Nintendo partnering with Universal to make attractions.

[Brer Oswald]

They weren’t hesitant about Pokémon, they decided to move up Epic Universe. The Wizarding World is also just as old as Pokémon in the US, both having their first installments released in September 1998.

Yep. Pokémon has also grossed about $70 billion more in that same time frame

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

I visited SNW today, walked in blind having successfully kept myself away from spoilers. Posting my review from another forum:

Ok,

My verdict on SNW after experiencing it in person is that it’s “kind of cool.” Parts of it are awesome. Finally seeing Nintendo translated to the physical world is fantastic and long overdue because Nintendo is a perfect theme park property. However, it feels like they could’ve done more with it and there’s some missed opportunities. Both rides are also generally disappointing.

Some bulletpoints:

• Mario Kart: It pains me to say, but it is fairly disappointing. It’s super crazy and chaotic but I’m not really sure if it’s in a good way. Almost the entire ride is AR and the physical stuff that’s there is just a backdrop for what’s happening on the AR. There’s so many physical props/AAs in the land outside but I don’t recall seeing any in the ride except for the one chain comp. I also didn’t understand how the “game” works at all, I didn’t understand if you acquire items somehow or if you always have them. Also if anything you can do on the AR has any effect on anything. The queue is really awesome though.
• Yoshi: This just needed one or two more scenes to actually be worth doing more than once. But sadly it doesn’t. Of course I would have preferred that this be a proper traditional dark ride but it’s generally fine for what it is - except that it’s too short and only has one real show scene. Missed opportunity to make this just a little better to make it worthwhile.
• The outer land itself is the most impressive part. Coming out of the pipe and seeing everything for the first time was genuinely kind of breathtaking. So much color and so much going on. I’m curious how the outdoor figures are going to hold up over the years. You can already see some minor weathering on them. They don’t look bad by any means just curious how they’re gonna be maintained over the years. In some places there is no attempt made whatsoever to hide the rods or slots the characters are attached to, I guess they just decided it wasn’t possible or important to try to theme that at all.
• I’m a little bit disappointed at how much of the land is kid-oriented. I know that might sound ridiculous to complain about but almost all of the outdoor stuff is just simple little mini games that only children would ever really be entertained by.
• Toad Cafe: This impressed me more than I was expecting. I’m not really a “foodie” but I thought what I ordered was not bad and the inside is a lot bigger and more detailed than it seems on the outside.

Other stuff:

• Sight lines are still an issue between SNW and HP. I know Universal has never really cared much about sight lines but it’s sad to have seen a “kind of attempt” at fixing this but it doesn’t really work in the end. It’s really obvious that Nintendo is right next door in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts is visible from most of Nintendo
• Back by the Yoshi ride is a jungle themed area which is clearly visually distinct from the rest of the land and even has its own unique background scenery stand up. I’m assuming this is where the DK expansion is planned to go? It’s like foreshadowing.
• I didn’t do the power up band thing.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

I think the days of anyone taking Hosthost seriously has passed...

If you say so

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

I visited SNW today, walked in blind having successfully kept myself away from spoilers. Posting my review from another forum:

Ok,

My verdict on SNW after experiencing it in person is that it’s “kind of cool.” Parts of it are awesome. Finally seeing Nintendo translated to the physical world is fantastic and long overdue because Nintendo is a perfect theme park property. However, it feels like they could’ve done more with it and there’s some missed opportunities. Both rides are also generally disappointing.

Some bulletpoints:

• Mario Kart: It pains me to say, but it is fairly disappointing. It’s super crazy and chaotic but I’m not really sure if it’s in a good way. Almost the entire ride is AR and the physical stuff that’s there is just a backdrop for what’s happening on the AR. There’s so many physical props/AAs in the land outside but I don’t recall seeing any in the ride except for the one chain comp. I also didn’t understand how the “game” works at all, I didn’t understand if you acquire items somehow or if you always have them. Also if anything you can do on the AR has any effect on anything. The queue is really awesome though.
• Yoshi: This just needed one or two more scenes to actually be worth doing more than once. But sadly it doesn’t. Of course I would have preferred that this be a proper traditional dark ride but it’s generally fine for what it is - except that it’s too short and only has one real show scene. Missed opportunity to make this just a little better to make it worthwhile.
• The outer land itself is the most impressive part. Coming out of the pipe and seeing everything for the first time was genuinely kind of breathtaking. So much color and so much going on. I’m curious how the outdoor figures are going to hold up over the years. You can already see some minor weathering on them. They don’t look bad by any means just curious how they’re gonna be maintained over the years. In some places there is no attempt made whatsoever to hide the rods or slots the characters are attached to, I guess they just decided it wasn’t possible or important to try to theme that at all.
• I’m a little bit disappointed at how much of the land is kid-oriented. I know that might sound ridiculous to complain about but almost all of the outdoor stuff is just simple little mini games that only children would ever really be entertained by.
• Toad Cafe: This impressed me more than I was expecting. I’m not really a “foodie” but I thought what I ordered was not bad and the inside is a lot bigger and more detailed than it seems on the outside.

