Nintendo partnering with Universal to make attractions.

[andre85]

I feel the hyperbole in general never helps. SNW is good but not great, Avengers is bad I wouldn’t call it a disaster.

I was being flippant, but it is very bad by Disney standards when it comes to theming imo. Either way, SNW is nothing like it

 

[ToTBellHop]

If Nintendo insists on limiting what Universal can do, perhaps they should build something else as an UEU expansion instead of Luigi’s Mansion. And if they insist on a silly, superficial Zelda land with no depth, build something else at IOA. I don’t want a Zelda land in the Mario style.

 

[Mike S]

I don't know who you're addressing, but it's fair to say that Nintendo World both fell short of expectations when it came to the rides, while also pointing out that the land is far from a Avengers Campus-level disaster

Yeah I’d agree with this sentiment. As the resident Nintendo diehard I am disappointed but it’s not at Avengers Campus levels. Both of these things can be true.

If Nintendo insists on limiting what Universal can do, perhaps they should build something else as an UEU expansion instead of Luigi’s Mansion. And if they insist on a silly, superficial Zelda land with no depth, build something else at IOA. I don’t want a Zelda land in the Mario style.

As a diehard I know far too well that in more circumstances than I’d like Nintendo just can’t get out of their own way.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Is Donnie your alt account or something? Because there's no conceivable way that anyone could possibly find this troll's "criticisms" even remotely legitimate, yet here you are actively egging him on.

Well I really do think they missed the park with both Nintendo attractions in a not insignificant way. Like coffeefan said, something didn't click between Nintendo and Universal. It's not the best look for Universal right now, who's track record of attraction quality has been all over the place for a while rather than consistently or even mostly good.

Are the lands nice? Yes. Are the rides terrible? No. But they certainly didn't live up to nearly 10 years of hype from the Nintendo partnership announcement.

I don't know who you're addressing, but it's fair to say that Nintendo World both fell short of expectations when it came to the rides, while also pointing out that the land is far from a Avengers Campus-level disaster

Just in general how quickly many people are to "protect" Universal from criticism. Agreed that all of SNW is still significantly better than Avengers Campus which is inexcusably bad.

If Nintendo insists on limiting what Universal can do, perhaps they should build something else as an UEU expansion instead of Luigi’s Mansion. And if they insist on a silly, superficial Zelda land with no depth, build something else at IOA. I don’t want a Zelda land in the Mario style.

Agreed. Zelda deserves an actual, real-world immersive land (as in not cartoony or old school game visuals theming) and a serious E-ticket.

 

[MisterPenguin]

If Nintendo insists on limiting what Universal can do, perhaps they should build something else as an UEU expansion instead of Luigi’s Mansion. And if they insist on a silly, superficial Zelda land with no depth, build something else at IOA. I don’t want a Zelda land in the Mario style.

The expansion pads will be used for Paper Mario so that all the characters can be plywood cut-outs.

 

[Disney Analyst]

The expansion pads will be used for Paper Mario so that all the characters can be plywood cut-outs.

Honestly though… a Paper Mario dark ride would be wonderful.

If they had filled the land with various fantasyland style dark rides… and one anchor ride… it would be soooo well rounded.

 

[DonniePeverley]

If Nintendo insists on limiting what Universal can do, perhaps they should build something else as an UEU expansion instead of Luigi’s Mansion. And if they insist on a silly, superficial Zelda land with no depth, build something else at IOA. I don’t want a Zelda land in the Mario style.

The idea Nintendo is pushing Universal creative team to make crap attractions is for the lions. Nintendo may well have given creative ideas, and some thing they could not allow (J.K. Rowling did the same for Potter, eg no coca cola etc).

This falls on the creativity team.

One thing that does pop up, is that this horrific Donkey Kong attraction was meant to open summer and was delayed till December. Wonder if things went wrong, corners cut - or whether it was just bad from the initial stages.

 

[andre85]

One thing that does pop up, is that this horrific Donkey Kong attraction was meant to open summer and was delayed till December. Wonder if things went wrong, corners cut - or whether it was just bad from the initial stages.

Horrific? Man this is some major hyperbole. All the reactions I've heard and seen from those who have actually ridden it have been very positive. Even going only the video, the ride is nothing near a disaster, even if it may still be disappointing

 

[Tom Morrow]

Yeah, though I have not ridden it, I feel the POV gives enough of an idea that I can say that it's underwhelming. But it's no Webslingers.

It would have benefitted from a 3rd lift with a really crazy finale, or a fleshed out show scene separating the two main coaster sections ala 7DMT.

 

[My95cobras]

Is Donnie your alt account or something? Because there's no conceivable way that anyone could possibly find this troll's "criticisms" even remotely legitimate, yet here you are actively egging him on.

I’ve been saying this for a while now.

