Super Nintendo World (Osaka)

[Brer Oswald]

So, the more I watch of the interactivity of the land, the more it's obvious why the main ride is MK and not a Super Mario Bros attraction.

The land IS the Super Mario Bros attraction. No ride would be able to simulate being Mario as well as running around different levels, hitting blocks, completing challenges, finding secrets, fighting a boss, and raising the Mario flag at the end.

Yes and no. There’s a certain level of expectation they can’t meet with just walk through experiences. There are no animatronics of the main cast. I don’t get to see a “living” Bowser. There are many iconic locations and set pieces from the franchise’s 35 year history, and they only crack into the games from 2013-2014. It would be impossible to build them all in a land, but elements of them in an attraction is more feasible. The cast of Mario characters present have some pretty notable omissions too.

I really hope this isn’t it for Mario. I figure that it will be, but I think it would be a crying shame if they didn’t explore more of its great potential. They did it with Harry Potter.

 

[shiekra38]

The bar has been adjusted higher for lands where interactivity is a major selling point inherent to the chosen theme.

I don't think every big land going forward needs to have anywhere close to this level of interactivity, though. Nintendo's the perfect vehicle for creating live games you can spend hours participating in, other IPs may not be.

Yes, it doesn't have to be 1 to 1, but the idea of unlocking secret areas, interactive hidden games, and using an app to keep track of it all can be used for many different applications.

I could see interactivity being worked into EU, for instance

Imagine unlocking a secret room in Frankenstein's castle and doing an interactive game, or going through a special walkthrough

Idk, the possibilities seem fun

 

[JungleSkip]

Yes and no. There’s a certain level of expectation they can’t meet with just walk through experiences. There are no animatronics of the main cast. I don’t get to see a “living” Bowser. There are many iconic locations and set pieces from the franchise’s 35 year history, and they only crack into the games from 2013-2014. It would be impossible to build them all in a land, but elements of them in an attraction is more feasible. The cast of Mario characters present have some pretty notable omissions too.

I really hope this isn’t it for Mario. I figure that it will be, but I think it would be a crying shame if they didn’t explore more of its great potential. They did it with Harry Potter.

An animatronic isn’t a living bowser either. It’s a robot. Theme parks are make believe. But the land allows you to do all of Mario’s iconic things, or at the very least any of them most people would think of.

Again, there’s this weird expectation in this thread that unless everything in this land is PERFECT, it’s not good enough. The fact this land even exists is a miracle. Never in my lifetime would I have expected Nintendo to go for this. And yet here we are.

I think a lot of people are letting the perfect be the enemy of the great with this land

 

[Alicia]

I really hope this isn’t it for Mario. I figure that it will be, but I think it would be a crying shame if they didn’t explore more of its great potential. They did it with Harry Potter.

We’re used to highly immersive lands themed to a single IP with multiple attractions, but it’s still a fairly new phenomenon. When Star Wars got its first theme park presence it was a single ride at Disneyland. It didn’t feature the main cast... And people absolutely loved it.

 

[kingcooger]

A few unoriginal observations after finally catching up:

1) the painting falling onto the track and jumping back onto the wall in Twisted Mansion is the best

2) those saying that a “best of” version of Yoshi is less cohesive than FJs “best of” should direct their attention here: Theme Park Thoughts: Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey

3) I really hope construction on EU begins soon as I want everything in this land

Some questions for people who might know:

1) are both cars playing as team Mario?

2) will team Mario always win?

3) when are they hoping to have the DK coaster ready?

4) how large is the footprint for said coaster?

 

[JungleSkip]

A few unoriginal observations after finally catching up:

1) the painting falling onto the track and jumping back onto the wall in Twisted Mansion is the best

2) those saying that a “best of” version of Yoshi is less cohesive than FJs “best of” should direct their attention here: Theme Park Thoughts: Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey

3) I really hope construction on EU begins soon as I want everything in this land

Some questions for people who might know:

1) are both cars playing as team Mario?

2) will team Mario always win?

3) when are they hoping to have the DK coaster ready?

4) how large is the footprint for said coaster?

Both cars are Team Mario, and no, Mario does not always win.

 

[Alicia]

1) are both cars playing as team Mario?

