I still don't quite understand how you played the game and loved it, and then let someone else's opinion of it ruin your enthusiasm for it. Most games are subjective and while there are a few true loser games out there, the rest of them work for some people and are duds for others. And that is true even for the top rated games. TAF and TZ are loved by many, and while I respect them, they do nothing for me.
So if you played LZ and had a blast, why does his opinion of it mean anything to you?