Other stuff:

• Sight lines are still an issue between SNW and HP. I know Universal has never really cared much about sight lines but it’s sad to have seen a “kind of attempt” at fixing this but it doesn’t really work in the end. It’s really obvious that Nintendo is right next door in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts is visible from most of Nintendo
• Back by the Yoshi ride is a jungle themed area which is clearly visually distinct from the rest of the land and even has its own unique background scenery stand up. I’m assuming this is where the DK expansion is planned to go? It’s like foreshadowing.
• I didn’t do the power up band thing.

Thank you for the report. Good to get a first hand account from someone on this forum.

 

[Tom Morrow]

The reactions are definitely not glowing. In this instance the blame might be more placed on Nintendo, whom are known for making very bizarre decisions and not fully understanding their fanbase (and still being wildly successful in spite of this).

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

My post on the other forum kind of blew up more than I was expecting so I just want to clarify:

I'm really happy that SNW exists. Nintendo is a beloved property, works great in a theme park setting and imo was long overdue for theme park representation. Some aspects of the land are great.

MK is not a "bad" ride, but it's not what I was expecting and not the kind of ride that I think Nintendo or MK deserves.

Yoshi is whatever, if it was just a bit longer with more in it it would be worthwhile, but sadly as is it's a one-and-done.

I expect SNW will be a hit with the general public. But as for me I have to say what I think. I'm super happy to see SNW but I think they could've done more with it and there was some missed opportunities.

 

[Loopsie]

I posted this on another thread but wanted to also mention it here:

I feel like making the pre-show a dialogue-less tutorial with Miis was also mistake. Like, I know it's a game and Nintendo likes simplicity. But I feel as if the pre-show should have instead had members from the two teams arguing with each other while explaining the game instructions. To give a better sense of... grandiose and anticipation for the big race.

And WHY are we wearing AR goggles? As far as I can see, there is no context. I know it's cheesy but I like having context as to why I'm wearing glasses (or whatever it should be) on a ride. It adds to the roleplaying element and makes its more believable. It's a cute and usually dumb touch, but it goes a long way for me.

If you take off the goggles, you miss everything that is going on. So...are the characters ghosts? Spooookkky

If we weren't already in the Mushroom Kingdom, this wouldn't bother me as much. If this were say a Wreck-it-Ralph Sugar Rush race, I feel like the AR would make more sense...as those characters are digital beings. In the context of Super Nintendo World, we're in the real Mushroom Kingdom. So, why is it that Mario is a ghost now?

I feel like they were so held bent on making the AR work, regardless if it made sense or not for Mario Kart.

The AR would work far better on a non-interactive and less chaotic attraction idea. So the interactivity between sets/AAs/props and the AR are easier to apperticate. The best parts of the ride to me are when the AR and the AAs interact (being really only two parts).

 

[Schmidt]

What is your point of reference? I found it pretty convincing on the 3DS, and that wasn’t with glasses. Pokémon Go? Not nearly as convincing.

I've seen video of the Mario Kart AR for Nintendo Switch. Its decent tech but still not perfected. Also, the video game use of AR is much more convincing vs. the videos I've seen of this ride. Its impressive from a tech point of view but thats about all for me.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I've seen video of the Mario Kart AR for Nintendo Switch. Its decent tech but still not perfected. Also, the video game use of AR is much more convincing vs. the videos I've seen of this ride. Its impressive from a tech point of view but thats about all for me.

Naturally, it’s going to look more convincing on the Switch because it was recorded from the source, not off cam. Wait till you ride it before you judge how “convincing” it may be.

 

[Schmidt]

Naturally, it’s going to look more convincing on the Switch because it was recorded from the source, not off cam. Wait till you ride it before you judge how “convincing” it may be.

Solid Point, about the tech, but the customer doesn't care about tech. They care about the enjoyment of the ride.
I will hold my final judgement until I can ride MK. With that being said, early word from riders in Japan is that it's just okay.
Mario is an IP like Starwars that comes with high expectations, so I think its quite normal to expect criticism when that expectation isn't met, and I think it's fair to say that it hasn't been met.
AR isn't my only concern about this slow moving dark ride.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Solid Point, about the tech, but the customer doesn't care about tech. They care about the enjoyment of the ride.
I will hold my final judgement until I can ride MK. With that being said, early word from riders in Japan is that it's just okay.
Mario is an IP like Starwars that comes with high expectations, so I think its quite normal to expect criticism when that expectation isn't met, and I think it's fair to say that it hasn't been met.
AR isn't my only concern about this slow moving dark ride.

