Ryan

Yeah, I noticed that, I think they were just being funny with the boxes. And yes, that was just some early concept art most likely, seeing as you can't see roller coaster track(I think?)and it's indoors.

^ Yep, looks like after the bridge it'll be right up to the station. There's alot of land actually between the path and the bridge to make a good queue line, why you guys all thought that they would try to weave it by the break station and around other parts of track just so they could have an entrance where the eagles were is a bit odd to me, but everyone's got their own opinions on what's best. I'm guessing to increase traffic on that path the entrance will be where the unused tiques station was. Seems like it'll have a nice queue, hopefully with some neat Mini-Coopers on display, maybe a video telling you you're a stunt driver and explaining about the scene your doing playing in the queue would be really cool too, but I doubt that will happen.

From what I could see, it looked like the Top Gun tilt coaster was a flying dutchman, and that it would roll onto the slanted piece of track, lock in, the piece would then swing like a see saw so that riders were then upside down, and then released to go through the course. Also, the station looked somewhat similar to our Top Gun's, perhaps the same theming ideas could be implemented. And I personally would rather see a B&M flyer, though that was an innovative design they had. I think we'll be getting the Spongebob Boat Driving School and the Nicktoon's Car Wash as a Nick Central expansion in 2006, and I think they'll use the land where the Meet & Greet is and part of Picnic Grove for those 2 rides, which I think would both be really fun and kids would get a huge kick out of. Also, the Addams family may be off the concepts list for a variety of reasons, including that they are planning on installing one somewhere in the near future. Did anyone else notice that Soundwave had lost its MTV license? I'm pretty sure it wasn't on this survey.

Nice pics, but I thought there was supposed to be an uphill boost before the drop into the aquaduct. Guess that wasn't true...

Actually, I believe there is some sort of Spongebob Boatmobiles attraction that's in place at other Paramount Parks, that could also just be that, as I think the Boating School was set in an indoor themed environment. Whichever it is, those little boats are awesome, lol.

First off all Six Flags is in no way shape or form able to buy PAramount parks. Before you post please no what your talking about. Oh, thanks for telling me that dip****. Sorry I don't study financial figures on Six Flags every year to know if it's possible for them to acquire property. My bad! I don't obsess over this stuff. So you can kiss my a**! With that said, it is unlikely Six Flags would purchase Paramount Parks, there, I said it a** bandit. And for the record, despite the fact that you may want Cedar Fair to buy PKI, it's not going to happen. And just because you would prefer a new roller coaster every single year and a lack of originality, not everyone does, and it wouldn't be the best thing for PKI especially since lately they've been trying more diverse types of attractions with theming. And one other thing, the word "know" is spelled like that, not "no". You should know how to spell before you post.

If Disney took over PKI, it would be closed until 2010, and it when it reopened 95% percent of their rides would be gone, the park would have been leveled, rebuilt, and had about 5 themed areas with about 25 rides total, and it would scream Disney at the top of its lungs. I think that if Disney took over PKI, they'd see it as development property in the midwest, not a new park to manage.

I agree that option 2 would be the most likely. While Viacom most definetly does not like the liability of the parks, having their entities all over them certainly is a plus. And Paramount Parks management would most likely not like to completely change their image up, staying Paramount Parks and using movie licenses is a great marketing tool and allows for diversity within the industry. I doubt any of this will actually happen though.

Yeah, I doubt Six Flags would, it's just a fear, haha. But I hope Paramount Parks doesn't get sold, but if they do, I hope they get to keep all of their licenses.

According to screamscape Viacom may be putting Paramount Parks on the block, so who's to say what could happen in the next couple of years. I'd say if they sold Paramount Parks I think Six Flags would buy them before anyone else, and I think that'd suck too. Hopefully Viacom holds on to PKI and the rest of the Paramount Parks.

