[Review & Walkthrough] The 2001 USJ Nostalgia is Real! Time Travel Back 21 Years with “Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure” (GC)

Hello, I’m Yuki Nidone.

Today, I’d like to share my thoughts on one of the earliest titles for the Nintendo GameCube: “Universal Studios Japan Adventure”. The title is too long!!
By the way, the overseas title is “Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure.” I imagine players overseas might play this thinking, “This looks kinda different from my local Universal Studios…”
Only in Japan can you perfectly match the in-game map with your mental map of the park! We should be truly grateful that this game was born in Japan.

• Universal Studios Japan: It has changed completely

In 2001, Universal Studios Japan (USJ) opened in Konohana Ward, Osaka.
I remember visiting for the first time during Christmas the year after it opened. (I recall watching the Hollywood Premier Parade.)
Having my name called in E.T. Adventure,
Laughing at the intense character of Reika Ayanokoji in Terminator 2: 3D,
Chasing Biff through time in Back to the Future: The Ride,
Wearing a cute shark scarf bought at Amity Village near JAWS,
Eating a huge hamburger at Mel’s Drive-In,
And being absolutely terrified by the drop in Jurassic Park: The Ride.

I have always been terrible at so-called “thrill rides,” but USJ was full of attractions that even I could enjoy! (Though Jurassic Park was scary.)
Before and after the trip, I read the guidebook my parents bought me until it was tattered. I watched the E.T. movie at Hotel Kintetsu Universal City and immersed myself completely in the world of Universal movies.
As someone born in the Heisei era, most of the featured movies were old or from before I was born, but I didn’t care at all. I am truly grateful that the theme park introduced me to so many wonderful films.
Looking back, what wonderful memories… Thanks to my parents.
Fast forward about 10 years, I worked in Osaka for about 5 years.

I lived in Chuo Ward at the time, and USJ was easily accessible via Nishikujo station. It became my go-to place when I had free time. It was so familiar to me that sometimes I wouldn’t ride a single attraction, but just go around ordering beer sets at different restaurants.
However, by that time, USJ had already undergone significant changes.
Starting with the entry of Snoopy, then ONE PIECE, then Sesame Street.
And then came Resident Evil (Biohazard), Monster Hunter, Attack on Titan, Detective Conan, Lupin the Third, and finally in 2021, Nintendo joined the fray. It became absolutely chaotic (in a good way).
I never expected the “JAPAN” part of Universal Studios Japan to be highlighted this much. I have nothing but respect for their flexibility and innovative ideas.
I do feel a bit lonely that the worlds of those classic movies are gone, but I think this was the right move.
Thanks to these changes, Universal Studios Japan overcame its struggling period and remains a massive success today.
As a huge Nintendo fan myself, I am dying to go to Super Nintendo World. I’m already planning to put Mario hats on my twins once they get a bit older.
Walt Disney famously said, “Disneyland will never be completed,” and the same applies to USJ. Of course, facilities age, but to constantly deliver new surprises and excitement to guests, theme parks must continue to be reborn rather than maintain the status quo.
Although it has changed completely, I am truly grateful that excellent management decisions have kept this memorable theme park alive, and I hope it continues to be a place of memories for many people. Go USJ!!

• A Game That Takes You Back to the 2001 USJ Opening

Now, that was a long introduction, but let’s talk about the GameCube game “Universal Studios Japan Adventure.”
For those who empathized with my long and somewhat pointless intro, and for those who love the classic USJ of yesteryear, this game is an irresistible masterpiece.
This “USJ Adventure” is generally rated as a “Kusoge” (a crap game/shitty game).
And not just an ordinary Kusoge, but a “Classic Kusoge” or “The Kusoge of Kusoges.”
But everyone, what exactly are you expecting from a KEMCO game?
I own a Famicom game called “Donald Duck” that I bought used for about 500 yen, and the content was beyond description. How many times in my life have I thought, “If only I had that 500 yen back”? The manufacturer of that game is “Kemco.”
For someone who received a critical hit from Donald Duck in their boyhood, there is zero expectation for a Kemco game to be “fun” in the first place. If you want to play a fun game, just buy a Nintendo game. If you have a GameCube, just buy Super Smash Bros. Melee and be done with it.
Still, I bought this game because, more than anything, I wanted to experience Universal Studios Japan.
The target audience is incredibly narrow, but there is no other game like it (well, there’s a Konami one on PS2), making it a one-of-a-kind work.
The appeal is simply the reproduction of the park.
The USJ of 2001 is perfectly recreated on the GameCube.
For some reason, the camera angle is completely Resident Evil (Biohazard) style. It’s almost as if the game specifications were predicting that Resident Evil would come to USJ in the future.
In Resident Evil, the awkward camera angles were a spice to create the fear of walking there, but for some reason, this was inherited in USJ Adventure. This is an example of what happens when you copy something without understanding the reason behind it. Learning valuable lessons like this is also part of the game’s charm.
Even with the Resident Evil perspective, the relatively high level of reproduction allows players to time travel to a world of 2001 that we can never return to. It’s like Google Street View. It has a flavor you can only enjoy because time has passed.

