What would you put in a Pokemon Park?

[Linkachu]

If you guys haven't seen the latest news, Japan is getting its own Pokemon summer amusement park! This leads me to wonder... What kinds of rides and games will it have?

Anyways, if you could create the rides and games yourself in the spirit of Pokemon what types of things would you put into it?

Off had I can say that a Diglett/Dugtrio Wack-a-Mole game would be a must, with possibly other random Ground-types popping up for extra points. Who hasn't wanted to whomp a Diglett on the head with a mallet?

 

[baratron]

Have you seen (I think) the 6th Pokemon Movie? Jirachi the Wish Maker. It's very annoying because Max and Jirachi are both annoying small children (and for some reason Jirachi can talk English, so his squeaky little voice grates horribly), but if you watch it with the sound off you can enjoy the amazing Pokemon Park in it. I am completely in love with everything in that park and need it to exist in real life.

If the laptop feels up to letting me watch the movie later I will type in a list of all the features of the movie version park so we can guess which of them might get into the real life version. Then all of us who can't afford a plane ticket to Japan can :cry:.

 

[baratron]

bumpity

According to the web site, there will be 12 attractions, arcade game/s, an event stage, shop and coffee shop. One of the attractions is a "huge" ferris wheel, and even the coffee shop will be Pokemon themed. Any information beyond that is impossible to get with a machine translation . Next time my Japanese student comes round I'll get her to translate the site, assuming no one else has done so before then.

My guesses for attractions based on the promotional picture:
1. the promised huge ferris wheel, with Poke Ball-shaped booths
2. a Runaway Train (with Pichu brothers theming?)
3. a log flume (with Mudkip theming?)
4. a Flying Jumbos style ride - with Pikachus flying around a tree instead of elephants (no, I've no idea who that is in the photo - it's just the best picture that Google Image search found)
5. a Rayquaza boat ride (probably fairly kiddy-oriented, like the Swan Boats).

No idea what the other 7 attractions will be. Kyogre and Groudon are in the picture along with a rollercoaster-style track that loops round the ferris wheel. Frankly, if the pictures I can see are anything to go by it looks like all the rides will be very much aimed at small children . But we can live in hope...

 

[NonAnalogue]

I'd like to see a Pokemon MiniCenter there, and then I'd like to see the Pokemon Park come to NC.

 

[Lugiasian]

I'm thinking a (dun-dun-dun) roller coaster, featuring (dun-dun-dun) STEELIX! The track will have to be some hundreds(?) of feet long, have plenty of loops, and go super fast.

Aaaaaaaaaaand maybe some kind of game featuring Lotad.

Maybe a fortune-telling booth hosted by Alakazam or Gardevoir or Xatu or some other super-smart fortune-telling Pokemon.

 

[baratron]

As you know if you've seen the front page of Pokecharms or Pokemon Forever, we now know 11 of the 12 rides of the Poke Park. So... how good were my guesses?

I said:
1. the promised huge ferris wheel, with Poke Ball-shaped booths
That will be #10, Pokemon Large Ferris Wheel (Theme: Poke Ball). Chalk 1 up to me.

2. a Runaway Train (with Pichu brothers theming?)
That will be #3, Pichu Brothers' Naugty Train (Theme: Travel). I bet you Naughty Train is a mistranslation of Runaway Train.

3. a log flume (with Mudkip theming?)
#11, Mudkip's Splash Adventure (Theme: Waterslide). Yay.

4. a Flying Jumbos style ride - with Pikachus flying around a tree instead of elephants
#6, Pikachu's Forest (Theme: Forest of Pikachus). Spot on .

5. a Rayquaza boat ride (probably fairly kiddy-oriented, like the Swan Boats).
This is the one I didn't get at all. The closest thing is #8, Alto Mare's Tourist Ship (Theme: Waterside). Who's Alto Mare?

Kyogre and Groudon are in the picture along with a rollercoaster-style track that loops round the ferris wheel.
#4, Battle Coaster ?? (Theme: ?)? Hopefully something aimed at the older market :twisted:.

