by Silopolis
I actually quite enjoy Massive Darkness, and I've enjoyed DMD the few times I've played it, but for different reasons.MD is about kicking open doors, killing monsters, taking treasure, and leveling up your character. There's some strategy in there, but it's really about rolling dice and anticipating the AI. Throw in a little imagination and some light role-playing/storytelling, and you'll have a great time with the right attitude.
DMD is more about the scenario, working the map, and using your abilities to their best extent. The Stress mechanic means you get some control over how quickly your character descends into madness, but you have to make some pretty difficult decisions as you go. You get more and more powerful the closer you get to Sanity-death, so you are playing with fire the whole time.
I'd say I prefer DMD right now, but my wife and I had a lot of fun with Massive Darkness. DMD is a bit deeper, even though it's simpler to play, whereas Massive Darkness is just a fun monster stompfest.