2) will team Mario always win?

3) when are they hoping to have the DK coaster ready?

4) how large is the footprint for said coaster?

1. Yes

2. No, Team Bowser can win if the cars don’t earn enough coins.

3. Probably was meant to open a year after phase 1, but now I would guess a year after the park is back to regular capacity (so, might be a little while).

4. I don’t know but I’m sure someone can do the math besides me!

 

[shiekra38]

Yes and no. There’s a certain level of expectation they can’t meet with just walk through experiences. There are no animatronics of the main cast. I don’t get to see a “living” Bowser. There are many iconic locations and set pieces from the franchise’s 35 year history, and they only crack into the games from 2013-2014. It would be impossible to build them all in a land, but elements of them in an attraction is more feasible. The cast of Mario characters present have some pretty notable omissions too.

I really hope this isn’t it for Mario. I figure that it will be, but I think it would be a crying shame if they didn’t explore more of its great potential. They did it with Harry Potter.

Just cause they're digital doesn't mean they're not represented...and just cause it's digital doesn't make it bad

 

[belloq87]

Yes, it doesn't have to be 1 to 1, but the idea of unlocking secret areas, interactive hidden games, and using an app to keep track of it all can be used for many different applications.

I could see interactivity being worked into EU, for instance

Imagine unlocking a secret room in Frankenstein's castle and doing an interactive game, or going through a special walkthrough

Idk, the possibilities seem fun

Maybe, but the Mario games lend themselves so naturally to this type of interactivity because the walk-through areas are so directly replicating activities from the games.

Indiana Jones is really the only other IP that I think could approach this scale of interactivity in a land where the interactivity would spring organically from the conceit of the IP's story, but even that would probably just be an extension of the interactive elements you can already find in the Indiana Jones Adventure queue.

 

[Mike S]

Just cause they're digital doesn't mean they're not represented...and just cause it's digital doesn't make it bad

No but a real animatronic makes a huge difference over just experiencing a digital creation. One is actually “there” and tangible.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong says hi.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

A few unoriginal observations after finally catching up:

1) the painting falling onto the track and jumping back onto the wall in Twisted Mansion is the best

2) those saying that a “best of” version of Yoshi is less cohesive than FJs “best of” should direct their attention here: Theme Park Thoughts: Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey

3) I really hope construction on EU begins soon as I want everything in this land

Some questions for people who might know:

1) are both cars playing as team Mario?

2) will team Mario always win?

3) when are they hoping to have the DK coaster ready?

4) how large is the footprint for said coaster?

I really don’t know if they could’ve done it any differently with Forbidden Journey, unfortunately. Especially when you consider they weren’t certain that there would be more Potter additions—they had to pack as many monsters as possible.

 

[Disneyson1]

I do have to agree with the consensus here, I think between the Mario M&Gs, the AR attraction, and the ability to actually punch coins, get items, and fight a boss battle in the land, I don’t think we need a proper Mario attraction. What would the vehicles be, anyhow?! Tiny little Odyssey ships? I don’t think it’d be great fun watching Mario jump around on screens.

 

[shiekra38]

No but a real animatronic makes a huge difference over just experiencing a digital creation. One is actually “there” and tangible.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong says hi.

Don't get me wrong, I love AA and practical effects

I'm just saying a digital (screen, musion, AR, etc) representation of a character doesn't some how make the interaction lesser

As long as the tech is quality of course

 

[Pacific]

I do have to agree with the consensus here, I think between the Mario M&Gs, the AR attraction, and the ability to actually punch coins, get items, and fight a boss battle in the land, I don’t think we need a proper Mario attraction. What would the vehicles be, anyhow?! Tiny little Odyssey ships? I don’t think it’d be great fun watching Mario jump around on screens.

I feel like a brand new concept new to the series would have be the best way to go. That way, there are zero expectations. A Mario Kart ride comes with a lot of expectations and from an initial look, I don't think its a slam dunk for Mario Kart as an IP.

 

[Brer Oswald]

We’re used to highly immersive lands themed to a single IP with multiple attractions, but it’s still a fairly new phenomenon. When Star Wars got its first theme park presence it was a single ride at Disneyland. It didn’t feature the main cast... And people absolutely loved it.

