Spinball Whizzer to Sonic Spinball?

[marc]

Test Track has GM all over it.

Kodak is all over HISTA and you have to sit through a long advertisment.

Spinball needed a re paint, so why not get someone else to pay for it and have a re theme at the same time. Most people hated the pinball theme anyway. Its a family ride so kids that like Sonic will love it, plus due to the age limit on 13 kids that can ride Spinball can not ride 13 so its ok so they think they are getting something new.

Tbh that whole area should be re themed to Sonic and become the family area people are asking for. Am sure people with families like Furie and Karren would be happy with it.

Would Marvel Land be the same in IoA without the Marvel deal, no.

As I said just about every company uses things like this, Merlin, Disney, Six Flags etc. Epcot is probably the main Disney park that uses this type of system.

I supose they could just let the ride sit there and rot like Dragons Fury, Vampire, Bubble works.

 

[nealbie]

Marc's right Benin - your beyond understandable hatrid of the ride is really coming to the fore here :lol:

Why pay for it when someone else can?

Why leave an old/unwanted theme when someone else can provide you with one?

Sonic combined with the Wii is HUGELY marketable - expect the games to be sold at the park now, as well as other such merchandise.

Good move Merlin I'm afraid - Silly Benin is Silly.

Oh FFS Benin - I thought you were sensible? OF COURSE they'll bill it as a new ride, you may not like it because it will make the park busier, but as a business it's GENIUS!

A new scary teen ride AND a new kids themed coaster. And that's NOT a good thing? :roll:

 

[Jools]

I don't get why people keep going on about Sonic's Speed, when the theme is Pinball, and in Sonic Spinball, it's about him spinning, not running fast.

 

[marc]

Well tbh we have not seen the theming yet but at least it will make scence now to people.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

Test Track has GM all over it.

Kodak is all over HISTA and you have to sit through a long advertisment.

Two out of every single Disney ride? And GM suits Test Track's basic theme don't it?

...plus due to the age limit on 13 kids that can ride Spinball can not ride 13 so its ok so they think they are getting something new

You mean like Saw was going to have an age limit?

Tbh that whole area should be re themed to Sonic and become the family area people are asking for. Am sure people with families like Furie and Karren would be happy with it.

They need to meld 'Adventureland' and 'Storybookland'... Just this singular retheme will not make it the family area people are asking for...

I supose they could just let the ride sit there and rot like Dragons Fury, Vampire, Bubble works.

I never said I wanted it to rot, I can agree with it needing a re-paint, but there's another ride at Alton which also desperately needs one, Oblivion needs it more than Spinball does...

Marc's right Benin - your beyond understandable hatrid of the ride is really coming to the fore here :lol:

You mean 'hatred' correct? And please, yes I don't like Spinball, but hatred is too strong a word... Maybe I'm wrong for liking well themed and thought out rides... Classic Towers... Of which Spinball and Rita are not...

Oh FFS Benin - I thought you were sensible? OF COURSE they'll bill it as a new ride, you may not like it because it will make the park busier, but as a business it's GENIUS!

Erm... I SAID they would do that... So yes, but the advertising should be SOLELY on the BIG ride... That's my point... It will detract from Thirteen...


And Spinball is a FAMILY coaster... Kids rides are generally under 1m restriction, not 1.2m...


Opinions don't seem to be for everyone atm...

 

[nealbie]

 

[marc]

As much as GM suits Test Track, Sonic suits Spinball.

But what Kodak has to do with HISTA I dont know, but you did not reply to that post. I mean that sillty advert goes on for ages.

13 by all accounts will have an age limit so as I said this re theme helps.

We are never going to agree so leave it.

 

[nealbie]

And you were saying billing it as a new ride like it's a bad thing. Yes it's rather incorrect, but it's still good business - so how can you be negative about it? :roll:

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

^Because it's my opinion...

Based on past ride branding seen at the parks I am very disappointed it's occuring under the new regime...

My negative opinion is based upon the relatively bad and poorly done ones that got done before...

As marc said, we're not going to agree on this, so let's leave it...

 

[nealbie]

Well stop bringing it up then!

 

[furie]

The way I see it.

Spinball was a rushed install, badly handled which looks trash.

Sonic Spinball will be a rushed install, badly handled which looks trash, but not quite as bad as it was previously and money is made out of it - plus Alton have two new attractions this year rather than one (and even better than what Blackpool are offering at "a new bench").

While the overall idea is a little bleurgh, net outcome for both Merlin and visitors is massively high.

It's fine to dislike it for being an easy way to make cash and bring in guests - for what it stands for - but it's definitely not a bad move for either Merlin or (the overwhelmingly vast majority of) guests.