 

[Sorcerer Mickey]

Yeah I’d agree with this sentiment. As the resident Nintendo diehard I am disappointed but it’s not at Avengers Campus levels. Both of these things can be true.

As a diehard I know far too well that in more circumstances than I’d like Nintendo just can’t get out of their own way.

Fellow resident Nintendo diehard here. I went to the California SNW on opening week, which is inarguably the weaker version of the land, and had a blast. Probably one of my favorite theme park memories taking my 5YO son to enjoy the land together when he was in peak Mario phase.

I abandoned previous expectations of what makes a great theme park land - i.e., an amazing e-ticket - and instead enjoyed the land as a cohesive and immersive experience. It was like hopping into a Mario game, even with the long lines for every experience.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

Fellow resident Nintendo diehard here. I went to the California SNW on opening week, which is inarguably the weaker version of the land, and had a blast.

A hotter take of mine is that even with less to do and lower quality the California SNW feels more right. I really despise the bi-level layout of the USJ version because it makes the experience feel both distant and crowded, kinda like a Mount Rushmore experience if that makes sense.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I’ve been saying this for a while now.

I'm clearly far from the only person in this thread to have some criticisms over the DK Coaster. They under-delivered. They often under-deliver.

But I get that "Disney always dumb and bad, Universal always smart and good" is the current theme park enthusiast mantra and people don't like when I and others challenge that.

 

[bakagaijin]

The criticisms of Mario Kart seem strange to me. It could never have been anything but what it was, really.

It had to be slow because Mario is an all-ages franchise.
It had to be interactive because Mario is a video game franchise and that was the concept behind the land.
It had to be slow and interactive because fast shooting gallery rides are rare/non-existent.
It was almost obligatory for the Mario ride to be Mario Kart because Mario Kart is the most popular Mario series, and because it's a racing game.

It might seem weird to make a slow Mario Kart ride, but does the conceptual weirdness really turn you off that much?

I mean, ultimately it's subjective, and if the idea of a slow Mario Kart ride is that preposterous to you then that's your taste, but it doesn't particularly bother me.

I also liked the Bowser Jr's Shadow Showdown game.

Toadstool Cafe was just OK but maybe I didn't order the right thing. No natural light in the cafe maybe isn't the best choice.

 

[DonniePeverley]

The criticisms of Mario Kart seem strange to me. It could never have been anything but what it was, really.

It had to be slow because Mario is an all-ages franchise.
It had to be interactive because Mario is a video game franchise and that was the concept behind the land.
It had to be slow and interactive because fast shooting gallery rides are rare/non-existent.
It was almost obligatory for the Mario ride to be Mario Kart because Mario Kart is the most popular Mario series, and because it's a racing game.

It might seem weird to make a slow Mario Kart ride, but does the conceptual weirdness really turn you off that much?

I mean, ultimately it's subjective, and if the idea of a slow Mario Kart ride is that preposterous to you then that's your taste, but it doesn't particularly bother me.

I also liked the Bowser Jr's Shadow Showdown game.

Toadstool Cafe was just OK but maybe I didn't order the right thing. No natural light in the cafe maybe isn't the best choice.

Utter nonsense.

By your logic then every Nintendo attraction would have to be an interactive screen based attraction as it's based on a video game.

Explain then why Donkey Kong wasn't, it too is based on a screen video game.

The point being, the IP lended itself to something more broader than what was produced.

Furthermore, since when has a car racing game, based on speed, given a protocal to be slow ?

I do firmly believe Nintendo may have insisted on the attraction being an all encompassing family attraction, but you can still produce brilliant attractions (without break neck speeds or inversions) for a family. Hell just a few hundreds yards away from Nintendo World at Universal Osaka have the Jaws ride still in operation - which is near enough perfect, an attraction that caters to the whole audience, storyline, mild thrills, excitement.

The sole reason for these attractions being so hopeless is because of the imagineers. And i do believe they may well in turn look at the budget constraints put upon them - but that would be an assumption. Regardless they are both horrific, imo.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The criticisms of Mario Kart seem strange to me. It could never have been anything but what it was, really.

It had to be slow because Mario is an all-ages franchise.
It had to be interactive because Mario is a video game franchise and that was the concept behind the land.
It had to be slow and interactive because fast shooting gallery rides are rare/non-existent.
It was almost obligatory for the Mario ride to be Mario Kart because Mario Kart is the most popular Mario series, and because it's a racing game.

It might seem weird to make a slow Mario Kart ride, but does the conceptual weirdness really turn you off that much?

I mean, ultimately it's subjective, and if the idea of a slow Mario Kart ride is that preposterous to you then that's your taste, but it doesn't particularly bother me.

I also liked the Bowser Jr's Shadow Showdown game.

Toadstool Cafe was just OK but maybe I didn't order the right thing. No natural light in the cafe maybe isn't the best choice.