That’s definitely true. But in those cases, we’re looking at multiple lands based on a series of seven films. Mario has hundreds of games, spanning several different genres. Not every hardcore Mario fan loves the 2D games and Mario Kart. Some are fans because of the 3D games or the RPGs. I understand that the casual audience knows Mario on the most simple scale, but I’m just envious that the Harry Potter fans get 2 lands that encompass the entire franchise and Mario barely scratches the surface. There are several constant elements (ie. Bowser Kidnapping the Princess, Giant Bowser, forests with Wigglers, Rosalina and the Lumas, Wario and Waluigi) that aren’t present, and I worry that they’re “done with Mario” and we’re never going to see these things.

Just cause they're digital doesn't mean they're not represented...and just cause it's digital doesn't make it bad

While true, I can see them in a digital format at home. They really did nail the physical elements in the outdoor land, and in the queue. But man, I just really wanted to see Mario Fight Bowser in a physical form.

I do have to agree with the consensus here, I think between the Mario M&Gs, the AR attraction, and the ability to actually punch coins, get items, and fight a boss battle in the land, I don’t think we need a proper Mario attraction. What would the vehicles be, anyhow?! Tiny little Odyssey ships? I don’t think it’d be great fun watching Mario jump around on screens.

Koopa Clown Cars. You can ride them in a lot of the games. Or they could’ve done Yoshi’s (if not for the Yoshi-mover).

 

[JungleSkip]

That’s definitely true. But in those cases, we’re looking at multiple lands based on a series of seven films. Mario has hundreds of games, spanning several different genres. Not every hardcore Mario fan loves the 2D games and Mario Kart. Some are fans because of the 3D games or the RPGs. I understand that the casual audience knows Mario on the most simple scale, but I’m just envious that the Harry Potter fans get 2 lands that encompass the entire franchise and Mario barely scratches the surface. There are several constant elements (ie. Bowser Kidnapping the Princess, Giant Bowser, forests with Wigglers, Rosalina and the Lumas, Wario and Waluigi) that aren’t present, and I worry that they’re “done with Mario” and we’re never going to see these things.

I think saying this "barely scratches the surface" is a bit of a stretch. Yes, there is a lot of potential ways to expand a Mario land that could be cool. But if I'm Universal, I'm going to get more bang for my buck expanding with another Nintendo property. You get the fans that already came to come back, and maybe excite the fans of that property that maybe weren't as enthused for Mario alone.

 

[tielo]

I've been on quite a few gaming websites and the video's of the Mario Kart ride had hit with impact and it is overal received negatieve. And I get that. A superfan wants a real life creation of the thing they love. A huge world with landscapes to race trough and everything is real. As a theme park fan we all know that is not possible and above that even more expense than what is there (I'm not even going into safety issues). But I also think the video (or any video) doesn't do justice to the ride. If I show someone a pov of Spider-man they aren't blown away and I get that.
What I like of Universal is that they understand the ip and theme parks. The end result isn't a nice photo opp for a wine mom who needs to show it of on social media, it's about being a tactile theme park experience that represents the game (or movie) and should be filling you with joy.
I remember seeing Hogwarts going up and being disappointed it wasn't a one on one recreation I could walk trough (I know, impossible) and I couldn't actually fly on a broomstick (without getting blue balls from a harnas) but the end result blew me away and gave me a queue and ride that is uniquely Potter and Universal. I slipped into the theme park world of the recreation and believed the world Warner/Universal created with souvenirs, food, shows, audio, scenery, character interaction, lighting and rides.
I expect word on mouth will bring many (critical) fans to the parks to enjoy this land and it will grow just like Potter is still growing in popularity with new visitors. I think fans can be happy Nintendo has finally worked with Universal to bring the Nintendo brand to the theme park world, it has taken them long enough.

 

[shiekra38]

While true, I can see them in a digital format at home. They really did nail the physical elements in the outdoor land, and in the queue. But man, I just really wanted to see Mario Fight Bowser in a physical form.

OMG how did you get the AR tech from the ride?

 

[Coolbfitz]

I just want Wario to be represented.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I don’t think people realize how lame a Bowser vs Mario fighting AA battle would be, if you thought the MK ride was slow....