Fair enough, but I’m not sure what else they could’ve done to get the items to work aside from AR. You could argue “it doesn’t need items” but at that point, it just isn’t Mario Kart.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Fair enough, but I’m not sure what else they could’ve done to get the items to work aside from AR. You could argue “it doesn’t need items” but at that point, it just isn’t Mario Kart.

You keep making this argument, but it's been explained numerous times that the items could still be presented in a passive experience. The same way we don't actually have to hit the purple boost button on Hagrid's at the end, etc.

 

[Brer Oswald]

You keep making this argument, but it's been explained numerous times that the items could still be presented in a passive experience. The same way we don't actually have to hit the purple boost button on Hagrid's at the end, etc.

What’s the point if it’s in a passive way? Mario Kart is a multiplayer game. It is all about the gameplay, little to do with locations/world building, and absolutely no story. The fact that this ride has any story is miraculous.

If you wanted a passive experience, then your complaint should be “Why didn’t they make a general Mario ride?”. There is no world where they went for a passive Mario Kart ride. That isn’t Mario Kart at that point. It’s just Mario without the story and world building.

 

[Tom Morrow]

What’s the point if it’s in a passive way? Mario Kart is a multiplayer game. It is all about the gameplay, little to do with locations/world building, and absolutely no story. The fact that this ride has any story is miraculous.

If you wanted a passive experience, then your complaint should be “Why didn’t they make a general Mario ride?”. There is no world where they went for a passive Mario Kart ride. That isn’t Mario Kart at that point. It’s just Mario without the story and world building.

Because I don't care about rides also being a game. The "game" in this instance is far worse than the one I have on my Switch. A ride should present an experience that is unique to theme parks, not try to reproduce home entertainment on a large scale.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Because I don't care about rides also being a game. The "game" in this instance is far worse than the one I have on my Switch. A ride should present an experience that is unique to theme parks, not try to reproduce home entertainment on a large scale.

Alright that’s fine, but adjust your complaint accordingly. I personally wanted a more passive oriented Mario ride that would have featured recurring locations and bosses from the platforming and RPG games. But I also understand why they went with what they did.

A passive Mario Kart ride does not sound very appealing to me because it’s what I just described, but without the world building, without the story, without the characters.

 

[Quinnmac000]

Solid Point, about the tech, but the customer doesn't care about tech. They care about the enjoyment of the ride.
I will hold my final judgement until I can ride MK. With that being said, early word from riders in Japan is that it's just okay.
Mario is an IP like Starwars that comes with high expectations, so I think its quite normal to expect criticism when that expectation isn't met, and I think it's fair to say that it hasn't been met.
AR isn't my only concern about this slow moving dark ride.

I do want to point out something about those reviews.

Those reviews specifically were posted by westerners, not the Japanese GP. The first soft opening review on the comment section of the gaming forum came from a guy who didn't really like Nintendo and was overwhelmed because he didn't know what to do. Bat also has stated he didn't know how the game worked and thought things happened randomly.

Many westerners also don't realize power up bands are attached to the ride and part of the rerideablity compared to the Japanese guests.

The irony of the situation is for a ride that is "just okay" many of them have rerode which is what matters.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I do want to point out something about those reviews.

Those reviews specifically were posted by westerners, not the Japanese GP. The first soft opening review on the comment section of the gaming forum came from a guy who didn't really like Nintendo and was overwhelmed because he didn't know what to do. Bat also has stated he didn't know how the game worked and thought things happened randomly.

Many westerners also don't realize power up bands are attached to the ride and part of the rerideablity compared to the Japanese guests.

The irony of the situation is for a ride that is "just okay" many of them have rerode which is what matters.

If they're re-riding because of the gimmicky band, that isn't a good signifier of the ride's quality.

 

[doctornick]

Fair enough, but I’m not sure what else they could’ve done to get the items to work aside from AR. You could argue “it doesn’t need items” but at that point, it just isn’t Mario Kart.

Couldn't there be "items" that are simply screen based as opposed to VR? That could even be done with interactivity.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Couldn't there be "items" that are simply screen based as opposed to VR? That could even be done with interactivity.

It’s AR, not VR. This is more convincing than just screens

 

[doctornick]

It’s AR, not VR. This is more convincing than just screens

Sorry, I typed wrong and know it’s AR. But my question still remains as you could use traditional screens and not AR. it’s not like AR is the only option - is it the “better” option? I think that depends on what is trying to be achieved actually but my point was simply that you cannot really say this was the only choice.