Talk:Sonic Dash/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: TheJoebro64 (talk · contribs) 23:31, 29 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Gotta go fast JOE BRO 64 23:31, 29 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

No kidding; I don’t even think that was up at GAN for an hour... Red Phoenix ^talk 23:52, 29 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Damn, you beat me to it. I didn't know it was even up here until it was already taken. I can provide some minor help, if that's okay. Namcokid 47 ^(Contribs) 16:23, 30 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

There's no mention of the Windows PC version, though I think that version ended up being discontinued.
When was the arcade version released?
It is the second game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Hardlight for the platform... which platform? I think this should be reworded to: It is Hardlight's second Sonic the Hedgehog game, following the 2012 remake of Sonic Jump.
Link to video game remake at "remake of Sonic Jump"
There's no commentary on what the game plays like, which I would consider crucial to understanding the game and a glaring omission from what's supposed to summarize the article.
"Hardlight, a British development studio owned by Sega, began ~~development on~~ developing Sonic Dash after completing ~~a remake of~~ Sonic Jump." Also unlink Sonic Jump here since it's linked above.
"~~Development of the game continues to be supported by~~ Hardlight continues to support the game with ~~numerous~~ updates ~~and~~ adding additional characters and features." I'd also add a link to patch (computing) at "updates"
I'd add "... based on Sonic Boom and Sonic Forces" to "Sequels... have been produced."

That's a lot to get started on. I'll be back soon with more comments. JOE BRO 64 16:51, 30 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Namcokid47

I'll do the reception since Joebro seems busy with the rest of the page.

"Sonic Dash received mixed reviews, mainly praising the gameplay and graphics but criticizing the use of in-app purchases." - The game praised itself? Clarify that it was critics who praised the game.
The review scores in the VGR box should all be sourced.
My biggest point of concern is how the reception is written. This comes off as just a laundry list of comments made by reviewers, with nothing to weave them together. "Edge said this, Eurogamer said that" is not interesting. This would be okay if the game only received a few reviews (I've done this before in the past with Virtual Boy games that have so few reviews), but for a game with nine different reviews, all from reliable publications, it isn't okay. This will definitely need some rewritting, and I can help you if needed.

That's what I have for now. There's definitely some work needed, but nothing too difficult I hope. Namcokid 47 ^(Contribs) 17:19, 30 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I was going to comment on this too. This is the "A said B" problem as outlined at WP:RECEPTION. It's essentially a bullet-point list of quotes converted into prose. RECEPTION has a lot of tips on how to avoid this and write a reception section that meaningfully outlines what people liked and what they didn't. JOE BRO 64 17:33, 30 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@TheJoebro64 and Namcokid47: I gave all of this a whack this morning - although I disagree that referencing every score in the box is necessary when all of the reviews are in the paragraph to the left (I will be open to discussion on this). Feel free to have another look; I'll be anticipating more comments. Red Phoenix ^talk 14:48, 31 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Alright Red Phoenix, here's the rest of my review. I made minor changes that I don't think will be controversial myself.

I think the third paragraph of the development section should be moved and integrated into the gameplay section. It's more relevant in the context of the gameplay rather than the game's development.
Building off of this, I think "According to Southall in a November 2017 interview, Hardlight was continuing to work on updates for Sonic Dash and Sonic Dash 2. In a February 2020 interview, new Hardlight studio manager Neall Jones expressed the studio's surprise at the longevity of Sonic Dash... He spoke on the implementation of new features to keep the game interesting, as well as additions from the Sonic the Hedgehog film" should be moved to development because it's not relevant in the context of the game's reception. The 350 million downloads should stay in the reception though. I'd also abstain from mentioning Sonic Dash 2 until you mention it in the sequels section.
Sonic Dash received mixed reviews that mainly praised the gameplay and graphics but criticized the use of in-app purchases. This is redundant to the MC score and the rest of the section. I'd just cut it.
Review aggregator Metacritic calculated a score of 69 out of 100, based on 26 reviews, labeling it as having "mixed or average reviews". Per WP:VG/REC, "avoid scores and statistics in prose, which are hard for the reader to parse and often impart little qualitative information." I'd revise to: According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Sonic Dash received "mixed or average reviews".
These two statements
- The gameplay and graphics of Sonic Dash have been moderately well received.
- The game's use of microtransactions and in-app purchases has been heavily criticized.

are generalized statements that could be challenged, so they need direct refs afterward.

Are there any reviews for the two sequels? If so, I'd include them.

That's all. Nice work. JOE BRO 64 19:23, 3 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@TheJoebro64: All addressed as requested. Red Phoenix ^talk 21:09, 3 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Red Phoenix, OK, looks cool. Passing. JOE BRO 64 21:57, 3 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]