OtisTDog

Top 25 Reviewer
Member since February 27, 2008
Last visited May 16, 2025
Profile ID (TUID): 8tqtppvpzluoq2jf

I've got some strong opinions for someone who's never shown the courage or skill to publish any IF of my own. Nonetheless, I am a big fan of the medium -- which I think is going to be rediscovered by the mainstream at some point -- and I hope you enjoy my reviews.

Here's a brief guide to my rating system. It is unusually harsh, because I intentionally rate using a power law distribution in which high scores are relatively rare:

5 stars -- a piece so incredible it effectively defines the genre or technique that it introduces or perfects. Very, very few works will get 5 stars from me.

4 stars -- a work that is significantly above average and achieves something notable. In general, a game that excels but does not quite reach the apex of its class. A relatively small number of works will get 4 stars from me.

3 stars -- a game that is competently put together and enjoyable to play, but lacks the special something that would make it stand out. Best summed up as "good, not great". Many games will get this rating from me.

2 stars -- a passable attempt that is deficient in one or more qualities that would make it truly enjoyable. Basically, something that could have been a 3-star game but fell short in some way, or otherwise falls into the "blah" category. Many games will get this rating from me.

1 star -- a work that, in my mind, has no redeeming qualities or is so horribly non-functional that any such qualities are not relevant to the playing experience. Very few games will get this rating from me, as I try to find something good about most games and generally avoid titles that look likely to score this low.

I am most harsh in my reviews when a work shows little evidence of effort on the part of the author. Conversely, I am inclined to generosity when I feel like the author tried hard to realize an interesting goal, even if he or she was not successful in doing so.

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Reviews by OtisTDog

Counterfeit Monkey, by Emily Short   May 14, 2025

"Emily Short's masterpiece is widely considered to be the Greatest Work of IF of All Time. This is reflected in its very secure #1 spot in..." - See the full review

Captain Cutter's Treasure, by Garry Francis   May 10, 2025

"This is a pretty solidly-implemented short scenario using Inform 6 with the PunyInform library. It has 4500 lines of well-organized..." - See the full review

Mud Warriors, by Ryan Veeder   May 8, 2025

"From the first line, Mud Warriors reads as a gritty war novel. One could call this a stylistic parody, but that description doesn't quite..." - See the full review

Christminster, by Gareth Rees   May 7, 2025 (edited: May 9, 2025)

"There's a long-standing joke about Shakespeare being overrated: "It's just a bunch of moldy old quotes and worn-out cliche." The joke, of..." - See the full review

Ryan Veeder's Mud Warriors, by Ryan Veeder, Lance Campbell and Polyducks   May 7, 2025

"Having been recently alerted to this remake/adaptation, I moved its inspiration up on my to-play list, and as soon as I had finished..." - See the full review

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