Nintendo partnering with Universal to make attractions.

[BubbaisSleep]

Physical, sure. But some of those are lacking as well. Just because something is physical doesn’t make it good *ahem* Little Mermaid. And just because a ride has screens doesn’t make it bad (Flight of Passage, ROTR, Shanghai Pirates, Forbidden Journey).

However, Universal has leaned heavily on screens because Universal Creative doesn’t have an in-house animatronics department. They contract out all of their animatronic figures. They recently found a good company for large creature animatronics (a company called Creature Technology, who did the Kong animatronic and I believe is doing the Jurassic World figures in Beijing), but other than that specific field, their figures are very rudimentary.

Disney will design the look and specifications of basic figures but will contract out their engineering and construction. But, their advanced AAs are done completely in-house by WDI.

So, because there are large technical limitations to Universal’s physical animation, they go almost exclusively with screen-based animation for advanced movements. Somewhat ironically, a lot of their screen based animation is done by a little known division of Disney, a division called Industrial Light and Magic.

Yeah I agree physical doesn't mean great but I used those examples as they seem to actually be decent-to-great rides (Pets is still to-be-determined but I appreciate them not doing another screen ride), so Universal is actually listening and cant get away with being mediocre all the time.

Disney is truly the king of the AA game, totally forgot about other companies have to outsource for their AA's.
I actually just found out a few months ago that a company literally down the street where I live & work did the AA's for Jurassic World in Hollywood which blows my mind that there's a small AA company in my hometown. I've still been trying to find their warehouse as I didn't get the name haha.

 

[Tom Morrow]

You guys are probably right. Universal and Nintendo will probably have to pay people to ride this abject failure.

Seriously, we're you guys really expecting a six lane 60 mph test track based VR ride that spins inside of a show building? Admittedly, Universal really slacked by not building Rainbow Road in actual outer space.......with AAs.

I was expecting something that wasn't the worst leaked ride footage I've ever seen aside from F&F. I knew it wasn't actually going to be fast, but the point is that we all wanted something fast. It's really, really odd to argue against a Mario Kart ride that has actual speed, or to suggest that whatever game you play on this ride in any way lives up to Mario Kart 8.

 

[Little Green Men]

I think it's a bit early to declare this ride mediocre.

If Disney built this you would be trashing it to no end.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

If Disney built this you would be trashing it to no end.

No I wouldn't. It has been a long time since I trashed any ride except F&F. I believe the last Disney attraction I said anything negative about was FEA. In general, a ride has to be really bad, like F&F, for me to trash it. For Disney my biggest gripe is thematic integrity. It's things like putting fictional countries in World Showcase, a talking machine gun toting raccoon in Future World, or Zootopia in DAK that drive me nuts. But rides? I LOVE them. EVERYTHING from RotR to the Zipper at mall parking lot carnivals. I love rides.

I personally think the leaked footage looks amazing from a ride standpoint. As to the visual integrity to the games? I am pretty sure Nintendo oversaw the artistic design so I trust that it is consistent. I admittedly am not a huge Mario Kart fan. I have played a lot of them on the Wii, WiiU, and Switch, but I couldn't tell you which Mario Kart games they were. I'm a bigger fan of the 3D Mario games like Mario64 and Odyssey. But to my eyes, this ride looks undeniably like Mario Kart. And as far as people complaining that's it's interactive, I am pretty sure that it is in the contract that it has to be a gaming ride. I mean, "NINTENDO". DUH!

 

[Disneyhead'71]

 

[BubbaisSleep]

So happy to read this. Someone also mentioned that on the leaked video you can actually see the silhouette of what looks like a model/set of Bowser’s castle behind his AR. Can’t wait for an actual POV as the prejudgements on this ride we’ve barely seen are a little too soon.

If Disney built this you would be trashing it to no end.

That sounds ridiculous. Many of us don’t see the point in trashing a ride we virtually know nothing about & only seen 1 of 12 scenes.

