Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Essential articles

WikiProject Video games: Essential articles See also: Outline of video games This page lists the most essential topics related to video games. It could be used to select candidates for Wikipedia 1.0, or perhaps even to create a Video games Wikipedia Book. It allows us to identify areas in need of work, so that we may become a more authoritative resource for video game history. Feel free to fill in the table by rating the quality and importance of articles. If you disagree with a grade, or believe that an important topic is missing, be bold and change it. If you change the rating of an article, please also change the rating on the {{WikiProject Video games}} template found on the article's discussion page. The status of the external links on these pages are updated by Checklinks weekly here. There is also a log of all video game articles which have been rated.	WikiProject VG WikiProject Video games Main page talk   Talk page archive talk Manual of style Article guidelines talk Templates talk Sources talk Departments Assessment talk   Requests talk Collaboration talk Reference library talk   Print archive talk Newsletter talk   Current issue Draft Articles Article alerts talk Pages for deletion talk New pages talk Article requests talk Essential articles talk Most popular articles talk Featured content talk Good content talk Task forces Arcade talk Atari talk Atlus talk BioWare talk Castlevania talk Command & Conquer talk Destroy All Humans! talk Devil May Cry talk Dungeons & Dragons talk The Elder Scrolls talk Gears of War talk Grand Theft Auto talk id Software talk Indie New! talk Insomniac talk Mega Man talk Mortal Kombat talk MUD talk Nintendo talk PlayStation talk Pro gaming talk Retro games New! talk Sega talk Silent Hill talk The Sims talk Soul talk StarCraft talk Suikoden talk Valve talk Visual novels Joint TF! talk Warcraft talk WikiProject Portal talk Project category talk Project cleanup talk Traffic statistics talk Article statistics talk Project members talk Project watchlist view • talk • edit • changes
Technology General General Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Arcade game Top C Short sections, needs refs. Game controller Top Start Needs refs, mostly. Gaming PC High Is an important topic for PC gaming. C Handheld electronic game High Start Handheld game console Top Start Good summaries of all handhelds, but needs refs. Some images (WS, GP2X) need replaced by public domain/GNUFDL images. Handheld video game High Start Short sections, only one ref. Multiplayer video game High Start Personal computer game Top C delisted GA article. Video arcade Top Start Video game Top Our top-level article. B Could use a few more refs. Also former GA. Video game console Top B Could use one or two more general references. Consoles Consoles Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Atari 2600 Top C Refs, obviously. A fairly good history, specs are fine, but little else. ColecoVision High Start Significantly smaller than surrounding articles. Refs. Dreamcast High C Refs. Game & Watch High Introduced cross-style D-Pad. Launched Gumpei Yokoi's career. Start Game Boy Top Nintendo's most successful console C Needs to be expanded. Game Boy Advance High Part of the Game Boy line Start Lead, refs. Jumps directly into the hardware, not much else. Game Boy line High The dominant handheld console since '89. Start Covers nearly all Nintendo handhelds, briefly. Intellivision High C Could stand to be reorganized (History, features, peripherals, specs?). Image:Intellivision.jpg should be replaceable. Magnavox Odyssey Top The first video game console. Start Nintendo 64 High C Lacks inline citations. Nintendo 3DS Top produces "3D effects without the need for any special glasses". B Nintendo DS Top Cultural phenomenon. C Former GA. Nintendo Entertainment System Top C Former FA. Nintendo GameCube High C References. Not outstanding by any means. Promo images might be replace with free photos. PlayStation (console) Top Most important console of its era, first popular console with CD media. C Needs references. Lots of references. PlayStation 2 Top C Jumps into "history" with little context. Convert links to references, but needs more refs anyway. Not bad but not excellent. PlayStation 3 Top B Former FA. PlayStation Portable High B Former GA. Sega Master System High SMS and NES were the two most important consoles of their era; head-to-head combattants. Start Needs refs and free images. Sega Mega Drive High C Former GA/A. Sega Saturn High C Refs, especially for comparisons to PSX versions. No pic of the standard controller. Super Nintendo Entertainment System Top FA Vectrex High Start Wii High Current-gen console. Cutting-edge motion sensing technology. FA Xbox High B Standardize refs. Seems like there's a tone issue, although it's only slightly more prominent here than in other articles here. Needs more pictures. Xbox 360 Top B Former GA. History History History Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Golden Age of Video Arcade Games High All VG history articles are essential. Start FARC page History of video games Top All VG history articles are essential. C Bad lead, needs more refs, copyediting. The 1970's section is a mess. Perhaps fork off a timeline list as the article is quite large. History of video game consoles (first generation) Top All VG history articles are essential. Start History of video game consoles (second generation) High All VG history articles are essential. Start Needs more references. History of video game consoles (third generation) Top All VG history articles are essential. Start History of video game consoles (fourth generation) Top All VG history articles are essential. C History of video game consoles (fifth generation) High All VG history articles are essential. Start History of video game consoles (sixth generation) High All VG history articles are essential. Start Still happening. History of video game consoles (seventh generation) Top All VG history articles are essential. GA Still happening. North American video game crash of 1983 Top All VG history articles are essential. C Former GA. Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. High Firmly established Nintendo as a video game company, having stood its ground against a media giant. GA Industry and development Industry and development Industry and development Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Game artificial intelligence High Start Has references, but might just be better to include the top article on AI. Stub sections. Game design High Start Game development Top Start Game engine High C Needs references. Game programmer High C Needs references. Consider merging into game programming. Game programming Top Start For a second I thought I was reading the above article again; needs different pics. Consider merging? Game testing High Start Needs better layout. Consider merging game tester here. Video game developer High C Needs references, particularly for generalizations. Video game industry Top B Needs refs (currently has none), significant cleanup and expansion. Factual accuracy disputed. Video game publisher High Start Needs references, particularly for generalizations. People People See also: List of video game designers List of computer and video game industry people Category:Video game designers Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Ralph H. Baer Top Creator of the first video game console. Start Richard Bartle High Co-creator of MUD1, first MUD and progenitor of MUD and MMORPG genres; author of Designing Virtual Worlds Start Nolan Bushnell Top Creator of Pong, kick-started the industry. B John D. Carmack High Main programmer of Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Quake. B Richard Garriott High Creator of Ultima series; in many ways the father, or the evolver, of CRPGs. B Trip Hawkins High Founder of Electronic Arts Start Keiji Inafune High Creator of all the Mega Man and Onimusha series. Start Hideo Kojima High Creator of the Metal Gear series. B Kōji Kondō High Prolific video game music composer responsible for the music of Mario series and The Legend of Zelda series. Start Raph Koster High Lead designer of Ultima Online, creative director of Star Wars Galaxies, chief creative officer of EverQuest II, author of A Theory of Fun for Game Design C Ken Kutaragi Top Father of the PlayStation. B Jordan Mechner High Creator of Karateka, Prince of Persia, The Last Express, the first game designer to use rotoscoping (a predecessor to motion capture). Start No picture, birthdate, references. Sid Meier Top Creator of Civilization Start Shinji Mikami High Creator of the Resident Evil series (and other Capcom franchises). Start No references. Shigeru Miyamoto Top Most widely-known and successful video game developer, creator of Mario and Zelda franchises, etc. B Peter Molyneux High Creator of Populous, one of the first graphical 'god games'. Start Yuji Naka High Creator of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Start Gabe Newell Top Creator of the Half-Life series and founder of Valve Corporation. Start Alexey Pajitnov High Creator of Tetris, arguably the most popular/recognized puzzle game, crucial to the success of the Game Boy. Start John Romero High Game designer for Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Quake B Hironobu Sakaguchi High Creator of the Final Fantasy series. Start Tim Schafer High Creator of Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, etc. Start Yu Suzuki High Creator of Out Run, Virtua Fighter, and Shenmue. Start Nobuo Uematsu High Prolific video game music composer responsible for almost all the Final Fantasy soundtracks. GA Roberta Williams High Creator of Mystery House (the first first-person game), King's Quest series, Phantasmagoria, all best-selling games. Did for adventure games what Meier and Wright did for strategy games, one of the most famous female video game designers. Start Is about on par with the Sid Meier article. Needs more detail, refs. Will Wright Top Creator of SimCity, The Sims, and Spore. B Hiroshi Yamauchi Top President of Nintendo from 1949 until 2002. Start Gunpei Yokoi Top Creator of Game Boy, Game & Watch, and other systems. Start Defunct companies See also: Category:Defunct video game companies Defunct companies Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Atari High One of the oldest gaming companies; made one of the influential game consoles (2600). C By far the best article of this bunch. Yellow article needs references badly, though. Brøderbund High Prince of Persia, Carmen Sandiego, Myst. Start Commodore International High Commodore 64, Amigas. Start Enix High Dragon Quest, Star Ocean mostly. C Looking Glass Studios High Ultima Underworld, Ultima Underworld II, System Shock, Thief, Terra Nova. Start MicroProse High Master of Orion, X-COM, founded by Sid Meier. Start New World Computing High Might and Magic, Heroes of Might and Magic. Start Origin Systems High Ultima, Wing Commander. Start Sierra Entertainment High King's Quest, various published/developed games. Start Gigantic amount of information (i.e. too much). None of which is referenced, of course. Square Co. High Final Fantasy, various console role-playing games. Start Active companies See also: Category:Video game companies Active companies Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Activision Top The first third-party developer; one of the biggest software publishers. C BioWare High Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, various engines. C Nothing beyond the lists of games and engines. Blizzard Entertainment Top