Mario Kart has the same height requirement as Test Track.

 

[My95cobras]

I'm clearly far from the only person in this thread to have some criticisms over the DK Coaster. They under-delivered. They often under-deliver.

But I get that "Disney always dumb and bad, Universal always smart and good" is the current theme park enthusiast mantra and people don't like when I and others challenge that.

ah yes, the Disney side is negative, so let’s bring that toxicity to the universal side. Trolls gonna troll.

 

[Tom Morrow]

ah yes, the Disney side is negative, so let’s bring that toxicity to the universal side. Trolls gonna troll.

I get how it looks this way but not everything I say about Universal is negative and not everything I say about Disney is positive. IMO they’re about equal the last decade with hits and misses. I just don’t understand the continual excuses theme park enthusiasts are willing to bestow on Universal for things I know Disney would never hear the end of.

Example above: “Mario Kart couldn’t be anything else than a slow interactive ride.” This is nonsense and mental gymnastics, the type of kid-glove handling theme park fans treat Universal with that some of us are tired of.

It could be ANYTHING. “It can only be limited to the scope of a concept based on arbitrary “rules” I made up” is essentially what is being said. We know that a fast ride with 40” height requirement (the requirement for MK ride) is possible thanks to Test Track. “Not all kids want a thrill ride”, okay, but by taking this route they’re also alienating all the people in their teens and up who have been playing Mario Kart games their whole life.remember, it’s a 34 year old series.

I promise you if you ask ANY Mario Kart player what they want out of a Mario Kart ride, they’re going to say speed and chaos. None will say “I want the focus to be on shooting at targets and scoring points” because Mario Kart is not a target shooting game. The items you use are just tools to slow other racers down or boost your own speed.

This is where Universal has dropped the ball several times now and seems to fail to understand that they’re planting expectations in people’s heads by using certain concepts / IPs and then blindsiding them with something different.

For instance, I don’t think the F&F core ride would be so hated if it was not based on a literal car racing franchise. Some vlogger, I don’t know who, I guess had the concept of converting it into a new Twister ride where you ride in a storm chaser van. This same ride system and building would be a hit with this concept, part of that being that the concept doesn’t direct your expectations to speed and thrills.

Note that I don’t agree with Donnie that these are terrible rides. They’re not, but they’re both a misstep that under-delivers on expectations.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I get how it looks this way but not everything I say about Universal is negative and not everything I say about Disney is positive. IMO they’re about equal the last decade with hits and misses. I just don’t understand the continual excuses theme park enthusiasts are willing to bestow on Universal for things I know Disney would never hear the end of.

Example above: “Mario Kart couldn’t be anything else than a slow interactive ride.” This is nonsense and mental gymnastics, the type of kid-glove handling theme park fans treat Universal with that some of us are tired of.

It could be ANYTHING. “It can only be limited to the scope of a concept based on arbitrary “rules” I made up” is essentially what is being said. We know that a fast ride with 40” height requirement (the requirement for MK ride) is possible thanks to Test Track. “Not all kids want a thrill ride”, okay, but by taking this route they’re also alienating all the people in their teens and up who have been playing Mario Kart games their whole life.remember, it’s a 34 year old series.

I promise you if you ask ANY Mario Kart player what they want out of a Mario Kart ride, they’re going to say speed and chaos. None will say “I want the focus to be on shooting at targets and scoring points” because Mario Kart is not a target shooting game. The items you use are just tools to slow other racers down or boost your own speed.

This is where Universal has dropped the ball several times now and seems to fail to understand that they’re planting expectations in people’s heads by using certain concepts / IPs and then blindsiding them with something different.

For instance, I don’t think the F&F core ride would be so hated if it was not based on a literal car racing franchise. Some vlogger, I don’t know who, I guess had the concept of converting it into a new Twister ride where you ride in a storm chaser van. This same ride system and building would be a hit with this concept, part of that being that the concept doesn’t direct your expectations to speed and thrills.

Note that I don’t agree with Donnie that these are terrible rides. They’re not, but they’re both a misstep that under-delivers on expectations.

I get attacked by the sycophants every time I point out Uni is treated with kid gloves. Just look at what they are able to excuse over at Kong even though it’s inexcusable.

Claiming MK couldn’t be as fast as Test Track is one of the stupidest things I’ve read this year. Imagine if they had sped it up to 65 mph, forcing them to increase the height requirement from 40” to 40”. Think of the children!

What is wrong with this world?

 

[DonniePeverley]

The Mario Kart attraction shows they've learnt nothing from the Fast N Furious attraction debacle.

Still would like to know who were the team behind these attractions. Comcast need to have a polite word and ensure they are removed from work on any future attractions, in my opinion. Worry is they may have their sweaty paws over Epic attractions - hopefully not.