Justin Nation Avatar Image

Justin Nation

Windsor, PA
The Nindersect
Nindersect

Favorite Games:
  • Rocket League
  • Neon Abyss
  • Wreckfest

4491 games reviewed
70.8 average score
71 median score
43.6% 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!
Dec 7, 2021

While there are many excellent story-driven titles in the Switch eShop, the tendency is more usually on grand tales or bold accomplishments than fleshed out characters that feel authentic...

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6.5 / 10.0 - Beyond a Steel Sky
Dec 7, 2021

Having never played the original, but certainly having played my fair share of old-school adventure titles, Beyond a Steel Sky definitely has an authentic feel consistent with the classic era but with some more modern trappings...

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6.5 / 10.0 - Ever Forward
Dec 7, 2021

With its interesting mix of both naturalistic and harshly sparse aesthetics, a slowly-unfolding and somewhat sad story of a young girl and her very distracted mother, and unusual and stealthy puzzles Ever Forward does make an impression...

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7.5 / 10.0 - 6Souls
Dec 3, 2021

When you’re looking for something to kill some hours on a budget it’s really easy to appreciate the ability of the indie gaming space to deliver some fun on the cheap...

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Dec 3, 2021

While there have been quite a variety of point-and-click adventures on the Switch to date, they’ve mostly been of a more humorous nature...

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7.1 / 10.0 - Word Forward
Dec 3, 2021

While word games of this sort are probably better suited to play on a mobile device, when the challenge is there and the price is at least reasonable it's hard to begrudge a title like Way Forward...

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Dec 3, 2021

As someone who has taken my family to Disney World annually (sometimes more than once) for the past 16 years (in fact, we just returned this past weekend, love the holiday decorations) I absolutely have a love for the magic of Disney and its characters...

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Dec 2, 2021

While the genre struggled in the early days on the Switch, the beat-em-up has proven to be alive and well on the Switch, including some titles I'd consider genre-defining that have arrived over the last 2 years...

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8 / 10.0 - Archvale
Dec 2, 2021

This is just one of those titles that’s hard to describe in a way that gives it justice, a sort of retro-looking twin-stick slasher/shooter adventure that has some RPG elements, and will involve you needing to periodically do some intense dodging...

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7.9 / 10.0 - Mail Mole
Dec 2, 2021

There's no doubt that releasing a 3D platformer on a console that Mario built (and currently has quite a few titles out on as well) takes some guts, and while Mail Mole can't be considered up on the high tier that franchise occupies it also has some charm and mass appeal that help it to be at least notable...

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6.8 / 10.0 - Castle on the Coast
Dec 2, 2021

This is simply an odd title that inspires some feelings of nostalgia for early 3D platforming, which can be a good thing, but that also then feels weirdly out of place as a new game on modern consoles...

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7.2 / 10.0 - Little Bug
Nov 26, 2021

Possibly one of the more unusual titles I've played in quite some time, Little Bug mixes together sometimes-tricky platforming, some physics-based elements where you're slinging yourself around, and an unusual story involving a girl trying to track down the elusive cat spirit she encounters and calls Roadkill...

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7.1 / 10.0 - Date Night Bowling
Nov 26, 2021

Conceptually this is simply a cool idea, offering a mix of a traditional bowling game with a sort of a stripped-down dating game...

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6.4 / 10.0 - Night Lights
Nov 26, 2021

This is simply one of the more unusual puzzle-oriented games I've played in quite some time, and that's both a good and bad thing...

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6.1 / 10.0 - Real Boxing 2
Nov 26, 2021

The sheer lack of fighting games on the Switch, let alone games representing boxing specifically, certainly opens the door to opportunity for developers determined to give it a shot...

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5.1 / 10.0 - Crazy Trucks
Nov 26, 2021

Before beginning this review I'll note that, in principle, there's nothing wrong with an arcade-style racer whose controls are a bit loose and wild... in fact, they can sometimes be fun...

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Weirdo physics games are definitely their own thing, probably best championed by the reigning king of the genre, the Goat Simulator series...

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6.8 / 10.0 - Armed to the Gears
Nov 25, 2021

Who doesn't like a game where you're in control of a mech, armed with guns and missiles capable of tearing some stuff up? Well, before getting too excited you'll want to know this particular title is in need of some parts and maybe an overhaul in places...

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5.8 / 10.0 - Poker Club
Nov 24, 2021

While gambling-oriented games, whether straight cards of some kind or casino, are generally pretty niche I will admit that every once in a while one will stand out and catch my attention...

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8.8 / 10.0 - Death's Door
Nov 23, 2021

Opening with a pretty minimal understanding of what's going on, Death's Door gets off to a bit of a rocky start...

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