Talk:Battletoads Arcade/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: AdrianGamer (talk · contribs) 14:36, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

Lead

• Infobox should not have any citation. It is also part of the lead
• Per Template:Infobox video games, only multiplayer, no local multiplayer
• Although the game playtested well and appeared financially viable, the publisher hesitated to release the game. - "was" playtested, should be passive voice.
• It was Rare's first game to use the 3D graphics technology that was implemented in Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct - Link Killer Instinct to the 1994 video game instead of the series.
• A Rare employee reported that the game was a flop in the arcades. - I do not think "a flop" sounds very formal. Failure may sound better
• An AllGame reviewer found that the game was true to the original's style and had better graphics but was still a let down. Retro Gamer has stated that the game is obscure now but had all the hallmarks of a Rare release. - Can this be summarized in a way that AllGame and Retro Gamer is not mentioned in this paragraph? Something more general instead of this specific.

Gameplay

• Arcade was the first Battletoads game to let three players play together - Rephrase it to "Arcade was the first Battletlads game to introduce three-player co-operative multiplayer" may sound better.
• Players control their characters with eight-directional joysticks and two buttons (attack and jump) - This sentence is probably not needed. Control scheme is not that helpful.
• Players or the player, pick one for consistency.
• Players can knock enemies offscreen towards the player - too much "player" in this sentence
• Why boss fights are counted as a "theme". I do not think "super-sized" should be used here, since the source sounds like promotional materials. Shouldn't it be a final boss fight instead of final boss fights? There is multiple final boss fights in this game?
• Things like "Double Dragon-style" or "Street Fighter II-style" are not really helpful for normal readers.
• letting players crouch beneath projectiles. - I do not think normal readers will understand this one.
• Players wear jetpacks and descend a tunnel in one level, and players shoot enemies from a vehicle in the final level. - Rephrase it to "Players gain access to different equipment throughout the game, such as jetpacks and vehicles, which can only be used in certain levels." or something similar?
• A separate "setting" section would be very helpful.

Development

• Tracing back to the original Battletoads is, well, perhaps a bit too in-depth?
• Rare could take greater liberties - Rare took greater liberties. "could" is not needed
• Battletoads Arcade showed gore and decapitation when the original NES Battletoads (for the Nintendo Entertainment System) did not even show blood. - "even" does not sound formal.
• The Dark Queen was also designed to be more lascivious - Dark Queen is not a new character. So, was she designed, or re-designed?
• Rare had begun to experiment with 3D graphics around this time, and went with PowerAnimator (later Maya) - "(later Maya)" is not needed.
• I think Battletoads Arcade was the first Rare game to use PowerAnimator is already enough, and I do not think we really need to mention Donkey Kong Country or Killer Instinct.
• I don't understand what "paid well in arcades" mean.
• and that he was never sure why it was unsuccessful - Who thought it was unsuccessful? EA?
• the ability to "rewind" gameplay - normal readers may not know what "rewind" gameplay is

Reception/Legacy

• Rare's Chris Tilson said that the company's post-Battletoads Arcade arcade expectations were low after the game "bombed badly in the arcades". - too much "arcade".
• Christopher Michael Baker (AllGame) - I don't really like brackets, because I feel like (AllGame) is supplementary but they are not in this case. That is just my own opinion though.
• Konami and Sega need to be wikilinked
• Chris Carter (Destructoid) wrote that the game was an unexpected favorite in his Rare Replay review - was "his" unexpected favourite
• Philip Kollar (Polygon) was also "surprised" by the game, - Quotation marks are not necessary.
• Kollar ranked the game in the near the middle of the Rare Replay collection. - A bit blur. 18th is close to the middle, and 12th is also close to the middle, but there is a massive gap between these two.
• Battletoads Arcade also served as an inspiration for the co-operative play mode in the 2011 Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. - This should be in the legacy section instead
• As of 2011, Battletoads Arcade remains the last Battletoads game released.[3][2] - Source 3 goes before source 2 looks odd.
• Can "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot" be wikilinked?

Overall review

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 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:

Article is well-written and verifiable, and I only see some minor issues that can be fixed very easily. I sometimes unintentionally make from stupid comments, so feel free to ask me if you have any question regarding this review. AdrianGamer (talk) 04:20, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

@AdrianGamer, thanks for the review! I think I've addressed everything, if you'll take a look. Footnotes in the infobox for stuff that doesn't fit in the prose should be okay, no? I went with "local multiplayer" per the discussion on the infobox talk page—I think that should be okay too. I'm not sure why it'd be preferable to put that sentence in passive voice? I didn't specify the 1994 game because it was used throughout the series, but I linked it anyway. I don't think there's enough reviewer consensus to make some kind of generalized statement (RG is more of a retrospective review than AG). Thought it was better to specify who said what in this case. I tend to report control schemes on older games because the secondary sources do as well—it was important enough for them to mention. (Though I get that modern sources don't specify how to strafe in CoD, etc.) I thought DD and SFII were important contextual mentions—it makes it clear that the game's style was established in its forebears. Yep, multiple boss fights in the source. By Setting, do you mean the plot? I think the first sentence covers all there is to know—that's all the sources said about it. I thought the Battletoads background would be useful for introducing Arcade as a sequel and why it was even considered as a project. I kept "Maya" because it's important to show that they used a precursor to very famous 3D modeling software. It was also notable that Arcade used the software before Rare's games that were famous for using the software. Re: Destructoid—it was not his one favorite, but just one favorite. I thought "surprised" in quotes was appropriate to show that it's his direct language rather than my turn of phrase (for neutrality). I think the blur of 12th to 18th place is more appropriate than saying it was ranked X of 30. Refs out of order should be fine as long as it's for a reason—[3] is more relevant than [2] in this case. – czar 05:11, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

@Czar: I still think "multiplayer" is better, as the template guideline has not been changed. There is also one more problem. Andreas said the game sold well, and then "Sales were mediocre" in the next section. This may need some clarification. AdrianGamer (talk) 05:28, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

@AdrianGamer, fixed – czar 05:53, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

The article looks great now. Thank you very much. Battletoads Arcade promoted to . Congratulations. AdrianGamer (talk) 05:55, 27 August 2015 (UTC)