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!
Aside from it feeling like it may take its sweet time to hit its stride Octogeddon works in a satisfying manner both in terms of being an action and a strategy game...
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Fans of classic animes in particular are likely very familiar with giant robot mechs battling it out in intense flurries of laser fire and missiles...
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Survival games tend to not be for the impatient or faint at heart as it is, so when you start one up and it literally tells you that it won’t hold your hand it’s hard not to be a bit nervous...
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While I wouldn’t say Undead Horde is a revelation of any kind it does scratch a middle-of-the-road strategy itch and there aren’t many titles on the Switch like it...
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Redout is a pretty impressive racing experience that does a great job of conveying speed...
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When it comes to first-person shooters there’s no denying that the pickings are pretty thin on the whole...
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With game series like Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, God of War, and more out there raking in consistent cash it’s easy to see why people would try to tackle the hack-and-slash adventure genre...
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OK, so I’ve played some really awful games before, ones that have had serious bugs or gameplay that made no sense, but never anything like Car Trader...
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To the game’s credit, the monsters tend to be quite unique and it can be tricky...
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If there was one major series that would seem to be a great fit for play on the go and the Switch it would be Grand Theft Auto...
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I’ll give indie games credit, they can come out of left field and surprise you at times...
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With indie games it can be tricky sometimes, as games that can appear to be quite plain can pack a surprise punch if you give them a chance...
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In terms of downsides I’d say there aren’t many with the primary concern being whether you’re looking for something that’s heavily story and lore-driven or not...
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When it comes to racing on Switch, there’s no doubt that Mario Kart is the king...
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There’s no doubt that if you’re looking for a pretty mindless sandbox where you can enjoy blowing things up, getting into gunfights, and generally being a menace Shakedown: Hawaii provides you with ample opportunities for just that...
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Time management games were all the rage in the mobile and even the PC space for a little while, and they can be fun for a little while, but more often than not returning to them now many titles are stuck in the past and show little signs of effort to evolve...
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Tower defense titles are extremely common in the mobile space (for good reason, they’re well-suited to touchscreen controls), and have found success, but can sometimes be lacking on the more dedicated Switch...
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For people who revel in the challenge of making the most of what you’re given in shooter form Black Paradox is a rock solid challenge and should excite...
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