Talk:Elden Ring/GA1

GA Review
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Reviewer: Vami IV (talk · contribs) 09:37, 6 August 2022 (UTC)

Preamble from Vami
Hello, and thank you for your contributions to Wikipedia. My name is Vami, and I will be your reviewer. During this review I may make small edits such as spelling corrections, but I will only suggest substantive content changes in comments here. For responding to my comments, please use ✅,, , ❌, , or , followed by any comment you'd like to make. As my comments are addressed or rebutted, I will cross them out, and only my comments. If I have demonstrated incompetence or caused offense, please let me know. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  09:37, 6 August 2022 (UTC)

As it so happens, I'm at the moment obsessed with this game. More Elden Ring seems to me a great break from Elden Ring. I anticipate that most of my review will elapse on August 7 and 8. If you are wondering, I am currently wandering around Caria; Dex-Bleed build. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  09:37, 6 August 2022 (UTC)
 * It befuddles me that Soulsborne isn't already a Featured Topic. Maketh ye pilgrimage, dearest Tarnished? – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  09:37, 6 August 2022 (UTC)
 * This is somewhere in my bucket list. After I finish a bunch of GAs for indie games. Are you possibly interested in giving it a try? CollectiveSolidarity (talk) 19:40, 6 August 2022 (UTC)
 * This should be a given, and as such perhaps I shouldn't make this note - but regardless, I shall try not to let my experience with the game cloud my judgment of the article. This will manifest itself as me asking if inclusion of stakes of Marika at or around Upon death, players respawn at the last Site of Grace where they rested. can be substantiated by reliable sources. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  10:09, 6 August 2022 (UTC)
 * New Game + Caelid. Strength-Faith build. CollectiveSolidarity (talk) 19:41, 6 August 2022 (UTC)

Lead
✅. But I’m not sure how to better state Martin’s role. The Elden Ring website vastly overstates Martin’s contributions, saying they "both" wrote the story. I changed it to "co-written", unless you think another term is more appropriate. CollectiveSolidarity (talk) 22:51, 8 August 2022 (UTC)
 * The size of the lead, I think, befits a Good Article, but not a Featured; something to keep in mind if you decide to proceed to FAC.
 * [...] and made in collaboration with the fantasy writer George R. R. Martin, [...] "made in collaboration" overstates Martin's role, I feel. Taken with the previous sentence it might lead one unfamiliar with Elden Ring to think Martin was, like, in the office with FromSoft.
 * [...] player character known as a Tarnished [...] This is true, but it's also true for a lot of the game's characters. I would reduce this to just "player character".
 * [...] intending Elden Ring to act as an evolution to Dark Souls. Should be "evolution of", no?
 * [...] with some criticism targeted towards its technical performance. You could shave off a word here, with no loss in quality, by replacing "targeted towards" with just "of".
 * "co-written" works for me. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  00:29, 9 August 2022 (UTC)

Gameplay
✅. CollectiveSolidarity (talk) 23:11, 8 August 2022 (UTC)
 * The prose is squeezed between the infobox and the image, creating a WP:SANDWICH. I recommend moving it to the right, thus after the infobox.
 * "Souls series" should be linked.
 * Likewise "open world".
 * [...] Caelid, a diseased wasteland home to undead creatures. My experience of Caelid thus far is that the undead are the least of all the perils one might encounter in Caelid.
 * Cited in-source. The author's word, not mine.
 * Ah, okay. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  00:34, 9 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Save points called Sites of Grace are located throughout the game's areas, [...] I would describe Sites of Grace as Saved game. Moreover, the game does not (exclusively) save around Sites of Grace.
 * Upon death, players respawn at the last Site of Grace where they rested. Here is where I mention Stakes of Marika. Players may respawn at Sites of Grace if a Stake is nearby.
 * Vami, I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Do you mean that I should also add on something like players can also choose to respawn at other checkpoints called Stakes of Marika.?
 * If it's supported by reliable sources. If not, then don't worry about it. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  03:17, 10 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Vami ✅. CollectiveSolidarity (talk) 23:44, 10 August 2022 (UTC)
 * By trading the runes to a NPC called Melina, the player can increase the power of their character in combat. Among other things - I recommend merging this into the previous sentence and then condensing.
 * [...] which are scattered throughout the Lands Between. This is the first time the Lands Between are mentioned; there is no context.
 * Spirits include some previously defeated enemies [...] This is not necessarily true. For example, when you get your first Spirit Ashes from Ranni, it is possible to have not killed any wolves.
 * Elden Ring has a multiplayer system that allows other players to be summoned [...] I recommend cutting "other"; the point of view is unnecessary.
 * [...] forcefully invade the worlds of others. I recommend removing "forcefully"; it is redundant and somewhat meaningless (can you, a human, force the game, a computer program, to drop you into someone else's world?).
 * [...] player versus player (PvP) [...] If you introduce an acronym, you should use it thereafter.

Development and release

 * [...] "co-director" structure, in which each of the developer’s individual [...] input on game design, art direction and music for each title. Is lifted from Paste Magazine; suggest reword.
 * This is the only copyright problem to survive to the present moment; I had concerns about the Dungeon Master's Guide bit, but they were unfounded. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  01:09, 12 August 2022 (UTC)
 * [...] to allow for variety of player interactions with the environment. I think there's an "a" missing here (a variety).

Reception
Vami, All ✅ CollectiveSolidarity (talk) 01:44, 12 August 2022 (UTC)
 * The game ranks as the second highest-reviewed game on OpenCritic. Might be worth mentioning that OpenCritic is also a review aggregator.
 * The additions of Torrent and fast travel were well-received, [...] Torrent is new, of course, but hasn't fast travel always been a think in Soulsborne? I might word this as "Torrent and fast travel were [also ] well-received features, [...]".
 * The placing of checkpoints was also praised as helpful changes towards making the game more approachable. "changes" here could be cut with no loss in quality.

GA progress
Images are good to go. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  09:37, 6 August 2022 (UTC)

There are some borrowed phrasings from a couple sources that I'll point in the prose review; otherwise, clears copyright. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  09:37, 6 August 2022 (UTC)


 * @Vami IV. Just a little nudge from me. CollectiveSolidarity (talk) 23:35, 11 August 2022 (UTC)

Reading finished. – ♠Vamí _IV†♠  01:09, 12 August 2022 (UTC)