Nintendo Coming to Universal Parks

[Joshua Porter]

I’m still baffled though. The distance still would’ve worked with Mario in KZ and Pokémon at Park 3. The plans for Mario were done so why not get started and flesh out Pokémon alongside the rest of the new park?

I can understand Mario being at Park 3 to be honest. I think it is an absolutely huge draw. Mario has been around for years and years. My points on Pokemon is that I think it will be a huge draw but they could put it anywhere at any time and it still will be. I do agree that making Mario the headliner for Park 3 will bring huge crowds. It wouldn't surprise me if it was bigger than Potter. It really wouldn't.

I've played every game in the series and I couldn't tell you what Mt Silver looks like or what the outside architecture of the Pokémon League is. You put those things as icons of a new park and the general population will look at the park and have no clue what they're looking at.

I think the TV series and films do a better job of displaying this location as the games have a tendency of changing how it looks. But you could put on Prof. Oak's lab, a Charizard flying over Universal. Anything could get people in, I feel. Pokemon Go is good but it isn't actually being in a setting where you can at least feel some sense of catching a pokemon. Obviously Mario Kart is going to be a ride where you can actually compete in a race in a kart and it will feel real. I have to admit I can't see the potential for multiple Pokemon rides but a walkthrough attraction where you can catch pokemon somehow would be gold.

 

[JungleSkip]

AA Pokémon and interactive Pokeballs. People don’t play the games for the iconic locations nor will they care when it’s in a theme park. The Pokémon are the sell.

Personally I think that sounds great in theory, and would be an absolute mess in reality. In a land you'd MAYBE be able to have 5-6 AA Pokémon spots for people to line up and catch. There are 800+ Pokémon, so you'd be representing a miniscule fraction of the franchise. Add in the fact that catching is only 1/2 the game, you'd be leaving out battling.

And that's not even considering the prospects of kids throwing the $60 interactive Pokeballs and breaking them instantly.

“Go on an actual Pokémon Safari and see real Pokémon!!!”

It’s really very easy. Then you can have some flats.

Yea, that does not sound anywhere as good as real life Mario Kart

 

[AlexanderMBush]

I’m still baffled though. The distance still would’ve worked with Mario in KZ and Pokémon at Park 3. The plans for Mario were done so why not get started and flesh out Pokémon alongside the rest of the new park?

Three words come to mind,

Theme Park Cannibalism.

And to explain why I mean this, is simple. I think, especially if you have them at the same park at the start, there is a high chance that one might eat the other over how much merchandise would be sold (and also traffic), and you can probably guess which would eat the other.

But, if they do the Potter approach, and spread it out across the entire resort, it not only incentives multi-family, but allows people to go to other parks like Islands or Studios.

 

[Disneyhead]

I think Pokemon will be more a "thing" than a "place".

 

[Imperius]

Personally I think that sounds great in theory, and would be an absolute mess in reality. In a land you'd MAYBE be able to have 5-6 AA Pokémon spots for people to line up and catch. There are 800+ Pokémon, so you'd be representing a miniscule fraction of the franchise. Add in the fact that catching is only 1/2 the game, you'd be leaving out battling.

And that's not even considering the prospects of kids throwing the $60 interactive Pokeballs and breaking them instantly.



Yea, that does not sound anywhere as good as real life Mario Kart

Then supplement with screen Pokémon for others. I think Star Wars will provide a lot of insight of new themepark interactivity that will need to be matched.

 

[Mike S]

Personally I think that sounds great in theory, and would be an absolute mess in reality. In a land you'd MAYBE be able to have 5-6 AA Pokémon spots for people to line up and catch. There are 800+ Pokémon, so you'd be representing a miniscule fraction of the franchise. Add in the fact that catching is only 1/2 the game, you'd be leaving out battling.

And that's not even considering the prospects of kids throwing the $60 interactive Pokeballs and breaking them instantly.

I was never a fan of trying to include catching for these reasons. Battles would be easier with the Stadium concept.

Yea, that does not sound anywhere as good as real life Mario Kart

Breaking news: Huge fans of Pokémon wouldn’t be excited by real Pokémon.

 

[Joshua Porter]

I think Pokemon will be more a "thing" than a "place".

Such as something that will happen rather than something that will be built?

 

[Mike S]

Three words come to mind,

Theme Park Cannibalism.

And to explain why I mean this, is simple. I think, especially if you have them at the same park at the start, there is a high chance that one might eat the other over how much merchandise would be sold (and also traffic), and you can probably guess which would eat the other.

