Super Nintendo World Needs Help - Unscripted Thoughts Ep.3

I managed to visit Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Hollywood and while overall a positive experience, there are some negatives to discuss as well.
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[@GLJosh]

This confirms what I have heard from the "invited" influencers; it is small, pretty immersive, with average food, but doesn't compare to Japan (or in the future Orlando).

[@garouthetiktokinfluencerhu9731]

I heard Orlando’s Super Nintendo world will be bigger than even Japans. Have you heard the same thing?

[@GLJosh]

@@garouthetiktokinfluencerhu9731 At least initially? Orlando is getting the Mario area and Donkey Kong area. Japan's Donkey Kong expansion will happen a little bit later.

[@garouthetiktokinfluencerhu9731]

@@GLJosh will that all happen at once in Orlando? The Mario area in addition to the DK?

[@GLJosh]

@@garouthetiktokinfluencerhu9731 According to every report I have seen, yes. You can see sections of the DK coaster track being installed.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Yeah, it's a great addition for Hollywood but I'm excited for the full thing, including Donkey Kong.

[@trientertainment7628]

Poseidon’s unscripted thoughts videos are some of my favorite that he makes. They don’t feel corporate and they’re more personal like a podcast. Keep up the great work!

[@feist__]

35 minute Poseidon video, let's go

[@deandrerichardson3690]

Dreeeeeeammm

[@kevinodonnell4094]

*Let's-a go!

[@FieryPheonix-pq8sh]

Wahoo!

[@UbinTimor]

Space is ALWAYS going to be an issue with Universal Hollywood. Each specialized area (i.e. Wizarding World's Hogsmeade, Springfield, and now Super Mario Land) is always going to have the issue of them not reaching their full potential because there's just not enough space to fit exciting new things like coasters or a wide variety of interactive elements without taking something out. I feel like if they had just got rid of the Transformers ride it would have given them more leeway to add more to the area (Transformers is my least favorite ride, so I wouldn't miss it if that meant a bigger area for the additional land. I would love to see the Wizarding World expand too, getting rid of the Waterworld stunt show and converting it into Diagon Ally would be great even if it's just a diet version compared to Florida's. Universal Hollywood's compact shape is both a blessing and a curse to me. I love that I don't feel rushed to get a bunch of rides done with before they get to that 1 hour mark with wait times because there's only like 4 out of like 9 rides (not including attractions like the studio tour and all that) that I ALWAYS want to do anytime I visit. The lack of rides gives me time to go to the 3 Broomsticks and just chill and soak in the ambiance. I always feel relaxed after a visit to Universal, as opposed to Disneyland where I feel stressed out because there are a bunch of rides that are my go-to rides I want to get on and I have to rush to finish my list before the park closes leaving very little time to just sit down and take a breather.

[@dasoupsoup]

Thank you for an actual review of Mario Kart, and not just a rant about how it's not what you wanted. Also Universal Japan is in Osaka, not Tokyo. Otherwise I think all your points were spot on.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Ah, I knew it was in Osaka but I'm not great with stream-of-consciousness speaking lol. Thanks for the correction.

[@anthonyr1930]

If we lived there maybe we’d care what specific city it’s in 💀

[@feist__]

Maybe the Luigi Burger is chicken because Luigi is sort of a chicken when compared to Mario?

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

If we're going by the burgers, does that make Mario dry and crusty?

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

If it were up to me, I'd have made Toadstool Cafe more "Chuck E. Cheese" in style (particularly the animatronics), but for the amount of traffic they get in there, I could see them not wanting people to take up tables for long periods of time.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

That's definitely a good point. I think it could be done sparingly though, like a piranha plant occasionally coming down from the ceiling.

[@glucosefructose]

Speaking of Chuck E. Cheese, I was thinking to myself for some time that if Hollywood movie studios want to start a video game bandwagon after the Mario movie, it would interesting to see them add a Five Nights at Freddie's inspired restaurant and perhaps an attraction in the same vein as the Special Effects Stage.

[@alexandersims1613]

Buncha food wasnt available when i went too. End of April.

[@keeleon]

It's crazy to me that they literally have bullet bills firing at the building and don't have a physical one crash through the wall. I have to assume that was thought of, but cut for budget.

[@FieryPheonix-pq8sh]

Or they could go all out and add levels of theming similar to the rainforest cafe, with giant mushrooms 🍄, Pirhanna Plants, and Toads like they did with the rest of the land. It would really help the immersion!

[@BryceBetts]

Love your unscripted thoughts. Can't wait to listen to this on my drive to work

[@biggunz29xx]

We went last week, and really enjoyed it. Our daughter, especially, had a good time. We were transferring to Japan early next year. ( was stationed there back in 2008- 2013.) So looking forward to seeing bigger better Super Nintendo world.

[@AuthorCertifiedGoof]

Something I learned on my tour that I thought was cool, the Bowser portrait in the queue was signed in the lower right corner by the creator of Mario!

[@kalzium8857]

I remember that some people are hyping this land up as the disney killer. But while i don't think so, it seems that the quality of these attractions are exellent.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I think that may very well be the case in Orlando, especially with how strong the rest of Epic Universe is. Perhaps not a Disney "killer", but enough to seriously impact how people view the value of what Disney is providing right now.

[@mylastnamemk0939]

@@PoseidonEntertainment I agree, not only is Nintendo a huge franchise, but Universal also has the ability to perfect this in Orlando.

