Super Rocket Shootout can be a lot of fun. While it has a few quirks, and perhaps has nuance most people will likely throw away in the heat of battle, the variety in stages and options to tune the battle settings are a value add that’s appreciated. Pick your character, grab some items, and commence the shooting of faces and other body parts!

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Apr 5, 2018

Overall, though the lack of competition in this specific space give Urban Trial Playground some appeal be warned that its a relatively lackluster affair. With courses that never really get very technical it lacks a satisfying challenge on that level and the general lack of variety in stunts fails to scratch that itch as well. What remains is a collection of courses for you to clear with gameplay that quickly becomes repetitive and a bit dull. It can make you work hard to be successful, and force you to repeat the same course multiple times to work out the kinks, but without room for much variety its sadly lacking in fun.

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What it all boils down to is that there are 10 very picturesque Japanese landscapes featured for you to make puzzles from...

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8 / 10.0 - Sling Ming
Apr 4, 2018

It’s always a joy to see something new and different arrive to check out and Sling Ming really fits that bill. Not quite like anything else I’ve played to date Ming herself it an entertaining character making her way through a pretty tough collection of levels that really make you work. Mixing basic problem-solving with more physics-based conceptual challenges with momentum it has a style all its own and is entertaining (though sometimes frustrating) throughout.

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Apr 3, 2018

Though at its core PPP is a top-down brawler what it does differently is introduce a healthy dose of capitalism to the mix...

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Apr 2, 2018

Overall I’ll say I was pleasantly surprised by this title, and it has far more redeeming qualities than its adult-skewed content. Once I got immersed in this world and met my first bad end I was quick to give it another go, to try to find the combination of actions that would improve my outcome. While I was able to trigger different story elements and I thought I was in the clear on my second run it turned out that, in general, I’d been a very bad boy in the past and that path had it all catching up to me. In general I’m a fan of the noir style so while on its surface some of the content can seem excessive within the context of the story they’re telling it at least seems pretty natural. While there are better puzzle games out there the story is what makes or breaks the game above all else, and it is a fairly satisfying one.

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