The Dinosaur ride is titled just that, Dinosaur. Upon its original opening, I believe it was called Countdown to Extinction, but when the Disney Dinosaur movie was released, the ride's name was changed to reflect upon it. I personally found Dinosaur one gigantic suck fest of a ride, but that's most likely because I had rode the true use of that wonderful ride technology, the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland in California. IJ dwarfs Dinosaur in que line theming, story, and ride theming and the ride itself. Though the tracks bear resemblances, and may infact be the same, the ways each ride is executed are completely different, and Dinosaur just didn't receive the theming that IJ did, with the lights off so much in Dinosaur, you just can't get a feeling like you're moving fast or at all, it's just alot of sound effects and darkness. If you ever get a chance, check out Indiana Jones, I love that ride if you can't tell, haha. I'm glad you had fun at Universal, I'll be taking my first trip to IOA this spring and can't wait to ride Spider-Man and the other excellent rides there. Nice trip report!

Phantom Theater was a great ride. I loved the que line, I thought it was very creative having him talk to you, and it was very convincing. I don't think it has anything on Disney's The Haunted Mansion, because frankly, that ride is amazing. And Bodda, I may never understand your fascination with the Noah's Ark ride, haha. Guess I'll have to ride that one day. But yeah, I always loved Phantom Theater because it gave me a taste of Disney at my favorite park. When it was still around in 2002, and I could ride it and Tomb Raider, it really signified to me how unique PKI truly is. While Scooby makes more sense in Hanna-Barbera Land, as well as draws in a good crowd and is more neat to look at exterior wise than the old theater, I will always miss Phantom Theater. But hey, with it gone, that opens up the possibility of one day PKI building another haunted house like it but in a more appropriate area of the park, and maybe actually make it scary.

When you say thing under the seats that rumbles, do you mean like the whole time, like the engine, when the car's accelerating, or are you referring to the bumps on the staircase?

I was talking about PKD Freak in my post. Unless you have 2 memberships here, that wasn't referring to you.

Funny you say don't hate, when you come on this site all the time and tell us all how much better PKD is than PKI. So I don't think you're in the position to stop people from slamming PKD until you stop slamming PKI. With that said, I don't think it's right to say that the PKD TRTR will suck, because I'm sure it will be a very fun ride. It has the neatest element of ours in it, the lava pit, and since it's outdoors they may have real fire(I believe our TRTR was originally supposed to but that was cut out do to safety or something of that nature). It is unfortunate that all TRTR's can't be like ours due to budgets that are lowers than PKI's, but atleast PKD went the extra mile to put effects and a story to this ride unlike PCW's sad attempt. PKD is a great park, and I hope to visit them soon to check out Volcano and Hypersonic XLC(if it's running, I hope). Plus I'd love to see their TRTR and Scooby Doo(I like that it has doors that open when the cars get near them, very cool). I think PKD's great, and their TRTR will be great, so I don't think anyone needs to slam them.

Italian Job is an excellent addition, and a very smart move on PKI's part. It'll be fun in the way Adventure Express is, not too intense, but has neat theming. And it will be a crowd pleaser because people love launches on coasters, intense or not, they are still very cool. It's very easily marketable, and is a almost everyone can ride. PKI one day will build another huge thrill ride, I have no doubt about that. But right now they want to be like Disney and Universal, creating adventures that all park guests can enjoy. Thrill junkies can ride IJST, but so can people who are more into smaller rides. If you build a thrill ride, or thrill riders will ride it, so by building IJST, PKI is making a ride for everyone to enjoy, and as someone who used to not ride anything bigger than Adventure Express, I think it's a great move on their part. I personally just can't wait to see the tricked out cars in person.

Big rich cousin? Low income part of the family? Ha. Cedar Point has money, but PKI's definetely spending as much or more, just look back at the things they've put in just since 99. An amazing line-up if you ask me, and as far as PKI being poor, do you know who owns PKI? Viacom. One of the world's largest corporations. PKI could very easily expand massively with the land they own and with Viacom's financial blessing. Cedar Point is running out of space, and the market is changing, it's shifting away from coasters. I think Italian Job represents this shift. As a coaster, it's not very intense, but the cars are unbelievably cool, and it has a huge special fx show placed right in the middle of it. Will it be a success? I think so. And what will the public think? That PKI's "big rich cousin up north" doesn't have anything like it, same with TRTR and SDATHC. With that said, I have nothing against CP, I think they are a great park, I just think PKI will be gaining an edge on them very soon with their new take on theming.

