- Dec 29, 2009
- 2,374
- 33
Spider-Man getting HD Upgrading
- Thread starter kingeric
- Start date
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I certainly hope that the reviews here tomorrow are more descriptive than that of about.com. He is a theme park news 'gusher' me thinks.
I will be sooooo skeptical of tomorrows reviews unless something intelligent and informed is uttered.
I will be sooooo skeptical of tomorrows reviews unless something intelligent and informed is uttered.
- Aug 17, 2009
- 8,003
- 9,843
Here's another review from a TM, @Struvebrandon (TM Previews were tonight):
When asked "Any other changes besides the film? Like the queue?
And another short, bland review from @Thompsonsfiles:
When asked "Any other changes besides the film? Like the queue?
And another short, bland review from @Thompsonsfiles:
No, not at all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clone_Saga
And that Clone Saga marquee has always been outside of the movie theater Doc Ock & Spidey fight in front of.
From what I've been told, I'm just going to go ahead and assume Spider-man is my favorite attraction again.
- Dec 29, 2009
- 2,374
- 33
^ It looks like Spiderman will again tip the scale in favor of him in the dark ride battle against Harry Potter. 
- Mar 14, 2010
- 1,297
- 50
- Aug 17, 2009
- 8,003
- 9,843
Not sure if anyone else has seen this, but this is the first I've seen of the set alongside the new video.
That already looks so much better!
Glad the photo op was removed. But isn't Doc Oc going to look wayyyyyyyyyy different in the queue vs. the ride now?
- May 26, 2010
- 5,811
- 16,152
Yeah... wish they could've updated the queue video, too, but I'm not going to complain too much when the rest of this (so far fantastic) upgrade is pure, delicious, unnecessary plussing.
Meh, he doesn't look THAT different, I mean the only real difference is that he's wearing a coat.
- Apr 5, 2010
- 17
- 12
Spolier Filled Review
I was able to ride it twice during previews last night. Here are a few things I noticed. Stop reading here, if you don't want it spoiled.
QUEUE: We had to enter through the back door and up the single rider line. I did not see the main entrance lobby, as it was being tiled and painted at the time. The rest of the queue has gotten a fresh new coat of paint. The color scheme is much brighter than before. The contents of the queue remain vastly unchanged, but they did in fact remove the photo op from the the midway point.
The queue video is the same. It may seem a bit jarring to some, but it really helps build the illusion that the queue and everything leading up to the ride is within a comic book, and once you take off in the Scoop, it's real. There is a new Daily Buggle Podium set up in the large room before boarding. It looks very nice.
RIDE: Of course everyone know about the new glasses. They are similar to Star Tours, and they do a great job of blocking your peripherial vision. The first thing I noticed sitting down in the Scoop is new backround chatter on the radio. It's mainly J Jonah Jameson doing what sounds like maintenence checks. Once the ride takes off, things really start to change.
The new musical score kicks in right away, and it's incredible. Gone is the old 1990s rock guitar, and in it's place, a new techno-sounding track. It's not just a re-orchestration of the old score, either. It's completely new. It is in the first scene that you'll realize the vehicle movements have been completely reprogrammed as well. Your Scoop lurks around the corner, keeping locked on the new Spider Signal. The speed has been slowed down, to allow you more time to take in the surroundings, and the just as in the old ride SWOOP right into the first screen.
This is where you get your first taste of the new animation, and it is great. No more double imaging, no more blur, no more shaky projector. Everything is crystal clear. You'll also notice when Spider-man jumps on your car that they've removed all of the original herky-jerky movements of the previous incarnation. This is as smooth as any ride could be. The Scoop seems to act more like a real car, and it struggles through the street right before getting hit by the garbage truck, whcih to my surprise, was NOT driven by Stan Lee.
The next scene introduces us to the newly animated villains, who all look and sound great. The screen/scene transitions are now 100% seamless, you can't tell where one begins and the other ends. They've obviously learned a lot from Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
Electro's scene has been plussed with a high power strobe light that really produces the illusion of electrocution. Scream's appearance is much cooler now, as you can see every bit of tentacle/hair right in your face. The spin down the sewer pipe has changed a bit, and feels a bit more real, like you're actually floating down a pipe at a high speed. There is a new lighting effect, and combined with the new soundtrack, it became one of my favorite parts of the new ride.
Hydro is MUCH louder and more powerful than before. This is when I really noticed the HD soundtrack. He has a new roar that echoes throught the Scoop when he emerges from the water, and you can definately feel the power of a subwoofer. They have cranked up the water effect too; you get much more wet than before.
Doc Oc's "starting to heat things up" scene is still great, and the fight with him and your Scoop has been lengthened a bit. You can now very clearly see that he rips your bumper off. The next scene, where you travel up stairs, used to be the weakest, in my opinon. Your car just kind of wobbled back and forth, and it was confusing. It's completely changed now, you feel the car peel out and leap over the stairs. The soundtrack helps out a ton in this scene.
Hobgoblin is much the same, just better looking. Again, the projections look like the are a part of the scene you are in. They are not too bright, as they were before. You can't tell you are looking at a screen. The next scene has changed a bit, the street is now bright and alive with pedestrians (Stan Lee dashes into the theater before it is destroyed.) There is a new explosion on screen that pushes you into the next scene, where you rise above the city.
