Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Shovel Knight Showdown/archive1

Shovel Knight Showdown

 * Nominator(s):  The Night Watch     (talk)   19:22, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

This article is about a video game that was the last add-on to Shovel Knight. After my last FAC was archived, I've decided to revisit the Shovel Knight franchise to see if there is room for a Featured article somewhere. So let's start small with the last of the expansions, an interesting party game that was not as impactful as TowerFall or Smash Bros., but is still worth a quick visit. What the article lacks in prose size I believe it makes up with comprehensiveness. I look forward to your comments. The Night Watch    (talk)   19:22, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

Support from Skyshifter
Will comment soon. Skyshifter  talk  22:53, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

Infobox and lead
 * The infobox says the genre is "platform", but the lead begins with "is a fighting game".
 * Fixed


 * Could link "AI" to artificial intelligence.
 * Linked to Artificial intelligence in video games


 * Could add the year of release after the games cited, i.e. Mega Man 7 (1995).
 * Done


 * "The game received average reviews on release" — as the Switch version received "generally favorable reviews" according to Metacritic, "favorable to average reviews" could be an option here.
 * I chose "average reviews" to avoid the problem around WP:VG/MIXED, which says that we should avoid summarizing reviews with the terms "mixed to positive" or "mixed to negative", which probably includes "favorable to average reviews" as well, though I can change it to just "mixed" if you think that would be more appropriate.

Skyshifter  talk  23:17, 9 May 2024 (UTC)


 * @Skyshifter follow-up ping.  The Night Watch     (talk)   15:03, 14 May 2024 (UTC)


 * Apply the suggestion of adding the year of release after the games throughout the article.

Gameplay
 * Ok

 Development and release
 * "comparing it to Super Smash Bros." → "comparing it to the Super Smash Bros. games" so it is clearer that the comparison is to the games and Super Smash Bros. refers to the series
 * Done


 * "Chester's Choice allows the player ..." I feel like this specific sentence should be in Gameplay
 * Moved


 * "for the mode from Mario Party" → "for the mode from the Mario Party games", similarly to the above
 * Done


 * "release date on April 9, 2019"; "on" → "of"; currently this could be interpreted as the delay being announced on April 9, 2019
 * Done


 * "on December 10, 2019" the year can be removed, as it was just mentioned
 * Done

Reception
 * Add the OpenCritic assessment to the prose. I'd also change the 38% in the table to "38% recommend" as in OneShot, but this is optional.'
 * Done


 * You should introduce the reviews' authors, e.g. "Zachary Miller of Nintendo World Report"...
 * I prefer list only the outlet rather than every one of the authors as I find having both titles can be difficult to parse. This style has been used in some other FAs such as Katana Zero, Donkey Kong Country etc.


 * Link USgamer
 * Done


 * Link Nintendo Life
 * Done


 * "but said that the had a narrative" — missing word here I believe
 * added


 * "A few reviewers called the boss battle a highlight" → "A few reviewers highlighted the boss battle"
 * Done


 * You use "reviewers" multiple times in this section, but "critics" one single time. I recommend changing some instances of "reviewers" to "critics".
 * Changed a few to "critics"

References (formatting)
 * There's a formatting error on ref 12
 * Think I fixed it


 * Add italics to the game's name on ref 16
 * Done


 * Link Vandal (website) on ref 17
 * Done

Skyshifter  talk  17:48, 15 May 2024 (UTC)


 * @Skyshifter follow up notification. Thanks for the review.  The Night Watch     (talk)   19:40, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

Support Skyshifter   talk  20:14, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

Aoba47

 * This part, (An add-on to the platform game Shovel Knight, players take), reads like "players" are the add-on being described.
 * Reworded


 * I do not thin "originally" is needed in this part, (Yacht Club Games originally envisioned Showdown), as I believe that it could be understood with "envisioned" that these plans changed along the way.
 * Cut that word


 * This part, (while the single-player mode received a negative response, many reviewers criticizing its difficulty balancing) reads a little off to me. I understand the meaning, but it may be better to make these negative critiques into their own sentence.
 * Split into its own sentence


 * Apologies in advance if this is obvious, but should the platforms be mentioned in the lead? I was just curious as I can see it in the infobox and the article itself, but it is not present in the lead.
 * I added the platforms to the lead


 * I would add WP:ALT text to the infobox image as well as the screenshot.
 * Done


