So as mentioned in the main thread, I finally got to go today after trying to go in as blind as possible, and as I said there, I was truly blown away by this land despite how we got a smaller one. It still managed to be a wonderful experience and super immersive. It had a vibe like no other that made me almost forget I was at Universal. This land really is a winner aside from the already mentioned things they could add. I was just also amazed by how they managed to make something for Mario fans new and old. The immersiveness of the scenery and especially the new renditions of Mario songs I've heard over the years filled me with emotion as I set foot for the first time and it got me almost tearing up. It's amazing and just about everything younger me would have wanted. Though I didn't know there were some things that didn't seem finished just yet, but I did notice that with the Peach area.
Mario Kart was fun despite not being super fast and such a treat to walk through the queue of. I think as most said, I didn't quite have a grip on the AR system on my first go, but I think that'll change in the future. It's no Rise of The Resistance but still a fun and pleasant ride to look at. I also thought it was really nice that they have Miis in the pre-show.
Was not expecting to spend the amount of time I did. Got to the park and land at 10, left around 2-ish. This has also officially unseated Jurassic World as my first stop going forward, both in terms of liking and beating the crowds. Also, I am amazed by how there's lots of achievements/stamps. It adds some re-visitability to the land and also re-rideability to Mario Kart. I also wonder how you get the meetable character stamps, since I wasn't prompted with the thing after meeting the Mario Bros. and Peach.
I especially wonder if the Opening month stamp simply just means going in February. Not sure if they'd really make a stamp that's only obtainable once in your whole lifetime.
Food was great, had the Garlic Knots, Mario burger, and Tiramisu. All great save for maybe the burger meat, which was kinda dryish and similar to Krusty Burger's? Probably got dealt a bad hand. Fries were also almost a little too salty, which became noticeable as I ate more of them, but a step up from other fries in the park imo.
Anyways, I think I've got some catchup from the first THs.
- Buying a Power Band was easy, and setting it up even easier. You can do it from the nifty vending machines in the center of the land or the 1-up store. These things are already printing money - huge queues to buy them. That said, they do not snap on easily. Mine kept becoming loose and occasionally fell off while playing the more intense games.
- As for the games: They are fun, like turbocharged versions of the interactives from If I Ran the Zoo. I don't see them being repeatable, and I do wish we had a few more. Four feels like too few - perhaps something should've been tucked away upstairs, which as of now only has a handful of interactives and the AR binoculars (which are nifty).
- The Bowser Jr. boss battle was a real treat, though people in the center inevitably get a better view of the finale animation.
- They are for some reason playing the Japanese media in the preshows for Bowser Jr. and Mario Kart. There are no spoken English instructions, though there are subtitles in English and Japanese. Bowser's and Toad's Japanese names (Koopa and Kinopio, respectively) are thus used. A bit confusing.
- We now know why there's so much queue in Mt. Beanpole: There is far less queue in Bowser's Castle than previously anticipated. In my book, this is a win - we have the superior queue. We lose none of the details but gain in environment variety, but because the castle rooms aren't laughably gargantuan, they feel more like lived-in spaces.
- Yoshi rooms have screens that were not animating yet, but presumably Yoshis will wander by eventually.
- Toadstool Cafe is a big winner. We sampled the Luigi Burger (excellent and zesty), the garlic knots (fantastic), the fire flower spaghetti (nothing crazy but a nice alternate to the sandwiches and salads), and the tiramisu (delicious, flavorful, and the perfect serving size). Presentation of the food items was great, and the staff was attentive. The media playing in the dining room is full of cute little surprises and "events." This is also the spot to hear beautiful orchestrations from Super Mario Galaxy.
- The bathrooms are legit cute with the underwater theming, music, and soundscape.
- Mario Kart is a blast and a great interactive dark ride once you understand how to play. The problem is you almost certainly are not going to get the hang of it on your first try - in fact, you probably aren't going to get our visor on correctly. For the visor to fill your field of vision and for its imagery to remain stable, your cap needs to be pulled WAY DOWN against your face -- too many people were just plopping it on their head, and I could see people struggling to tighten and adjust it during the ride. Once everything's on, the gameplay is thrilling, and the AR is at times extremely convincing. There are moments where I thought I was looking at a physical animatronic and was shocked to see it was all digital imagery.
- The app and sticker book is nifty and will make repeat visits very enjoyable.
- The meet and greets are awesome, but be patient with them. The performers for Mario and Luigi are clearly struggling with visibility issues, and it'll take some time before they can move more confidently. Their ability to talk, look around, and blink was cute and impressive.
- Tarps were themed and look good, so glad we spent pages yelling at each other about that.
- The grid-like backdrops do NOT look good, and I am shocked they were approved. You don't notice them when you're just walking around the land, but when your eyes focus on an animated element or you take a picture, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Not sure what the immediate solution here is, but it doesn't look great.
- Sight lines on the ground floor are largely excellent - I noticed very few visual intrusions, which is quite the achivement. However, I was puzzled by how some of the physical animated elements were positioned, as I could easily see many of their mechanics without looking for them. Some of them appear to be positioned far too high, so the scenic elements meant to disguise the exposed metal were not able to do their intended jobs. Not sure how fixable some of this is, but it's noticeable, especially for some of the Koopas and 1-up mushrooms.
Overall, this is going to print money and be a huge success for the park. Get started on Donkey Kong Country yesterday.
I concur with all of these and I will try the Mario Kart tip for next time, though I didn't know there were screens in the Yoshi queue. My power up band kind of got slightly damaged from what appeared to be a dirt smear when it fell off from me earlier, but after trying to wipe it at home, it seems to actually be some kind of scuff I can't quite comprehend. Kind of wish I knew how to apply the band better now cause for me it's a bit distracting especially to have something like that already.
For MK, I'd imagine they'll probably have the proper English names once the land officially opens.
Also, is no one gonna talk about how this is the first Universal ride in a looooong time that doesn't spray water on you?
This was also one of my first thoughts after getting off. It's nice.
Has anyone been able to spot any hidden Pikmin throughout the land? Or will this easter egg only specifically be at Universal Japan?
It seems like they are supposed to be there. There's a stamp for Pikmin after looking through them
Basically, they had to choose between the thrilling side of Mario Kart, or the actual "game" side of it to translate into reality. I think they made the right choice.
I also concur with this. It may not be a fast paced thing, but I still thought it was fun and well made for what they were going for. Besides, I have friends who don't like roller coasters, so I think this'll be fine for until we get DK, which absolutely should begin work on soon, hopefully.
Forgot to mention it, but hearing Toad speak full sentences for the first time since the GameCube era in the form of Chef Toad was a great thing for me.