The other rides are:
#2, Pokemon Merry-Go-Round (Theme: Grasslands) and
#5, Team Aqua VS Team Magma Bumper Car Battle (Theme: Battle of Team Aqua VS Team Magma). A carousel and dodgems. Whoopie do.

and the more intriguing:
#1, Lugia's Spinning Ship (Theme: Sea)
#7, Pokemon Starlit Sky Trip (Theme: Starlit Sky)
#9, Dancing Pokemon Mini Tour (Theme: Party)
#12, Unknown (Top Secret)

Do you think the Pokemon Starlit Sky Trip has anything to do with Camp Starlight and the sky projector that Jirachi brings in Pokemon Channel?

 

[NonAnalogue]

Alto Mare is the water city in the Latios and Latias movie. Gah, I'm horrible with names.

 

[baratron]

Pokemon.com has a review of the PokePark, with pictures and a video (but don't bother with the video, it just shows ride #5). This is a summary of the rides:

#1, Lugia's Spinning Ship
Similar to Teacup rides, but you have less control over the spinning.

#2, Pokemon Merry-Go-Round
Small but very detailed - for kids.

#3, Pikachu's Forest
Flying Jumbos with Pikachus. Probably for kids, but I hope they let adults on (I LOVE Flying Jumbos!).

#4, Pokemon Star Swing
Apparently one of the more exciting rides, featuring Jirachi, Celebi and Mew. But then, they said the rollercoaster was "fun", so I'm not sure I trust their judgement.

#5, Twister: Fury In The Sky
The Rayquaza "rollercoaster". Completely and utterly kiddy. You go round a loop :roll:. It's the sort of ride that no one over the age of 6 would actually find worth the wait. Actually, no, it's the sort of ride that wouldn't even be worth going on if they PAID you to.

#6, Alto Mare's Gondola Cruise
This is a Pirate Ship type ride with Latias and Latios on the "ship".

#7, Gotta Dance Tour
A "wacky" ride with "insane singing". Nope, I'm not getting it either. Probably one of those It's A Small World type rides (that I secretly like - check out the adult who goes into Professor Burp's Bubbleworks at Chessington on a regular basis).

#8, Pokemon Giant Ferris Wheel
It does look pretty "giant"!

#9, Pichu Brothers Rascal Railway
The Runaway Train. Features Gonbe!

#10, Team Aqua VS Team Magma Bumper Car Battle
Dodgems.

#11, Mudkip's Splash Adventure
A fairly small waterslide.

Now, that only adds up to 11 if you ask me, so #12 must presumably be the 3D film. Which is a bit disappointing. All in all, it's extremely kiddy, in the "aimed firmly at the under 10s" sense of the word. I'm not sure that teenage Pokemon fans would enjoy it at all. Adults, at least, have the money to buy all the merchandise, which is the real reason I'd want to go .

 

[Doctor Oak]

It's a Pokemon theme park, the only non-kiddy people that would want to go are the hardcore fans anyway. The mere fact there are POKEMON all over this place is certainly more than enough for me to salivate over it.

Plus, I'm not a huge thrill-seeker, hate roller-coasters and the like - even that loop on the Rayquaza one sounds icky to me - but i'd still go on it. 'Cause it's Rayquaza. ^^

One cool thing that looks like they're doing is giving out maps on GBA carts. Now THAT is sweet. Especially since most people will be bringing their DS and SPs with them.

*wants*

 

[baratron]

By "a loop", I mean a horizontal circle. Not vertical.

It shouldn't even be called a rollercoaster. According to the video, the entire ride takes about 10-15 seconds to go from the station back through the station again. You go up one tiny hill and down one tiny hill - by tiny, I mean about the height of an average short person. Who the hell over the age of 5 would enjoy that?!

I mean, yes, I go on stuff like Professor Burp's Bubbleworks at Chessington, which is aimed at preschool kids, because it's ludicrously fun. You sit in a boat on a shallow water track and get taken on a tour of a "fizzy drink factory" - actually nothing like a real pop factory, but, y'know. Again, you go up a tiny hill and down a tiny hill - but the point of the ride is to enjoy the theming and story. The whole ride takes something like 3-5 minutes, and you come off singing the insane song for the rest of the day. That's fun. Not thrilling, but fun.

This Rayquaza so-called "coaster" is like Mr Worm's Little Training Coaster for 3 year olds. What pleasure is there for anyone to queue for hours for a ride that takes a few seconds? Even if you do go round that single loop 20 hundred times?

Rest of rant deleted as not relevant as just discovered favourite coaster park wanted to open a GIANT wooden coaster this year and were forbidden by the local council's planning office argh argh argh argh *dies*.