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A D+ Ride (continued)
What I've been calling ride vehicles are termed "game
trams" in the safety loop (though the Spanish version just says ride vehicles).
This is perhaps the only instance of theming that grates and irritates, and I'm
not even sure why. It's like they were bending over backwards to avoid saying
"ride vehicles." In general that's a notion I agree with, but game tram seems so
convoluted, so invented. There's nothing tram-like about the vehicles.
Each car has a bench for two people facing forward and
one facing backward. It looks vaguely like a sleigh bench you see on carousels.
Two cars are mounted on a giant vehicle base shaped somewhat like a
figure-eight, and move through the track together. But the cars spin when
needed, and there are screens on both sides of the car, so there is no such
thing as the front or back of each car. Every experience is the same. It's
rather clever, actually.
Eight riders per unit.
While the bench usually holds only two people, very
small children (say, under four years old) can squeeze in as a third person. In
fact, they will have to, because there is no lap sitting on this ride. Small
babies will have to sit this one out and parents can ride via child swap.
For every bench, there's a small screen in the middle
that registers your score and your accuracy percentage (a nice touch). Below the
screen is a button labeled CC, and while I didn't push it to verify this means
closed-captioned, I found the idea ingenious. Only those patrons who need it
will have their screens altered.
Each bench features two cannons mounted to the cars.
They are identical in look and feel to the ones from the digital Pirates of the
Caribbean game at DisneyQuest. You swivel left or right, and up or down, and to
fire, you pull on the drawstring. Rapid pulls will yield many launches. The
whole gun apparatus is very human-hand intensive, and my gun was sticky. Some
may want to use hand sanitizer after each ride through.
Clean and shiny. On the first day, anyway.
As we enter the "game," the lights dim to black
lighting on the walls. A few painted scenes – typical carnival backdrops
or scenery – glow with black light paint, but mostly the attention is on very
large screens which are right in front of our car.
An on-ride shot.
The track layout is extremely simple – just a series of
switchbacks around the room, with a stop on each pass in front of screens.
Another turn, another mural (and then another
screen).
There is no story, no development. You just shoot at
things on the screens and rack up points. I would not have thought that to be
engrossing, but it's downright fun. The devil is always in the details, and they
succeeded in making the experience frenetic and charming. It would take a black
heart indeed (or perhaps a really really foul mood) to find the targets anything
other than irresistible. You just have to shoot at them, and you'll end up
having fun doing so. I can't explain why, but it is. Maybe it's because the 3-D
is really good, and it really does look like the projectiles are coming from
your own cannon.
As advertised, this ride uses technology to have your
gun projections influence the screens in front of you. You shoot projectiles,
and they knock over targets. If you hit something else in the background, your
projectile will splat there, too.
Targets are worth different points. You can
rapid fire, too.
After a warm up to demonstrate how to use the
drawstring trigger, you move on to five other games. The warm up game launched
pies at our coach, one of several characters from Toy Story. In the regular
games, we launch eggs at targets like cardboard barnyard animals, pellets at
plates, darts at balloons, rings at aliens, and balls at targets in a mine.
Every so often, a reaction on screen brings forth an effect in the theater, such
as a blast of air (it reminded me of the Rocket Rods) or a mist of water.
It's fast paced action, and easy to get caught
up in.
The ride ends simply, with your score tallied on
screen, and you can also see today's top scores (as well as the top score so far
this month). I suppose the risk here is that it might make people feel badly
that they didn't measure up, but it had a positive effect on me. It made me want
to hop back in line and try again!
The fun factor and the cool technology really make Buzz
Lightyear look lame and dated by (mental) comparison. Is it better even than Men
in Black? I think so. I predict a THEA award (for innovative theme park rides)
next year.
I tried in vain to locate any sort of tribute to the
shows that had previously been housed in this building, including Who Wants to
be a Millionaire-Play It!, but could not find anything at all. If anyone does
notice one, I'd love to hear about it. It's not as if there are no tributes at
all. The number codes scattered around the queue involve lots of figures that
could easily be birthdays, a common gag at theme park rides.
The area even features themed trash cans!
The ride officially opens on May 31st, and soft opens
for the general public seem likely in the coming days and weeks. I mention the
dates because this ride really will draw people to the park, exactly what new
rides are supposed to do.
It's been a hotbed of activity here in Orlando lately.
The Simpsons Ride is funny and great, but Toy Story Midway Mania goes a step
further by breaking new ground technologically (and it is awfully engaging and
fun). The interactivity really does involve you more than the Simpsons ride
does.
The new Studios logo has appeared everywhere
in the park.
If I had to choose a winner, I'd go for the easy cliche
and say the customer is the winner here. With good competition comes good
products. I salivate at the idea that we still have the Sea World coaster and
Harry Potter (and a few more E-Ticket rides for DHS) still upcoming. It's a good
time to be a visitor.
And now I think I'll head right back to DHS. There's a
top score for today I need to beat. |
