Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time


 * The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted 15:17, 8 May 2008.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
previous FAC (00:34, 18 April 2008)

Yes, this article was just here, but I have used the previous FAC as a peer review to improve the article, and believe I have addressed the commenters' concerns. There is much that is new about this article. Please let me know what more can be improved, or anything from the previous FAC that is still not satisfactory. This article is part of a current featured topic nomination.  Pagra shtak  16:44, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

Comments


 * Support Oppose  - For the third time, there is information on Ocarina of Time in the audio/music section of The Legend of Zelda (series) article about how the popularity of Ocarinas increased because of this game. There is actually a lot of information about ocarina of time in the audio and reception sections of the series article that is not included in this one. Also, why no character section? Or a track listing for the CD? Do those things and I will fully support :) Judgesurreal777 (talk) 23:49, 23 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I missed the part about ocarina sales—it's been added now. Let me know if anything else is missing from that section. There is no character section because we have an entire article about that (List of characters in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) which is already a little long for my tastes. It's linked as a See also right at the top of the plot section, and the characters integral to the plot are covered in the plot well enough for the reader to understand. I see no reason to add a bulky section to repeat that article when the plot seems perfectly understandable as it is. There's no track listing because I didn't think the general reader would care, and its inclusion would be bulky. With gripping song titles such as "House" and "Game Over", it's not terribly interesting, either. I'm curious to see how others feel about it.  Pagra shtak  00:51, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
 * That makes sense, though I too would like to hear what people think about the track listing, because I believe other FA game articles include their cd's track listing. Great job! Judgesurreal777 (talk) 01:01, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
 * (interjection) it's been my experience with FACs that track listing are generally not looked upon kindly, but you can always have a show/hide mechanism for the listing. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs ( talk  ) 01:01, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I know The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has a track listing, but it was merged in from what used to be a separate article covering the soundtrack well after the FAC. I need to spend some time cleaning it up—I might use comments in this FAC to help guide me in the soundtrack section there.  Pagra shtak  04:42, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Support Really, a nicely written article. My only concern is that there seems to be a large amount of images on the article, and they seem cluttered together. I'm not so certain that they are all necessary. --haha169 (talk) 22:09, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Minor Support the article had some improvement since the failed FAC, indeed. A great job, though not as polished as the current Zelda FAs. igordebraga ≠ 02:31, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I'll take that as a compliment, considering the primary author of those FAs. ;) I fully admit that this article is not as polished as the Oracle games, which I've been actively maintaining. If you'd care to point out anything in particular, or the weakest part of the article, I'd be glad to fix it up and make the article stronger.  Pagra shtak  04:42, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I'd have something to say at least about the images: in Plot, to quote Fuchs in the previous FAC, "how does a picture of Zelda and Link or a picture of Ganondorf significantly help the reader's understanding?" — specially considering the amount of cutscenes in the game, though it's hard to pick one or two to put in. And in Gameplay, the images are too similar, maybe one of Adult Link or the "lock-on" would be more helpful instead of the Hyrule Field one. igordebraga ≠ 00:04, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I missed this comment earlier. As I mentioned below, I've removed one of the gameplay images. I think the images of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf are acceptable fair use. Two images to illustrate the three main characters seems reasonable to me.  Pagra shtak  04:34, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Support. It's a very good article, just 2 things. 1) The images are too cluttered and 2) Aren't the notes and the references the same thing? Epass (talk) 00:06, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
 * One image removed, as discussed below. The References are long-form citations that some short-form refs call. See the instruction booklet notes for an example.  Pagra shtak  03:48, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Oppose per c. three. Not only do some of the images appear superfluous, but they clutter the article badly. Image:KokiriForest.JPG appears to only be used to show Link without equipment; how does that significantly increase reader's understanding of the work? Isn't Image:ZELDA OCARINA OF TIME.jpg a better representation of the work as a whole? What about the covers, specifically Image:OcarinaMQCover.jpg? Do you need a full infobox for the soundtrack, which leaves lots of whitespace wasted below it? Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs ( talk  ) 00:18, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I agree about Image:KokiriForest.JPG. I hesitated about removing it before the FAC (I didn't add it, and decided to err on the side of caution by leaving it), but now that you've voiced the same concern, I've removed it. I will stand by Image:OcarinaMQCover.jpg, however. I feel that having the box art is beneficial here. Master Quest used to have its own article, but was merged into this one, and I feel it's useful to have the box art remain. The soundtrack also used to have its own article. I'd argue to keep the image, but I could lose the infobox. I'll leave it up for the time being to see if someone else wants to voice an opinion on that.  Pagra shtak  03:48, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Some other concerns:
 * "The game received wide critical acclaim and commercial success. The first Zelda game with 3D graphics, it was praised for taking elements of the two-dimensional games and successfully translating them into the third dimension." Perhaps the second sentence should be reworded to be "As the first Zelda game with 3D graphics, Ocarina of Time was praised..." to increase flow?
 * If you insert the word As, it creates a false implication. If you say "Senator Smith is granted the franking privilege" you are stating two facts (Smith is a senator, Smith has the franking privilege) without showing that one is the result of the other. If you say "As a senator, Smith is granted the franking privilege", you now show that the second is a direct consequence of the first. In the Zelda example, we do not wish to show such a consequence, because it is false. Ocarina could have been unsuccessful.
 * " from obtaining the Triforce, a sacred relic that grants the wishes of its holder. Link travels back and forth in time to prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce and gaining control of Hyrule." from obtaining... from obtaining... fix the repetition.
 * That's a bad one—fixed.
 * "like all games in the series, Ocarina of Time has several optional side quests," we need a reference for the "all games in the series" bit; I think the Gametrailers LoZ retrospective actually might be able to cite that, if you can dig up the ref by watching the videos.
 * It's not all that necessary, I've removed the phrase.
 * This section from development: "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64, is a direct sequel to Ocarina. [...] On one island, boys are dressed like Link when they come of age.[43]" It's fair to mention Majora's Mask, as it shipped on the N64 and is a direct sequel in terms of plot, but why Wind Waker?
 * I included Wind Waker because the events of this game are a legend in that one, and boys in Wind Waker are dressed as the main character from this game in his honor. It's only two sentences, I didn't think it was that much of an intrusion to include it.

-- Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs ( talk ) 17:47, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Replies by  Pagra shtak  20:28, 26 April 2008 (UTC)


 * The above oppose may be stale. Fuchs's last comments were posted 17:47, 26 April. I made some changes to the article and replied 20:28, 26 April. Having not received anything further from him, I asked Fuchs to respond at 15:34, 29 April but have not received any reply.  Pagra shtak  18:04, 30 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I’m making me rounds, no need to fret. I guess I will go neutral until I can review the article again. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs ( talk  ) 22:33, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

Weak Oppose


 * "Reviews for the Master Quest and the Virtual Console re-release considered the graphics and audio outdated. After originally giving a rating of 10/10, IGN gave Master Quest 9/10 and GameSpot gave the Virtual Console release 8.9/10." I don't quite understand this. Is the Virtual Console version different from the original?
 * Not significantly. There are minor differences, such as progressive scan support and lack of rumble, but the core game is unchanged. GameSpot (and others) gave the VC re-release a separate review, though, complete with a score. Since the VC version was released later, the graphics and audio were approached with different expectations.  Pagra shtak  15:26, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Need to explain this. Buc (talk) 17:31, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Is the coverage in the re-release section not sufficient?
 * That would do for the changes to the game, although all I see there at the moment is something about lack of vibration. Buc (talk) 13:33, 30 April 2008 (UTC)
 * You'll have to give me something further here if my edits didn't address this.  Pagra shtak  18:14, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks for collapsing. I've made some changes, please see if your outstanding comments have been resolved.  Pagra shtak  21:29, 3 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The Reception could do with something about how this game is often considered one of the best ever. Buc (talk) 20:47, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
 * These quotes are from the first paragraph of Reception: "Ocarina of Time received a perfect score from many gaming publications, including Famitsu,[51] Electronic Gaming Monthly,[50] GameSpot,[52] and IGN.[46]" "Ocarina of Time is frequently featured near or at the top of gaming publications' top games of all time lists, including those of Electronic Gaming Monthly,[4] IGN,[6] and Edge.[7] In 2006, Nintendo Power named it the best game to appear on a Nintendo console.[8] Game Trailers named it the best game of all time in their list of the Ten Best and Worst Games of All Time." Is that not enough?  Pagra shtak  00:39, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
 * That's only part of a paragraph at the moment and read as nothing more than a list of scores with no real overall point. Buc (talk) 16:21, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't know a better way of saying that Ocarina is often considered one of the best games other than telling the reader about prominent publications that gave it a perfect score and ranked it high on best games list. What exactly do you want?  Pagra shtak  18:14, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Just exspand on what you've got. Take a few quotes from the sources that gave it good score that say why they think it's so good and make it a separate paragraph. Buc (talk) 16:32, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