[@lalalol36]

​@@PoseidonEntertainmentI just spent the day at universal studios and I gotta I was very disappointed. Each ride is very short and most of the "lands" or sections of the park are just food, shops and one ride. Then you throw in that Universal doesn't have rides that allow slightly larger than average riders and they've lost me as a customer.

[@omegafire6253]

With the coin blocks, there should be a 30% chance at some point you could collect a power up to make more incentive to hit the blocks.

[@keeleon]

I think the problem is how do you represent that without adding screens or something above them?

[@RakoonCD]

​@@keeleon Sound most likely

[@joshwent]

I appreciate that, though you're often in a position of being a Universal Parks advocate as of late, you're not afraid to note complaints where appropriate. Props for being a reliably objective channel in a sea of sycophants.

[@KatKaiju]

Immediate reaction on seeing the video posted: “Uh-oh.” Give us the tea!

[@solcarlosofficial]

I wish they made it more like the cars ride at dca. But I think belive it is a fun and in innovative ride.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Even with a slow vehicle, the implementation of the AR over the sets definitely felt more "Mario Kart" than a Disney slot car would have.

[@thedevilgoose2482]

From what I've seen, this place just looks really fun. Theming's excellent all-around, great use of screens in MK (it's very rare nowadays for them to be used sparingly or effectively so that's always nice to see.) Lots of fun little details and.. you know, just overall really fun. There's an emphasis on interactive elements (not everywhere, but still) which is great when you're trying to represent a video game, where interacting is kind of the whole point. Excited for it to come to Orlando so I can actually experience it for myself.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I agree strongly with your screen point. They're used effectively to supplement an experience with a true physical presence.

[@DiegoMatos-u6u]

I don’t really like Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Hollywood! The Mario Kart Ride was so boring and I agree with my mom, the Mario Kart ride should’ve been a Radiator Springs Racers/Test Track Style ride like the oriental land company already used the 3d Motion based dark ride system from the amazing adventures of spider man for the Peter Pan Neverland Adventure ride at Tokyo DisneySea, why couldn’t universal did what Disney innovate to make the ride feel more enjoyable for everyone! Another Problem is that there is no Donkey Kong Roller Coaster or Yoshi’s Adventure which makes this land feel unfinished, but the worst part of this land is at Toadstool’s Cafe, the lines are so painful that it took 30 minutes for us to eat food which sucks! I honestly didn’t like June 9th 2023 at Universal Studios Hollywood, plus 2023 is such a bad year for Hollywood for example Most Movies are flopped last year, Superhero Fatigue, and Etc!

[@Dre2Dee2]

I would like more Super Mario Bros. 2 references WHERE ARE THE TURNIPS TO PULL FOR KEYS. WHERE IS THE DOOR TO THE SHADOW DIMENSION?

[@aaronsarchive82]

The Japan location has a Shyguy animatronic. Wish Hollywood had one.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

The Monsters mansion can be Luigi's Mansion if you pretend hard enough.

[@KaiRubix]

They have a turnip on the shelf in toadstool cafe. You can even earn one as a stamp by scanning your band inside toadstool cafe.

[@shaquillesteinback8839]

I really love the land. I live right down the road from the park so I'm up there like once a week. It kinda sucks that they have limited space to expand but they did do amazing things with the space they have. I'd be totally cool with them knocking down transformers to expand the land. Just don't touch revenge of the mummy, it's the only fast ride in the park right now lol

[@bunnyhoodmedia8385]

I hope once they finish the “rumored” fast and furious rollercoaster I kinda wish they’ll tear down mummy and expand the lower lot either more nintendo, diagon alley or anything else, I love mummy but it’s no where near spectacular as the one in Orlando

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I continue hearing the rumor that they'll knock down the adjacent sound stage for Donkey Kong (or at least the coaster). I'm unsure of how true that is or how feasible it could be, but I think it would be a good idea.

[@shaquillesteinback8839]

@@PoseidonEntertainment it hard to tell how theyre gonna approach it. They are in the process of building new sound stages further into the backlot away from the park but its a lengthy process so they cant just go tearing down everything all at once. The movie studio still makes the majority of their profit. They've made several offers to purchase the large golf course next door to expand but the owners refuse to sell so thats not an option either. Unless a miracle happens, Universal hollywood is always gonna be the park that has to cycle out rides and lands every so many years to be able to bring in new guests. Change hurts, especially when beloved things from your childhood go away, but im always excited to see what they can do with every new addition.

[@aj08coder]

You said Tokyo but it's in osaka

[@thefuriousfatty2297]

The super mario ride was what smuggler's run should've been

[@JustaGuy_Gaming]

The small size doesn't entirely make sense, unless they just needed to save money. If they can't build out, they could always build up or down. An underground themed zone, in the acutal under ground would be great. Or a sky city zone on some kind of upper floor, under water area and so on. Seems to be the worst part of this land though. Looks so amazing, but so little to actually do there.

[@MetallicalCatastroph]

Absolutely minor thing that annoys the living crap out of me: USJ is in Osaka, not in Tokyo

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

It bothers me that I said that too lol.

[@TooningIn2008]

While the size constraints in Universal Hollywood hold Super Nintendo Land back from being amazing there, it does look really good. Universal Hollywood is a park I feel really needs more stuff to do, so having a version of Super Nintendo World there does help a little with that

[@JustaGuy_Gaming]

Kind of reminds me of Disneland's Toon Town before it was shut down and remodeled. Pretty amazing theme, lots of interesting character houses and such. But not a lot to actually do there other than walk around and look at stuff.

