Boo Blasters on Boo Hill

[beastrider97]

Hey all. I was wondering what everyone thought of the new Boo Blasters. Personally I thought it was good but I liked Scooby better. So what are your thoughts?

[BoddaH1994]

If you thought Scooby was better then I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're part of a small minority.

[HTCO]

^ Agreed.

BBoBH May be a stupid name...

But its a FANTASTIC ride.

[Jason B]

I think Scooby was better. The need to turn down the volume on the guns, you cannot hear the the narration on the ride.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

I agree on the blaster volume. BUT I LOVE BBoBH! It is much more intence. And the end part is the best. The name could be a little bit more intence as well. Other than that its a very nice ride, and a tad on the scary side. The Mummy part scared me a bit as well lol..That thing jumped!

[Fire-Beast-OF FEAR]

I belive that it was a great ride and was very impressed for the bad inpression CF gave us in the 2008 "retheme".

And I have to agree with the high volume on the blasters.Indeed it was more intense than sdathc.

[Plankton]

As much as I love Scooby, I thought BBoBH was much better because of the 3-D effects, bright colors, and the special effect towards the end.

[countess_of_tuscany]

I loved Boo Blasters! We went this weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and we rode it 4 times total. I like it better than Scooby- it seemed more on the scary side. I did also notice that the blasters were louder than before. We didn't get the 3D glasses, though - for someone that did, is it worth buying a pair? - does it really work well?

Overall, very fun ride! (I can't remember my high score, I think it was somewhere around 860 or something - I'm not the best blaster! )

[chaddie]

I am part of the minority, I liked Scooby

[Plankton]

I loved Boo Blasters! We went this weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and we rode it 4 times total. I like it better than Scooby- it seemed more on the scary side. I did also notice that the blasters were louder than before. We didn't get the 3D glasses, though - for someone that did, is it worth buying a pair? - does it really work well?

I had my 3-D glasses from CP's Halloweekends on me. After riding the ride once without them, I tried my second ride with. Some things popped/projected out in most scenes; similar to how Spongebob 3-D plays. However, nothing was in your face such as the paddle ball or saw in Spongebob 3-D. Overall, it still worked better then I thought. If you are competing for a high score, I do not suggest the glasses because one light on a target will appear as multiple dots forming a line with each end dot extending off as a line; all while causing a glare. This can be annoying in places with many targets or the room with the red eyed skeletons.

[bkroz]

I was VERY impressed with Boo Blasters. I knew I would be. It barely even resembles Scooby Doo come the second half, and I have trouble remembering what exactly used to be there. That's how good it is! It is a LOT scarier. Even around nine or ten I'm sure I would've been unsettled during the skeleton room. The strobe, the eyes, the fact that they move... And above all, the screeching! They scream at you, and not the usual "ah!" scream in haunted houses... They're screeching, and loudly!

The fog screen, of course, was very cool. I wish that the car would turn away from it until the last minute so you didn't see the car in front of you passing through, but I understand that our omnimover system is somewhat limited in its speed, precision, and capabilities. So be it. The same can be said for the finale. I would've much preferred the other park's finale with Boocifer sinking into the ground, covered in fog and the room physically "changing" from evil to good in front of your eyes. Unfortunately, our ride system cannot accommodate that, either. But, it's still a fantastic ride.

As was said, the only problem I can see is the audio. Having in-car audio would be the best. I don't know if its realistic, and they certainly won't rehab the ride after its first year just for the sake of adding a convenience. But the ride would be better if you could understand the story. I made everyone in my car drop the guns and we just looked at things. Boocifer says some really cool stuff, and there's a real story there! Turning the guns down would do it, but I don't know if they can or will.

Overall, excellent ride. Really. I am just literally hoping and praying it stays that way... I wouldn't be surprised if next season or the year after, the fog effect stops, the animatronic at the end loses its luster, and the guns are all dead again. I would love for that to not happen. We shall see.

[TH13TEEN]

^ I really hope the guns stay alive...

[IndyGuy4KI]

BBOBH get's my vote! Way to go KI!