 Pagra shtak  14:15, 1 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Reception section is tagged as having neutrality disputed (not surprising for this subject...), please solve ASAP. dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) 10:08, 1 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I've removed the tag. It says "Please see the discussion on the talk page." but the editor who added that tag did not say what the problem was, either or the talk page, here, or on my user talk page. If it gets re-added with an explanation, then we'll see, but that section is pretty balanced. There are five paragraphs—here's a summary showing positive and negative to illustrate why I feel it's balanced.
 * 1) The first paragraph gives information on sales, awards, and rankings. Everything is sourced and reflects an accurate view of critical reception in my opinion.
 * 2) Second paragraph covers graphics. Positive: Faces were done well, draw distances good. Negative: Blurry textures, graphics outdone by an earlier game for the same console.
 * 3) Third paragraph covers gameplay. Positive: Detailed, many side quests. Negative: Simple control scheme causes "unintended actions" to occur, new system has learning curve.
 * 4) Fourth paragraph covers audio. Positive: atmospheric and surround sound used well, immersive. Negative: Samples sound outdated, MIDI songs are "fair to terrible"
 * 5) Fifth paragraph covers re-release. Positive: Scores still high (9, 8.9). Negative: Called outdated, scores lower than original.

Uneasy about this one. This is much improved in the prose compared with this genre a year ago. But I'm not entirely satisfied yet.
 * Just to start, a non-actionable piece of advice: the leads of these video-game articles seem to start unerringly with exactly the same formula. If I notice this, other readers will. Overall, it reduces the quality of engagement with readers because it's so predictable—are you hinting that the video games are predictable? I hope not. You might consider varying the formula, even just by changing the order in which information is given.
 * In fact many video games are predictable, but this is not the reason for the formulaic opening. There are certain elements of video games that needs to be conveyed up front—genre, release date, regions of release, platform—which naturally sets up the easy trap of this opening. Your point is taken, and I'll try to keep that in mind the next time I write a video game lead.
 * "has several optional side quests, or minor objectives that the player can choose to complete or ignore"—is this an equative "or"? A "that is,"? And I can't tell whether is should be like this, with another comma: "has several optional side quests, i.e., minor objectives, that the player can choose to complete or ignore". Check.
 * Yes, it's intended to show equation. The extra comma is intentionally left out, as the addition would imply that not all side quests are optional. A required minor objective would never be called a side quest.
 * Trivial linking: why "composer"? Sure, "leitmotif" is a good link, but don't dilute it. Do we really need to link "North America", "Japan", "Europe" and "Australia"? Why not leave just the USEFUL links, or it's a mess of blue.
 * I took out a few—I don't think it was too bad overall, but definitely agree about the country links.
 * MOS breaches: footnote 20—"You must look for the five temples and awaken the five Sages… One Sage is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I am sure you know… Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm…" Check MOS WRT three vs four dots, and the spacing requirements. The readers deserve to know which ones are real periods in the original. And it's unclear where this quote comes from. Does it appear in print in the actual game?
 * You might need to help me out a little with this. I know a lot MOS particulars, but haven't dealt with ellipses yet. Are you saying I should use periods instead of the ellipsis character? If something else is wrong with footnote 20, I don't know what it is. Yes, the quote is printed in the video game.
 * Update—regarding the use of three or four periods—I checked the game and it uses three sometimes and four sometimes. I can vouch for what is used in this article as of this post. All ellipses in the game quotations appear on-screen, are not used to indicate omitted text, and match the game in using three or four.  Pagra shtak  21:44, 3 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Ref 28: ""Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto" (13 November 1998). Nintendo Power 114. Retrieved on 23 October 2007." I don't think the web site is properly named. And there are two people's names associated with the copyright of the site at the bottom. Can you clear this up? I think the refs need careful checking. Tony   (talk)  12:58, 2 May 2008 (UTC)
 * This was an interview that appeared in volume 114 of Nintendo Power magazine. The link is a convenience for those without access to the magazine. You'll notice the copyright says "© 1999-2005 A.Robinson/C.Johnson unless otherwise stated" (emphasis mine) and the top of the page identifies Nintendo Power as the source.  Pagra shtak  14:08, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