Diablo, WarCraft, StarCraft. C Too focused on Cease and Desists (POV). Capcom Top Mega Man, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and more. Start Electronic Arts Top The biggest third party publisher. B Good info but tagged for cleanup. Id Software High Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake C Konami Top Castlevania, Dance Dance Revolution, Metal Gear. C LucasArts High Monkey Island and many Star Wars games. Start Midway Games High Developer of Mortal Kombat, Spy Hunter and Tron. Licensing & distribution of Pac-Man and Space Invaders. C Namco High Pac-Man, Ridge Racer, Soul Calibur, Tekken C Nintendo Top Major console and game maker; created international gaming icons such as Mario and internationally recognized series such as The Legend of Zelda. C Former GA. References might be cited in the article itself, inappropriate formatting. Rare Ltd. High Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007 and Jetpac B Prose needs improving. Sega Top Former major console maker. C Needs references. Sony Computer Entertainment Top A subsidiary of Sony; creators of the PlayStations. B Needs references. Square Enix High Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts and others. B Taito Corporation High Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble series, Darius series and Lufia series. Start Ubisoft High Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia, Myst sequels, etc. C Mostly a list of games. Valve High Developers of Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, and Portal. Start Underdeveloped. Books See also: Category:Books about video games Books Article Need Rationale Quality Comments The Art of Computer Game Design Mid First book on video game theory. Stub Designing Virtual Worlds Mid Seminal work on MMO/virtual world development. C Game contents Genres Genres Article Need Rationale Quality Comments 4X High FA Promoted to featured status in August 2008. Action game Top The largest and most important genre, tying together many video game concepts. Start Might be hard to find research for a history / reception section. Will depend on adequate sources for subgenres. Action-adventure game High Many major franchises fit within this genre. C Most action-adventure subgenres are considered good articles, which could help this root article improve. Adventure game Top One of the oldest genres. A foundation to many other games. B Less popular now, and might require some digging to find appropriate references. Beat 'em up High GA Promoted to good article status in April 2009. Construction and management simulation High Most of the major Sim games fall within this category. Start Research doesn't always distinguish between these and vehicle simulations, let alone realistic games. Fighting game High A major genre, especially in arcades. GA Promoted to good article status in June 2009. First-person shooter High GA Promoted to good article status in March 2009. Government simulation game High Former GA. C Grand Theft Auto clone High A Promoted to good article status in May 2009. Indie game High C Life simulation game High Start Light gun shooter High GA Promoted to good article status in March 2009. Massively multiplayer online game High Not really a genre, but still an important game category. Start Massively multiplayer online role-playing game Top B Lost GA status due to unreferenced content. MUD High Pioneering genre in multiplayer persistent world gaming, predecessor to MMORPG genre. B Platform game Top Dominated gaming in the 8 and 16 bit era more than any genre has before or since. B Lost GA status due to excessive non-free image use and unsourced content. Role-playing video game Top Far more important than the separate console versus computer RPG articles. Start Produced through a merger of weaker articles. Ripe for improvement. Rhythm game High GA Promoted to good article status in April 2009. Shoot 'em up High A dominant genre until 3D gaming came along. GA Promoted to good article status in March 2009. Shooter game High Meta-genre. Start A decent disambig-style page. No history or references. Could become an good summary if only tactical and third-person subgenres weren't in rough shape. Sports game High C Types section needs expansion, a history section is missing. Extreme sports games lacks mention. Might need a split. Stealth game High GA Promoted to good article status in June 2009. Strategy video game Top Start Needs expansion. No history. Might need to focus on subgenres like real-time strategy and turn-based strategy first. Survival horror High GA Promoted to good article status in April 2009. Vehicle simulation game High The root article for flight sims, tank combat games, and racing games. Very important. Start Video game genres Top B A discussion of genres might be required, but is also perhaps the most problematic topic since there is no real consensus on genres. Page reflect lack of consensus and references to existing research. Needs heavy rework, an extensive and objective discussion (rather than just a listing of a plentitude of genre-esque bullets) and references. Gameplay and design Gameplay and design Article Need Rationale Quality Comments 1-up High Start Gameplay Mid Start Buff (computer gaming) High Start Camping (computer gaming) High Start Continue High Stub Cooperative gameplay High Start Critical hit Mid Start Dialog tree High Stub Experience point High Start Fog of war High Start Frag (video gaming) High Start Game over Mid Start Grinding (video gaming) High Start Health (gaming) High Start Level (video gaming) High Start Looting (gaming) High Start Micromanagement (gameplay) High Start Mob (video gaming) Mid C Non-player character Mid Start Player character Mid Start Player versus environment Mid Start Player versus player Mid C Powergaming High Start Quest (video