[markr]

I also liked Scooby better-I like a little light-heartedness with the scares and Scooby and Shaggy provided it.

[muppetfan1999]

Overall, excellent ride. Really. I am just literally hoping and praying it stays that way... I wouldn't be surprised if next season or the year after, the fog effect stops, the animatronic at the end loses its luster, and the guns are all dead again. I would love for that to not happen. We shall see.

Knowing CF, that will happen, they won't fix it, and then we'll have a thread on here all about how mad we are that the ride is now really crappy. Sooner or later it'll just be a bunch of statues with lights. It will STINK in a few years, unfortunately.

[The Interpreter]

That all depends on who runs the park a year or two from now, and what is budgeted by whom.

We shall see. . .

Past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future performance.

[faeriewench]

I may give it a try on Friday.. I heard about the 3-D classes costing a buck? .__.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

Wow you all are right CF sucks at themeing. I mean starlight experience at CF totally sucks. TTD has no theme at all and is boring. Boo blasters is crap. Planet Snoopy is nothing new and unattractive. Diamondback has no theme, neither does Boomerang Bay, or X-Base.

Note this all sarcasm just to show how whiny some people are about the themeing at CF parks. Think about it people, CF may not be universal or disney but they also dont get movie props. CP and KI have great themes on their rides and attractions. I only use those 2 parks because those are the only CF parks I have been too.

[bkroz]

Wow you all are right CF sucks at themeing. I mean starlight experience at CF totally sucks. TTD has no theme at all and is boring. Boo blasters is crap. Planet Snoopy is nothing new and unattractive. Diamondback has no theme, neither does Boomerang Bay, or X-Base.

In all fairness, you can't say Cedar Fair is good at themeing because of things that they came into ownership of... They had nothing to do with Boomerang Bay's theme. X-Base as an area is mostly Flight of Fear's themeing that has been there since 1998, and the remotely-government-looking parts of Firehawk (the yellow and black stripes, the station shape, etc) were from Six Flag's X-Flight, and were not added to fit into X-Base. Diamondback's theme is, to say the least, minimal. If there weren't snake-skin appliques on the cars, the ride would have no themeBoo Blasters is very well done, but both it and its predecessor were built by Sally Corp, not by Cedar Fair or Paramount. Compare Top Thrill Dragster's "theme" to Backlot Stunt Coasters... If a stop light and a loop of "I'm ready to goooo" counts as theme, then my local Six Flags is about as well-themed as Disneyland!

Starlight Experience is very nice, but what the debate has always been over is theme - pre-shows, detailed queues, storylines, little details, and dark rides. I love Starlight Experience, but it's not "themed." It's Christmas lights celebrating holidays in a Frontier-themed section of the park. It's awesome, don't get me wrong. But that's not the type of "themeing" people are talking about.

The only instance of theme that Cedar Fair has ever created (as opposed to inherited) is Disaster Transport. I don't think we're asking for Revenge of the Mummy or Mission: Space... Just more things that Paramount proved were possible for seasonal parks - pre-shows, some nice lightning, maybe a musical score here and there. That sort of thing was once reserved for the Florida parks. Paramount, if only for a short time, proved that it was available for seasonal parks. Neither Flight of Fear, Italian Job, Boomerang Bay, or the actual ride chamber of Tomb Raider used a single movie prop. They just used good old-fashioned storytelling and some little details to make a ride really come to life.

They have many nice parks with many nicely done areas. But even the higher-ups of Cedar Fair admit that theme isn't their thing.

While most parks of the time were busy becoming theme parks, Cedar Point stepped aside to remain a thrill and ride destination. “Our coasters were and still are our theme,” adds Kinzel.

FUNWORLD Magazine.

If the CEO of Cedar Fair says they care more about thrills than theme, why in the world would you try to disprove him?

[markr]

I disagree- I think TDD has excellant theming with a great queue sound track-in addition to Ready to Go, there is some great Elvis music ( A Little Less Conversation, Burning Love. ), Beach Boys, Hot Rod Lincoln, etc. Maverick also has excellant Western theming with a great country/western soundtrack. Just my opinion, I know it depends upon our personal preferences.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

Yes but they still do have themes on their rides, has CF not had enough time to rip apart Boomerang Bay's theme?