I just don’t see the point in trashing a ride so early. Disappointment is another thing. Many of us want all theme parks to win, trashing a ride will be given when it’s deserved. Especially filming with AR, which until this leak we didn’t even know would be possible. I’ll hold Spider-Man to the same standard too.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

So happy to read this. Someone also mentioned that on the leaked video you can actually see the silhouette of what looks like a model/set of Bowser’s castle behind his AR. Can’t wait for an actual POV as the prejudgements on this ride we’ve barely seen are a little too soon.

Yeah, one problem with videoing AR is the brightness of the AR cause the iris to close leaving less bright things in the background to appear too dark.

I would like to drop that video into a good editing system and squash the contrast.

 

[BubbaisSleep]

Yeah, one problem with videoing AR is the brightness of the AR cause the iris to close leaving less bright things in the background to appear too dark.

I would like to drop that video into a good editing system and squash the contrast.

Yeah you’re right. We didn’t even know if this could be filmed with AR until this leak happened so I’m sure there is much to learn.

A POV would help greatly as in history we’ve shown that it can be foolish to prejudge. If the hyped Beauty & the Beast ride in Tokyo has shown anything, we really don’t know how much we’ll like a ride is until that POV drops. That ride was considered “the best ride ever” till we saw that POV.

 

[OG Runner]

The Yoshi queue is embarrassing. Reminds me of the TSMM queue, not a land that wants to push boundaries in themed entertainment. Looks like something you’d find at a themed space for kids at a mall.

So far, the highlight of the land, imo, is the incredible amount of kinetic movement outside.

What exactly would make you happy? We are talking about the area you walk through on the way to the ride.
It seems like you are just looking for something to complain about. Looking at the photos it is a well done, 3
dimensional representation of things found in a video game.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

The Super Nintendo World theme park is under construction in Minecraft

Because let's face it, we're not jetting off to Japan anytime soon.

www.pcgamer.com

I propose people will flock to this Minecraft version because it will be completed long before the UOR version.

As for the Mario Kart attraction I think people need to experience these things for themselves in person before you rush to judgement based on a video. People will ignorantly bash anything without experiencing it themselves first hand just to get a rise out of others, its really low brow but to each his own I suppose.

I'll still be there day one, but thats just me.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Just to confirm, what you see in that video as a ceiling is indeed the top of the visor. The capture was done with camera glasses inside the visor, to get the AR elements.

I believe the reason you see a reflection on top is either due to the projection Bowser reflecting through the visor cover, which causes it to shine on the shiny plastic visor bit, or because Bowser is AR himself.

 

[Stripes]

What exactly would make you happy?

A queue that resembles something other than a high-end daycare/children’s hospital playground.

It seems like you are just looking for something to complain about.

I’m really not. I defended the Bowser projection mapping against criticisms, didn’t I?

This queue is embarrassing for a $500+ million project.

 

[Stripes]

Just to confirm, what you see in that video as a ceiling is indeed the top of the visor. The capture was done with camera glasses inside the visor, to get the AR elements.

I believe the reason you see a reflection on top is either due to the projection Bowser reflecting through the visor cover, which causes it to shine on the shiny plastic visor bit, or because Bowser is AR himself.

Upon further inspection, I believe Bowser is a regular projection, not projection mapped. Nor is it the two theories you mentioned.

The ceiling (or brim of hat) that we think we are seeing is actually a reflection of the hat caused by the light emitted by the AR projection. When the AR elements are projected, some light bounces back from the lenses and back toward the wearer. This light illuminates part of the hat between the lens and the wearer’s head. The illuminated part of the hat is then reflected by lenses into the wearer‘s eyes (or camera).

You can see this in action when the room is brightly lit but AR is being projected.

@1:03

 

[Tom Morrow]

So happy to read this. Someone also mentioned that on the leaked video you can actually see the silhouette of what looks like a model/set of Bowser’s castle behind his AR. Can’t wait for an actual POV as the prejudgements on this ride we’ve barely seen are a little too soon.