[@Courier_333]

The biggest issue is why is it called super Nintendo world? It's literally only Mario. That's fine but call it Mario world??? Nintendo has many other huge franchises that would arguably be better than Mario as theme park attractions. Particularly Zelda and Pokemon. I understand why they went with their mascot though

[@celestemcduff]

While this isn't the case for the Hollywood park right now, the Orlando and Japan lands will have a Donkey Kong attraction and section, so calling it Super Nintendo World allows for future non-Mario expansions/incorporations. Keeping the naming the same across parks makes sense for marketing purposes to me, though I hear you and still call it super Mario land personally as that's somehow what my brain remembers instead

[@Courier_333]

@@celestemcduff it's not really a big deal lol it just bothers me cuz in Hollywood I really doubt we're getting future expansions lol

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I'm considering Yoshi to be a separate franchise, even if it does cross over with Mario often. Also, yeah they're inconsequential, but there's Pikmin hidden around.

[@Courier_333]

@@PoseidonEntertainment yoshi's first appearance is in a mario game sooo I didn't know about the Pikmin tho that's really cool!

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

@@Courier_333 I would consider Yoshi its own franchise with how distinct the games have become after the N64 Yoshi's Island. Same with Mario Kart even if it's all the same characters.

[@yaoixyuriluvver]

As someone who worked in the Toadstool Café here's my advice: Our reservation system is bad, we know this and are constantly trying to change the system to figure out how to improve it. The early access people will take about 50 - 60% of the daily reservations and early birds will swipe the rest which are from 500 - 600 slots per day usually. This is why we have started sectioning off reservation times to open new slots around 8am then the next wave at lunch and so on. THE FULLY BOOKED SIGN WILL ALWAYS BE UP. Do not be deterred entirely, go up and ask questions to our greeters, most of us will give you pointers or better times to return for a chance to get in. Ask questions to our vender across the land too. You should always rescan the QR code as well as refresh because that code doesn't work sometimes. Our greeter may have a better QR code to scan on hand. Cancelations happen all the time, hundreds of people do not show so sometimes patience is all it takes for those time slots to pop up for grabs. Walk ins are difficult because everyone wants to get in and there are some points where you can get lucky. I always tell people to come around the last 2 hours before closing. Most people run to Nintendo World first, but the later times are going to be much less crowded and a LOT easier for walk ins. Come for dinner and it'll be faster service, faster food time, and possibly no wait to ring up your orders. This varies of course on crowded park days as well. But those later times will always guarantee several walk ins. Smaller parties are almost always guaranteed while bigger parties will have more difficulty getting in. Later hours usually don't need the virtual line to get into the land as well. If you manage to book a reservation time with us, the earliest our greeters will let you in is 5min. before your time slot. If you leave the land before your reservation at Toadstool Café, your reservation time will be considered your virtual line pass to get back into the land again 5 min. before your reservation. Your timer starts the minute the tracker hits the table, that is when we get your order and are able to prepare it, BUT it goes in order of every other tracker that has hit the table before yours. Please double check your trackers for us if your food is taking long. Sometimes the fault of the food not coming is because the tracker hasn't started tracking your table, just move it along the edge of your table, keep it OFF the trays and out of the center of the table which is a dead zone. And of course just ask one of us walking around and we'll be sure to check up on your order for you with receipt in hand so our chefs can get working on the order faster. If you see on of us walking around staring at tables it's because we're trying to find the missing trackers for some ones orders, if you may think it's yours just flash that tracker or of course ask. This is in no way trying to make anyone feel upset, I loved my time opening at the Toadstool Café and only left to focus on other parts of my life. I absolutely loved working there and experiencing everything the Land had to offer. Bringing smiles to the faces of all guests was what made my day worth it. I don't want anyone to have a bad experience there, SO if there are any other questions, I'll try to answer them as best as I can.

[@wherethetatosat]

Theming is FANTASTIC. The mini games are a fun addition. All my friends got wristbands. I didn't. Cool idea, not worth $40 though. I still got to participate in the multiplayer games. The Toadstool cafe has pretty good food. Don't think it's better than the rest of the park (but seriously, Universal has surprisingly good food). Except the garlic fries, they bake cocaine in to the middle or something cause they're addictive. I don't even like garlic. I highly approve of the go-kart ride though I don't think it's objectively fantastic. I find the theming great, the gameplay enjoyable, and it's a good use of AR and practical sets. Universal, this is _not_ an excuse to turn every ride in to an AR ride. But it does stand out from its neighbor The Transformers ride and its cousin the Harry Potter ride so not all of the rides feel the same. It's a reoccurring problem with Universal Hollywood but our park is just small. They've boxed themselves in with all the sound stages but they can't exactly get rid of those. The land is beautiful but it's just so small and it would have been awesome to have more things to do. For reference, the land is so small they couldn't even fit a gift shop inside. The gift shop is actually across from The Mummy.

[@blackfox1320]

To be fair, most of the parks in CA are watered down versions of their FL counterparts.

[@Courier_333]

Except Disneyland which is better than magic kingdom in nearly every way

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Yeah, I'm agreeing with Disneyland. Why go to Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios when you can go to Disneyland?

[@blackfox1320]

@@PoseidonEntertainment DW has the four gates, and I've always preferred MK over Disneyland.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

@@blackfox1320 Meh, Epcot is dead to me other than Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land. The only park I prefer in Florida is Animal Kingdom and they've let it rot.

[@blackfox1320]

@Poseidon Entertainment I cant argue about epcot, and their "additions" are disparaging at best. AK is the frustrating one because it seems to have gone by the wayside when Rohde left. GotG wasn't even a good addition IMO...crushs coaster in Disney Paris is a far superior version of that same ride system. I wish they would put that in near the living seas.