gaming) High B Side-scrolling video game High Start Spam (gaming) Mid Start Spawning (video gaming) Mid Start Syntax guessing Mid Start Tank (gaming) Mid Start Technology tree High Start Characters Characters Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Donkey Kong (character) High Start GLaDOS High Considered one of the most noteworthy villains and female characters in video games. Was responsible for popularizing the video game Portal to the point where it was selected as required reading at Wabash College and for "the cake is a lie" meme. B Needs some copyediting. Gordon Freeman High C Lara Croft High First game mascot to break the cutesy cartoon mold yet achieve mainstream recognition. Inspired glut of "sexy" heroines and pandering advertisements. GA Link (The Legend of Zelda) High One of the most recognized video game characters. C See FA review Luigi High Iconic sidekick character, commonly noted as "neglected". C Needs some more sourcing, plus expansion in "Reception". Mario High Considered to be the international symbol of video games. B Master Chief (Halo) High Protagonist of the Halo series. FA Mega Man (character) High Capcom's mascot, and star of a huge franchise. Start Needs references and organizing. Pikachu High The face of the Pokémon franchise, absurdly popular character. GA Samus Aran High The first major female protagonist in gaming. GA Sonic the Hedgehog (character) High Sega's response to Mario. Inspired a whole generation of mascots. B See GAR for concerns. Games Series Series Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Castlevania High C Dance Dance Revolution High C Doom (series) High Helped start the First-person shooter craze. Stub Dragon Quest High GA The Elder Scrolls High Start Fallout (series) High C Final Fantasy High FA Grand Theft Auto (series) High Best-selling series of its generation. B Former GA. Half-Life High B Halo (series) High Broke several sales records for entertainment properties, iconic in 6th generation-onward gaming. A King's Quest High Start Lacking in detail about games and history, no refs whatsoever and has a minor case of "list-syndrome". The Legend of Zelda (series) High B Proper footnotes now. Still some work to be done. See GAR LucasArts adventure games High Highly successful range of adventure games from beginning, through peak and decline, spanning 14 years. Start Mario (series) High Best-selling video game series ever. Nintendo's flagship franchise, influenced 2D and 3D platforming. C Mega Man High Start Refs, long trivia section. Metal Gear High C Metroid High GA Expansion and more references. Pokémon High Crucial for keeping Nintendo's fortunes afloat during lean N64 and GameCube years. GA Also: Pokémon (video game series) Resident Evil High C Needs longer lead, more refs. See GA reassessment Sonic the Hedgehog (series) High Flagship game series for the Sega consoles. C Talks little about the later installments. Sources again. Street Fighter High Start Ultima (series) High Start Needs expansion. Arcade games Arcade games Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Asteroids (video game) High Start Not much is given about the legacy and impact of the game. Battlezone (1980 video game) High The first major 3D game. C Breakout (video game) High Start Centipede (video game) High Regarded as the first arcade game created by a woman. Also the first arcade coin-operated game to have a significant female player base. Start Computer Space High The first commercially sold video game. Start Defender (video game) High WMS Industries and Eugene Jarvis's first video game. Widely considered one of the most difficult video games ever. Furthered the shoot 'em up genre and the idea that challenging video games can be commercially successful. GA Prose needs polishing for FA Donkey Kong (video game) High Made Nintendo a major player. Shigeru Miyamoto's first game. Mario and Donkey Kong's debut. FA Double Dragon High Considered the first successful game of its type. Start More information in "Reception" section Dragon's Lair High The first successful game using an optical disc medium. The father of the twitch interactive-movie genre. Start Frogger High Start More references. Galaxian High Start Add sources and footnotes. Gauntlet (arcade game) High Introduced four-player cooperative/competitive style. Pioneered novel pay-per-play system in which money bought character health. C Gradius High Start I, Robot High The first commercial video game with filled 3D polygon graphics and featured flat shading, as well as being the first video game to feature camera control options. Start "Development" needs expansion. Mario Bros. High GA Missile Command High Start Mortal Kombat High Pushed the limits of violence in games. Critical flashpoint for national violence debate. Directly led to creation of ESRB ratings. Start NBA Jam High Start Pac-Man High One of the most popular arcade games ever. First original gaming mascot. Established maze-chase genre. Gaming's first licensing success. B Comprehensive, but needs copyedit; other issues as well. 13+ items on to-do list. Failed a GA nomination in June 2006. There are many references, but still plenty of unreferenced assertions. Pole Position (video game) High Start Pong High First successful computer-based arcade game. Popularized home gaming. A Prose needs polishing for FA Robotron: 2084 High Introduced dual-joystick control method. Spawned many imitators. A Prose needs polishing for FA Space Invaders High First Japanese-developed hit game. Established traditional shooter genre. FA Star Wars (1983 video game) High Made Star Wars a gaming mainstay. Inspired countless cockpit-perspective action shooters. Start Needs more references. Street Fighter II High Launched the one-on-one fighting genre into the mainstream. Revitalized the American arcade. Landmark home