Alien Seed

As soon as I ride the new ride each year, I conquer the park again. I've ridden everything each year ever since I've been tall enough to ride everything.

Spider-Man 2 was a good game. I thought it was a little too short, though. How's the X-Men game, I'm assuming it's X-men Legends? Spider-Man 2 "Mysterio? I think I had some Mysterios for breakfast."

No, actually this program isn't specifically about PT. It's pretty much a tour of the whole park that, as a finalle, shows you some of PT and R&R designing it.

Vortex was built before the theming craze at PKI; Delirium right in the middle of it. Therefore, you cannot compare those two rides in this matter.

I am a true lover for themed rides and attractions, so that would make Universal heaven on earth for me.

Exactly. That's also what Robert Shaw wanted to do when he did Jaws, but Universal wouldn't let him. Too bad, that would have been a really smart move.

I deleted part of my last post because the numbers I read for Titanic were also in British Pounds. I don't know how I keep finding all these British sites and no American ones. By the way, "War of the Worlds" will technically be the most expensive movie ever made until "HP: GOF" arrives in theatres. Isn't WOTW slated for a summer release, while HP is set for November?

Of course I know it's a remake, where do you think I got the pictures from? Yes, you were right, it was pounds not dollars. But all the articles I've read say that it will be the most expensive movie to date. I don't think they are adjusting for inflation to measure up against the huge flop, Cleopatra.

Just watch the FOF movie, it explains the whole story. Simply put, though, the story is: you are civilians invited to Hangar 18 to view the "hoax" spacecraft. This was poor judgement by Mr. Richard "Pleeeese, D1ck" Christopher, White House Press Liason, as it turns out the UFO is real. You walk in after viewing it from the outside, and end up getting blasted off into space by the aliens inside, which look an awful lot like PKI empoyees. Weird. Since you can no longer view the movie right now, I can send anyone a complete script if they want. Yeah, I have that much time on my hands.

I was just doing some reading about the new Spielberg directed "War of the Worlds" movie, and I came across two interesting things. One is that it is reportedly the most expensive movie ever made, with a budget of about 120 million dollars. The second, and most important, is that it will be made by Paramount Pictures in conjunction with Dreamworks. I was just wondering if anyone else here sees the potential for one fantastic new ride in PKI"s (or one of the other parks') future, and if so, what kind of ride do you think it could be.

There really are no "best" places to ride other than in the middle seat of whatever car, just to get off of the wheels. The only other two things you really need to know to ride this are: 1) Your legs must become fluid and go with the motions, keeping them stiff only increases the bashing, 2) Bring some kind of medication for the after-ride headache you will get until you ride it enough to get used to it.

(Disclaimer: You will notice Smurfs were in a lot of my childhood moments) -Riding Smurfs for the first time when I was 4 or 5. I remember staring in awe at how big Gargamel (spelling?) was. Since I was small at the time, I now wonder how big he really was. -Being bribed by my dad with a dollar to try recaR after riding forwards. I refused. -Almost crying when I saw Scooby Zoom in the place of the Smurfs boat turnstile. -Always wanting to sit on the bench in HB that had the two (plaster, plastic, wood?) smurfs sitting on it. -Willing to ride The Racer, but The Beastie always terrified me, no matter how many times I rode it.

It is one of those rides that you can get used to after a while. It stopped hurting me as soon as I knew enough about what it did to get ready for each beating zone on the ride.

I don't think people do know what it means anymore. To this day, when I ride, I still try to get it started. No one responds, but I keep on going until the ride ends. This is a tradition that should never die.

"How long before the new coaster will just be Stunt Coaster?" I give it two years, at most. This thing has way too many moving parts that PKI will never fix because when they build new rides, they don't think they will have to pay extra to maintain them.

I've still got a video from about 1992 (taped off of tv) featuring the making of Phantom Theater. I'll probably watch that a few times, and make copies in case the tape breaks or something.

I think this is possible, unless they come up with some pretty good shows soon. The ones they are putting on now are *censored*. "My life as a Teenage Robot," "the new Rugrats + All Grown Up," "Danny Phantom," "Jimmy Neutron," "U Pick Live," etc. The only good shows they have now are SBSP and some episodes of "the Fairly Oddparents," though most of them are kinda weak. They need shows like the ones we grew up with "the old Rugrats"--with humour even for adults, to a lesser degree--"Doug," the always controversial "Ren & Stimpy," before it went the way of the real SNL, Nick's own SNL, "All That," and the other fine SNICK program, "Are you Afraid of the Dark?"

After some time passes, maybe starting in late January, I'll fly over the park probably once every two or three weeks and take pictures. Don't know how they'll turn out, but that's my idea to keep myself updated.

Smurf's Enchanted Voyage, Flight Commander, Bat (with modifications so that it works right), and the name Outer Limits back on top of Flight of Fear.

Kind of weak, I'd rather just think of it like Cedar Point's rides: no theme at all.

Like a squirrel hoarding nuts, I've saved lots of money, so I can hibernate until next April. I will try to get a job at Blockbuster or Hollywood video, though.

My name is Alien, and I have been scooter sober for three weeks now. Thank you.

