OtisTDog

Top 25 Reviewer
Member since February 27, 2008
Last visited May 10, 2024
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:

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.

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

Heroes, by Sean Barrett   May 10, 2024

"Heroes is a delightful old-school fantasy-style work that took 3rd place in the 2001 IF Comp (following All Roads and Moments Out of..." - See the full review

A Matter of Heist Urgency, by FLACRabbit   May 9, 2024

"[Full Disclosure: I know the author of this work personally, and I served as a beta tester for this game.] "I don't want to play in a..." - See the full review

Tapestry, by Daniel Ravipinto   May 9, 2024

"Released in the early days of the Amateur Era, this work achieved some notoriety by taking a definitive if hesitant step away from..." - See the full review

Moments Out of Time, by L. Ross Raszewski   May 1, 2024

"OK, technically it's a house, not an apartment, but Moments Out of Time is one of the most interesting "my apartment" games that I've..." - See the full review

Mother Loose, by Irene Callaci   April 29, 2024

"Mother Loose is one of those games that was developed as a labor of love and then subsequently released to the world. Its public debut..." - See the full review

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