[@Undrave]

Luigi Burger is a CHICKEN burger because Luigi is easily scared... he's a chicken! AH!

[@legometaworld2728]

The fact that you need the Power Up Bands to do the boss battles is what killed it for me NGL, as I’m not willing to pay for those I can either wait three hours for Mario Kart or wait for something else in the park. I was so hyped but predictably enough I let my hopes get too high.

[@blurryeyes316]

I'm with you on that one, totally killed it for me too.

[@RichLux713]

What it just opened I needs to be bigger a super fast Mario kart roller coaster

[@Erdnussbuttertoast]

eh, i support having to queue again if you fail at those mini games. otherwise, people would keep losing them on purpose just to be able to keep playing, which means the people behind them would have to wait even longer.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Yeah for sure. I saw a woman at the Goomba challenge trying to record her 2 year old cranking the wheel and obviously failing. She didn't ask to try again, but it would be annoying if they were to accommodate someone who's only in it for the content. I have to wonder if they turn people away without Power-Up bands.

[@thehobbsguy]

I don't really get the game aspect of the Mario kart ride. Mario Kart isn't about driving around shooting the weapons at random enemies, it's a race where you sabotage the other racers with the weapons. The theming looks incredible though.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Your primary targets are the Koopalings, so I would definitely say that it's definitely about sabotaging other racers. The other enemies you see without the AR are more course obstacles than enemies I suppose.

[@watchmevisit]

Was there a week and a half ago. A few points to add that I noticed: Ride itself was fine. Not worth the 3 hour wait ever again, but fun. Issue i had was with the field of view with the AR. Looking straight ahead, I could see the edges of the projections which I found very distracting. Glasses needed to be slightly wider or more wrap around. Not sure if I just got a bad pair of glasses or if it was just me based on my one ride experience (nobody else on my group complained about characters getting cut off). Land lacked places to explore, making it feel small. I felt like I saw most everything from the central courtyard. Compare that to Diagon which seemed huge on my first visit, mostly because I couldn't see the entire land from the moment I entered. Maintenance seemed to be lacking already. I'm afraid to see this land in a year or two. Lots of the interactive bits for the power up bands weren't recognizing the bands. There were planters around Peach's Castle that were bare dirt or looked like a kid came through and ripped out the landscaping, then threw the uprooted plants back in. Stuff like that in the newest part of the park was disappointing. Overall, fun part of the park but not without it's faults.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I can't say that I had any issues with the AR. Granted, I didn't chose to wear the visor the second time I rode because I was focused on filming it, but the person i was with never had an issue with it either. I did notice how beat up everything already was though. Kids were absolutely smacking blocks as hard as they could and a lot of paint had already been rubbed off of walls and railings. I also have to imagine that what you saw was also normal for a busy day though. When I make the unfortunate decision to go to any park on a busy day, I tend to forget how they just get absolutely trashed by the crowds.

[@WDWCentral]

I recently visited Universal Studios Japan (located in Osaka) and I do have to say it looks as if Super Nintendo World in California is definitely inferior. Of course space is a problem but hopefully it won’t affect attendance to Epic Universe

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Nah, Epic seems to be getting the full thing.

[@emilykawaii123]

I am so damn exhausted with everything in theme parks going to a reservation system

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

At least it's only a quick service location and USH has plenty of great food elsewhere. I don't think the reservations will last past the first year.

[@stealthninjadude5334]

I went to super Nintendo world on a busy day, and it was terrible :|. Very overcrowded, i waited in line for the Mario kart ride for 4 hours :| and waited for 2 hours for toad stool cafe. The power band games also had about a 30 min line each :|. The toad stool cafe also seemed very over-rated. The wait probably made the food seem worse, but i thought it was all either very average, or especially the deserts were just bad.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

It's interesting that the waits for the various key challenges aren't higher. I imagined that they would be.

[@Nicole-by3ng]

While the land is small I think it did a good job being a sneak peak for the Americas what they might get at the new park opening at Orlando. But most importantly it did a better job promoting the movie.

[@starsbookreviews]

Makes me more excited for the Orlando version since they'll have more room and a Donkey Kong ride! Also do you think since the new Mario movie is so successful right now that they might take some stuff from it in a future expansion? If they didn't I'm not sure I'd be ok with that. I mean the movie is fun, but I want the land to be based on the games.

[@Irreve-rsible]

I mean, if this counts they are selling Mario Movie merchandise, and advertising the movie in the Universal Parks currently, and also had a photo booth for the film. I don't think it will ever be much more than that though sadly, as much as I would like that.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I don't think they'll incorporate anything from the film. I think that SNW's interpretation of the Mushroom Kingdom is as unique to itself as any particular interpretation is to any of the games.

[@PiyushIsKool]

As an annual pass holder and have been to Super Nintendo world 3 times, I love it! Mario kart is my new favorite ride because there is so much replay ability and it’s just lot of fun. I don’t really like rollercoasters and this ride is just so chill and I love all the elements. My only issue is that toadstool cafe fills up so fast. By like 9 AM it’s usually completely booked so I still have never been there. Other than that I love it!

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I'm hoping that Toadstool remains popular (as it should), but demand drops enough to leave it a spontaneous experience.

[@PiyushIsKool]

Yeah, I totally agree. But in the meantime they could try to add more capacity like you mentioned so more people are able to eat there. Or make it so half of the reservations go in the morning and the other half in the middle of the day.