 * I do have a comment about this sentence: (The plot of the mode takes place after the narrative of Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, where Specter Knight's friends attempt to defeat the Enchantress by imprisoning her in a magic mirror.) I originally read this as meaning the magic mirror plot happened in Spector of Torment, but only later realized that is not the case. I would adjust it to something like (Set after the events of Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, the plot of the mode is about Specter Knight's friends attempting to defeat the Enchantress by imprisoning her in a magic mirror.)
 * Done


 * I have a comment for this part, (calling it "somewhere between Smash Bros.") I was initially confused by the quote as it felt incomplete (i.e. between Smash Bros. and what?). I looked at the source and the quote is accurate, but I am wondering if perhaps paraphrasing it would avoid such confusion. Maybe something like (comparing it to Smash Bros.) or (saying it is similar to Smash Bros.)
 * Changed to "compared to Smash Bros"


 * Was there any reason given for the delay in the release date?
 * They delayed it so that they could refine the game, added a sentence clarifying.


 * I have a clarification question about this sentence: (Other reviewers considered some characters too powerful.) Did either of these two sources provide examples of this? I was just curious if there was a way to briefly expand upon this.
 * Nintendo World Report said that large characters like Polar Knight could be too powerful, though I rephrased it to more clearly state that the reviewers had trouble with the balancing.


 * I have a question about this part, (added that the minigames in the campaign). Apologies if I had missed this in an earlier section. What are these "minigames"? I was under the impression that the campaign was mostly fighting á la Mortal Kombat.
 * They were parts of the campaign that the player needed to progress, such as a section where the player had to shoot targets that moved around the screen. Should I include their existence in Gameplay?
 * If possible, I would include them in the "Gameplay" section to clarify this part and to give readers a more complete understanding of the campaign mode. Aoba47 (talk) 16:23, 15 May 2024 (UTC)


 * I would italicize the game title (and any other game titles) in citation titles per WP:CONFORMTITLE.
 * Italicized

I hope that this review is helpful. Once everything has been addressed, I will read through the article again to make sure I have not missed anything. Best of luck with this FAC. Aoba47 (talk) 16:15, 14 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Finished with adding the minigame portion, I believe that I have addressed your comments @Aoba47. Thanks again for your review!  The Night Watch     (talk)   05:10, 24 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Thank you for addressing everything. I support this FAC based on the prose. Aoba47 (talk) 13:21, 24 May 2024 (UTC)

Support from Draken Bowser
Short and to the point, which is reassuring since it's a DLC. This could be stated a bit more clearly though. The lead introduces the game as an "add-on", and I'm not sure the article elaborates on this at any point.

Lead
 * "where players battle one another to collect the most gems that appear on a stage, to a free for all setting where players engage in a battle to the death." -- shorter, which would make the lead perhaps a bit too short and allow for a slight expansion.
 * Done. I think the lead is a bit brief but not too short, I've seen some shorter ones like with OneShot for example.


 * I'd prefer including the DLC acronym here as well.
 * Done

Gameplay
 * "a unique type of movement" -- does this refer to a broader "movement set" or a unique "movement ability/skill"?
 * movement ability/skill. Would there be a better way to phrase this?
 * In that case I'd use either "movement ability" or "movement skill". /DB
 * changed to "movement skill"


 * "range" -- like the GA-reviewer I don't think this is the best way to introduce these characters
 * Changed to "include", though maybe another way to say this would be better. Thoughts?
 * That works. /DB

Development and release
 * "its original planned release date" -- I don't think both are required.
 * Done

Regards. Draken Bowser (talk) 09:27, 17 May 2024 (UTC)


 * @Draken Bowser follow-up notification. Thanks for the review.  The Night Watch     (talk)   15:50, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

Pledging. Cheers. Draken Bowser (talk) 22:43, 4 June 2024 (UTC)

Support from Gog the Mild
Recusing to review.


 * The first sentence of the lead needs to state that it is a video game. As does the opening sentence of the main article.
 * A fighting game is a type of video game, which is consistent with how other video game FAs are introduced such as Tunic being mentioned as an action-adventure game, Katana Zero being mentioned as a platform game, and The Longing being introduced as a point-and-click adventure game.
 * Wikipedia is not a reliable source, so you can't point at other articles. Kung fu is a fighting game. Fencing is a fighting game. MOS:FIRST states "The first sentence should introduce the topic, and tell the nonspecialist reader what or who the subject is, and often when or where. It should be in plain English." Emphasis added.
 * Fair enough, done.


