Oblivion: General Discussion

[s_g_k]

The cool, brushed steel late 90s theme of Oblivion is iconic and is arguably part of U.K. pop culture. I was 8 at the time it was built and I still remember the hype around the ride - it was absolutely everywhere. Teachers were talking about it in my school, my dad was talking about it because he wanted to drag me on it, and my Nan and great aunties were talking about whenever they saw the drop from our walks in dimmingsdale. It was everywhere and got everyone hyped, and I don’t think any other coaster aside from Nemesis and maybe Air has ever had such an impact.

I wouldn’t want the theme changed in any way, in fact it’s probably the one ride I’d like never to change theme wise.

When X Sector was unveiled, we still had an equal balance of bright areas. We had Festival Park, and then a year later Ug Land which I still think is the best themed area the park has ever conceived. The park is too dark theme heavy now, so I think the steampunk theme should be applied to Project Horizon and the wider David Walliams area, and call it Port Discovery which I’m led to believe the park still own the rights for.

 

[Poisson]

It just needs TLC. If that entails stripping and recladding the station, so be it. It doesn't need millions chucking at it Reborn style, on the flip side can't really be marketed.

 

[Mi-Nigle]

It just needs TLC. If that entails stripping and recladding the station, so be it. It doesn't need millions chucking at it Reborn style, on the flip side can't really be marketed.

This is why it will never be restored in that way. It's a stitch in time situation... regular maintenance would have preserved Oblivion's marvellous theme and a reimagining would be unnecessary.

 

[DiogoJ42]

What's with all the hate for the best decade? I thought the 90's were back in style these days?

 

[Connor98]

Despite going for something modern to suit the millennium they ended up with the most 90’s theme ever. I love it and the soundtrack too. Clean it up, give it the love it deserves but please don’t change the music, it’s arguably more iconic than the original Nemesis score. Restore it to its former glory with a few more bells and whistles and I’d be a very happy nerd.

 

[Slugjc]

Saying it's the 90s a little wrong to me. The theming is very millennium.

We can all agree a tidy up is needed. What it really needs is a good pressure wash. Make that orange and black glow.

Turn down the theme song. I always feel I should drop an e and head for the nearest warehouse when I hear it.

 

[QTXAdsy]

Actually, was the Oblivion theme actually stock music that's not original? Always wondered if it did have a planned original theme tune before that got replaced with the theme we got now?

But yeah, X-Sector just needs an refresh of the current theme with some tweaks to the theme here and there.

 

[danlouislucy]

Actually, was the Oblivion theme actually stock music that's not original? Always wondered if it did have a planned original theme tune before that got replaced with the theme we got now?

But yeah, X-Sector just needs an refresh of the current theme with some tweaks to the theme here and there.

a song called Stressed Out

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDP14xTEs3g

 

[DistortAMG]

a song called Stressed Out

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDP14xTEs3g

Ah, 1990's drum and bass. You listen to any drum and bass music from the late 1990's and it likewise sounds very aged. Iconic but aged.

 

[Matt N]

See, this is where I probably differ from most. I think that if the time ever came for it to have a heavy refurbishment, Oblivion could probably do with a Nemesis Reborn-style thematic glowup more than the original Nemesis needed one.

My view is that the original thematic idea behind Oblivion is still strong, but the current execution now feels quite dated and very “of its time”, and could probably do with enhancement for the modern age. The videos, while fun, look quite old now, and the theme music is a generic 90s disco track.

I’d personally hope that if the ride was ever refurbished, we’d see some of these elements plussed a bit and the ride made into more of a modern thematic experience, similar to what we saw with Nemesis.

 

[Trooper Looper]

See, this is where I probably differ from most. I think that if the time ever came for it to have a heavy refurbishment, Oblivion could probably do with a Nemesis Reborn-style thematic glowup more than the original Nemesis needed one.

My view is that the original thematic idea behind Oblivion is still strong, but the current execution now feels quite dated and very “of its time”, and could probably do with enhancement for the modern age. The videos, while fun, look quite old now, and the theme music is a generic 90s disco track.

I’d personally hope that if the ride was ever refurbished, we’d see some of these elements plussed a bit and the ride made into more of a modern thematic experience, similar to what we saw with Nemesis.

Wha....

The whole reason why Oblivion is so great thematically is because of how 90s it is... it's 90s in the best way possible (I know that's not a particularly popular opinion here), no way you'd see media or theming like Oblivions be made nowadays. Not every ride needs to be turned into the latest trend in terms of ascetics. What you said could be applied to Reborn in 15-20 years for all I know, but hey, there are fans of Reborn, people could be having a very similar conversation by then.

From all the praise people give the Pearsons rides here, I'm honestly really surprised to see many of the same people are also very vocal about wanting either their removals or modernisations.

At this rate, we'll probably won't have anything left from Pearsons (Alton Towers Golden era by many) era by 2030. All I can think of is Oblivion, Runaway Mine Train, Hex, and that's really it. I know the Rapids name is technically from Pearsons, but the ride itself and landscaping is pretty much untouched since Broomes era.