[@bjvincent8786]

Great unscripted video! As always you bring up many excellent points positive and negative concerning Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Hollywood. I think I like the fact they have slow moving rides and the biggest concern I have at this time is when I will be able to get to see both the Universal Hollywood and Florida Super Nintendo World.

[@INGENCEO1]

So I work at USH and from what ive been told one of the main reasons they take so long to load the guests is because if they go fast and load everyone quickly what can happen is that a restraint is improperly secured and if that happens the rides safety system will kick in and not allow them to launch that vehicle. However this can cause a massive problem where if one of the vehicles refuses to launch but the rest of the vehicles are "launched" it causes everything to desync which then causes the whole ride to go down cause it thinks there is a major error and will basicly have the ride attempt to reboot itself which causes its only set of problems. The ride going out of sync is the number one reason why the ride goes down offten especially on busy days.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

That's interesting, though I'm extremely curious what would trigger an improper restraint. I guess I didn't watch their procedures too closely to observe them though.

[@INGENCEO1]

@@PoseidonEntertainment a few things that can trigger an improper restraint. One example is say you have a waist line larger that 40 inches. The cars can only fit people bellow 40” waist line and anything over that will cause the restraint to “pop back” thus causing the car to trigger the safety stop. Another reason is honestly somewhat shoddy construction. The land was built with alot of corners cut in order to open the land to coincide with the Mario Movie release.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

@@INGENCEO1 I did definitely notice cut corners lol. Perhaps not enough to take away from the experience, but the paneled background hills continues to bother me.

[@INGENCEO1]

@@PoseidonEntertainment lad its much worse than just that. When the big rains came around last month it caused the paint on alot of stuff to rehydrate and start washing off. They had to bring in painter in to retouch about 80% of the land. The paint on the walkway wasn’t allowed to fully dry before the protective coat was applied so they mixed together so now that it’s getting hot and the protective layer retracts due to heat and cracks and peels its also taking the paint with it and exposing the concrete under.

[@Chainsawhappy]

It's not Super Nintendo World. It's just Super Mario World and it looks boring.

[@davidfitzsimmons2451]

Something my sister mentioned when we were discussing Epic Universe is she felt super nintendo world wont look good. I thought they did a great job making the place look like its right out of the games, to which she clarified, she didnt actually mean looking good now/on opening. Instead she meant in a couple years, the florida weather she felt would be a much more noticable effect on such massive heavily saturated cartoony colors. Which gotta say, she has a point, they will have to be up to date on the maintaining of it to keep that fresh cartoony look all the time.

[@liamlennon3316]

I feel like Nintendo would definitely be in Universal's ass to make sure SNW will look good constantly and years past opening

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

It's my understanding that Warner Brothers requires Universal to maintain their Wizarding World lands to a high standard and I wouldn't be surprised to see Nintendo do the same. I certainly see the concern, especially with Seuss Landing and Toon Lagoon, but I think that Nintendo has a lot of power to enforce how their brand is represented.

[@erinfee5104]

As someone who didn't grow up with Mario (and to be fair, most people have grown up with Mario) the land feels a bit too reliant on getting references for it to be really enjoyable. All of the kinetic elements look stunning, though.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I'm fascinated by the piranha plants mechanically. Do you think that if you were to visit, would you have a good time independent of not knowing the source material, or is it only successful with people who are familiar with the franchise?

[@n111ck]

i mean thats the same for pretty much any ip...? trust me i think its way worse not having watched harry potter

[@Goat0423]

Love it or hate it, Mario has always been a IP based on some extent of legacy and history, you gotta be willing to engage with it’s world and references to really enjoy it.

[@cagunder]

The title of this video is kind of odd considering what you actually talked about 🤔

[@Yoshimitsu4prez]

The whole aesthetic and everything is really damn cool to me. But like the Disney marvel campus or whatever, they installed some incredibly mid rides

[@SillyVince63]

After seeing the one in Osaka, I feel like I've been robbed by going to the one in Hollywood.

[@opinian1068]

Reeeeaaaallly like your unscripted style, sir. More of this! On an unrelated note, I wish they'd put as much effort into the Toontown 2D mountains and backgrounds as they did here. Holy crap.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I can't agree at all. I meant to mention it in the video, but I actually hate the panel hills for the background. They didn't do that in Osaka and I don't believe they will in Orlando either. While ToonTown does have some sightline issues, I think its hills look fine and definitely better than SNW.

[@opinian1068]

@Poseidon Entertainment Really? Then maybe it's just how they show up on your video, because they look pretty terrific. I always thought the Toontown ones look doughy and lack dimension. I'd say the Mario ones fit for what the land is.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

@@opinian1068 If you're speaking about the hills in the foreground, then yes I agree. The background hills are just sheets of painted metal and they look terrible. I'm skimming through the video and I see that my camera didn't pick it up very well. If you go to 7:43 and look at the hills though, you can make out the different segments, especially near the piranha plant. The camera still obstructs how prominently they stick out, but in person it's really obvious that you're looking at a bunch of squares. Edit: Actually, 8:09 shows the segments a bit better.

[@opinian1068]

@Poseidon Entertainment Oooooh now I see what you mean - in the sunlight, you can see the lines of the sheet paneling on the hills even though the image on each is painted to look dimensional. Yeah....that doesn't look good. Great in concept but poor in execution.

[@opinian1068]

...now all I see are the panel lines. :( Sigh....

[@MontyMoleLoreMaster]

Ok, but did this place have Monty Mole?

