I would love to see a Mario Kart ride that combines some of the best tracks from the game, a Zelda dark ride, a Super Smash Brothers stunt show, a Yoshi kiddie coaster, and some sort of 4D interactive Pokemon ride where you have to collect as many pokemon as possible. They would just have to make sure the rides are still family friendly, since that is the only family friendly land in the park. Too big of a show building not to work into a new Nintendo land. KidZone would be a great spot, although I too wish they would keep E.T., that won't happen. That said, I would love to see them build actual rides in the parks, even if they are not all completely interactive. Unless Universal goes with completely new ride systems (which is certainly possible), the only truly interactive and always changing rides are shoot em ups like Toy Story Mania. A DisneyQuest style attraction would accomplish this. Like Robert said, attractions based on video games need to be completely interactive. It could mean Universal's version of DisneyQuest in City Walk, with all Nintendo characters and themes. No guarantee this will actually be a land or rides in the theme parks themselves.
Which theme park will be next to shock us with the new? Rides that tie-in with films, television programs and such can be wonderful- the Indiana Jones Adventure is a fantastic example- but I'm sick of them.
It needs to be treated as such it needs visionaries, not corporate shills. The creation of theme park attractions is an art form, just like literature, film and music. Knoebel's Haunted Mansion, Noah's Ark at Kennywood. I understand that money is an issue and risking millions on an unproven concept is chancy but that didn't stop the creation of all-time classics like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion at Disneylan, the Calico Mine Train and the Log Ride at Knott's Berry Farm. Where has creativity gone? I guess folks would rather feel safe and coddled with something familiar than experience anything new. The creation of original theme park attractions not connected to a pre-existing intellectual property is in its final death throes. and for fans who love to imagine what Universal Creative will do. That's another issue for Universal Creative. The flip side is the inherent potential of having attractions that will remain fresh for audiences longer than those from IPs which would lend themselves to more static experiences.įinally, while Universal has abundant space to play with (well, relatively) in Orlando and Japan, space is tight in Hollywood and especially so in Singapore. That creates additional challenges for designers that they don't necessarily face with other IPs.
Furthermore, it ought to reward repeat visits, as a game rewards its player for his or her experience with the game. A successful Nintendo-themed attraction cannot offer identical experiences on each visit, either. A passive experience where guests sit on a ride or in a show won't satisfy that audience, which is conditioned to engage with these themes. Update: A few thoughts: A Nintendo-themed attraction demands interactivity. Which Nintendo properties would you like to see in a Universal theme park, and where? The deal with Universal allows the two companies to develop three-dimensional, interactive experiences in theme park settings that recreate and potentially advance the characters, settings, situations and narratives made popular in Nintendo's games. Creators of the Wii console, Nintendo today trails Sony and Microsoft in sales of home console units, but its games are considered to skew more family friendly than the first-person shooter games more popular on PlayStation and XBox. Its franchises include Pokemon, Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong. The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games.įounded in Japan in the late nineteenth century as a playing card company, Nintendo got into the video game business in the 1970s. Now, for the first time, those stories and characters will be brought to life in entirely new ways-only at Universal theme parks. Nintendo has created remarkable and imaginative worlds filled with captivating stories and beloved characters.