version. Start Doesn't adequately address the game's historical importance or the impact of the game on popular culture. More references would help. Tempest (arcade game) High Start Track & Field (video game) High Introduced the button tapping gameplay. Start Computer games Computer games Article Need Rationale Quality Comments 3D Monster Maze High the 1st 3D game for a personal computer C See FAR Civilization High Megahit game (and one that changed the way we think about turn-based strategy) started a series that continues to this day. C Need more references. Colossal Cave Adventure High The very first story-based adventure game. C Command & Conquer (video game) High Popularized RTS games C Counter-Strike High One of the most popular multiplayer online games ever C Detailed, but needs references and some rewriting Deus Ex High Consistently ranked as one of the most important games ever released, and a decade-long touchstone for the philosophy of player choice-powered game design. GA Development section needs expansion. Diablo (video game) High B Doom (video game) High Defined the FPS genre. Transformed the PC into a viable action platform. Successfully deployed the shareware model. Inspired the advent of user mod communities. Became a flashpoint for countless debates on media violence. C Former FA. Concerns stated at FAR. Dune II High It's the precursor to the C&C franchise and established a few precedents for the RTS genre. Start Dungeon Master (video game) High Start Elite (video game) High C Fallout (video game) High Revitalized CRPG genre. C Half-Life (video game) High Introduced interactive and scripted events into gameplay. Served as the model for a massive fan mod community. GA Half-Life 2 High Defined the use of physics in gameplay. B Former FA. See FAR discussion for concerns. King's Quest: Quest for the Crown High The first adventure game with animation. Defined the adventure genre for the next decade. Start MUD1 High First MUD, so origin point that MUDs and MMORPGs trace back to C M.U.L.E. High Precursor to god game and real-time strategy genres. One of the first titles to explore socio-economic networking. C Myst High Killer app for the CD-ROM. Spawned "Myst-clone" subgenre. Partially responsible for the decline of PC adventure genre. FA Mystery House High The first graphical adventure game. Start Populous High Created god game genre. Popularized hands-off approach to strategy gaming. First notable game to create a living world. Start Portal High One of the most influential video games. FA Prince of Persia (1989 video game) High Established an effective template for dynamic cinematic events in games. Introduced rotoscope motion capture to games. Created the cinematic platformer sub-genre. Start Quake High Revolutionized FPS and deathmatch multiplayer gaming Start Too long and needs more references. Rogue (computer game) High First screen-oriented video game take on the D&D concept. Introduced randomly-generated dungeons. Template for all roguelikes. Start SimCity High Pioneered the city-building genre. The success of the game also paved the way for the development and release of other sim games, including The Sims series. Start The Sims High The best selling computer game ever. Helped propel Electronic Arts to its current state of enormity. B Needs to have a bit more depth to it. Spacewar! High One of the first video games. Start StarCraft High First RTS with three significantly different factions; hugely popular and highly influential. FA Tetris High Established market for games with universal appeal. Instrumental in success of Game Boy. Subject of one of the industry's most convoluted legal battles. Gave puzzle gaming a new definition. C Legal history of the game is very lacking, could do with a proper copy edit. Tomb Raider High Effectively translated Prince of Persia-style gameplay to 3D. B Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar High First RPG to emphasize morality. Expanded the interactivity and importance of NPC characters via conversation trees. Start Ultima Online High Created the MMORPG genre. C Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss High FA Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord High Laid out the foundation for both branches of the RPG genre. Start Wolfenstein 3D High Hugely influential first-person shooter. C World of Warcraft High B Poor prose, poor organization, insufficient breadth of coverage. UFO: Enemy Unknown High Established the turn-based tactics genre. B Zork High Popularized the interactive fiction genre. Pioneered the use of puzzles and narrative in games. Start Console games Console games Article Need Rationale Quality Comments Adventure (Atari 2600) High First console RPG/adventure. First major PC-to-console adaptation. C No references. Brain Age High Inspired a new demographic of gamers, one of the DS' most successful games. C Castlevania (video game) High Voted "one of the best video games ever" on several lists. Started the Castlevania franchise. C Still needs some work (and refs). Contra (video game) Mid The NES version popularized the use of cheat codes. Start Dragon Warrior High Launched the most popular RPG series in Japan, set standards for console RPGs. GA Duck Hunt High One of the first and most popular light gun games. C See GA reassessment E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (video game) High Considered the main cause of the North American video game crash of 1983. First of countless genuinely wretched licensed games. GA Final Fantasy (video game) High Saved Square from ruin, launched a major RPG series. GA Final Fantasy VII High Popularized console role-playing games in the west (especially in the PAL regions). First game to effectively integrate FMV video throughout the presentation. Set new records for production budget on a single