IAAPA 2017 Round Up - Part 2

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Time for part two of my IAAPA 2017 round up! Honestly, it hasn't been the MOST exciting of expos when it comes to huge announcements. I guess with the growth of the internet and how good we are as a community as sleuthing and snooping we unearth most of the interesting stuff before it even has a chance to go to the expo hall! Anyway, here's the rest of what I consider to be the most interesting bits of the show.

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No IAAPA would be complete without something completely WHAT THE FUCK. Have you ever fancied being a bird? Sure, who hasn't? Have you ever fancied a virtual reality bird simulator where you have to lay down and flap your wings like a twat whilst everybody watches? No, of course you haven't. The concept is all quite cool and the combination of air effects etc is quite innovative, but jesus you do just look like an absolute tit. Can't see any parks investing in one of these tbh. Maybe China?

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*Sigh* more VR. This is quite a cool concept though I guess. The Avatar Coaster VR is essentially a kind of, build your own coaster then ride is situation. There's a small customisable model which a small train minces around, and then riders strap themselves into a gyro swing which mimics the layout of the model. Pretty cool, but I feel like we've seen this done with CyberSpace Mountain at DisneyQuest 10 years or more so ago?

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I'm always interested in new dark ride concepts as I'm a huge geek when it comes to that kind of stuff, and Alterface have come up with a new concept called Erratic. This is a non-linear, trackless dark ride system that chooses your fate depending on how good or bad your car have scored. Walibi Belgium are opening one of these in 2019, and whilst I'm mega excited for one to be opening so close to home, it's a little strange to me that Walibi Belgium would choose to go with something like this when they already have Challenge of Tutankhamon which isn't a million miles away from this idea. Either way, more dark ride goodness coming to Europe soon, yay!

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Another one from the weird box, this contraption comes from a company called Mamma Mia and appears to be a cross between the classic pirate ship ride and a frog hopper. Despite clearly being marketed at a younger audience, I love when companies go out of their way to design something that has just the right balance of thrill, and whilst its design is utterly bizarre, the Cyber Worm seems to encompass that notion perfectly.

And honestly...that's kind of it as far as exciting stuff goes. Unless you're super into yet more VR stuff (and if you're anything like me I'm guessing you're not all that enthralled with it). In a way I guess it's kind of a shame that we're so good at digging and spoiling stuff for ourselves, there is a certain niceness to things being announced at an event like IAAPA. Oh well, roll on 2018 then!