But, if they do the Potter approach, and spread it out across the entire resort, it not only incentives multi-family, but allows people to go to other parks like Islands or Studios.

I still had them seperated though...

 

[JungleSkip]

Then supplement with screen Pokémon for others. I think Star Wars will provide a lot of insight of new themepark interactivity that will need to be matched.

But again, there's just not enough room to do it any more satisfyingly than what you already have in Pokémon Go. I think Pokémon should show up in the parks. I think it's a natural choice to replace KidZone. I don't think it's got anywhere near the easy and natural transition to theme parks that Mario Kart and DK have. Those rides will be instant sells to the GP.

 

[Joshua Porter]

I was never a fan of trying to include catching for these reasons. Battles would be easier with the Stadium concept.

Breaking news: Huge fans of Pokémon wouldn’t be excited by real Pokémon.

With Motion Capture and VR, there wouldn't have to be real life Pokeballs. You could make the whole attraction VR and I bet people would still lap it up.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

I think Pokemon will be more a "thing" than a "place".

Pokemon is not a place, never was. This could be Pokemon. Pokemon, is where those creatures stand.

 

[Imperius]

With Motion Capture and VR, there wouldn't have to be real life Pokeballs. You could make the whole attraction VR and I bet people would still lap it up.

 

[Magic-Man]

With Motion Capture and VR, there wouldn't have to be real life Pokeballs. You could make the whole attraction VR and I bet people would still lap it up.

*pictures the atrocity that was Kraken VR* uke:

 

[JungleSkip]

I was never a fan of trying to include catching for these reasons. Battles would be easier with the Stadium concept.

How would Battles be even remotely possible?

 

[Joshua Porter]

*pictures the atrocity that was Kraken VR* uke:

Hahaha oh god yes. Yeah, scratch that. Personally also not an advocate of VR. More of a brain fart than something I would like to see happen. I think there is potential to build something of a Pokemon ride or walkthrough or battle attraction that would definitely work but it would take some new tech and some ingenuity. I think it would be worth it for reasons aforementioned but whether it comes to fruition is another story.

 

[Mike S]

How would Battles be even remotely possible?

People bring their games to the park (or they “rent” from the Stadium) upload their team and the battles are brought to life through advanced projection technology like musion and stuff. There would also be spectators for the tournaments. Much easier to bring to life than trying to do catching. For catching just have some rare Pokémon for GO.

 

[Joshua Porter]

People bring their games to the park (or they “rent” from the Stadium) upload their team and the battles are brought to life through advanced projection technology like musion and stuff. There would also be spectators for the tournaments. Much easier to bring to life than trying to do catching. For catching just have some rare Pokémon for GO.

Either this or you pick your selection of Pokemon on a screen and you face your opponent directly across from you with an arena in between. The pokemon appear through projections of some kind and you select moves on the screen that you wish for them to use. Like bringing the game to life.

 

[JungleSkip]

People bring their games to the park (or they “rent” from the Stadium) upload their team and the battles are brought to life through advanced projection technology like musion and stuff.

:ack:

Yea, I'm sorry, I'm just not seeing how the masses would sign up for something like this. Especially considering actual Pokémon battles have large gaps between moves. It'd be about as interesting as watching a car break down every few seconds. I could maybe see some sort of Creature Tech show where puppets battle, but not something where the GP watches random kids play with their Switches.

Again, I think Pokémon should show up. But it has severe limitations for adapting it to theme park use to the point that making it the centerpiece of Park 3 would be folly. Replacing KidZone with it makes more sense, as it can just be a dark ride and some flats without needing to do the heavy lifting of the park.

 

[Magic-Man]

:ack:

Yea, I'm sorry, I'm just not seeing how the masses would sign up for something like this. Especially considering actual Pokémon battles have large gaps between moves. It'd be about as interesting as watching a car break down every few seconds. I could maybe see some sort of Creature Tech show where puppets battle, but not something where the GP watches random kids play with their Switches.

Again, I think Pokémon should show up. But it has severe limitations for adapting it to theme park use to the point that making it the centerpiece of Park 3 would be folly. Replacing KidZone with it makes more sense, as it can just be a dark ride and some flats without needing to do the heavy lifting of the park.

It’s USF. It needs all the lifting it can get.

 

[JungleSkip]

It’s USF. It needs all the lifting it can get.

Not sure what this means, but with Potter in USF, Pokémon would not need to be the star of the show, when it would need to be that in Park 3.