game, contributing to today's rising costs of development. GA See featured article review for concerns. GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game) High The first pioneering console FPS. Introduced a number of new gameplay elements to the genre. Helped popularize the stealth genre. Still is benchmark for movie-film conversion, still regarded as best. B See GA reassessment. Gran Turismo (video game) High Popularized simulation based racing games. Raised the bar for licensed content in racing games. Popularized tuning and customization in the racing genre. Start Needs expansion. Grand Theft Auto III High Resuscitated debate over violence in gaming. Popularized sandbox gameplay and Grand Theft Auto series. Cemented "thug" themes as the new trend in gaming. Made Rockstar a publishing giant. B Article size is about 50kb. Most but not all information lack references. Possible need to include more information. Grand Theft Auto IV High Most expensive game ever produced of $100 million. Broke several sales records. B Article size is about 65kb (used to be 85kb). Some parts might get too long and need to be split. Some disputes. Guitar Hero (video game) High Popularized rhythm games in the West. Spawned two highly successful franchises (see also Rock Band) with considerable cultural impact. FA Halo: Combat Evolved High The most influential console FPS of all time. Crucial component of Xbox's uneven start. Bellwether of revitalized western dominance in game design. FA Halo 2 High The most popular online console game of its time. Popularized FPS multiplayer with a mainstream audience. FA Halo 3 High Broke entertainment records for highest first-day entertainment release; ended the Halo trilogy; blamed for low box office sales during the launch; massive marketing campaign and media coverage. FA The Legend of Zelda High Started the Zelda franchise, pioneer of the adventure genre. GA The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time High Set the standard for 3D action-adventure games, often cited as the best video game of all time. FA Mega Man (video game) High Start of a long-running and influential game series. C Mostly lists, but OK. Metal Gear Solid High Popularized the stealth genre. GA See featured article review for concerns. Metroid High Notable for its non-linear gameplay, moody atmosphere and introducing a female protagonist. GA Metroid Prime High Successfully transitioned Metroid gameplay to 3D, much critical acclaim. FA Nintendogs Mid Introduced millions of non-gamers to video games, million seller, increased the % of female DS owners, considered to be the DS' first mega-hit. Start Pac-Man (Atari 2600) Mid First high profile port of one of the most popular games at the time that fell far short of expectations. Partially responsible for the North American video game crash of 1983.. A PaRappa the Rapper Mid Created the rhythm game genre. Used CD format in a way vital to gameplay. Important in establishing PlayStation brand identity. B Pokémon Red and Blue High Started a multi-billion dollar franchise. Introduced link-enabled trading for handheld games. Invented multi-cart sales gimmick. A Pitfall! High Ultimate demonstration of third-party developers' potential. First major run-and-jump adventure. Blueprint for modern action/adventure genre. Start No references. Punch-Out!! Mid Milestone in sports games. C Doesn't really cover the game's massive popularity in North America. Resident Evil (video game) High Popularized survival horror genre. Start Some sections need cleanup (specially concerning the ports); references Shenmue Mid The most expensive video game of its time. Introduced quick time events to modern gaming. B Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game) High Demonstrated the power of strong marketing. Established true speed in games. C Could use more references, especially for the versions and hacks sections. Super Mario 64 High Pioneer in 3D platformers, drove N64 sales. FA Super Mario Bros. High Established the basic rules of platform games. Became cornerstone of Nintendo's software empire and heralded the industry's shift in focus from arcade to home. GA Super Mario Bros. 3 High Highest selling stand-alone game, often cited as the best 2D platformer of all time. A Super Mario Kart High Created the kart racing genre. Popularized concept of mascot spin-off games. Helped maintain Mario's position as most popular gaming mascot ever. GA Super Smash Bros. Melee High The best-selling GameCube game, a social phenomenon. FA Tony Hawk's Pro Skater High Popularized the extreme sports genre. Jumped the gap between games and mainstream popular culture. Start Needs a lot of expansion and references. Wii Sports High Best-selling video game of all time. FA Legend Legend Need: A measure of a subject's importance, regardless of its quality Top Subject is a must-have for a print encyclopedia. High Subject is exceptionally important. Mid Subject contributes a depth of knowledge. Low Subject fills in important details. No Importance disputed; may be removed if inclusion is not justified. Video game articles by quality and importance Quality Importance Top High Mid Low NA ??? Total FA 2 30 47 66 145 FL 48 48 A 9 14 13 36 GA 2 52 119 325 498 B 14 59 93 280 446 C 25 108 273 875 1,281 Start 22 226 932 7,957 1 9,138 Stub 16 246 14,767 15,029 List 2 826 828 Book 90 90 Category 2,119 2,119 Disambig 69 69 File 22,707 22,707 Portal 15 15 Project 86 86 Template 896 896 Assessed 65 500 1,726 25,157 25,982 1 53,431 Unassessed 2 2 Total 65 500 1,726 25,157 25,982 3 53,433 WikiProject article quality grading scheme Class Criteria Reader's experience Editing suggestions Example  FA  The article has attained featured article status. More detailed criteria The article meets the featured article criteria: A featured article exemplifies our very best work