Diamondback theme

Splashdown, represents Diamondbacks going through water

Rocks represent how Diamondbacks hide in the rocks

the trains are snakes

the location, snakes are prevalent in abandoned river towns

Track layout "slithering"through the woods.

That just the ride remember the hype during construction, and the Kings Island website? They gave hints as to what the ride would be

Correct me if I am wrong but was FoF not a part of Coney Mall before CF made X-Base, an governmental area?

So starlight theme does not count because it not a ride? Doesn't seem fair to discredit themeing if there is a "themeing problem".

TTD theme

TTD at one point, and still kind of does have dragester as trains. They had their tails removed

While in line you are educated about real drasters and the ride

There are the grandstands

The lights

Racing down the straight way

The finish line

Victory lane at the exit

High Speeds

[bkroz]

Diamondback theme

Splashdown, represents Diamondbacks going through water

Rocks represent how Diamondbacks hide in the rocks

the trains are snakes

the location, snakes are prevalent in abandoned river towns

Track layout "slithering"through the woods.

Other than this ^ ( ) much of what you said is true. Imagine Mr. Kinzel approaching B&M and saying 'We want rocks to represent snakes hiding in rocks and a slithering layout and water to represent snakes being in water..." It's laughable. Our layout is "slithering." And if our ride were car themed, it would be "racing." And if it were bird-themed, it would be "flying." It's true about Top Thrill's stands, and fins (but the speed? You're saying the ride is well-themed because it's car-themed and it goes fast? ). Flight of Fear and Firehawk are still technically part of Coney Mall. The addition of the sign pointing to X-Base is nice. Yes. I'll give you that.

So starlight theme does not count because it not a ride? Doesn't seem fair to discredit themeing if there is a "themeing problem".

I have no idea what you mean by this. I said it's beautiful and fun, but isn't "well-themed." It's just Christmas lights and holiday parade floats scattered throughout a western town after dark. It cannot be well-themed, and it cannot be poorly-themed any more than one could say our fireworks are well or poorly-themed... It's just a show.

Yes, Cedar Fair can put in appropriate things where they belong - generic western music in line for Maverick, dragster facts in line for Top Thrill... But what I'm saying is, it has been proven that these seasonal parks can support so much more. Rides can have synchronized, on-board sound. Rides can have flames and water effects. They can have storylines set up by elaborate pre-shows! In other words, it has been proven that things like generic Western music are not praiseworthy. There was a time when playing Western music in line was enough, and people were impressed by it, and people said "My goodness I can't believe they have area-appropriate music in a seasonal park!" Then, Paramount, Dollywood, even Six Flags came forward and said "We have that, plus mist, plus Hollywood lighting, plus flames, strobes, storylines, and pre-shows!" Having music in line is nice, but to claim that's the best that can be done is a lie.

I can't imagine anyone sitting here and fighting that Cedar Fair specializes in themeing. Your argument is that they're good at themeing because they haven't "ripped apart Boomerang Bay's theme"?? Have they made tremendous strides since 2006? Yes. But the core of the matter is, they took Kings Island's water effects, flame effects, synchronized music, storylines, pre-shows, and area-appropriate music away. Are they adding it back little by little a piece at a time? It seems that way. The CEO of Cedar Fair himself says theme is unimportant, that "roller coasters are our theme." I don't understand why you'd try to fight that.

Cedar Point is randomly-named roller coasters with a nonsensical layout. Raptor (a bird of prey) across from Wicked Twister (a storm?) next to Disaster Transport (a space adventure) down the way from Iron Dragon (a mythical creature) next to Top Thrill Dragster (a race car). Kings Island is now and always has been more. Cedar Fair seems to be adapting to theme now that they primarily own themed parks. But to say they prioritize themeing? If the CEO of Cedar Fair himself says otherwise, why would you continue to argue?

