D&D 5E Justin Alexander's review of Shattered Obelisk is pretty scathing

[Parmandur]

The final area of Zorzula’s Rest does not have a key because it’s just a boss arena that consists of one room, and the things inside it. So he is just plain wrong about that complaint in my opinion.

I just don’t feel like going into a whole thing, so I was pretty much just saying I disagree, cause I don’t want to put in a bunch of effort right now.

Yeah, it is a complete misstatements for what is happening in Zorzula's Rest. Is it the best dungeon in the history of the hobby? No, but in thisncase he is accusing a single Encoutner battle map of being a poor dungeon map...which is a bit absurd.

 

[Zaukrie]

He’s critical. There’s been a lot of talk in the gaming YouTube sphere lately about review scores and their (potential lack of) worth. Reason being that for the most part, people get angry if you’re critical of thing they like (how can you give this game I enjoyed a 7?!) and spent money on.

Not just gaming.... And a lot of YT is yelling negativity.....

 

[Parmandur]

What's the deal with all the hostility towards Alexander? The stuff I've read from him has been useful and his remix of Dragon Heist was extremely well done.

Hostile tone breeds hostility.

I've never gotten much from his advice, bit his 'tude rubs me the wrong way. Particularly when he makes factually inaccurate statements.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

He’s critical. There’s been a lot of talk in the gaming YouTube sphere lately about review scores and their (potential lack of) worth. Reason being that for the most part, people get angry if you’re critical of thing they like (how can you give this game I enjoyed a 7?!) and spent money on.

For me him being critical is a good thing not a bad one, but he's said some stuff, long ago, that wasn't reviewing, that really left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't want to go into detail because I don't remember it well enough to be fair.

His critical reviews nowadays seem to be pretty useful though. Sure a bit hyperbolic at times but that's better than downplaying flaws, generally speaking (in all aspects of life - I'd rather have the guy overstating the problem than the guy making out there isn't a problem every single time).

 

[Zaukrie]

Hostile tone breeds hostility.

I've never gotten much from his advice, bit his 'tude rubs me the wrong way. Particularly when he makes factually inaccurate statements.

I'm about fifty fifty on his stuff.... Which isn't a terrible ratio given how strong it is. I just happen to agree with this, not the facts and the first part about the design, fluff.

 

[Nikosandros]

Hostile tone breeds hostility.

I've never gotten much from his advice, bit his 'tude rubs me the wrong way. Particularly when he makes factually inaccurate statements.

Well, from what I've read, I got a completely opposite impression, but I'm sure I've read a small percentage of his writings.

 

[SakanaSensei]

Not just gaming.... And a lot of YT is yelling negativity.....

I definitely think there’s a major difference between negativity and critique. Justin’s work usually falls toward critique in my view: definite preference/bias for methods of play that focus on player agency over set stories, but generally fair in that what he takes umbrage with are true qualities of the work.

A lot of the DnD sphere this year has been more on the negativity side than critique. Take every opportunity possible to whinge about WotC and DnD, always take the most negative possible read on all situations, etc. these complaints are usually high on emotion and low on substance.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm about fifty fifty on his stuff.... Which isn't a terrible ratio given how strong it is. I just happen to agree with this, not the facts and the first part about the design, fluff.

I tend to be fifty-fifty with him paragraph to.paragraph, and I mean swings from "interesting point" to "well, that's grotesque." Not worth the energy for me to parse most of the time.

Here, he gets basic facts about the Adventure wrong, honestly. I don't mind that he didn't like it, but this is kind of unreal.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"I like it, so it must be good" is illogical. I know that it feels bad to like something other people say is bad, but we all like bad stuff.

I cannot defend Hostess' orange cupcakes and I'm sure they will contribute to my eventual demise. But I like them and will continue eat them, even as the doctors try to slap them out of my hand on my deathbed.

You are not a bad person if you like something of low quality. Someone is buying (fill in the popular musician you like least)'s albums, and they're not all monsters.

A critic saying "this thing is bad" is never an attack on you, even if you are the creator of said bad thing. It is a criticism of the thing and certainly not the fans of the thing.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I tend to be fifty-fifty with him paragraph to.paragraph, and I mean swings from "interesting point" to "well, that's grotesque." Not worth the energy for me to parse most of the time.

Here, he gets basic facts about the Adventure wrong, honestly. I don't mind that he didn't like it, but this is kind of unreal.

And drilling down on "he's factually incorrect on the last level" glosses over all the other things he's saying.

Is there a hydra that's been sealed away for centuries with no way to eat? Are there areas of the dungeon where the inhabitants had no way to get to their current location?

I know you get uncomfortable with people criticizing stuff, but that doesn't make the criticism baseless.