and is distinguished by professional standards of writing, presentation, and sourcing. In addition to meeting the policies regarding content for all Wikipedia articles, it has the following attributes. It is— (a) well-written: its prose is engaging, even brilliant, and of a professional standard; (b) comprehensive: it neglects no major facts or details and places the subject in context; (c) well-researched: it is a thorough and representative survey of the relevant literature. Claims are verifiable against high-quality reliable sources and are supported by inline citations where appropriate; (d) neutral: it presents views fairly and without bias; and (e) stable: it is not subject to ongoing edit wars and its content does not change significantly from day to day, except in response to the featured article process. It follows the style guidelines, including the provision of— (a) a lead: a concise lead section that summarizes the topic and prepares the reader for the detail in the subsequent sections; (b) appropriate structure: a system of hierarchical section headings and a substantial but not overwhelming table of contents; and (c) consistent citations: where required by criterion 1c, consistently formatted inline citations using either footnotes (<ref>Smith 2007, p. 1.</ref>) or Harvard referencing (Smith 2007, p. 1)—see citing sources for suggestions on formatting references; for articles with footnotes, the meta:cite format is recommended. The use of citation templates is not required. Media. It has images and other media where appropriate, with succinct captions, and acceptable copyright status. Images included follow the image use policy. Non-free images or media must satisfy the criteria for inclusion of non-free content and be labeled accordingly. Length. It stays focused on the main topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style). Professional, outstanding, and thorough; a definitive source for encyclopedic information. No further content additions should be necessary unless new information becomes available; further improvements to the prose quality are often possible. L'incoronazione di Poppea (as of August 2010)  A  The article is well-organized and essentially complete, having been reviewed by impartial reviewers from a WikiProject, like military history, or elsewhere. Good article status is not a requirement for A-Class. More detailed criteria The article meets the A-Class criteria: Provides a well-written, clear and complete description of the topic, as described in Wikipedia:How to write a great article. It should be of a length suitable for the subject, appropriately structured, and be well referenced by a broad array of reliable sources. It should be well illustrated, with no copyright problems. Only minor style issues and other details need to be addressed before submission as a featured article candidate. See the A-Class assessment departments of some of the larger WikiProjects (e.g. WikiProject Military history). Very useful to readers. A fairly complete treatment of the subject. A non-expert in the subject matter would typically find nothing wanting. Expert knowledge may be needed to tweak the article, and style issues may need addressing. Peer review may help. 102nd Intelligence Wing (as of March 2010)  GA  The article has attained good article status. More detailed criteria The article meets the good article criteria: A good article is— Well-written: (a) the prose is clear and concise, respects copyright laws, and the spelling and grammar are correct; and (b) it complies with the manual of style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation. Factually accurate and verifiable: (a) it provides references to all sources of information in the section(s) dedicated to the attribution of these sources according to the guide to layout; (b) it provides in-line citations from reliable sources for direct quotations, statistics, published opinion, counter-intuitive or controversial statements that are challenged or likely to be challenged, and contentious material relating to living persons—science-based articles should follow the scientific citation guidelines; and (c) it contains no original research. Broad in its coverage: (a) it addresses the main aspects of the topic; and (b) it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style). Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without bias, giving due weight to each. Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute. Illustrated, if possible, by images: (a) images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid fair use rationales are provided for non-free content; and (b) images are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions. Useful to nearly all readers, with no obvious problems; approaching (although not equalling) the quality of a professional encyclopedia. Some editing by subject and style experts is helpful; comparison with an existing featured article on a similar topic may highlight areas where content is weak or missing. Usain Bolt (as of November 2009)  B  The article is mostly complete and without major issues, but requires some further work to reach good article standards. More detailed criteria The article meets the six B-Class criteria: The article is suitably referenced, with inline citations where necessary. It has reliable sources, and any important or controversial material which is likely to be challenged is cited. The use of either <ref> tags or citation templates such as {{cite web}} is not required. The article reasonably covers the topic, and does not contain obvious omissions or inaccuracies. It contains a large proportion of the material necessary for an A-Class article, although some sections may need expansion, and some less important topics may be missing. The article has a defined structure. Content