California Great America recently announced that you'll be able to visit and enjoy the Mass Effect attraction at their theme park starting May 18th. The ride opens just in time for the summer and will grant visitors a 4D entertainment experience.
Engadget is reporting that the attraction will feature a live performer with a “3D presentation” and “4D effects”. Engadget reports that this particular Mass Effect attraction was announced as far back as September of 2015. They don't mention what the attraction will contain specifically, or if any familiar faces from the original trilogy will make an appearance, but I'm pretty sure that the themes, vehicles, planets and some of the alien races that the series is known for will show up during the attraction.
EA and Great America have collaborated together in bringing Mass Effect from computer screens (comic books and novels) to a theme park, which seems to be a trend lately with other companies like Ubisoft and Nintendo getting in on the theme park agenda as well.
The new attraction at California Great America arrives as part of Electronic Arts' efforts to revitalize the brand ahead of their 2017 line-up, which is when Mass Effect: Andromeda will launch. If the game does well enough it could open a doorway for a whole new trilogy of games.
We don't know much about Mass Effect: Andromeda but we can definitely expect to see the first bits of gameplay at the EA Play event that happens around the same time as E3 this year. While the game is set to launch before EA's fourth quarter ends (likely putting the release around the time of March, which is when Mass Effect 3 launched), they'll need to build up a lot of hype for the game.
E3 is the perfect launch pad to help generate a lot of interest in the title, which is something that the brand desperately needs after a lot of the news surrounding Andromeda seems to be about who is departing the project or which staff is no longer working on the game. It definitely doesn't inspire confidence or a willingness within the community to whip out their wallets for the pre-orders when the most recognized thing about the game so far is who isn't working on it anymore.
One thing we do know for sure is that the story will take on a vastly different tone from the previous games in the Mass Effect series. Instead of players trying to absolve conflict and work as an intergalactic peacekeeper, instead players will be part of a struggling remnant of the human race looking to find a new planet to call their own following the catastrophic events that took place in Mass Effect 3.
The game will center around humans attempting to colonize an alien planet... working as aggressors this time around in an attempt to settle. The story is ripe for all sorts of potential plotlines and story elements set within the Mass Effect universe.
Gamers who can't wait until June to find out more about Mass Effect: Andromeda will be able to at least have some fun at the Great America theme park with the Mass Effect ride starting this May.
