In addition to what I posted in the other thread since there was a bit of mix discussion yesterday:
This but with Pokémon (MK non-AR):
I don't think flapping my arms or trying to battle or catch Pokémon through AR/VR works for Pokémon in a way that's going to be satifsying as a ride. In MK it's okay but it's also almost unnecessary for the ride itself because it looks so good without the goggles. I think something along the lines of a safari adventure in the form of an ET/Haunted Mansion/SLoP/Yoshi dark ride (no goggles, heavy on animatronics and quality visual effects) is the way to go. Imagine a Dinosaur or Indiana Jones-type adventure ride in thrill level with a Pokémon professor narrating.
My strong opinion is that if it isn't reminiscent of a Pokémon Snap trip isn't going to work as well as it could otherwise. I don't say that to doubt the capability of Universal Creative because they obviously have done incredible things but thinking about rides that do require goggles across the resort and the physical set-heavy ones without them... for Pokémon, make it all as real as possible and don't make me watch it through special glasses. It doesn't sound like that'll be the case unfortunately.
My wish for a Pokémon stage show: Start with a simple setup like a gym leader character made just for this land and Pokémon trainers are competing for their gym badge. A Pokémon stunt show around Pokémon training would be cool to see, like Bourne or WW but actors dodging fire and water attacks with Team Rocket shenanigans.
Out of all the things coming down the pipeline Pokémon is definitely one I'm both excited and impatient for. I sincerely hope they knock it out!
I want to add to my comment: Universal have proven they're great at thinking outside the box. For the love of Kanto I hope this time they stay in the box. Literally one of these two boxes is fine.
It's going to be tough because while I know the land will be made for a wide range of guests I'm going to wager it'll be heavily leaning on adults who've been waiting for this for years. Yes I'm sure some will bring their kids, maybe.
It'll be interesting to see Pokémon crowd numbers compared to Potter's.
while I like Mario Kart, it's already a bit confusing for first-time riders in my experience.
I'm highlighting this because it's fantastic point to make about Pokémon and how it differs from Mario Kart.
MK is basically a racing game in its simplest form and go-kart racing is something most people are familiar with. It's frantic and fast-paced and being a little confused after your first few races (or rides as the case may be) is almost expected and part of the experience. It's not a very deep game.
Pokémon isn't like that. Putting the battles aside there's this whole other part that very much like Pandora as someone else pointed out. There's an emphasis on exploration, nature, and connecting to people with side quests, usually to get a special item, which also expand on the lore and main storyline of whatever game you're playing; the show is similar. It's probably hard to find anyone more emotionally attached to MK over PKMN within the general public.
Trying to go for that individual experience the games give you in a group setting isn't going to work. Pokémon training has very personal play styles and tactics. As much as I'd like the idea of having some interactive function, be it through goggles or some button on the vehicle I don't want my first time on a Pokémon ride be focused on trying to figure out the controls. I also don't want the experience reduced to basic video game mechanics behind goggles.
A simple dark ride packed with Pokémon animatronics from floor to ceiling through different biomes is all I want. No gimmicks, scores, apple or Poké Ball throwing. Leave the gaming portions for the app or special interactive wand-like Poké Ball for when you're outside in the actual land.
Creating a story based ride out of a major, worldwide leading game, is very tricky. The stories and characters of a longtime video game series are different than a movie’s characters and settings being brought into a ride. It’s much harder to get a “best of everything” ride in a video game story based ride.
So, since it’s a video game, this is a clever excuse for both Nintendo and Universal to create a new game for these characters that guests can experience more intimately.
What's perfect with Pokémon is that in every game you usually start fresh as a new character that's introduced to a new professor with new Pokémon to discover, and of course a new land that contains it all.
There are references and lore-related items for the geeks and little things that carry over in some fashion but you don't need to be aware of any of that to get what's going on in the game you're playing. They're self-contained stories, not games that have direct sequels in the usual sense. That may have changed in more recent games (I haven't played them) but I think that recipe has stayed the same since the first generation.
Telling guests they're newly minted trainers who've arrived in a new land is a natural part of the games and show. Would I love to visit old places? Sure! I would also be just as excited to see a completely unique location. Either way 'where' it's located isn't an issue since most towns in the games and show have the same things (a gym, Poké Mart, Pokémon Center, etc.) with similar characters (Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, etc). The main characters in the show are traveling all the time anyway so they could swap out which ones are used for the meet-n-greets in the new land so they could swap different ones from each series seamlessly.
Creatively I don't see this part of the land giving Universal trouble. It's not the same problem with trying to convince Star Wars fans to visit a completely new land because a new land is part of the Pokémon experience. I think the focus/worry is on how they go about the main attraction.
