Talk:Cloud Strife/GA1

GA Review

The article's come along nicely, there's still some sourcing issues, the other concern is that characters and other in-universe aspects of his appearances are not given context in some cases.

"This character-player dynamic is reflected by the many opportunities the player is given to choose Cloud's way of interacting with other characters in the game's story, particularly where potential romantic-interests are concerned." Needs citing.
'Related Final Fantasy VII appearances' and 'Other appearances' need nailing down with cites as tightly as 'Final Fantasy VII'.
There are a couple of very short paragraphs at the end of a couple of sections, could be tacked to the previous paragraph.
"Despite appearing detached to members of AVALANCHE in the game's introductory sequence,[30][23][28] Cloud does display moments of comradeship (some depending on the player's choices),[31][32][33] and, when confronted by Tifa with his childhood promise to protect her,[34][35] agrees to continue working for AVALANCHE,[36] despite his inability to fulfill on his pledge.[37] Furthermore, following the player's departure from Midgar, Cloud is appointed group leader, much to the chargrin of Barret.[38] (Barret, however, later concedes approval of Cloud's position, although only after Cloud's disappearance into the Lifestream following the events at the end of the first disc.)[39]" Who's Tifa? Who's Barret? The bracket on the last sentence isn't needed really. All characters should be wikilinked to the relevant articles.
Who's Aerith? What's a gold saucer? What's AVALANCHE? Why are they chasing Sephiroth? In the FFVII section in particular you've got the unenviable task of trying to balance depth of information with context and relevance, but these characters etc. do need some context since a non-player is not going to have a clue what it's all about. Can I suggest you look again at whether or not all this is of relevance in describing Cloud as a character, and if so then letting the reader know who/what these things are as briefly as possible. Sephiroth and AVALANCHE are in the lead but they need bringing together within this section so the whole thing would make sense to someone who has no knowledge of the games.

That's it for now, though the above involves some time-consuming editing and probably discussion too, the reception and merchandise sections look dandy. I'll be watching the talk page but if you'd like to discuss anything then please leave a message on my talk. Someone another 05:47, 13 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Nearly there now, excellent work. Some updates:

The first two paragraphs in 'Related Final Fantasy VII appearances' and the first paragraph in 'Other appearances' are still awaiting cites.
"For Final Fantasy VII Advent Children..." Advent Children needs wikilinking the first time it appears.
- Done. The Prince (talk) 11:43, 17 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
One thing that has made me twitchy whenever looking at this article is the number of cites bunched together at certain parts. It is difficult to balance the textflow with the need to demonstrate verified sources, but a little tweaking would lessen the impact without harming verifiability. For example, are four separate citations needed to express the fact that misc. merchandise has been produced? Three of them are used in the lead too, could you get by with just one, cross-referenced? I don't think ref #31 is needed, #32 says all that's needed. Three refs are used to cite "Cloud, meanwhile, takes pride in his past, confident in his abilities as a former member of SOLDIER.", #28 is hardly relevant and since it's used three separate times in the article it could be removed from that sentence and wouldn't be lost. Ref #33 seems to be missing an indication that it's Cloud speaking with Biggs. Would you take a brief look at any bunched-up citations and check that they're all needed to cite that particular text?
- I agree. Three cites for one statement is a little too much. I removed two refs for the statement about the merchandise, as their content was the same as in the first one. I removed all the citations in the lead that also appeared in the main body of the article; only stuff that isn't mentioned in the main body needs to be cited. I also removed the dialog refs you mentioned, as they were unnecessary. Cutting all plot-related statements down to 1 ref instead of 3 would be better for readability, IMO. The Prince (talk) 11:43, 17 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I keep skimming the article, let me know if you want more input or you've dealt with the above, then I'll sit down and double-check each ref. etc. Someone another 04:48, 17 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

So...This article has been on hold for 14 days- twice the amount it's supposed to be, and with no comments for the last 10. That means that any roving GA reviewer can stop in and make a decision. Of the above comments, the only things that have not been adressed is that the second para in 'Related Final Fantasy VII appearances' and the first paragraph in 'Other appearances' do not have cites. That is not enough in my opinion to fail it for GA, though if you plan on taking this to FAC, you'll need to find some. With no other concerns present, I'm going to give this article a PASS, and a hearty good job. --PresN (talk) 03:58, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]