[@AuthorCertifiedGoof]

I went to Universal Studios Hollywood two weeks ago and my least favorite part of the trip was Nintendo World. It was crowded and chaotic and the only reason I even entered the land was to ride the Mario Kart attraction as part of my VIP tour. The ride was okay, but I simply wasn’t the key demographic for it. Jurassic World, Harry Potter, Earthquake on the tram tour were my jams. I was glad when I left Nintendo World! Later in the day I ran into a family from my tour and asked them if they’d gone back to ride Mario Kart again and, like me, they didn’t feel they needed to. I felt the land was too small to handle the crowds that wanted to see it, and that made it insanely unpleasant for those of us that just want to get in, experience the ride to say we have, and just get the hell out!

[@veightsuper4053]

I enjoyed this style of unscripted video to compliment your usual content.

[@OrangeGrove55]

Very balanced/fair review, thank you sir!!

[@juuuq_8878]

Super Nintendo world needs help? I wonder why First thing you talked about is toadstool cafe Ooh… I see now…

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I'm willing to accept mediocre food if the presentation is interesting or novel. It's why I still enjoy Pym's Test Kitchen.

[@TheRealAmericanMan]

It really isn’t great unfortunately it’s too small the interaction is too scripted and the attractions feel more like they’re a replacement for the Seuss rides than anything else which is unfortunate

[@jaykay1899]

Suess rides?? What Suess rides?

[@NobelNighthawk274]

maybe not scripted but outlined in the future

[@henryapplebottom7231]

Luigi "burger" is based. Mario burger is cringe.

[@johanna7254]

I appreciate your thoughts! A lot of KZbinrs have been blindly praising the land, which I understand since it does look very impressive and fun! But constructive criticism is important--especially when you're paying so much $$ going to Universal. Thanks for this!

[@nicolemonrue]

It looks fantastic, but boring. Looks like all there is to do is tik toc videos or Instagram posts. Eat at the cafe and ride the mario kart ride, which isnt really a ride.

[@jaykay1899]

How is it “not really a ride”?? Even without the AR elements it still has practical theming elements

[@fredleggett923]

Universal doing the same crap with reservations that Disney has implemented. Figures.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Only during busy weeks and weekends. I walked right in. It is annoying that Toadstool requires reservations, but I assume it won't last too long.

[@fredleggett923]

@@PoseidonEntertainment I still don't like it. Reservations might fly if it was a 5-star restaurant, but Toadstool is hardly that. I bet they keep the reservation system going for as long as possible, even when the place is at minimum capacity. This slow eradication of spontaneity at theme parks is both irritating and disturbing. Have you commented on IOA permanently shuttering your ride on May 10?

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

@@fredleggett923 That's actually what I'm working on now

[@fredleggett923]

@@PoseidonEntertainment When you do, PLEASE mention that the first iteration didn't have all that Lord Darkenon nonsense and played the Greek fables relatively straight. Even so, as bad as the Goddard retheme turned out, I think Universal are asses for closing what's arguably one of the most innovative experiences at the park and are rumored to be chasing videogame IPs like Zelda as the replacement attraction (isn't that what Epic Universe is for?). Or letting Potterworld's footprint increase even more than it already consumes. Ugh!

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

@@fredleggett923 It's part of a larger Lost Continent retrospective, so I won't dive too far into its history, but I will at least mention it.

[@Roddan96]

Just went. I enjoyed my time but yeah.. it's small. My party liked Mario Kart but we felt it was not explained well (or maybe we didn't pay attention). The Bowser Jr. Quest was entertaining but getting the three keys before hand makes you feel dumb with the super easy tasks. (as a grown ass adult). Couldn't get into the Cafe because when we tried to book they were only taking times for 1 person from 12-1pm. They did kill my wallet with the merch though. T-shirts and signs! Jurassic Park is still the best ride in Universal Hollywood followed by the Mummy.

[@bobstanky9700]

I went, and it's fun as a one time thing, but there's really not much of a reason to come back. I did the mini-games, completed the Bowser Junior challenge, rode the ride multiple times, basically completed the whole land. The ride is fun, the food is typical bland universal food. The land is very compact, and that's an issue with how crowded the land gets. There's really no where to relax, and you wouldn't want to be there bumping elbows with the crowds unless you had something you were on your way to do. The ride is really the only must do thing, but good luck waiting for that.

[@tdd206]

Missed opportunity with Toadstool Cafe... I agree; they should have worked in practical effects to complement the screens. A lot of potential here.

[@YouMayKnowMeAsNate]

Poseidon must be an extremely organized person because this unscripted video feels basically just as cohesive as a regular video

[@LawyerPanda]

So here are some pointers for Toadstool Cafe. Over time, the park realized people weren't getting in because the reservations were being snatched up. Throughout the day, the restaurant will be open for walkups; you just need to ask the attendant at the front when walkups will be allowed. Some times they will direct a visitor to use the QR code to get on a waitlist, but I have never been able to snag a waitlist spot. As for the Mushroom Soup, you can take the bowls home. You are now given a box to store it in after you're done eating. But you still can't buy it by itself. Additionally, read the menu, because some food items will are served on a Bowser Jr. plate, which you can also take home. These menu items have a asterisk telling guests that the plate is included.

[@gothrockfairy]

The one being built in florida will have the yoshi ride and the donkey kong coaster coming to japan as well very exciting.

[@404cp]

if you think think of the mini games to earn keys for the challenge bowser jr game as an extended interactive queue, it makes more sense. i wish they would do something cool like if you beat the bowser jr game, you can use the prize to skip the queue for the mario kart ride. also the princess peach cake dessert is such a downgrade compared to what you get at the japanese super nintendo land.