The only solution that would have actually been favourable with regards to Spinball would be to move it and/or retheme the entire area. Both may still be on the cards, but neither would have had as great an impact - and neither would have got X-Sector rethemed/tidied up any earlier.

 

[nealbie]

The way I see it.

Spinball was a rushed install, badly handled which looks trash.

Sonic Spinball will be a rushed install, badly handled which looks trash, but not quite as bad as it was previously and money is made out of it - plus Alton have two new attractions this year rather than one (and even better than what Blackpool are offering at "a new bench").

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sRoqERb658[/youtube]

 

[Martyn B]

I don't really see what Spinball Whizzer has to do with 'The World's Fastest Hedgehog'. It's basically a spinning coaster, not really much to do with speed.

I would have thought that the main reason would be due to the catchy name. Wasn't Sonic Spinball a game back in the day?

I can see why people are unhappy. Its a ride that sticks out badly at AT, especially in its current location, and colour scheme, and with the rumours of it being relocated, I guess peeps got their hopes up. But news has now come out thats its going to have sponsering chucked all over it etc with some new vulgar paint, so naturally it would be a disapointment.

 

[furie]

Actually, that's the one thing that I don't quite get with this. Sonic Spinball is a VERY old game, and not a particularly famous or well loved Sonic game either.

But, I reckon it's not themed to that game anyway - just Sonic who Sega are pushing with the new Sega Racers and new Sonic 2-D game due out next year. It just kind of fits as Sonic Spinball as it does relate to a Sonic game and the name of the ride stays the same.

I've always found Sonic games a mix of fast and ponderously slow - but always lots of spinning. Spinning is really the more iconic part for me.

If it had been Sonic Spinball at the start, I'd have thought "that's alright I suppose, not a bad sponsorship/theme idea". I think the same now.

I don't have a problem with sponsored themes. Saw works for me as a sponsor (okay, not sponsor, but the word escapes me now). I think it's rubbish theming, but the fact it's Saw doesn't improve or detract from that - it would be rubbish either way. This is just the same, rubbish, but the sponsor makes absolutely no difference. Spinball either needs to be removed (not going to happen short term) or if it's left, not cost Alton anything to get it painted up and looking semi-decent. Let's face it, the theme was broken and dirty (what theme you ever really got from it) within six months of opening. Pinball tables don't have green grass on them - Green Hill Zone does

See, it's already better theming just by saying it's Sonic

 

[AJ]

...plus due to the age limit on 13 kids that can ride Spinball can not ride 13 so its ok so they think they are getting something new

You mean like Saw was going to have an age limit?

Like Thorpe have the balls to enforce it, especially with the audience they get compared to Altons.

Alton's supposed Age restriction would be more realisticly enforcable, due to the nature of the guests and the general morals and class of the park.

Unlike Thorpe who have to degrade their morals to oblige with scum.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

^Odds on guests kicking off about it though are still bloody high... People bitch like mad when their kid is just under the height limit, and no doubt arguement would occur of "They're only 13 next month"...

Morals and class don't come into it AJ, general public are bloody idiots and have a 'high and mighty' mode in their head when they don't get things their way...

Although this is the wrong topic for this discussion...

 

[AJ]

But i don't reckon you get as many "high and mighty get the **** out of my way im right" guests complaining abotu and age restriction at Alton as you would at at Thorpe.

[I'm sure the abuse would be less]

It just seems to me that Alton are more "propper" in how they deal with things, maybe i'm wrong. They just seem to deal with and handle things better.

 

[Ollie]

Don't forget with Thorpe the age limit was just a rumour started on Youtube comments. The park never said anything until they released saying it was only having a recommended age of 12.

With this the park have actually officially said there will be one.
Although I don't know how they will enforce it if there is.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

Dunno, some of the families you see at theme parks are just as bad as the chavs

Again we digress from the subject of this topic, so yes...

Erm... This probably won't make it any less or any more of what it currently is... As furie said it was a poorly planned out ride (as was most of the Tussauds attractions around then) and it suffers still because of it...

Tbh moving it to Cloud Cuckoo Land wouldn't be the worst idea ever... Depends on how popular the theatre shows are or the cost of uprooting it...

 

[marc]

There are age limits on rides in Japan and China so it can be done. And Ollie is right Thorpe never said there would be an age limit.

What does this have to do with Spinball though? are they putting age limits on it?

Spinball, Rita were both errors which the park know about and are trying to make the best of it.

I just had a nasty thought, I hope they do not install speakers and keep playing Sega and Sonic music.