There's a difference between enhancing and modernising.

Should Oblivion be enhanced? Absolutely personally! More detail and theming in the queue under the station would be really appreciated personally, and bringing back the 'don't look down' audio or at least having something else fitting play up there would be greatly appreciated. You'd be surprised how simple stuff like that can enhance an experience. I think it's great when Theme Parks keep attractions from multiple eras, really offers more variety too.

 

[James]

I'm inclined to agree with Matt.

This is a bit of a controversial opinion, I've never liked the theme of Oblivion. The theme has aged very quickly, and not in a good way.

It's in dire need of a refurb. My only concern with Oblivion/X-Sector is that if they went down the route of keeping the existing theme and modernising, you've got The Phalanx 2.0. Blame MMM for that one. Maybe they could do enough to differentiate the separate themes, but I doubt it.

 

[Matt N]

Wha....

The whole reason why Oblivion is so great thematically is because of how 90s it is... it's 90s in the best way possible (I know that's not a particularly popular opinion here), no way you'd see media or theming like Oblivions be made nowadays. Not every ride needs to be turned into the latest trend in terms of ascetics. What you said could be applied to Reborn in 15-20 years for all I know, but hey, there are fans of Reborn, people could be having a very similar conversation by then.

From all the praise people give the Pearsons rides here, I'm honestly really surprised to see many of the same people are also very vocal about wanting either their removals or modernisations.

At this rate, we'll probably won't have anything left from Pearsons (Alton Towers Golden era by many) era by 2030. All I can think of is Oblivion, Runaway Mine Train, Hex, and that's really it. I know the Rapids name is technically from Pearsons, but the ride itself and landscaping is pretty much untouched since Broomes era.

There's a difference between enhancing and modernising.

Should Oblivion be enhanced? Absolutely personally! More detail and theming in the queue under the station would be really appreciated personally, and bringing back the 'don't look down' audio or at least having something else fitting play up there would be greatly appreciated. You'd be surprised how simple stuff like that can enhance an experience. I think it's great when Theme Parks keep attractions from multiple eras, really offers more variety too.

I’m absolutely not saying that nothing from the 90s has merit or that everything from that era needs modernisation. There is plenty of stuff from the 90s that has stayed timeless and lands as well as it ever did without feeling dated.

I’d argue that the theming of Oblivion, however, is very much of its time and does not have the same impact it may once have done.

The videos, for example, may have landed in 1998, but now, I feel that they look very clearly 90s with the disco track playing over them, the Windows Movie Maker style transitions and such. They’re also played over very dated TVs with quite poor audio quality. Each to their own, but I’d argue that the videos are now more cheesy than suspenseful as originally intended. Not that there’s anything wrong with a bit of cheese, and I think the scripts are still quite good, but those videos were originally intended to build suspense and I don’t think they do that as effectively anymore.

The soundtrack is also a generic 90s drum and bass track rather than something that adds to the suspense and builds up any kind of atmosphere. As a ride that tries to build up a suspenseful atmosphere, I don’t listen to Oblivion’s current track and think “suspenseful”.

You’re not wrong when you say that people may be saying this about Reborn in 20-30 years’ time. They may well be! But my point is that these parks are not museums or time capsules. They should move with the times and adjust the product with the times, and if what’s current now becomes dated in the decades to come, they should adjust it. I’m a big fan of Nemesis Reborn now, but if it feels dated come 2040 or 2050, they should definitely adjust it. Just because Oblivion is one of the few remaining vestiges of 90s Tussauds, I don’t think we should leave it untouched. That era was clearly very prosperous for the park, but it was not perfect and not everything from it would necessarily have stood the test of time or has stood the test of time.

The ride itself is definitely still awesome in my view, but I do think the theming could do with modernisation at this point. I’d argue that it’s more “of its time” than the original Nemesis was or than many other vestiges of the 90s Tussauds era are/were.

 

[sock]

I LOVE the 90s theme of oblivion, if it was all modern I don't think it'd fit the ride as much. And the queue videos being old adds to the charm for me! I never went to Towers until a few years ago, so I'm not saying that for nostalgia's sake (although, I was around in the 90s so there probably is some bias haha).

 

[Trooper Looper]

I LOVE the 90s theme of oblivion, if it was all modern I don't think it'd fit the ride as much. And the queue videos being old adds to the charm for me! I never went to Towers until a few years ago, so I'm not saying that for nostalgia's sake (although, I was around in the 90s so there probably is some bias haha).

Same here haha! Was too nervous to even step foot in the queue until I gathered the courage to in 2021. No regrets

In my eyes, if people want modernised classics, they've got Curse and Reborn. If people want the OGs as they were pretty much intended, they have Hex and Oblivion. Why can't they coexist? Europa Park still have stuff from the 70s, but over there they cherish their classics and appreciate them while also enjoying the newer attractions.

