themepark
Latest
Super Nintendo World won't open in Orlando until at least 2023
The first Super Nintendo World theme park attraction is set to open at Universal Studios Japan this summer. There have long been plans to open up similar areas at Universal Studios locations in Hollywood and Orlando, but you'll have to wait a while longer to explore the Mario-themed attractions stateside.
Disney's 'Star Wars' theme park trailer takes you inside its rides
Since it snagged LucasFilm for $4.05 billion in 2012, Disney's churned out Star Wars movies, shows, toys, VR experiences and games. But in the background it's been tinkering away on something even more immersive: a full-blown Star Wars theme park. On Christmas Day, Disney dropped a new trailer for the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park and two of its main attractions, "Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run" and "Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance" -- with Disney describing the latter as "the biggest and most immersive Disney Parks attraction ever."
Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ theme park is taking shape
Universal Studios Japan recently released the first trailer for its in-construction Super Nintendo World attraction, and now Disney has gone one better by building an actual physical model showing off its upcoming Star Wars Land (unofficial title). Due to open in 2019 at both Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida, the new area "will transport guests to a never-before-seen planet" -- which just happens to look like every weathered, forgettable world characters from the films briefly touch down on to get a ship part or intel or what have you.
Real-world 'Mario Kart' is headed to Japan's Nintendo theme park
To celebrate the start of construction on Super Nintendo World, Universal Studios Japan has released its first teaser trailer for the upcoming park attraction. And what's more, the pair confirmed that a Mario Kart ride will be the jewel in its crown, which should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. Previously published patent documents suggest this guaranteed crowd-pleaser will run on a rail, but let one rider control drift while their kart partner concentrates on power-up and weapon use. Super Nintendo World is set to open at some vague time before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, though, so it's unlikely we'll get any firm details in the immediate future.
One theme park's mission to perfect VR horror
I still can't figure it out. Inside the warehouse, I press against the railing, squinting through the darkness to get a better look at the Ghost Train. A Victorian carriage hangs from the ceiling, suspended by iron chains. Step inside, however, and it's a modern London Tube car, caught up in an outbreak that threatens to turn everyone into monsters. You put on a VR headset, contextualised as a life-saving gas mask, and prepare for the worst as the train disembarks.
Nintendo attractions are coming to three Universal parks
Nintendo didn't reveal any details when it announced a partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts to bring its video games to tourists last year. Today the company divulged a bit more, but there still isn't a lot of info on specifics just yet. Nintendo says the goal of the project is to use characters, action and adventure so you can step inside games via attractions that capture the "adventure, fun and whimsy" of playing your favorite titles. In other words, it's bringing its iconic games to life.
Chinese space theme park to send tourists to the stratosphere
Until Virgin Galactic launches, the only way to get to space as a civilian is to pay Russia a cool $20 million. If you're willing to fudge your definition of 'space' however, you may have a much cheaper option in a couple of years: A theme park under development in China is working on a high-altitude 'deep space' balloon tour that will take visitors into the lower stratosphere.
Six Flags adds a gaming twist to its VR roller coasters
Six Flags first announced that it was teaming up with Samsung to outfit roller coaster riders with Gear VR headsets back in the spring. The theme park company is taking its virtual reality project to another level though, adding a gaming component to the immersive visuals. Before now, the addition of VR to rides just added a different visual experience to the ride itself. With the new "Rage of the Gargoyles," riders take flight in an Apache-style helicopter to battle "blood-thirsty" beasts.
The 'Mass Effect' theme park attraction opens in May
Mass Effect is traveling to a strange new world: California's Great America theme park. The Mass Effect attraction opens on May 18th at California's Great America in Santa Clara, featuring an interactive 3D presentation with 4D effects, all hosted by a live performer. Riders will travel to "a distant planet" to make a stand against "larger-than-life foes," though there's no word on which characters will make an appearance in the experience. The ride is made in conjunction with Mass Effect publisher EA, and developer BioWare announced it back in September.
Swings and suspension wire help make VR feel far more real
If you're obsessed with the rise and rise of virtual reality, the last few weeks have been busy. SXSW was followed by GDC, and both events made a huge deal on the potential of the new platform / media format, / technology. This time, we're hopping across the Pacific Ocean to Tokyo, where media company Recruit is hosting "The Future Amusement Park" -- which is a bit of a stretch. Recruit is the same organization that showcased some unusual tech for restaurants a few years back, and this time around it believes its VR demos and experiences exceed what we've seen before, coining the brave term; "Super VR". Unlike the virtual arcade we saw at Sundance, the theme here was more about adding physical stimulus outside the headset: wind, water and, well, wings. Become a penguin, (literally) swinging above the Tokyo skyline, and taking to a tiny soccer field with only one hand. Huh? Let's strap on some goggles and see.
The UK's first VR roller coaster is a lonely trip through space
The medium of virtual reality is changing how we experience games, movies, news, sport, porn, The Simpsons... and now, roller coasters. Already this year, several theme park operators in the US and UK have announced rides that will blend physical sensations with digital worlds. Germany's Europa-Park introduced just such a ride last year, and Britain's first VR roller coaster "Galactica" will be opening to the public on March 24th at Alton Towers. Ahead of its launch, I jumped on an opportunity to experience the space-themed voyage first-hand, and I can easily say it's utterly unlike any roller coaster I've ever ridden.