 * References: article titles (those in quote marks) are a mix of sentence case and title case. They should be consistent. (How they appear in their originals is irrelevant.)
 * Changed to title case, tell me if I missed any.


 * Link add-on.
 * Done


 * "Players take control of twenty characters". Twenty characters each?
 * Each player has twenty fighter characters to choose from, but they can only battle each other with one character at a time.
 * Could the text reflect this.
 * Changed it up some. Does the new iteration work?
 * Neat.


 * "Completing this mode with each fighter". That's with each of the 20 fighters?
 * Yes, that's correct


 * "a small minigame similar to modes in Mega Man 7". What is a "mode"?
 * Linked to "game mode"


 * "Playable characters include Shovel Knight, who attacks with a shovel or magic wand, to Specter Knight, a fast character that can wall jump, to Plague Knight ..." You can't say "include ... to". Maybe "include" → 'range from'?
 * Done


 * "collecting them causes a helpful effect." Maybe 'collecting them has a helpful effect'?
 * Done


 * "or a magnet that can be used to push back other players." Just checking that you have this right, as magnets more commonly attract.
 * That's right, the fact that the magnet can push back players is probably a design joke made by the creators.


 * "such as a modifier that prevents items from appearing, to another that causes bombs to fall randomly around the level." "such as a ... to another ..." is not grammatical. 'such as a modifier that prevents items from appearing, or another that causes bombs to fall randomly around the level' would be.
 * Done, good catch


 * "Showdown features a single-player story mode. Set after the narrative of Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (2017), the plot of the mode is about ..." As this is an in-universe description, I don't think it needs "(2017)".
 * Done


 * "Story mode features three separate difficulty options". Suggest deleting "separate".
 * Done


 * "As part of the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for Shovel Knight back in 2013". Delete "back".
 * Done


 * "first attempt at making a multiplayer experience." Suggest 'first attempt at creating a multiplayer experience.'
 * Done


 * "due to its reliance on multiplayer." This may just be me, but this reads as if it has a word missing off the end.
 * It's correct, the reviewer said that the game was not as good as the rest of the franchise because you need other people to enjoy it. I paraphrased something along those lines
 * Fair nuff.


 * "Nintendo World Report said that smaller fighters would be at a disadvantage". What makes a fighter "smaller"?
 * Smaller in size generally. If you look at the image in the article, Polar Knight (the burly viking character with the white beard and snow shovel) is a large character while Goldarmor (the knight with the sword and shield that is attacking Polar Knight) is a small character.


 * "USgamer said that the single-player gameplay was inferior to multiplayer by design, but said that it had a narrative ..." "said that ... said that ...", could one be varied. Gog the Mild (talk) 20:01, 29 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Changed to "opined"


 * A nice little article. A pair of come backs above. Gog the Mild (talk) 15:26, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

Image and source review
Images seem well placed, licenced and rationale-d. I see all the sources are on WP:VGSOURCES and seem to have consistent formatting, but I have to wonder who writes/edits Nintendo Life, IGN, GameRevolution and VentureBeat? Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 06:49, 30 May 2024 (UTC)
 * IGN is one of the most prominent review outlets for video games and news, it's owned by Ziff Davis. There's a wide variety of contributors there but the articles cited in the article are written by one of their senior editors. Their editorial standards page is here.
 * Nintendo Life is part of Gamer Network which owns several other reliable outlets such as Eurogamer, VG247, and USgamer. Apparently some of their staff was shared with Push Square and their reviews have been included in multiple featured articles.
 * GameRevolution had staff that judged at E3, the largest video game trade show before it was shut down last year. The website has been cited by peer-reviewed sources and books according to WP:VG/S.
 * VentureBeat has been cited by The New York Times and has a staff page here. An ethics statement is listed here as well.
 * any other questions you have?  The Night Watch     (talk)   15:27, 31 May 2024 (UTC)
 * No, that's all. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 07:40, 1 June 2024 (UTC)

Coordinator comment
 * There's a WP:SEAOFBLUE instance that might need to be taken a look at ("As part of the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign") but this is not worth delaying promotion over. FrB.TG (talk) 21:30, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

FrB.TG (talk) 21:30, 8 June 2024 (UTC)