Tyler "TJ" Jackson

In Their Own Words

My love affair with gaming started the second I hit power on an NES and that Super Mario Bros. theme kicked in. But the original Final Fantasy is what truly hooked me. The moment I realized games could tell stories and build worlds, not just test reflexes, everything changed. I got so obsessed I taught myself enough Japanese to import and play the titles we never got stateside. While American kids were waiting for localized releases that wouldn't come for years, I was grinding through FF II, III, and V on imported Super Famicom cartridges with a dictionary next to me. I still remember getting stuck on the Archeoaevis fight in the Ronka Ruins, translating spell descriptions one by one to figure out the weakness. That changes how you think about games. Permanently.

Four decades later, I've played across every generation, every platform and more genres than most people know exist. That gives me something younger reviewers lack: perspective. I can tell you whether a "groundbreaking" new mechanic is actually groundbreaking or just something Squaresoft did better in '94. I still get excited about new releases, too. That hasn't faded. But I respect your time and your money, and hype doesn't cloud my judgment. If a launch is broken or a beloved series has lost its way, I'll say it bluntly. That's not negativity. That's the bar.

Nina Alvarez handles the community and esports side of things here. She practically lives in FFXIV these days, while I still think the soul of the series is back on the NES, and we go around about it more than we should. You ever play the original Final Fantasy? The NES one? If you haven't, we should talk.

What I Cover

Connections

• Works alongside Nina Alvarez in Gaming