should be organized into groups of related material, including a lead section and all the sections that can reasonably be included in an article of its kind. The article is reasonably well-written. The prose contains no major grammatical errors and flows sensibly, but it certainly need not be "brilliant". The Manual of Style need not be followed rigorously. The article contains supporting materials where appropriate. Illustrations are encouraged, though not required. Diagrams and an infobox etc. should be included where they are relevant and useful to the content. The article presents its content in an appropriately understandable way. It is written with as broad an audience in mind as possible. Although Wikipedia is more than just a general encyclopedia, the article should not assume unnecessary technical background and technical terms should be explained or avoided where possible. Readers are not left wanting, although the content may not be complete enough to satisfy a serious student or researcher. A few aspects of content and style need to be addressed. Expert knowledge may be needed. The inclusion of supporting materials should also be considered if practical, and the article checked for general compliance with the Manual of Style and related style guidelines. KV55 (as of November 2009)  C  The article is substantial, but is still missing important content or contains a lot of irrelevant material. The article should have references to reliable sources, but may still have significant issues or require substantial cleanup. More detailed criteria The article is better developed in style, structure and quality than Start-Class, but fails one or more of the criteria for B-Class. It may have some gaps or missing elements; need editing for clarity, balance or flow; or contain policy violations such as bias or original research. Articles on fictional topics are likely to be marked as C-Class if they are written from an in-universe perspective. Useful to a casual reader, but would not provide a complete picture for even a moderately detailed study. Considerable editing is needed to close gaps in content and address cleanup issues. Architecture of Sweden (as of May 2009)  Start  An article that is developing, but which is quite incomplete and may require further reliable sources. More detailed criteria The article has a usable amount of good content but is weak in many areas. Quality of the prose may be distinctly unencyclopedic, and MoS compliance non-existent; but the article should satisfy fundamental content policies such as notability and BLP, and provide sources to establish verifiability. No Start-Class article should be in any danger of being speedily deleted. Provides some meaningful content, but the majority of readers will need more. Provision of references to reliable sources should be prioritised; the article will also need substantial improvements in content and organisation. Real analysis (as of November 2006)  Stub  A very basic description of the topic. More detailed criteria The article is either a very short article or a rough collection of information that will need much work to become a meaningful article. It is usually very short, but if the material is irrelevant or incomprehensible, an article of any length falls into this category. Provides very little meaningful content; may be little more than a dictionary definition. Any editing or additional material can be helpful. The provision of meaningful content should be a priority. Geodia gibberosa (as of July 2009)  FL  The article has attained featured list status. More detailed criteria The article meets the featured list criteria: Prose. It features professional standards of writing. Lead. It has an engaging lead that introduces the subject and defines the scope and inclusion criteria. Comprehensiveness. (a) It comprehensively covers the defined scope, providing at least all of the major items and, where practical, a complete set of items; where appropriate, it has annotations that provide useful and appropriate information about the items. (b) In length and/or topic, it meets all of the requirements for stand-alone lists; does not violate the content-forking guideline, does not largely duplicate material from another article, and could not reasonably be included as part of a related article. Structure. It is easy to navigate and includes, where helpful, section headings and table sort facilities. Style. It complies with the Manual of Style and its supplementary pages. (a) Visual appeal. It makes suitable use of text layout, formatting, tables, and colour; and a minimal proportion of items are redlinked. (b) Media files. It has images and other media, if appropriate to the topic, that follow Wikipedia's usage policies, with succinct captions. Non-free images and other media satisfy the criteria for the inclusion of non-free content and are labeled accordingly. Stability. It is not the subject of ongoing edit wars and its content does not change significantly from day to day, except in response to the featured list process. Professional standard; it comprehensively covers the defined scope, usually providing a complete set of items, and has annotations that provide useful and appropriate information about those items. No further content additions should be necessary unless new information becomes available. Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 3) (as of February 2009)  List  Meets the criteria of a stand-alone list, which is an article that contains primarily a list, usually consisting of links to articles in a particular subject area. There is no set format for a list, but its organization should be logical and useful to the reader. Lists should be lists of live links to Wikipedia articles, appropriately named and organized. List of aikidoka (as of June 2007)

---