Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge - General Discussion

[Evan]

The ride is not good (imo), not because it isn’t thrilling but because it’s a just okay dark ride without the goggles and a very bad game with them on. That said, it’s not going anywhere and I have no idea why anyone is acting like this is speculation and not simply wishcasting.

Exactly. It’s just wishcasting. Or showing evidence that they could have built something more faithful to the game experience.

I mean, the reality is Mario Kart was a silly game to base the main ride off of. But I digress.

My opinions shouldn’t negate anyone’s enjoyment for the attraction.

 

[sonoma15]

I love Mario Kart, I think it's a great ride, the rainbow road part is one of the coolest moments on any dark ride in my opinion. I think the gameplay is also really fun too but it does have a slight learning curve that a lot of people probably won't be able to get over on their first ride.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

I love Mario Kart, I think it's a great ride, the rainbow road part is one of the coolest moments on any dark ride in my opinion. I think the gameplay is also really fun too but it does have a slight learning curve that a lot of people probably won't be able to get over on their first ride.

I think the game is more fun when you’re in that learning curve. Now that I’ve played it many times it’s not at all fun, likely because it’s not a particularly satisfying game to master.

 

[Pacific]

People just wanted a Mario “E” ticket that we’re still sort of “lacking”. Remember when we thought MK was gonna be ROTR scale? Ahahaha, 2018 was good times. I still view MK as a conceptual mess that was a mistake but I’m kind of over it now.

 

[Evan]

People just wanted a Mario “E” ticket that we’re still sort of “lacking”. Remember when we thought MK was gonna be ROTR scale? Ahahaha, 2018 was good times. I still view MK as a conceptual mess that was a mistake but I’m kind of over it now.

You get it

 

[Mad Dog]

@Teebin had showed me all the original plans before anything was built. MK, Yoshii, and DK are basically what
that was. Even the ride vehicles were almost identical. This was way before anything started in Osaka. The UC outside design pitch of the Nintendo
land was leaked early on also. With the exception of a few small sections that didn't make the cut, this is it. The MK building is a decent size but not
large enough for much more than what's there. There never was any basis for ROTR type attraction. I don't know where that fantasy
came from.

 

[Pacific]

Not like literal ROTR scale but something in the same league as Indiana Jones, Forbidden Journey, etc. Like, a big ol E ticket adventure ride. I’m just really sad that we’re probably never getting a Mario animatronic.

 

[Freak]

Not like literal ROTR scale but something in the same league as Indiana Jones, Forbidden Journey, etc. Like, a big ol E ticket adventure ride. I’m just really sad that we’re probably never getting a Mario animatronic.

Well that is Nintendo’s call. Nintendo can be their own worst enemy.

 

[Pacific]

It just occurred to me that we’ve been bickering about Mario Kart for the better part of half a decade and now I feel old.

 

[bdubsCEO]

For better or worse, this is an incredible ride for those who can actually go on it more than once. I’ve been on it dozens of times, and it continues to get more fun almost every time as I refine my strategy and notice more details.

It’s a perfect translation of Mario Kart in that way. If you play one cup of Mario Kart for the first time ever, you’re going to think “well. that was pretty and somewhat entertaining, but i’m kind of underwhelmed.” It’s learning each drift, trick, shortcut and turn on each track that’s the actual addictive core of the game.

Was it dumb to make the premier SNW so reliant on your ability to re-ride it? Yes, but I’m convinced the haters only went on it once or twice. It’s a ride for locals, and because of that I think it’s perfect for Hollywood.

 

[Freak]

Honestly my biggest gripe about the ride is how mild the spinning is. I just wish they made it a little bit snappier. If you sit in the back (Which I prefer) you can really feel that drifting in the first part of the ride when Toad is in front of you. It’s great.

I think it’s great as an interactive dark ride. If you’re expecting RSR I can understand being disappointed. I was actually pretty overwhelmed the first time I rode it but after several rides in enjoyed it more. I literally did not know until a full year after the ride was open that you were supposed to hold down the steering wheel and not just jerk it when prompted to turn. After several rides, you really do get a good feel for the strategy.

So yeah I enjoy MK.

 

[bdubsCEO]

Most new riders will:

Miss or be unaware of the start bonus

Miss or be unaware of the hidden blocks

Spam the shoot button, not realizing you have limited shells unlike most shooter rides

Not realize that you need to hold each turn for about 3-5 seconds to receive the maximum number of coins

Not realize you receive 1 coin for one hit on a Koopa, two for two consecutive hits, and three for 3 hits, meaning you should hit each Koopa 3 times for 6 coins

Attempt to indiscriminately shoot all other racers, including allies, and waste shells during the various enemy rush scenes (when they’re better saved for use on Team Bowser)

The vast majority of people who go on this ride for the first time won’t realize any of this, assume the gameplay is shallow and boring and then call the ride a mistake because it isn’t a roller coaster.

 

[Pacific]

Honestly, I can’t blame new guests (and literally most guests) for not getting the game. I still see the ride as a conceptual bad idea that should had never happened, yeah yeah (no, I don’t want a rollercoaster either lol). But as it stands now, the ride’s real problem other than making people put on a AR headset is the abysmal pre-show. It is the most un engaging, tepid, bewildering pre-show I have ever seen.

It is a terrible idea to have a pre-show like this with zero dialogue. The pre-show is a glorified power point presentation with Lakitu gibberish. The preshow is so bad that they need a ride attendant in both rooms to explain what the hell is going on (most people are on their phones, lol). Incredibly vague story elements even though the queue and the ride itself heavily imply the entire race is a “setup” for Mario & Friends (brilliant idea btw!) Like, not having basically any of the characters you’re going to see on the ride interact with you during the pre-show is such a bizarre call. And I was wondering, maybe it was some kind of Nintendo mandate to not have characters talking, but Toadstool Cafe, Yoshi Adventure, and Minecart Madness say otherwise (Minecart also has a horrid preshow but its because of bad placement).

Even the room (second room) we’re in is odd. Like, what is that room even supposed to be? Why are there Mii costumes that are more interesting to look at behind us??? Why did they make it Mii costumes in the first place?? (due to when this ride was made, there was no Daisy Mii costume yet so…she doesn’t have one in the room. Another strange design choice, made even stranger by attendants sometimes bringing that up in the pre-show, meaning that they’re all self-aware of the odd design).

The pre-show heavily contributes to this ride feeling like a giant, glorified Round1/Dave & Busters arcade game. I don’t understand what Nintendo and Universal were thinking here.

Maybe one of the reasons they designed it this way is that they couldn’t figure out a way to incorporate the AR headset as a diegetic element within the world of the ride. So they just went like, “Screw, make it a glorified tutorial screen since its a video game, get it?” lol.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I agree

They wont but with the movie coming out, they should be able to get someone from the movie record the Pre Show

I still like it as a Dark ride but the game should be updated by now...or at least have extra targets during season. Like Right now there should be Golden Boo's you can kill for extra points or during Christmas make it where there is snow falling and you can hit some snowmen for extra points.