That sounds ridiculous. Many of us don’t see the point in trashing a ride we virtually know nothing about & only seen 1 of 12 scenes.

The fact that some of you want to trash a ride before it’s even open shows your bias actually. Many of us want all theme parks to win, trashing a ride will be given when it’s deserved. Especially filming with AR, which until this leak we didn’t even know would be possible. I’ll hold Spider-Man to the same standard too.

That scene is the finale and in the video it looks like utter trash. The finale should be the best looking scene, right? Our responses were warranted. I don't want Universal to fail, it's just that there seems to be two Universals - one that "gets it" - AKA the side that built all the Potter stuff and most likely Velocicoaster, and the side that settles for mediocrity because "people will come anyway for our good stuff."

What exactly would make you happy? We are talking about the area you walk through on the way to the ride.
It seems like you are just looking for something to complain about. Looking at the photos it is a well done, 3
dimensional representation of things found in a video game.

This is not a good looking queue at all by modern standards. The "children's day care" comparisons are apt. The Cat in the Hat queue is not a bar to aim for in 2021.

The Super Nintendo World theme park is under construction in Minecraft

Because let's face it, we're not jetting off to Japan anytime soon.

www.pcgamer.com

I propose people will flock to this Minecraft version because it will be completed long before the UOR version.

As for the Mario Kart attraction I think people need to experience these things for themselves in person before you rush to judgement based on a video. People will ignorantly bash anything without experiencing it themselves first hand just to get a rise out of others, its really low brow but to each his own I suppose.

I'll still be there day one, but thats just me.

No one saw leaked footage of Rise or Hagrid's and thought "this is total garbage." We think it looks like garbage because it does. It misses the mark of what a Mario Kart attraction should be very blatantly. I expect this kind of stuff out the Dubai and UAE parks that have popped up recently. Universal, however, should know enough of what works by now, expectations people have, and how to meet them.

 

[BubbaisSleep]

That scene is the finale and in the video it looks like utter trash. The finale should be the best looking scene, right? Our responses were warranted. I don't want Universal to fail, it's just that there seems to be two Universals - one that "gets it" - AKA the side that built all the Potter stuff and most likely Velocicoaster, and the side that settles for mediocrity because "people will come anyway for our good stuff."


This is not a good looking queue at all by modern standards. The "children's day care" comparisons are apt. The Cat in the Hat queue is not a bar to aim for in 2021.



No one saw leaked footage of Rise or Hagrid's and thought "this is total garbage." We think it looks like garbage because it does. It misses the mark of what a Mario Kart attraction should be very blatantly. I expect this kind of stuff out the Dubai and UAE parks that have popped up recently. Universal, however, should know enough of what works by now, expectations people have, and how to meet them.

I don't get where this 'final scene must be the best thing or the ride sucks' is coming from. That would be up for debate due to your preferences right? If you enjoy more physical elements, maybe the first few scenes or the middle might be your favorite. We don't know. You know why? Because we literally only seen a small, poorly shot scene of a ride. I think it's rather odd to trash a ride before it's even open on a poorly shot video. The ending could just be tech heavy. But hey, I'm not the one with an agenda here & see no reason to prejudge ANY ride that hasn't opened & I've only seen probably 1/8th of.

When the ending leaked for Hagrid's everyone was talking about how short it was. Luckily, other parts were leaked too. Also, Hagrid will lend itself better to video. Same with rise, if only the simulator ending leaked we would have trashed it but Rise had so much more leaks and promotional videos released. We have almost nothing for this ride. Poor comparisons.

For all it's worth, I think the crappy leaked video showcased the technology very well & I was shocked someone was able to film that set between the glasses. I'm also okay with disappointment but trashing the ride this early is just immature.