Comments. Good to see the NPOV stuff sorted above. Prose seems to improve in the latter part of the article. dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) 06:14, 5 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Say which year the iQue/VC releases were in (lead)
 * You should mention the time spent as young link in the lead, I think...dunno, the plot summary is pretty condensed there
 * "it is the best-selling" - past tense
 * The quote in ref 9 doesn't seem to mention what it's citing ("a control scheme that was considered revolutionary at the time but is now common among contemporary games")
 * Also, say why it was so revolutionary...
 * "(L Targeting in the GameCube version)." - I think you should just discuss the N64 stuff
 * "Link in Hyrule Field" - discus what else is seen in the image...heart meter, weapons, map, rupees, etc.
 * "to be followed by a 64DD expansion later" - "later" is not necessary
 * "a composer famous for his work on some of Nintendo's key titles" - needs source, and "some" is ambiguous...just say which ones
 * "It is cited as the "first contemporary nondance title to feature music-making as part of its gameplay"." - change "it" to "the game" and say who this quote is from
 * I've done most of this. I'm not too keen about expanding the plot in the lead, I'd rather keep the in-universe part of it to a minimum and just provide the basics. As for "is the best-selling", it still is. If I say it was the best-selling game of 1998, it sounds like something surpassed it in December, which isn't the case.  Pagra shtak  23:20, 5 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Support. first point; that's fine. Second; yeah, you're right, m'bad. Support. dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) 09:06, 6 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Support, much improved and concerns (mostly) addressed. Oppose, 1b and some misc prose and sourcing issues below.
 * Woefully lacking in production information. You tantalize by describing the large staff and stuntmen but then leave us hanging.  To be comprehensive, the article really needs information on how the game was developed, why such a staff was required, the decision-making processes, etc.
 * Please take the Japanese characters out of the lead.
 * "... the game was instead released on the largest cartridge Nintendo had produced at the time." Do you mean its physical size or its data capacity?
 * I have to say I think a photo of the cartridge would add to the article since you mention it prominently in the lead, especially if it's freakishly large.
 * "Link travels through time and navigates several dungeons to awaken sages with the power to seal Ganondorf." Clarity needed.. I can't tell if the sages have the power or Link is using the power to awaken them.
 * "The game received wide critical acclaim and commercial success." Reword... things don't "receive" success.
 * "... it was praised for taking elements of the two-dimensional games and successfully translating them into the third dimension." The game did not do this, the programmers did.
 * "The control scheme introduced techniques such as context-sensitive actions and a targeting system called "Z-targeting" that became standard for adventure games." Maybe I missed it, but your source doesn't exactly back up this statement. I see "Set the standard for adventure games in 3D." but I don't see where they specify that the examples you mentioned in particular set the standard.
 * "Demand was so great that Electronics Boutique stopped pre-selling the title on November 3, 1998; IGN reported that some retail employees were unsure if Nintendo would be able to fulfill the initial demand." Hm.  Implies that EB stopped pre-selling the game because of what "retail employees" thought, which is highly unlikely.  Unless you have a source stating exactly why EB stopped pre-selling, better to just end the sentence after the date. -- Laser brain   (talk)  19:59, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I've taken care of the easier ones, I'm looking into the others. As for the Japanese characters, your request (possibly) conflicts with Naming conventions (use English). As this is under discussion at the VG project, I'm leaving it for the time being but won't revert if someone else removes it. Regarding the image of the cartridge, I just removed one—you and Black Kite will have to fight it out.  Pagra shtak  20:40, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I've stricken the Japanese characters comment since this isn't really the place to debate it. I'm discussing the issue of the image of the cartridge with Black Kite; the image use policy states that a photograph of a 3-dimensional object creates a new copyright. I believe an image of the gold cartridge can be given a free license (by its photographer) and placed in the article. -- Laser brain   (talk)  15:07, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
 * No, it can't - it's a derivative work, and will always be non-free. Black Kite 18:18, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Laser brain, I've expanded the development section and removed the phrase that's not exactly supported by the ref. Please take a look and let me know what you think.  Pagra shtak  06:37, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.