So, what thrill ride had the BEST YEAR EVER!!!??? Well, let's here it from these panelists! TR:TR Ride Op:"I believe Tomb Raider had the best year ever because....wait, huh, where am I? What am I supposed to be doing right now? What? What the hell is a Tomb Raider: The Ride? Best year ever? Oh, yeah, yeah, I got it now, yeah, Tomb Raider had the best year ever because...wait, what am I doing again? Oh, right, well, Tomb Raider had the best year ever because it totally got it's a** kicked by having yet more effects stripped from it and a crew that really didn't care whatsoever about guest experience by leaving doors open or neglecting to run the pre-show, or just lacking the ability to count or tell confused guests which line to go to. Totally the best year ever for this ride, mediocrity's *****in." Delirium Ride Op/HARDCORE Enthusiast:"I think Delirium had the best year ever this year err LEGEND IS BETTER THAN BEAST, oh, sorry, I have terets and often blurt things out that are negatively biased against PKI err BEAST RANKED LOWER THAN CORNBALL EXPRESS ON TOTALLY SCIENTIFIC INTERNET POLL, oh, sorry about that, really, I truly am. But yeah, anyways, Delirium was a pretty crappy ride back in the day you know, I mean, it was so stupid. I hated everything about this thing, until about err THUNDERHEAD KILLS YOU BEAST, I HOPE YOU BURN AND DIE BECAUSE I HATE YOU, oh, sorry, really, sorry about that, it happens you know, anyways yeah, I really hated Delirium until a month ago, it became a truly wonderful ride. Cedar Point anounced they were building the same ride, and if Cedar Point is building it, Delirium's the best d*mn flat in the world, next to Cedar Point's version of course. I can't believe PKI built something on their level...err THE RAVEN IS YOUR DADDY BEAST!!!!!!!" Jeffrey Siebert-PKI Marketing/Really Nice Guy:"I think the Flying Eagles had the best year ever, they get to go to the most wonderful place on earth, Paramount's Carowinds. Some say it's the island of misfit Paramount Park rides, I'd say it's the hap hap happiest place in the western hemisfer...wait, um, excuse me, armed Paramount Park official with a gun to my head, you spelled hemisphere wrong on the paper and I thought you should know...ouch!...you don't have to hit me! Ok, ok, it's your paper, we cool, no need to get trigger happy, I love Carowinds, with all my heart. Didn't you see my corporate memo you forced me to write? I totally said like 56 times I love Carowinds." ALRIGHT!!!! Since all of the above points on why those rides had the Best Year Ever!!! were either total crap or stated at gunpoint, we are just going to ask a random 4-year old walking down the street! Little boy wearing Scooby-Doo t-shirt and carrying Scooby-Doo lunch box:"What thrill ride had the bestest year ever? What's a thrill ride? Oh, my favorite ride counts too? Hmm, well, I feel that the Flying Eagles had a terrible year after being shipped to the toilet bowl of Paramount Parks, and Delirium always has an excellent year so it's out, and Tomb Raider: The Ride is operated like crap. Well, due to the fact that this attraction continues to contain a full que line despite beginining operation in 1999 earns it the Best Year Ever award in my book, Drop Zone, you had the Best Year Ever!!! Where's my blanket and my bottle? Have you seen them? They had The Beast logo on them, oh my god! That enthusiast is running away with them! There he is! The one screaming "Thunderhead is my Master!" I want my mommy!!!!" There you have it, more genius from a 4-year old than a panel of "PKI Elite"(excluding Jeff, he's still the man). Drop Zone, you've had the Best Year Ever!!! by continuing to keep a packed que line and keeping the patrons coming through the turnstiles!

Will PKI add another huge coaster in the future? Without a doubt. When? No idea, probably a few years from now atleast. Why? The park's got a great balance going on with rides for every type of rider, great theming that they are in the process of updating and adding a bit more Paramount flavor too, and shifting the park's gears more towards a Disney/Universal park, that's why you're seeing the classic flats being removed so often. I think that there will always be some classic flats in PKI, in Coney Mall, maybe even a couple classic flats added to Coney within a few years, but the park is just trying to come up with some unique attractions. Like it or not, IJST is an innovative attraction, as is Scooby-Doo and Tomb Raider: The Ride, and it will be a great attraction for the park in the same way Adventure Express is. Think about those guests that ride nothing bigger than AE, I was one once not too long ago(2001), and I know if I still was I'd be absolutely thrilled about IJST. Finally a coaster I could ride aside from kids coasters and AE. I think IJST is an excellent addition to PKI, and I think they are doing a great job and I personally can't wait to see them try their hand at theming a crazy coaster, whenever they get around to it. Eitherway, in 10 years, I think PKI is going to once again be a major competitor in the industry. But in hindsight, I'm not sure they've ever lost that.

