Welcome to Party Chat, the question and answer post where the Girls on Games team address the pressing (and not so pressing) how, when, why and what-if’s of gaming culture.
Owing to the big announcement that Universal Theme Parks is partnering with Nintendo, this week’s question is: What Nintendo Theme Park Attractions Would You Like to See?
Catherine Smith-Desbiens:
Mario Party (via Ayay)
“I would love to see a Nintendo Land / Mario Party attraction where you and your friends compete in quick mini games for Nintendo-themed prizes and bragging rights. Or how about a Mario Kart roller coaster where you dodge Koopa Shells and pass a stink-eyed giving Luigi. Some of the Mario Kart 8 courses could easily become a roller coaster. A haunted house with Boos! Some of the The Legend of Zelda mini-games could easily become attractions, especially the slingshot and archery ones… all while signature music plays! I’m way too excited about this.”
Nicholas:
“Nintendo amusement park screams fun for all ages so we would need a little sprinkle of everything. A ride for kids where they can climb on Tanooki Marios back and fly in little circles. A Link To The Past roller coaster where you go through tunnels that bring you to different rooms each based on different Zelda games. Maybe a Metroid ride on rails where you get a laser plasma cannon and blast aliens. 3D adventure ride where you go on a Pokemon adventure. Virtual Smash Brothers. Thwomp’s Splash ride. The possibilities are endless!”
Simon:
“I want a Pokemon exhibition and I want it now! They could make an interactive Pokemon attraction where you can go in, catch wild Pokemon (using VR maybe?) and raise them, battle them against other people in the exhibition, gym battles against people working there, etc. Once you’re done, you could get a code, go online, download the Pokemon you got and import it in your game to keep raising it. It could have special moves like the Pikachu with Fly or Surf.
It could also be a Pokemon Snap kind of adventure, where you have a camera and you need to take pictures of different Pokemons in different poses. You’d get judged on your pictures and there could be leaderboards with prizes like plushies and stuff.”
Alicia Alexandra:
Luigi’s Mansion (via PixGood)
“The first thing that popped into my head when I heard the news was GameCube’s most successful launch title… Luigi’s Mansion! What is one of Disney’s most famous attractions? The Haunted Mansion. Nintendo could make their own haunted house/maze game where visitors get to roam the halls, toting their own Poltergust 3000 to send Portrait Ghosts back to their frames (using lasertag-esque technology).
I’m also really excited for the potential “History of…” walk-through attractions, with lots of behind the scenes materials and information about Nintendo and their games. That’s something that we don’t often see outside of Japan.”
Devin:
“I’ve been sitting here wondering what Nintendo based attractions we could see out of Universal Studios and how they could do justice to the video games. Mario Kart seems like an obvious addition, as does a high-speed F-Zero roller coaster, but neither of these particularly excites me.
My favorite series from Nintendo has been the Legend of Zelda, but it feels like it should get more than just a roller coaster. I then considered my favorite character from Nintendo: Bowser.
Bowser is dark, malicious, and if there’s a spooky environment every gamer knows, it’s Bowser’s castle. Ever changing, yet always retaining its evil and forbidding nature, we’ve raced through and explore within these walls countless times, and I would love a chance to enter Bowser’s dungeon.
The question remains, would I prefer a 10 minute “Haunted House” to wander through, or a 2 minute adrenaline rush from a roller coaster ride?
Decisions, decisions…”
Catherine Ashley:
Donkey Kong Country 2 (via Kotaku)
“The minute I heard the news, Donkey Kong came barreling in my head *wink wink*. So definitely everything and anything from the Donkey Kong universe. I’ve yet to play any of the newer games, so I’m basing all my hopes, dreams and aspirations on the SNES’s Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Conquest. Think about the possibilities! Pirate ships, waterpark, barrel rides. underground mines… but the best would obviously be in Diddy’s Kong Quest. The roller coaster level where you ride in skulls and have to jump over enemies… Shiiiieet.
Universal. Nintendo. Get on that. Now!”
So, what kind of Nintendo-themed attractions would you like to visit? Let us know in the comment section below or on Facebook and Twitter.