[@99chrisjay]

Yah same things I have heard and figured from how small it is but how busy it is since it’s new. I would prefer the Universal park in Japan much bigger. My guy you edit and post KZbin videos but it’s tedious sinking an app with the park power band lol 😂 all good just messing around.

[@duke86fan]

i think i just have a kind of bias and "blue sky big idea" expectations when I think of a Nintendo theme park. so I'm a little disappointed that its just going to be Mario themed and they are not going to be any other of the impressive and best selling Nintendo properties they could do like imagine if they made a splatoon rollercoaster where you feel like you are turning into a squid and entering a turf war (splatoon 3 was one of the fastest selling games in japan), or a motion simulator of you riding epona in a breath of the wild themed ride. or a trackless dark ride with tons of smaller pokemon animatronics to see move around (kinda like an irl pokemon snap).. these probably would never happen but they are ideas that just sound fun as hell and having all the rights to Nintendo properties means a lot of possibilities..

[@jimt9245]

The scale of Nintendo World may be an issue ... seems like they could support a 2 or 3 major attractions and other minor attractions .... crowding and waiting seems to be an issue

[@Th8rgoddess]

Thank you for the comment about just being able to ride Mario Cart and film it like that. I have photosensitivity issues that would have made it impossible. This was the first video I've watched when I' e been able to see the ride. And I get your point Hollywood didn't have a lot of space to do things and they created spaces they didn't do anything with. Also, why hasn't a pipe slide play place for adults been created?

[@alexandersims1613]

You echoed a lot of what i felt about the attraction when i went. Had a blast on the ride regardless of whether i was playing the game, watching the story through the VR or taking off the VR and enjoying the practical. Preshow n post-show was really lackluster and didn't set up the story well. Can't wait for the expanded land in Orlando.

[@drewvargo5478]

I visited a few days ago. I loved the mariokart attraction. There were huge crowds as it was a Saturday so doing any of the mini games wasn’t worth it (40 mins queues). I was able to eat at Toadstool very late in the day despite reservations being full. I had the short ribs, piranha plant caprese, and the tiramisu. I thought the food was actually quite good with the exception of the tiramisu which was just decent. Super excited to see the Orlando version of this land

[@otakubullfrog1665]

I recently got a chance to check out the version at USJ in Osaka and I was very impressed. I like how the Kart ride set a goal of collecting one hundred coins, which I was able to do on my first try despite liberal use of shells and a number of missed throws, so I imagine most riders should feel good about themselves for clearing or nearly clearing this objective.

[@sparklegemrose]

Hey Poseidon, I don’t want to be spoiled for Super Nintendo World so I need to skip over this video, but I didn’t want that to be interpreted as not liking the unscripted thoughts videos because I think they are great. Thanks for the content.

[@Oliviathespud]

Algorithm boost

[@IkePaz]

so empty, it's NEVER like that here at USJ.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Early entry was a fantastic idea to implement which is where most of my emptier shots come from. It's quite crowded once normal day guests are let in.

[@TheresiaGinaWidyastutiGina]

Animatronic mario

[@bingbong6066]

Please post these on a different channel. Dont wanna see them disappear because of the bad views on a main channel.

[@meganruchwatercolors7186]

You really have the best videos, and you are always spot on your commentary about each park. I seriously always agree with everything you have to say.

[@johnnyy3964]

Great points and commentary! This land looks great and can't wait to get the plussed up version in Orlando! The aesthetics are so much fun and look forward to getting to enjoy this world that I've loved since the 80s.

[@blacklikethesun]

Sounds better than i expected. Im sad theres no Bowsette though. (Lol)

[@jackclark4598]

Luigi's Mansion dark ride would be a layup

[@kkraut]

Heard the mushroom soup bowls are now able to be taken home!

[@Malebrignon]

The problem with it being a game is that the actual game is way better. They were supposed to bring the game to reality, not make an inferior "best we could do" game. It's slow. So slow. They could have used smaller two-seaters on a slot track and done something better. When I first saw the tech for the Donkey coaster before it was announced, I thought for sure that was going to be for Mario Kart so they could give you the jump feeling. I understand that it really wasn't designed for my 46 year old ass, but I've literally grown up with Mario and that ride is a huge disappointment. Saying it's good because it has gameplay is like saying Fast & Furious is good because it's a movie and its IP is a movie. That probably sounds a bit more obnoxious than intended, but I had envisioned something so completely different that this is even more jarringly disappointing than that awful web-slingers ride.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I can't say that I agree. If I wanted to play Mario Kart outside of my home, I would just go to Dave and Busters. The ride was always about bringing you into the world of Mario Kart as a physical space and showcasing different aesthetics from the games but still allowing the gameplay to be accessible. It's certainly not the same, but it wouldn't be very fun if it was.

[@MrStGeorgeIllawarra]

The problem I feel is there's no way Universal can do anything without Nintendo's go ahead. We all know how protective of their IP's they are. It would probably run a very close second to J.K Rowling's control over what ends up in the parks.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I like that Nintendo likely has a large degree of oversight. With so many kinetic elements throughout the land, I have to imagine that Nintendo will likely force them to maintain everything to a higher degree. I wish that Toon Lagoon or Seuss Landing got the same kind of oversight.

[@wemdoe]

Always interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@nicholasarthur7607]

Craziest thing I heard was 11:30 lunch

[@thespectralchannel]

I would have rather they incorporated some real greenery / topiary and water features rather than have everything constructed in the same plastic feeling concrete. I just find it too harsh for the California/Florida sun and feel they could have still created immersion - even added more kinetic energy with some nice shaded shrubs and cool running streams

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I see your point, but I'm not sure if it would have worked with the limited space they had in Osaka. I think it was designed for that park first and just adapted for Hollywood's small space as well.

