User:Joe oet/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * Name of article: Resident Evil 4
 * I played this game recently

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?

Lead evaluation
Concise introductory sentence that conveys the basic definition of the subject. Context of the release of the game and a brief synopsis of the plot and gameplay is followed by summaries of each major section of the article. No information is present that is not also in the body of the article. The most crucial information is presented without becoming overly detailed. The only criticism I have is that the the people involved with the production of the game aren't mentioned, most notable the director and voice actors aren't present. Looking at other video game articles it seems this is common, but I'd argue that it's information that deserves to be in the lead, seeing as how it's done for film.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?

Content evaluation
The gameplay section has some flaws. While the information isn't inaccurate, it isn't presented particularly clearly. For instance, it claims that the game has "fewer survival horror elements" without making it clear what it has fewer of these element than. It also makes vague claims ("Los Ganados can dodge, wield melee and projectile weapons, and are capable of working collectively and communicating with each other.) that aren't explained. The mechanics of the game are covered thoroughly, but a description of what the player actually does (traverse the levels etc.) is absent. The plot section is accurate and thorough, though like the gameplay section some claims are left unexplained ("While in the castle, Leon briefly encounters Ada Wong (Sally Cahill), a woman from his past who supports him during his mission.")The Legacy, Release, and Reception sections are all thorough, and I can't find any problems with the content. The information is as up to date as is necessary for a game released in 2005.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral?
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?

Tone and balance evaluation
The only subjective statement I can find is one referring to an early build of the game as "otherworldly," though this is backed with justification. The article does claim that the game is considered among the best and most influential of all time, though these are sourced and explicitly not personal opinion.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Are the sources current?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Sources and references evaluation
All claims in the article are backed by sources, though several of these links are no longer working, or are dead. Due to the nature of the article there are no literary sources, but the sources present are widely varied. There are sources as recent as 2019, though most are between ~20018 and 2015.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?

Organization evaluation
I could not find any grammatical or spelling errors and all information is presented clearly and is easy to read. The sections are sufficient in covering the major areas of the topic.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?

Images and media evaluation
There are three images in the article, one as the main image of the cover of the game for the Gamecube and the others as screenshots of gameplay specifically backing up information in the article. They each have thorough captions. I feel there could be more images, especially in the gameplay and plot section, to further illustrate some of the less easily describable aspects. I do not know if these adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Talk page evaluation
This article is classified as a 'good' article and is part of the Capcom Five series, as well as the video games and horror projects. Most of the discussion topics are on the altering of external links, though there are some semantic debates.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * How can the article be improved?
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?

Overall evaluation
Wikipedia seems to think this is a quality article, and I agree. Though I have some complaints about the gameplay and plot sections, these are minor and could be a result of having a broader knowledge of the subject than is necessary for this article. The article has more information than I expected, and is overall very thorough. The article succeeds most in it's evaluation of the history of the production of the game and the details of the various releases.

Optional activity

 * Choose at least 1 question relevant to the article you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback

with four tildes — ~