Over a period of 30 minutes: I took short breaks now and then to consider all of the effects and lighting cues on the ride, to determine what each one meant in relation to the general story of the ride. This of course is my interpretation of the ride, without any assistance from Jeff Siebert or anyone else involved with the making of the ride. I just took everything that I did know about the "official" story of the ride, then ellaborated on it with what seemed to fit the facts according to what actually happens on the ride. I personally believe this to be the most accurate telling of the ride story. This is obviously where PKI fails in ride theming. Universal, Disney, etc. tell you the story of the ride right before you get on it by showing you a preshow movie that explains everything from what's going on, to what you're going to be doing, and what the objective of the ride is. TRTR's preshow, however, is part of the ongoing mission. This is something new that PKI tried. Instead of explaining what the ride is all about, the preshow tells you what the hero has been doing and what the history of the setting is. It does not tell you what the point of the ride is. To find that out, you have to look on the internet, find a park book explaining the ride (in very little detail), or ask an employee, and I can tell you I was the only one this concerned with the ride's story. The fact that you have to escape the temple is left unsaid, and that is a big mistake. A point as important as this should be said somewhere in the preshow, along with the whole "planets are about to align" story, which I did not just make up. It is part of the TRTR story. Since people don't know you are escaping, it ends up being a series of confusing effects and a lot of purposeless flips, a ride up for interpretation by anyone who rides it. If the ride is changed next year, they should also change the preshow so that it includes something telling you what "the ride" is about, not just what Lara has been doing in this temple.

TRTR: Join Lara Croft deep in the jungles of Cambodia searching for treasure. Enter the ancient luna temple of the Illuminati destroyed by an unknown force centuries ago. You find remains of a previous expedition scattered around the temple, but no trace of the explorers. The planets are about to come into alignment now, and the temple is becoming alive. Walls open and give way to new chambers, undisturbed for years. You finally reach a large room, home to a giant statue of Brahma. The lights dim and the spirit of Lara's dead father enters the room, showing you Lara's adventure in this tomb, the history of what happened to it centuries ago, and the dangers within. Finally, one last wall opens, revealing the heart of the temple: a massive chamber with a statue of the warrior goddess, Durga, and the structure of a giant triangle, the symbol of the ancient people. In the center of this chamber is a large vehicle, your escape vehicle that Lara will pilot out of the temple before the planets come to full alignment and it is too late. As the vehicle is powered up, the planets align. You start to rise out of the temple, but the vehicle briefly loses control, as the planets are now giving power to the giant triangle. The triangle glows with an eerie orange light, the power of the planets, that moves up to surround the statue of Durga. Lara regains control of the vehicle, and flies it up to the face of Durga, the statue that has now been given life, as well as the power to control fire and ice. The statue is now fully alive, and the danger of your timing is now realized. The chamber goes black and everything except your vehicle is still, as if time itself has stopped. Lara then pilots the vehicle in a daring maneuver, throwing it upside down in an attempt to catapult it through the temple ceiling. But Durga has already conjured up a wall of sharp ice stalactites to stop you. Lara stops the vehicle moments before you are killed by this clever trap. You get a glance at this icefield, and you find the remains of the previous explorers, now skeletons frozen inside the ice. Lara then takes the vehicle into a dive to find another way out. The triangle again glows with power as it watches you trying to escape. After flying around with no route of escape found, the vehicle loses power again, this time with you upside down. Durga takes this opportunity to conjure up a volcano to burn you alive. You slowly fall towards the boiling lava as it starts to shoot up towards you, almost like it was trying to grab you from the vehicle. Lara once again regains control at the last second, and spins you away from the lava. Durga is now enraged, and sends fire and smoke after your vehicle. Now being chased, Lara sends the vehicle up towards the ceiling again to get away from the oncoming fire, and flips the vehicle away right before it hits the ice. Fortunately, you have survived long enough. During this chase and battle, the planets have come out of alignment, and Durga and its source of energy, the triangle, are losing power. Lara pilots the vehicle back where you started from, as both the triangle and the statue are rapidly losing life. The spirit of Lara's father once again joins you, almost bragging as he states how no one has a chance of defeating his daughter. All the lights go out again, as it appears it is all over, but Durga uses the last bit of power she has to conjure up two small blasts of fire and smoke aimed right at you. It is not enough power, though, for the fire to reach you, and Durga then loses all power, and dies. The small amount of light originally in this chamber returns, proof that the power of the planets is now totally gone. You depart from the vehicle and exit the tomb through a doorway previously closed off.

"Kings Island has sunk enough money into this ride." I got this quote from someone higher than me at the park regarding TRTR when I talked to them about possibly fixing some of the effects. This is why PKI will never be an IOA. The people that run this park seem to have it ingrained in their heads that things they build will last forever and never require fixing or replacing. When TRTR was built, it was an automatic assumption that once they spent the millions building it, they would not have to pay anymore money to keep it running. Universal will always be better than Paramount because they will fix in a day what PKI will not touch ever again, regardless of how cheap or expensive it may be. (Universal can fix bruce the shark on Jaws in a few hours, Paramount won't change a light bulb until the off season.) IJST, unfortunately, will get the same treatment, and therefore, it's doomed. Two years, and it will be in the same boat as TRTR and Adventure Express. Just remember this, everyone who thinks that someday we will rival Universal: PKI, when they build rides with theming, they only realize the ride will need basic maintenance, not that theming gets damaged too and requires REPLACING. IJST especially, since everything is outdoors and is subject to the mercy of the elements.