 

[Quinnmac000]

I don't get where this 'final scene must be the best thing or the ride sucks' is coming from. That would be up for debate due to your preferences right? If you enjoy more physical elements, maybe the first few scenes or the middle might be your favorite. We don't know. You know why? Because we literally only seen a small, poorly shot scene of a ride. I think it's rather odd to trash a ride before it's even open on a poorly shot video. The ending could just be tech heavy. But hey, I'm not the one with an agenda here & see no reason to prejudge ANY ride that hasn't opened & I've only seen probably 1/8th of.

When the ending leaked for Hagrid's everyone was talking about how short it was. Luckily, other parts were leaked too. Also, Hagrid will lend itself better to video. Same with rise, if only the simulator ending leaked we would have trashed it but Rise had so much more leaks and promotional videos released. We have almost nothing for this ride. Poor comparisons.

For all it's worth, I think the crappy leaked video showcased the technology very well & I was shocked someone was able to film that set between the glasses. I'm also okay with disappointment but trashing the ride this early is just immature.

I’m more shocked the AR is that good and the quality is so high that it doesn’t look bad using phone camera...

 

[BubbaisSleep]

I’m more shocked the AR is that good and the quality is so high that it doesn’t look bad using phone camera...

Same. Everyone I've shown has been widely shocked & I get the "how did they do that" response which is pretty impressive from a crappy video pov. I was highly impressed with the projection mapping on the floor as well.

It does seem that many just don't know what they're looking at though. I had to replay it a few times to see how they pulled off that ending. Some even think it's a stationary ride in-front of a screen. A full-pov will be greatly appreciated but I don't think we'll get a peep until opening sadly.

 

[Stripes]

A full-pov will be greatly appreciated but I don't think we'll get a peep until opening sadly.

I doubt that. It’ll leak eventually.

Also, it seems as though you are good to post on February 3rd and only February 3rd.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Sorry if this is old news, but there's speculation this could be the ride system being used on Mario Kart. Pretty neat!

http://themeparkuniversity.com/universal/new-coaster-universals-mario-kart-ride-system/

This is what they should have built! Why didn't we get this!!! It has spinning and everythng!

 

[Loopsie]

I need a full POV to really "judge" this ride. So far, I'm pretty mixed.

Yes, the AR tech is amazing (and definitely not cheap) but I wish it wasn't so substantialy used for Mario Kart. I thought the amazing kinetic energy of the land itself would be taken to a whole other level in the land's E-ticket. I wanted the Mario characters to come to life and to get immersed in a good mix of AR, projections, animatronics and physical sets. AR is really freaking cool...but its not tangible and its the ride's selling point.

The Forbidden Journey and Rise of the Resistance is like the perfect example of a great mix.

Once again, the ride is probably going to be great and I haven't seen the full POV but...I can't say I'm not slighty dissapointed. The AR looks a little "janky" in some parts (as its running in real time) and...I don't know, I feel like this was the one and only chance to bring these characters to "life". We've been looking at them through screens for years. And the land itself does such a great job with this outdoors! So imagine it in a fully controlled environment. At least the environments sound to be great but I still need to see. They could have outlined the top of the giant results screen at the end with lava rock to make the ceiling less obvious at that moment (maybe that's way too complicated).

And then Yoshi is just a mess of ideas. Its like a hap-hazard mix of Yoshi's Island, New Super Mario Bros U., Super Mario 3D World and Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (the latter two don't even feature Yoshi). I just don't know what the heck they were going for with that ride. And the showroom is honestly pathetic if I'm being honest (yes, I did want showroom animatronics but can they at least be at Sally Corp level?) It just makes the ride's cohesion even less sensible. Its an absolute mess. And the queue looks so off because its basically a decorated box. They tried to emulate the style of the original SNES game but it just looks so off to me.. And then they haphazardly threw Toadette in there (not even with her adventurer outfit).

Then the 1-Up Factory store seems kind of uninspired...


I don't know, I'm just not impressed as I thought I would be. Guess that's my fault for getting hyped after all of these years. The land is still going to be great and I'm totally going when Hollywood opens. Its just not what I thought.

Okay, much needed tangent is over.