Speaking of such, I've noticed how more balanced Europe's ride lineup is compared to Towers, so I decided to make a pie chart to see the differences. For the rides, I've decide to split them up from when they were made and if they still mostly retain their original forms (Pre 2000), then rides built after the millennia (2000-2015) and rides 2015 and onwards.


Above we have Europa. Pretty good and balanced if you ask me. They've kept a lot of their classics there, especially from the 70s. They still introduce a lot of newer attractions too, so a fairly balanced ride lineup with a lot to offer in terms of variety, from classics to more advanced and exciting offerings. Something for everyone.

Now, let's check out Towers then, surely they wouldn't be to-

Oh... oh... not exactly balanced... there's a VERY noticeable lack in terms of attractions before 2000, especially from Pearsons period. This is why I believe in variety in terms of ride offering. Merlin are pretty well known that their investments can be quite samey, especially at Towers. The only Headliner attractions from The Golden era that are still in their original forms for the most part are Oblivion and Hex. I'd be pretty sad if we lost another Pearsons ride and the parks offering would offer less variety in terms of ascetics.

 

[Matt N]

In my eyes, if people want modernised classics, they've got Curse and Reborn. If people want the OGs, they have Hex and Oblivion. Why can't they coexist?

Fair point, but I’d argue that the average visitor may be less forgiving than enthusiasts of something that feels old and dated. Enthusiasts tend to be a bit more nostalgic, viewing older things as “retro” and “nostalgic” and viewing them more positively. But the average visitor, who doesn’t have quite as much of a vested interest in Alton Towers, a fascination with its history, and a deep connection with the park, might just see this as old and tired.

In Hex, I’d argue you’ve raised a perfect example of something of a similar age that still works and doesn’t feel at all dated. I hope that they haven’t majorly changed Hex with the refurbishment, as I feel that what was there before worked fine and still really landed in the manner that was originally intended. That is one example of where I think keeping an older ride mostly the same is fine; Hex, in my view, is/was timeless and doesn’t really need updating, as what’s there now still works. Other than maybe a remaster of the videos to have better video and audio quality if needed, I think Hex largely works/worked fine as is and has remained timeless through the years.

With Oblivion, however, I’d argue that the theming wasn’t nearly as timeless and has aged worse. The whole original aesthetic of Oblivion was intended to be modern and hip, and while I’m sure it was in 1998, this unfortunately raises the problem that any “modern” or “hip” ride encounters in that tomorrow always comes and stylistic trends always move on. As such, this has arguably left the ride’s aesthetics feeling more dated in the long run than if they had gone down a more thematic route and not gone for something “trendy”. Despite being a big fan of what they’ve done with Nemesis Reborn this season and preferring it to the original, I think the theming of the original Nemesis definitely felt less dated than Oblivion’s theming does and stood the test of time better.

Each to their own, but personally, I look at the brilliant job they’ve come down in Forbidden Valley this season, or the brilliant-looking theming of Oblivion The Black Hole, or even to a lesser degree the more thematic slant taken by The Smiler across the area, and think that I would be very happy if Oblivion was retooled to be more modern and thematic in a similar manner. Right now, I think it does look quite dated and is a bit lacking thematically.

 

[EarthlyKnight27]

Hmm, I've been thinking about a possible retheme for X-Sector which could see Smiler and Oblivion being 'rivals' in a sense. With Oblivion being the 'Lord of Darkness' trying to break people out of their forced Marmalised state from Smiler.

With the 'Lord of Darkness' himself being the body and mind, trying to regain control and break free by "Looking down" and ignoring the MOJ. Remember the tapes? When we had our favourite Dr telling the patient to "Not look down" honestly, I think if executed correctly, it could be interesting.

 

[The_bup]

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Maybe hamming up the 90’s thing even more might be to it’s benefit.

 

[QTXAdsy]

Thing is, if X-Sector had a more brighter yet still sinister look much like Oblivion Black Hole in Italy then it can work having this initially inviting theme that on the surface gives the area a lighter theme but beneath the surface when you ride Oblivion and Smiler it is far more sinister than you think which all helps luring you into a false sense of security.

Having a neon look and large LED screens plastered on the Smiler building which honestly would make a huge improvement no matter what would help with all black comedy 1984 references with maybe like that Oblivion report skit of the missing ride car or something new. Would all look impressive at night if that all happened but I'm getting ahead of myself but if done well could actually quite a unique theme.

 

[Slugjc]

The issue is the proximity of the smiler to oblivion. The style of each is, cancels the other out. You look at forbidden valley. There is a natural progression between the alien panic of nemesis to the calm oasis of Air. (I know.) It's a similar situation with Thirteen and rita. There is no progression, it's two different theming rides, crow barred together.

Alot of talk in this thread surrounding a complete re theme of oblivion. No, clean it up, make it as good as new. X-sector however. To steal an idea, change the name of the area to the ministry of joy. Tie in the idea of both being institutions where creepy, sinister experiments occur. Dress up KFC (or whatever it is now.) plus the arcade in some creepy propergander. Older version of each ride logo.

That's what I would do.