The clarity and smoothness really help the flight through the city sky. You can actually see the villians chase you, as opposed to colorful blurs on the screen in the old version. There is a new bit of dialogue added once Doc Oc releases you to fall. Spider-man yells "NOOO!" and jump dives to save you. You fall out of his reach, but just as before, his web saves you from certain death.
The ending is much the same, just clearer. He still takes your picture in the end, though I still didn't see an onride photo available for purchase. The new exit music is incredible.
All in all, I think this was an amazing refurb. Any fan of this ride will not be disappointed. The animation is phenominal, and I was caught off guard with how awesome the new score and Scoop movements were. The ride is longer now, as you do spend more time in each scene. Spider-man has once again become the king of the theme park attractions.
I was able to ride it twice during previews last night. Here are a few things I noticed. Stop reading here, if you don't want it spoiled.
QUEUE: We had to enter through the back door and up the single rider line. I did not see the main entrance lobby, as it was being tiled and painted at the time. The rest of the queue has gotten a fresh new coat of paint. The color scheme is much brighter than before. The contents of the queue remain vastly unchanged, but they did in fact remove the photo op from the the midway point.
The queue video is the same. It may seem a bit jarring to some, but it really helps build the illusion that the queue and everything leading up to the ride is within a comic book, and once you take off in the Scoop, it's real. There is a new Daily Buggle Podium set up in the large room before boarding. It looks very nice.
RIDE: Of course everyone know about the new glasses. They are similar to Star Tours, and they do a great job of blocking your peripherial vision. The first thing I noticed sitting down in the Scoop is new backround chatter on the radio. It's mainly J Jonah Jameson doing what sounds like maintenence checks. Once the ride takes off, things really start to change.
The new musical score kicks in right away, and it's incredible. Gone is the old 1990s rock guitar, and in it's place, a new techno-sounding track. It's not just a re-orchestration of the old score, either. It's completely new. It is in the first scene that you'll realize the vehicle movements have been completely reprogrammed as well. Your Scoop lurks around the corner, keeping locked on the new Spider Signal. The speed has been slowed down, to allow you more time to take in the surroundings, and the just as in the old ride SWOOP right into the first screen.
This is where you get your first taste of the new animation, and it is great. No more double imaging, no more blur, no more shaky projector. Everything is crystal clear. You'll also notice when Spider-man jumps on your car that they've removed all of the original herky-jerky movements of the previous incarnation. This is as smooth as any ride could be. The Scoop seems to act more like a real car, and it struggles through the street right before getting hit by the garbage truck, whcih to my surprise, was NOT driven by Stan Lee.
The next scene introduces us to the newly animated villains, who all look and sound great. The screen/scene transitions are now 100% seamless, you can't tell where one begins and the other ends. They've obviously learned a lot from Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
Electro's scene has been plussed with a high power strobe light that really produces the illusion of electrocution. Scream's appearance is much cooler now, as you can see every bit of tentacle/hair right in your face. The spin down the sewer pipe has changed a bit, and feels a bit more real, like you're actually floating down a pipe at a high speed. There is a new lighting effect, and combined with the new soundtrack, it became one of my favorite parts of the new ride.
Hydro is MUCH louder and more powerful than before. This is when I really noticed the HD soundtrack. He has a new roar that echoes throught the Scoop when he emerges from the water, and you can definately feel the power of a subwoofer. They have cranked up the water effect too; you get much more wet than before.
Doc Oc's "starting to heat things up" scene is still great, and the fight with him and your Scoop has been lengthened a bit. You can now very clearly see that he rips your bumper off. The next scene, where you travel up stairs, used to be the weakest, in my opinon. Your car just kind of wobbled back and forth, and it was confusing. It's completely changed now, you feel the car peel out and leap over the stairs. The soundtrack helps out a ton in this scene.
Hobgoblin is much the same, just better looking. Again, the projections look like the are a part of the scene you are in. They are not too bright, as they were before. You can't tell you are looking at a screen. The next scene has changed a bit, the street is now bright and alive with pedestrians (Stan Lee dashes into the theater before it is destroyed.) There is a new explosion on screen that pushes you into the next scene, where you rise above the city.
The clarity and smoothness really help the flight through the city sky. You can actually see the villians chase you, as opposed to colorful blurs on the screen in the old version. There is a new bit of dialogue added once Doc Oc releases you to fall. Spider-man yells "NOOO!" and jump dives to save you. You fall out of his reach, but just as before, his web saves you from certain death.
The ending is much the same, just clearer. He still takes your picture in the end, though I still didn't see an onride photo available for purchase. The new exit music is incredible.
All in all, I think this was an amazing refurb. Any fan of this ride will not be disappointed. The animation is phenominal, and I was caught off guard with how awesome the new score and Scoop movements were. The ride is longer now, as you do spend more time in each scene. Spider-man has once again become the king of the theme park attractions.
Glad to hear they did it right.
This just might get me to go into IOA when I am there for HHNs...
This just might get me to go into IOA when I am there for HHNs...
The new version sounds simply EPIC!!!!! Thumbs up for the cool review, thanks! I can't wait to experience this sucker for myself!!!!