• The Line That Never Moves and the Fast Pass

To be honest, I don’t remember waiting in line that much when USJ was still a theme park for movies (I think I rode E.T. twice in a row…), but the in-game USJ is booming.
These are official goods that were actually sold in the park shops at the time, so please understand the circumstances.
It’s so crowded that there are long lines for almost every attraction.
Terrifyingly, this line does not move even a single step. The reason is that in this world, a paid Fast Pass called a “Hat” is sold, and perhaps because too many Fast Passes have been distributed, regular guests cannot ride at all.

Even recently, there has been a reaction that Disney’s Fast Pass (Premier Access) at 2000 yen is too expensive, but as you can see, if everyone can buy a Fast Pass, it becomes meaningless.
In the game’s USJ, the general line has completely collapsed, so you have no choice but to somehow obtain a Fast Pass and cut in line. What a nasty world.

• Recommended USJ Strategy to Avoid Lines (in Universal Studios Japan Adventure)

You can purchase this “Hat” (Fast Pass) from Woody Woodpecker outside the entrance when you start the game.
The currency unit is not Yen but “Points.” If you have about 2,000 to 3,000 points, you can buy one hat to ride one attraction.
There are three main ways to earn these “Points”:
1. Clear attractions (1,000 points or more)
2. Shake hands with E.T. or creatures walking around the park (1,000 points)
3. Pick up trash and put it in the trash can (A few dozen points)
4. Pick up the letters of UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN (100 points)
5. Clear errand events (Lots of points)
One of the reasons this game is called a “Kusoge” is often cited as “you end up just picking up trash endlessly,” but in my case, that didn’t happen.
Of course, I picked up trash (because it was there), but my main sources of income were “1” and “2”. These two yield overwhelmingly more points, so I highly recommend them.
First, to secure points, clearing attractions is essential.
To do that, challenge “E.T. Adventure” and the “Quiz (Winnie Woodpecker)” which are open from the start.
Just clearing these two will easily get you over 2,000 points, creating a virtuous cycle of Buying Hats -> Clearing Attractions.

The quiz has many questions that beg for a retort, but it’s multiple-choice with 4 options, so it should end eventually. Good luck.
Also, while wandering around the park with its incredibly confusing camera angles, you should encounter E.T. and creatures many times.
You get 1,000 points every time you meet them, so keep earning.
I unlocked “JAWS,” “Jurassic Park,” and “Back to the Future” in about an hour without any issues, so (at least in EASY mode) you should be able to complete it without stress.
Whether you can clear the unlocked games is another story… but hey, that’s enough, right? We’re just playing.

• The Back to the Future: The Ride Game is Actually Fun

This game is famous for its unreasonable quizzes and E.T., which is a degraded version of Excitebike.
I think it’s partly because these were the first two games I played, but the others are pretty much the same quality.

Again, you should not expect fun from a Kemco game. This is not Super Smash Bros. Melee. JAWS, where I still don’t really know when to throw the barrel to protect the boat.
Jurassic Park, which has a multi-lock-on system like Star Fox or Freedom Wars.
It’s kind of fun, but it’s waaaaaaaay too long and tedious.

Actually, many games don’t have much to do with the attractions.
Among such games, the one with outstanding quality is “Back to the Future: The Ride”!!
Man, this is perfect.
Back to the Future was by far my favorite among the initial USJ lineup, so I was really happy.
First, it completely recreates the attraction.
Just like the ride, the story proceeds by riding in a DeLorean and chasing another DeLorean driven by Biff.
And by crashing your DeLorean into him from behind, you force a time slip and bring Biff back to the original world. The changing scenes are also City -> Ice World -> Lava World. Amazing! Perfect!!!
Now that Back to the Future: The Ride is gone,
I think this game, where the 2001 ride is trapped like a time capsule, is truly a precious work.

• Summary

It’s hard to unreservedly say, “This is a fun game I recommend to everyone!!”
But for those “it hits,” it’s a title where you can fully taste the vibes of 2001.
To everyone who wants to peek into 2001 once in a while, please give it a try.


Also, although it’s a completely different game, there is a USJ game on PS2 as well.
I haven’t played it, but I hear the park reproduction is high on this one too, so check it out!