[@zachculp5742]

Do you notice other ops in the park and Disneyland having better ops? Wondering if its just people from California having a lack of urgency

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I did find that their ops were very laid back. When we were in line for Mario Kart and were waiting for to move into the pre-show holding area, the kids behind us were ducking under railings and absolutely smacking everything they could and the Team Member watching them just didn't care. Disneyland Cast Members are pretty top notch though. They definitely put WDW Cast Members to shame. I continue to be astounded how quickly the Space Mountain team dispatches vehicles. I consistently timed them around 20 seconds a vehicle. I understand that the ride cascades otherwise, but I'm still impressed.

[@car_tar3882]

Universal should buy and theme one of those Boston dynamics robots and have it jump around the facade

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Yeah, I mean, I suspect the technology might eventually get cheap enough that stuff like that might happen.

[@Marney43211]

Definitely do more if these please!!

[@ToshisGarden]

Haven’t listened to this yet, but just wanted to say that I really hope that they find a way to add in more Nintendo franchises instead of just being a Mario Land with a Pikmin Easter egg. Having franchises of various genres that appeal to age groups at their core will help broaden the appeal, imho. I’d hope they could give us some Metroid, F-Zero, Pokémon, Zelda, maybe even some Fire Emblem if they could figure out a good attraction for it (a show might be best in this case). Just because some of their IPs aren’t as popular doesn’t mean they wouldn’t make for great thematic theme park material, if done well.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I know that the characters cross over, but I believe that technically, Mario, Yoshi and Mario Kart are all different franchises lol. I would definitely like to see more representation though. I doubt they would ever do it, but I think that Metroid would make for an interesting, non-gory HHN house.

[@ToshisGarden]

@Poseidon Entertainment I absolutely agree! I immediately pictured an HHN house based around Metroid Fusion as soon as I read your comment, lol. It dances the line on gory because of Fusion's creatire design, but I could just picture walking down those eerie, likely dimly-lit hallways with the chaotic signs of the X-parasite infestation and the sounds of the SA-X's footsteps echoing all around you until it finally makes its entrance in some scary way (likely a jumpscare, maybe even a chase or giving you the feeling that you're being chased).

[@priscilla_21]

We went 10 days after it opened, and it was a Sunday. We went at opening and got into the land early (8:45am) and grabbed reservation tickets for Toadstool Cafe for 12:30pm. Well, at 12:30pm there was a LONG line outside. We asked and those people had tickets from 11am! We ended up going back to the cafe around 7pm and since we still had our tickets, they let us in. I think we rode MarioKart 3 times that day, all single rider. The queue always seemed to slow down after we got the headgear, and this was on what sounded like a way busier day than the day you went. So perhaps it’s simply how the ride is, which is too bad (I thought it was because it was so busy). We’ll be going back at some point since we have annual passes, hopefully it’ll be less hectic. Visually, everything is stunning, and I thought the food at Toadstool Cafe looked cute. The details are cool. Also: that soup is AMAZING.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

The first day, we waited around 10 minutes in the room where you pick up the headstrap without moving. I don't know if the ride went down or if it was just that slow.

[@priscilla_21]

It seems like MarioKart has a slow load time, based on the mere three times I’ve been on the ride. Next time I go, I’ll see if there’s any difference. That said, the queue and ride are great, and as someone who wears glasses, I appreciate that the AR glasses allow room for them (as opposed to say, Mania at DCA, where I have to plant the 3D glasses directly on my own and hope they’ll stay secured).

[@adrianagomez412]

I’ve never been super impressed by any food at Universal so I don’t expect to be blown away. But I want to try the cafe anyway. I really miss Wolfgang Pucks in Universal Citywalk. One question, if you don’t have the band before you go into the land.. can you not get the reservation at all or can you also scan the barcode on your phone?

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I believe I mistakenly said barcode in the video, but it's just a sign out front with a QR code you can scan.

[@adrianagomez412]

@@PoseidonEntertainment ok thanks!

[@randallgoeswhere]

They should make a real mario kart track with electric karts someday.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

That's literally what the ride is.

[@nikolasincorporated]

It just looks so tiny 😮

[@cruizlee214]

I went to Nintendo World at Universal Japan a few months ago and it was alright. It feels like you're in a mario level but I didn't like the rides.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Interesting. What didn't you like about them? I can understand why Yoshi might not be popular, but as someone who enjoys slow scenic rides as well, it looks like it fills that purpose.

[@cruizlee214]

@Poseidon Entertainment yoshi isn't for me, it's a ride for young children and that's fine. Mario kart was the problem. The ride looks great and functions well. But the hat, the visor, the vr, the controller, all on top of built scenery is too much in my opinion. The mind can't focus and it starts to gloss over. Outside the rides the whole area, at least for me, switches in my head between immersion and uncanny valley. It might just be a sensory overload. Also, I like mario, but I don't get into mario as a franchise. I didn't have these problems with the Harry Potter world. Maybe the forbidden journey ride was a bit too much for the senses, and I could never get my magic wand to work. Although harry potter world just looks real but whimsical instead of mario world looking like a cartoon.

[@craftygirlygamer]

How is the ride for people with glasses? I'm going this week and thats the main thing ive been worried about because I'll need my glasses to actually see the ride lol

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

The AR part of the visor sits far enough away that I don’t think it would be an issue.

[@craftygirlygamer]

@@PoseidonEntertainment awesome thanks! 😄