Recently, Nintendo announced they were opening the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto. This museum would be a showcase of the company’s products and history, and would be opening its doors to the public on October 2nd this year.
It was a big deal in the gaming world, and one which made a lot of fans wonder what exactly would be in store here.
Would it be a series of classic games to try out? Consoles with interesting backstories, like the Game Boy damaged in the Gulf War? A look at Nintendo products from before Mario, with a focus on products made before their main foray into gaming?
All these and more were on the table, with plenty of speculation about what could be the case here.
But today, we found out for ourselves. Why? Because Nintendo hosted a Nintendo Museum Direct about the whole place, complete with Shigeru Miyamoto as its guide. Here’s the video if you haven’t seen it already:
As you can see, there’s quite a lot on offer here. In fact, the museum seems to just about everything we mentioned and more, with static exhibits being only part of the picture.
Including exhibits showcasing various Nintendo consoles and accessories from other the years.
These include products from before they got into game development, and a plethora of Japan only oddities the rest of the world missed out on.
So, if you want to learn about their history, that’s all there and accounted for.
But it’s not the only thing the museum has on offer. Oh no, there are also quite a few interesting interactive exhibits too.
Like say, the ability to play classic Nintendo games with oversized novelty controllers! This includes titles for the NES, SNES, N64 and Wii among others, with games like the original Super Mario Bros, Super Mario 64 and Wii Sports being represented here.
But we don’t know all the others. The website doesn’t say much beyond the games included being those on Nintendo Switch Online, and the footage in the video only shows a small sample of the games on display.
However, from what we can gleam, the following games are going to be included in the museum:
- Donkey Kong
- Dr Mario
- Super Mario 64
- Super Mario Bros
- Super Mario Kart
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- Wii Sports
Presumably, the original Legend of Zelda and Metroid will join them, as will titles like Mario Kart 64 and Ocarina of Time.
There are also a few ways to enjoy Nintendo’s older arcade products here too. For example, you can experience the Ultra Machine DX (an older Nintendo arcade machine) in various simulated rooms. These rooms have various easter eggs in them, where if you hit them with a bell, funny background events will occur (like a printer printing off a document, or Mario’s name appearing on a set of glasses).
There’s also an experience called Zapper & Scope SR too. This is a shooting gallery using the Wii Zapper and Super Scope, and has you shoot down enemies from the Mario series in a cross between Hogan’s Alley and Yoshi’s Safari. It’s a neat little experience, even if the New Super Mario Bros era aesthetics make us shudder a bit.
Add this to various workshops (like one where you can make your own Hanafuda cards), and random interactive experiences in the lobby (like being able to play Hyakunin Isshu on a giant screen on the floor), and there’s a fair bit of fun for younger Nintendo fans or nostalgic fans to have here.
And don’t worry about merchandise or food either. There’s a shop with exclusive Nintendo Museum merch to check out on the property, as well as a cafe where you can design your own burger. Apparently, there are over 270,000 combinations there too, in case you’re someone that wants a bit of variety. Or someone that really likes unique burger combos.
Either way, all well and expected for a Nintendo Museum. It’s got some interesting exhibits, there’s a decent amount of interactivity, and it’s all very well presented. That’s everything, right?
Well, not quite. Because just like any Nintendo product, there are some unique setups here that may or may not be to everyone’s liking.
Such as the coin system. Put simply, you can’t experience every interactive visit and workshop in one visit. The museum isn’t set up for that, and they really don’t want anyone hogging the machines for hours on end.
So, their solution is a rather novel one. You get a card for 10 digital ‘coins’ when you enter the museum, and each interactive exhibit costs 1 coin to play. Run out of coins, and that’s it. You’ve had your share of interactivity for the trip, time to pack up and consider leaving.
It’s an interesting system to say the least, especially given that there’s no ‘pay to win’ aspect here. Coins are not available for purchase anyone in the museum or on Nintendo’s website, so 10 coins is your lot. Use them, and that’s it. That’s your lot.
But it may annoy a few people nonetheless. As the site says, you don’t get enough coins to try out every experience here, so you’ll have to pick and choose what you want to play. Like Super Mario 64 but also like the idea of the shooting gallery? Well, you’d better hope you’ve got enough coins for both of them, otherwise you’re skipping one or the other.
What’s more, you can’t exactly just come back later that day either. No, tickets aren’t merely available on the door here.
They’re available via an online draw only accessible to Nintendo members. So, you’ll need to login to your Nintendo.com account, enter the draw and hope you get lucky. If you do, you get the chance to buy a ticket. And if you don’t…
You’ll just have to hope there are some left over at the end of the current draw, since those’ll then be sold on a first come first served basis.
It’s a clever way to stop scalpers (especially combined with the “tickets can’t be resold and proof must be provided on entry” system), but it’s a pain for buyers nonetheless. Your chances of attending basically come down to a lottery, and one which is probably being fought over by half the internet.
And then there’s Nintendo’s attitude towards content creators here. Put simply, the museum is designed to be as anti-influencer as you can get.
Since things like livestreaming are banned on the premise, with even photos restricted in the exhibit section. Add this to a ban on cosplay for attendees, and well, it’s seemingly designed to keep out the next Logan Paul or Ninja at all costs.
Either way, that’s the Nintendo Museum. It’s an interesting place with a ton of fun activities to try out, but the process for getting tickets and the limitations on what you can do there seem to ruin some of the excitement, at least where we’re concerned.
Still, what are your thoughts here? Are you excited to visit the museum when it opens on October 2nd? What do you think of the exhibits on offer here?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, on social media, or on our Discord server today!
Source: