I wanted to quote SO many of
@CGM words it's ridiculous.
He is right, there was NOTHING like Nemesis and Oblivion, you cannot even begin to imagine (YOU WEREN'T THERE MAN) the impact these rides had on you the first time you saw them!
It was real
- I HAVE TO GO ON THAT? Stuff.
I admit, it's hard for rides to do that as easily as the tech was new as well, but the landscape, the atmosphere, everything about it broke new ground. Didn't just break it, it OBLITERATED it.
That's why I think The Smiler is great fun as a ride, and is really quite clever in many ways, and with the same care and attention to detail they MAY have had another Nemesis/Oblivion on their hands - but they haven't. That is by any stretch the closest they've come. I like The Swarm but it doesn't touch it, not even close.
Even air, at the time was utterly awe inspiring, yes the tunnel lol - but that thing had real trouble, the tech back then with B&M particularly was just like - what the heck are they gonna follow this with?! (Of course, I had no idea they were all made by the same people at the time, I just like rides, knew naff all about them).
You think when that first came out anyone paid any attention to the tunnel walls? Very few if any. You were more interested in why you were actually facing the floor.
B&M have gone stale, themes in the UK have gone stale, those few years were the real "Golden Generation" of rides. Of course things move in cycles, maybe Merlin will pull their head out of their ass and start trends rather than cookie cutter marketing based crap decisions they're making now. And yes, they are.
As CGM pointed out, and I have as well prior, to know what DARK is you need LIGHT. It's called contrast, every artist worth their salt knows that, without contrast there is no perception, and with no perception, their is no art.
How do you know you are sad? Happy? That it is warm? That it is cold? That it's night or day? You know because you experience the opposite, Merlin don't get it. Dark forest is the most depressing area in any park I've ever visited, and not in a good way. It's just energy draining.
Maybe they hoped to get everyone so down they'd used "Retail therapy" to feel happier, I wouldn't put it past them hah!
But THORPE, it moves farther from contrast, the place was perky, had a bit of spunk and character about it, and even over the last few years I've watched it slowly be ruined. Happy little areas replaced by theme-less second hand non-sensical rides like Storm Surge!
And now we have another example. Most successful and lauded dark rides I seem to read about? HP, Spiderman, Arthur, Revenge of the Mummy etc - thrilling? They seem so, but DARK and DINGY? No.
They've forgotten something about adults.
They go to theme parks to feel like kids again.