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

Do you really think Mr.Kinzel makes the decision to put each and every ride in the parks? If so your more naive than I thought. If it so laughable how come this press release says basically the same thing i said? http://rcdb.com/4253...tm?dt=126&d=299

You have no argument just a biased opinion, which simply is not true. CF does what it can with themeing. Again Paramount, Universal and Disney has technology that CF just can not afford. They do what they can. If that not good enough then dont go. Crying on KIC will not fix the issue

BTW i never said theme was their priority

Edit: One last so is Snoopy Starlight Spectacular not going to be well themed because it is not in PS?

[bkroz]

CF does what it can with themeing. Again Paramount, Universal and Disney has technology that CF just can not afford. They do what they can.

Splashdown, represents Diamondbacks going through water

Rocks represent how Diamondbacks hide in the rocks

the trains are snakes

the location, snakes are prevalent in abandoned river towns

Track layout "slithering"through the woods.

Think about it people, CF may not be universal or disney but they also dont get movie props.

CP and KI have great themes on their rides and attractions.

Do you really think Mr.Kinzel makes the decision to put each and every ride in the parks? If so your more naive than I thought.

You have no argument just a biased opinion, which simply is not true

If only I had the (evidently) massive breadth of "factual" knowledge you seem to have acquired... And these gems are only from this thread! This is supposed to be about our fantastic new ride, Boo Blasters. Arguments on themeing should be handled elsewhere.

[Beast1979]

VS:

Cedar Fair's theming is minimalist at best.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

It would help if I knew what picture one was.

I have already mentioned Diamondback well intensive theme. It goes beyond just the station.

[Beast1979]

The top picture is Dueling Dragons.

Sticking to that comparison:

VS:

I still like Dueling Dragons better.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

Again it is hard to compare CF to Universal, due to the fact that Universal has more than just theme parks. That is all of CF money is from the parks, no movies. Universal is a destination, most of CF is not.

[bkroz]

Ah, but if you're under the impression that Universal Parks & Resorts draws from the same fund as Universal Pictures, you're more naive than I thought (to reiterate your quote towards me, but I mean it in the best way, buddy ). Remember that when VIACOM split, the "new" VIACOM owned Paramount Pictures, while CBS owned the Paramount Parks... Paramount was part of a completely different network than the Paramount Parks. In much the same way, Universal Parks and Resorts is a division of NBC-Universal that is self-sustained and operates in its own microcosm, separate from the studio proper. It's not as if the Paramount Parks or the Universal Parks were given unlimited funds, drawing from the same gigantic vault of money that pays superstars for their work in Hollywood blockbusters.

Universal Parks and Resorts makes its own money and spends its own money - the benefits that lie therein are its use of Universal Picture's library which, a simple scan of the parks will tell you, isn't even that utilized. Of the six Islands, only one uses a Universal movie theme (Jurassic Park) and the studios next door are overrun by Nickelodeon (not Universal), The Simpsons (not Universal) and Woody Woodpecker (not Universal).

As a further example, the two parks of the Tokyo Disneyland Resort (the second of which is considered by many to be the pinnacle of theme parks) are not owned by the Disney Company at all. They're owned by the Oriental Land Company, who pays Disney a ridiculous sum of money every year to use the names, characters, and images of the Disney library. So Disney's big bucks from films, TV, music, and other media don't really pay a single cent of Tokyo Disneyland's costs, yet DisneySea is widely considered the near-perfect example of a themed amusement park.

Do the Oriental Land Company and Universal Parks and Resorts make more money than Cedar Fair? Most likely. Could that be a reflection of the amount of money they're willing to invest? Probably.

These are the things that one must know before one makes assumptions about where these parks draw their money from. If you think movies are funded by your $8 hot dog at Islands of Adventure, you're wrong.

[RingMaster]

^^ The same could be said for parks like Silver Dollar City or Dollywood, especially Dollywood. Even though Dolly Parton is a major part of the park, their theming and attention to detail is on par with a Universal or Disney park.

Mystery Mine cost $17 million to make and has a themed queue, a storyline, special effects and whatnot.

Dollywood doesn't need to rely on movies in order to provide a unique themed experience for a coaster.