Talk:Skullgirls/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: AdrianGamer (talk · contribs) 11:10, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

Infobox

• The publisher field is very confusing. I suggest you to change it to something like in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, which is handled by the efn notelist.
• You should also specify that Lab Zero Games is responsible for post-release content also by the notelist.
• Only linkable engine should be added to the infobox per Template:Infobox video game guidelines.
• For the genre field, it should be simply fighting instead of fighting game.
• The mode field is missing. Whether it is a single-player or multiplayer video game is necessary for most readers.

Lead

• The lead had done a very poor job in summarizing the entire article. Only information regarding the game's release is mentioned, while those for reception, gameplay, development and plot are neglected.

I am currently trying to rewrite the lead in my sandbox. Since the game and development team's issues following its initial release are significant (I think...), I wrote about that. I tried to summarize the content as best as I could, but it may still be a little too much. Could I get your opinion on that? Also trying to find a way to integrate reception without breaking the flow too much. Wani (talk) 18:05, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

The lead should include some brief information from all sections. You still need to add some information regarding the game's gameplay, setting and the reception to the lead. AdrianGamer (talk) 04:37, 9 May 2015 (UTC)

• April–May 2012 - Should be April to May 2012. Don't use "-"
• The references in the lead should be moved to the body article per WP:LEADCITE
• There is too much information regarding the release of the Encore Edition. Their release dates should be moved to the release section.

Body

• Skullgirls offers protection against high and low "unblockable attacks", which occur when a player, for example, uses a low attack and calls in a high-hitting assist, making it nearly impossible for the opponent to block. The game attempts to remedy the issue by offering a short grace period after blocking that guards against other hit types. - I don't quite understand what this means. Should be written in a more simple way so that normal readers can understand what it actually means

Yeah, I'm finding it to be quite difficult to actually simplify this further, since it's delving into the really technical parts of game mechanics. I've made a few minor adjustments to it within the article, but I don't know if it actually helps. Should I consider removing it? Wani (talk) 18:40, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

Sounds a bit better now. I guess you don't need to remove it. AdrianGamer (talk) 04:37, 9 May 2015 (UTC)

• The release of Skullgirls Encore saw numerous gameplay adjustments and additions - At release or post-release?
• Skullgirls takes place in the fictional Canopy Kingdom, a country "reminiscent of a 1940's post-war America tinged with magic and intrigue." - I don't see the point of using a quote here. It should be rephrased.
• Not much actual plot information is mentioned. Most of them is about the setting of the game.
• I honestly never see the point of having a character section in most video games unless they are very very notable. I would encouraged you to merge it into the plot section.

Since the characters aren't very notable, should I forgo the complete descriptions and simply list their names in prose? Like, "The Skullgirls roster initially consisted of eight playable characters: Filia, Cerebella, blah, blah, blah..." Go for something way more concise? Wani (talk) 19:10, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

Went ahead and did it anyway. Wani (talk) 23:02, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

• Lab Zero Games also added the character Fukua as a free bonus, bringing the total cast to 14. - Not sourced
• Information with Cerebella, Peacock, Parasoul, Ms. Fortune, Painwheel, Valentine, Double and Marie are not sourced as well
• Their personal projects were merged into Skullgirls in early 2008. = Their have 2 personal projects? I assume that their project is basically the prototype of the game, so "merge" isn't the correct word to use.
• You should link E3 2011 to Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010 instead of simply Electronic Entertainment Expo
• Japanese developer and publisher Konami announced that the company would help distribute the game - Here sounds like that Konami is the distributor of the game instead of the publisher. It may lead to confusion as both the infobox and the lead call it the co-publisher of the game.

I think they were both. At least, according to Reverge Labs, Konami helped with distribution. I will add them as the distributor in the infobox. Wani (talk) 19:43, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

• Marvelous and CyberFront, and coincided with the console releases of Squigly and the "Character Color Bundle" DLC - Marvelous should be wikilinked
• Having a tracklist here isn't really necessary, as it basically adds nothing to the article. Our consensus is that we should only list them when they are particularly notable

Should I only delete the tracklist, or is the entire soundtrack section not notable enough for inclusion? Wani (talk) 19:58, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

The soundtrack section is notable, you don't need to remove it. AdrianGamer (talk) 04:37, 9 May 2015 (UTC)

• The official Windows version was released by Marvelous on August 22, 2013. - Microsoft Windows, not simply Windows
• A Linux port is also reportedly in the works. - Rumors should not be included
• You should limit the score from GameRankings to 2 significant figures per Template:video game reviews guidelines.
• The review from OXMUK and Electronic Gaming Monthly should be removed as well as they are not really used in the article.
• The reception part should be a section instead of a subsection.
• I would prefer you to create a subsection call "Sales"
• The reception part is using too much quotes. Try to change that by rephrasing them. These quotes are sometimes unnecessary as well.

I cut down on the number of quotes, as well as remove some of them completely. Does it look better? Wani (talk) 21:37, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

It does look better now. AdrianGamer (talk) 04:37, 9 May 2015 (UTC)

• Skullgirls won Best Fighting Game awards at the 2011 E3 conference from VG Chartz, Bitbag, and Ripten - VG Chartz is an unreliable source. Bitbag and Ripten don't sound like a notable organization as well.
• Game Critics Awards need to be wikilinked

References

• Cinema Blend is not a reliable source.
• Skullgirls can never be the publisher of the source. (It should be the developer or the publisher)
• PlayStation.Blog or sources from the game's website are primary sources. (Not necessary, but better if you replaced them with secondary sources)
• Things like " 1UP Staff" is not necessary in a citation.

Overall

There is one more issue is that the tone of the article is not formal and neutral enough due to the inclusion of some unnecessary adjectives. But overall, it is a well-written article.
GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

1. Is it reasonably well written?

   A. Prose is "clear and concise", without copyvios, or spelling and grammar errors:

   B. MoS compliance for lead, layout, words to watch, fiction, and Wikipedia:Manual of Style (embedded lists):

2. Is it factually accurate and verifiable?

   A. Has an appropriate reference section:

   B. Citation to reliable sources where necessary:

   C. No original research:

3. Is it broad in its coverage?

   A. Major aspects:

   B. Focused:

4. Is it neutral?

   Fair representation without bias:

5. Is it stable?

   No edit wars, etc:

6. Does it contain images to illustrate the topic?

   A. Images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid fair use rationales are provided for non-free content:

   B. Images are provided if possible and are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions:

7. Overall:

   Pass or Fail:

I will leave it on hold for a week. If the issues I mentioned above are fixed, the article is good to go. Good luck. AdrianGamer (talk) 14:43, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

It seems that you have fixed all the problems I mentioned above. Skullgirls promoted to . Congratulations! AdrianGamer (talk) 05:23, 10 May 2015 (UTC)