$350 million Nintendo land coming to Universal Japan's park
When Nintendo announced it was granting Universal Studios the rights to some of its properties for theme park rides, it was anyone's guess where they'd show up first. Now we know that they'll debut in the gaming juggernaut's back yard: Japan. Regional news outlet Sankei (Japanese) reports that the attraction is scheduled for completion by 2020, the year Tokyo is slated to host the Olympics.
Thorpe Park's VR ghost train will open on May 6th
Derren Brown's new ghost train attraction for Thorpe Park is still wrapped in secrecy. We know visitors will sit in a suspended carriage and that the experience will feature multiple HTC Vive headsets. We know that it's a "multi-sensory" ride combining live-action and special effects. But otherwise, the details are scarce. What we have been told today is that the ride will open to the public on May 6th. Better mark those calendars.
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.
Thorpe Park unveils VR ghost train designed by Derren Brown
VR headsets have matured to the point where some of the UK's biggest theme parks now want to integrate them into their next rides. Alton Towers announced a VR rollercoaster last week and today Thorpe Park has unveiled its own plans for a VR ghost train. Designed by mentalist Derren Brown, the attraction promises "grand-scale illusions" using a mixture of live-action, 4D special effects and "next generation technology." That last descriptor is important because, buried at the bottom of a press release, the company explains that this is a reference to the HTC Vive.
Alton Towers to open 'Galactica' VR roller coaster in April
Virtual reality headsets can trick your eyes and ears into thinking you're someplace else, but what about the rest of your body? Alton Towers thinks it has the answer and, unsurprisingly, it involves a massive roller coaster. The British theme park today unveiled "Galactica," a new ride that will see attendees strapping on Gear VR headsets and hurtling around a track lying facedown. As the name implies, it's a space-themed affair -- during its three-minute runtime you'll be able to look around and take in the depths of space, including molten-covered planets and wormholes.
'Plants Vs. Zombies' is becoming a theme park attraction
If it's not Mario or Shepherd and the Mass Effect crew, it's... plants and zombies. Cedar Fair Entertainment, which runs 14 park attractions across the US, is working with EA on two attractions for Great America in California, and Carowinds in North Carolina. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare will be adapted into what the theme park is terming a "digital attraction". This means that it'll be able to substitute in and reprogram the ride later for sequel content -- which sounds a whole lot like its namesake. Carowinds will get the PvZ attraction, which will open next year.
'Mass Effect' is getting its own theme park attraction
Theme park attractions tend to be based on well-worn movies, if they're based on anything at all, but games? Not so much. However, Santa Clara-based California's Great America is planning to change that. It's launching a Mass Effect-based attraction in 2016 that will have a performer take you to a "distant planet," where you'll fight "larger-than-life foes" through a blend of 3D and "4D" (time travel?) effects. There's no mention of just who or what will make a cameo, although we wouldn't be surprised if Commander Shepard and the Reapers show up. Let's just hope it isn't too faithful to the in-game experience -- you probably wouldn't get a kick out of scanning planets for a few hours, or watching your favorite characters die. Mat Smith contributed a ridiculous picture to this post.
Disney is closing its first virtual reality attraction
Disney World broke ground in virtual reality when it launched its DisneyQuest "interactive theme park" back in 1998. To say that times have changed would be an understatement, though -- DQ is using primitive VR technology that makes even Google Cardboard look like a quantum leap. Appropriately, the company now plans to close DisneyQuest in 2016 and replace it with an NBA-themed attraction. The exact reasons for the shutdown aren't clear, but it's likely a combination of the less-than-impressive technology with mounting support costs. At one point this spring, most of the attractions weren't working -- it's hard to imagine Disney pouring lots of money into hardware that's more likely to make you yawn than gasp in awe. You might feel nostalgic if you have fond memories of visiting DisneyQuest as a kid, but it's hard to mourn the loss when you can have a much nicer experience at home. [Image credit: Dave Pape, Wikimedia Commons]
The Daily Grind: Are there any MMO dailies that don't make you cringe?
You know what I don't think MMOs need more of? Dailies. I think most core MMO gamers are tired of a mechanic that exists, transparently and unashamedly, to keep us completing repetitive tasks on a daily basis and keep us logging in, and in some cases, paying our subs. Even a well-constructed daily achievement system and totally benign daily login rewards can be irritating. But out on the fringes of the MMO space, gamers are just discovering the allure of the daily. VG247 pubbed an editorial last week arguing that GTA Online ought to copy -- wait for it -- Destiny's "intrinsic" dailies and rewards; without them, the writer opined, players are "reminded that the grind is most certainly real." Call me jaded, but I say themepark dailies are usually just as grindy as whatever formless grind they're meant to replace, and I suspect the players who need something to do at the "end" of online co-op shooters would probably be happier with a sandboxier MMORPG to begin with. But surely there's some sort of dailies that we do like. Are there any MMO dailies that don't make you cringe? Which game can boast the best? (And can we tell GTA Online to copy those, please?) 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!
