Nintendo and Universal Studios Japan collaboration announced!

Mario ponders about what to ride in future USJ.

This week it was announced that Nintendo will now be introducing its characters and games to Universal Studios Japan (USJ). The press release stated that“The immersive experiences will include major attractions at Universal’s theme parks and will feature Nintendo’s most famous characters and games,”. This is fantastic news because USJ has a proven track record for teaming up with famous video game and comic book company's to provide amazing attractions that bring our favourite video game worlds and characters to life.

Past attractions such as Monster Hunter themed areas as well as the spectacular Raccoon City Halloween special which included a realistic shooting game that brings the zombies of Biohazard to life. It was extremely popular with tickets selling out shortly after the park opened, every single day. Not only that, but it wasn't a casual experience either! The first iteration boasted an impressive 0% survival rate for guests, yes, zero. Some people I knew didn't even get past the first section. This year too, a Biohazard themed zombie escape again has also proved to be a success, challenging you to cure yourself of the zombie virus before it is too late while exploring zombie infested areas. Utilizing current technology such as ipads to deliver a great interactive experience.

Despite being immensely popular the pass rate was 0% in 2014.

With Nintendo's abundant range of characters and licenses there is so many chances for exciting attractions to be built, just imagine...

• Mario Bumper Karts / Real Kart Racing - although I guess there would be safety issues!
• Hybrid 3D roller coasters - Similar to Spiderman this type of ride could easily be adapted to the Starfox, Metroid, Mario Kart, F-Zero, Pokemon series and more.
• 3D Dark interactive shooter rides - These would be FANTASTIC for Starfox, although could also work for Luigi's Mansion, Metroid, and so on!
• Interactive water rides - Pokemon Snap, Mario Sunshine, the new Splatoon series etc.
• Platforming Playgrounds for all ages - Donkey Kong, Mario, Yoshi, Pikmin...would be great fun!
• Themed Restaurants - Cooking Mama, Kirby, Character themed dishes and drinks.
• Haunted Houses - Luigi's Mansion, Bowsers Castle, a montage of spooky areas from all of their games would work well too!

An on rails dark 3D shooter for Starfox would be great!

I'm personally super excited to see what they will announced. The release added that “More details will be announced in the future, as the Nintendo and Universal creative teams work to create specific concepts.” Fingers crossed they use series beyond just Pokemon and Mario. Whilst these two series would undoubtedly prove popular and be fun to visit, there is so much potential to be used from series that have been quiet as of late.

I'm hyped about the idea of a Starfox on rails shooter or 3D F-Zero rollercoaster, how about you?

The 360 degree racing world of F-Zero offers tons of potential.