Justin Nation Avatar Image

Justin Nation

Windsor, PA
The Nindersect
Nindersect

Favorite Games:
  • Rocket League
  • Neon Abyss
  • Wreckfest

4483 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!
6.4 / 10.0 - Bone Marrow
Aug 6, 2021

Taking the basic premise of mobile puzzlers like 2048 or Threes, Bone Marrow tries to throw in a little value-added RPG-ish feels to spice things up...

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6.3 / 10.0 - Zengeon
Aug 6, 2021

Starting Zengeon up there's a feel of real promise with a great animated opener, distinctive characters, and everything exuding a sense of style...

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5.3 / 10.0 - Spelunker HD Deluxe
Aug 6, 2021

While I had heard tales of the infamous Spelunker games and their inexplicably bad controls, until now I had never had the opportunity to experience them for myself...

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9.5 / 10.0 - Dodgeball Academia
Aug 5, 2021

While I’ll admit that when you mention a game with the name “dodgeball” right in the title you already have my attention, bear in mind that doesn’t make me an easy guarantee for positive feelings about the result...

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If you're a puzzle gaming fan, you're probably well-acquainted with the Picross franchise...

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8.7 / 10.0 - Haven Park
Aug 5, 2021

As much of an action and shooting game junkie as I am, looking for games that challenge me and provide thrills, a great game that moves in the precisely opposite direction can very much grab me...

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Aug 5, 2021

One thing I've learned over the years as someone both on the programming end of software and on the consumer end is that creating experiences that are "simple" by nature is often anything but...

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Aug 5, 2021

Games where dogfighting takes a central sort of role have been around for quite some time, and while there are some stand-out excellent titles like Everspace out there that can give you that fix on Switch they still feel few and far between...

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7 / 10.0 - Doomsday Vault
Aug 5, 2021

Hopefully not accurately depicting our future, in Doomsday Vault you’re tasked with working to recover precious unique plants and their seeds in order to help preserve them and to hopefully turn things around...

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7 / 10.0 - Dreamscaper
Aug 5, 2021

As a bit of a roguelike action/shooter junkie I'm always fascinated to see new titles come into the fold that are determined to do things their own unique way...

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Aug 5, 2021

As I've stated many times I'm a big fan of classic arcade shooting so when titles take that style of play and run with it, trying to add in some new spice, I'm always down to check it out...

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6.4 / 10.0 - Smashroom
Aug 5, 2021

As you'd expect on a Nintendo system, there are loads of side-scrolling platformers of all styles and levels of quality...

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Aug 4, 2021

In order to liven up the classic tower defense-style strategy game, a number of developers have taken a crack at adding an active combat component to things...

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7 / 10.0 - Ayo the Clown
Jul 30, 2021

https://www.nindiespotlight.com/game_profile.cfm?game=ayo-the-clown-switch

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Jul 30, 2021

This minimalist, and quite challenging, platformer will absolutely make you a bit crazy if your goal isn't just to complete tough levels but also do so in an insanely limited amount of time...

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6.7 / 10.0 - Bustafellows
Jul 30, 2021

Right out of the gate I'll admit I'm a bit lost in trying to summarize the Bustafellows experience, but regardless I won't deny it has style and attitude to burn...

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6.3 / 10.0 - Apple Slash
Jul 30, 2021

With its minimalist art and color scheme, Apple Slash certainly does look distinctive...

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Jul 30, 2021

Games that are effectively walking simulators that double as a sort of horror experience have somehow become quite a consistent thing in the Switch eShop and I'm never quite sure how to feel about them...

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8.5 / 10.0 - Skydrift Infinity
Jul 29, 2021

One of the subgenres I’ll say I’m most disappointed having seen ride off into the sunset in recent generations is combat racing...

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8 / 10.0 - B.ARK
Jul 29, 2021

What can I say, when you throw some cute pups into a game you’ve got my attention...

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