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Disney’s 'Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance' ride opens December 5th
Disney's new Star Wars-theme park, Galaxy's Edge, will get its second ride before the year is up. Today, Disney Parks announced that "Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance" will arrive in Florida at Walt Disney World Resort on December 5th -- Walt Disney's birthday. Immediately after the ride debuts in Florida, the team will head to California, where they'll unveil it at Disneyland Resort on January 17th.
A look at Disney's 'Star Wars Experience' concepts
While we've known for a while that Disney intends to build big new Star Wars-themed areas inside its parks, concrete details of its plans have yet to materialize. That hasn't exactly changed after last night's ABC Disneyland 60 special, but we at least now have some idea of what some the attractions might look like.
The Daily Grind: What first drew you to your current game?
My memories of 2004 grow hazier over time -- that was a decade ago, after all -- but I still remember what first drew me to World of Warcraft, and it wasn't a longstanding love of the strategy games. No, what engaged me was the fact that it promised a break from the tedious group-based slogs and aimless wandering that made up the MMO landscape at the time. After playing Final Fantasy XI for two years, the idea of being able to just go out into the world and do things and have actual quests was so intoxicating that it could be legally called a drug. It's been many years since WoW was new and many years since it was my main game, and what keeps me in the game is not what initially attracted me to the game. But I do remember why I bought it in the first place, during a time when it seemed almost impossible to find and was first breaking subscription records. So what about you, dear readers? What first drew you to your current game, even if those attributes aren't the reason you stick around now? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Woz animatronic features in Epcot ride
Disney's Spaceship Earth went through a little reinvigorating recently, and as you may have heard, when it reopened, there was everybody's favorite computer tinkerer sitting at a desk working on an Apple prototype-- the one, the only Woz. Originally, Jobs was rumored to make an appearance on the historical ride inside Epcot Center, but no-- Disney ended up going with the huskier and more bearded of the Apple founders.You can click on the pic above (or hit the Read link below) for a bigger version of the image, to take it all in. The vintage Popular Mechanics on the wall behind the wooden monstrosity that would later become the Apple is a nice touch, as is the multiple pizza boxes behind him.
GUNDAM CRISIS attraction opens up, fanboys unite
Right on schedule, the GUNDAM CRISIS attraction at the Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park in Japan has opened its door for fanatics paying guests, and just as we expected, a whole slew of live photographs have made their way out. Fanboys (and girls) hoping that a great deal of care would be taken in its construction are likely to be pleased, as the 1:1 creation certainly bears a resemblance to the real deal. Without further ado, head on past the break for a few more shots, and tag the read link if you're looking for the whole roll.[Via Slashgear]
Real reactions to virtual environments
The always-interesting Terra Nova has a piece up about Nick Yee's the Proteus Effect, which is based around how we relate to (and interact with) stimuli in virtual worlds, specifically our and others' avatars.Basically, almost all of the research so far shows that we react to virtual stimuli exactly the same way as if it were real stimuli-- we don't want our characters standing too close to other characters, because it's a social convention in the real world that we all have our own individual space. But we still react positively to attractive avatars, whether we know it or not. No matter how much we're supposed to be roleplaying, or how much we realize consciously that the virtual world is different from the real world, we still react in a real way to virtual stimuli. It's heady stuff, but here's Terra Nova's soundbite, by Dmitri Williams: "You can take the person out of the real, but not the real out of the person."And Williams closes with an extremely interesting proposition, considering how the interaction works: what if, by making many parts of Outland dark and gloomy, Blizzard has caused us to react realistically and feel depressed? TN's informal survey says that players' favorite zone is Nagrand-- is that because it's sunny and green there? And if so, what does that say about our reaction to the expected upcoming expansion-- should Blizzard reconsider the dark, cold stretches of Northrend for a more tropical locale?
NASA's Shuttle Launch Experience thrill ride simulates shuttle blast off
While just being in the presence of a full scale Gundam makes it worth the price of admission, we'd speculate that talking a stroll in the Land Walker would fall more into the thrill ride category. Of course, rocketing from ground zero into outer space takes things (almost) to another level galaxy, and that's precisely what NASA's Shuttle Launch Experience gives you a taste of. The $60 million attraction opened up yesterday to a team of nearly 40 astronauts, some of which reportedly said that the ride managed to best actual training simulators in terms of sheer realism. Apparently, the ride takes passengers through a simulated shuttle launch, and utilizes 13-channels of surround sound, rumbling seats, and an 84-inch HD screen to terrorize (in a good way) riders. Granted, we'd have no idea what cruising around at 17,500 miles-per-hour feels like, but for folks visiting the Kennedy Space Center, feel free to chime in if you can put it into words.[Via Wired]
Full-size Gundam created for GUNDAM CRISIS attraction
While those of you who have the luxury of frequenting the Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan, we're sure a tear was shed when Gundam the Ride: A Baoa Qu was closed down just months ago. Thankfully, the successor is bigger, better, and almost ready to rock, as the GUNDAM CRISIS thrill ride prepares to envelope you in a Gundam hanger and elicit quite a few smiles. The actual Gundam will indeed be a 1:1 full scale rendition, meaning that it'll stretch to about 18-meters in height, and while we certainly wish you could strap it onto a rail and call it a roller coaster, this attraction looks to be one of those tamer "walk through types." Of course, that also means that there is no height or age requirement to see the ominous beast, and considering that it should shuffle its first guests through in July, you won't have to wait much longer to get your Gundam fix at Fuji-Q.[Via Impress]