The cornball express beating The Beast? Yeah, sure. Look, there are other coasters out there that give experiences on par with The Beast or better, but it's the mother of all terrain coasters, a kick ass ride, and just because fanboys that did not like The Beast voted for their own coaster they are fanatical about(that's all these polls are, just for fun, to say it means The Beast has ceased to be a world wide favorite is ridiculous). I think The Beast cannot continue to be a #1 ride on every poll all the time, enthusiast polls are bull because enthusiasts have fanboy favorites, and GP polls are bull because the GP doesn't ride as many coasters as enthusiasts do. Bottom line, I wouldn't look at how great a coaster is based on it's internet poll ranking. Especially when the cornball express ranks much higher than The Beast in one of those polls(I'm not dissing that ride, lol, just saying, it's no rival to The Beast). The Beast still rules in my book, and I like his son too. Even though there are experiences that rival or surpass it, The Beast's experience is truly legendary, and a legend can never die. With that said, I would love to see alot of the breaking removed or cut back, the ride was better without it. LONG LIVE The Beast!

Yeah, it described walking through a bit of the mansion in the que line, then going into a preshow that involved an explosion in the fireplace, then riding Uncle Fester's new invention to the attic, where you suddenly drop vertically then shoot out of the mansion into the family graveyard for a series of quick turns and sudden drops around the tombstones and mausoleums. Also, it appeared to contain animatronic figures, like Uncle Fester in the attic. I think it would be cool if right before you went down the drop, shutters in the attic would open up and you could see how high you were just like in Tower of Terror, and people could watch you drop, then they would close back up again. And they could have maybe a strobe go off right when you drop(or take your picture). And yes, as I've been saying for a while that I think this ride will end up at the park in 2007, possibly where Sleepy Hollow Horror was at this year's Fear Fest. That could be the graveyard, and the mansion could sit right in front of the pond just a little bit to the left of the graveyard. It would be really cool if the que stretched around the house and you could walk by the pond and maybe they could have smoke rolling over a part of it or have an old dock with a little row boat that's half sunk and a little lantern out on it. That'd be really spooky and cool. I'd also like to see you enter through the front door and wrap around the main hall, while maybe Gomez(an animatronic figure)stands on the staircase and talks to you like the Maestro did in Phantom Theater. Maybe the kids could be up on the balconies, or behind doors and occasionaly come out and talk to Gomez and the park guests from above. That'd be so awesome.

Personally, I'll be glad if they level Picnic Grove(or just some of it, the entrance to it is relatively far from Nick Central's current boundary)instead of Hanna-Barbera Land. Also, it will make the walk to Boomerang Bay more unified with the park with Nick theming and rides there.

Personally, I'll be glad if they level Picnic Grove(or just some of it, the entrance to it is relatively far from Nick Central's current boundary)instead of Hanna-Barbera Land. Also, it will make the walk to Boomerang Bay more unified with the park with Nick theming and rides there.

It will be like that, the game engine is built on a graphics range that is the same as the original game's. However, the new maps are much more detailed and action scenes and a dynamic story are being incorporated, overall, the game will look pretty nice, especially when compared with the original. Also, as you'll see in the trailer, there are lots of in-game events that occur during play that really look great. As far as gameplay similarities, there will be very similar controls and a similar play to the turn-based battles, but they have been upgraded quite a bit with the switch to a new engine, and the game itself features quite a bit of variety. Despite it's low res graphics, this game will be incredible, I assure you. On a sidenote, the reason I stuck with the RPG Maker system was to unify the 2 games, make production much easier, and it was the best way to tell the story I wanted to tell.

I'm gonna say in 2006 that some of Picnic Grove and the meet & greet will be demolished for the show building for Spongebob and the Nick Car wash, and possibly a flying super saturator on, or near, where the slime zone is now.