Disney's 'Ultimate Ride' Roller Coaster Game Released

Burbank, CA -- It's time to find out if you have what it takes to be a "Rollergod." Ultimate Ride, the first photo-realistic, real-time, 3D action roller coaster game of its kind, screams into retail stores nationwide today. The launch of Ultimate Ride marks the premier game introduced by Disney Interactive's Disney Imagineering brand.

Disney Imagineering Ultimate Ride puts the fun and excitement of roller coaster creation in the hands of dedicated coaster enthusiasts and gamers, from casual to the most experienced, ages nine and up. Players get to imagine, build, customize, test and ride the coaster design of their dreams, from jaw-dropping, mountain-sized designs to thrill-seeking fantasy rides. Unlike other resource management simulation games, Ultimate Ride comes with no worries about park management, employee payroll or trash pick up. It's just non-stop coaster action without the admission prices, parking or wait lines. The only constraint for players is their imagination.

What Does Your Ultimate Roller Coaster Look Like?

Classic wood, hanging or top-track, or modern steel? Disney Imagineering Ultimate Ride lets players pick from three types of tracks to design with and ride. Coasters are built within four unique environments: mountain, outer space, underground cavern and engineering grid. Players can also customize their roller coasters with three incredible themes. Medieval World sets the stage with fire-breathing dragons, Dwarven mines, dragons' nests and huge castles. Futuristic World features airships, pipes, heavy machinery, steam and steam engines, creating a vision of the 1800s. Outer Space delivers an environment that explores the unknown reaches of the galaxy with astronauts, space stations and exploration vehicles for human inhabitation.

In order to complete the ultimate roller coaster fantasy, Ultimate Ride provides players with plenty of props to select from, such as airships, a floating space diner and an entire solar system, enabling them to create an environment that propels their dream ride to the unimaginable. Some props are readily available to select from, while others are hidden within the game and must be unlocked with codes found in Ultimate Ride advertisements placed in select PC gaming magazines and on online game sites. In the future, new props, missions and music will be made available for download via the Ultimate Ride Web site at www.ultimateridegame.com.

Ultimate Ride also includes adrenaline-pumping music to build the same sense of anticipation and heart rush that an actual roller coaster rider would experience. And, if players have their own music in mind, they can upload preferred MP3 files in a snap. To complete the mood, players choose from three different lighting effects, dawn, mid-day and dusk.

It's Time to Build Your Roller Coaster!

Disney Imagineering Ultimate Ride lets players challenge their roller coaster design skills in two player modes, including:

Imagineering Mode: Imagineering Mode puts players to the test by presenting them with challenges based on specific criteria that their coaster must feature, from the number of loops to minimum G-Force requirements, all based on real physics. Coaster-design challenges range from the tame rides that all ages can enjoy, to intense, mega-coaster creations that would leave the most experienced coaster rider begging for mercy. Sounds easy, but players will be hard-pressed to overcome hurdles, such as giving their wooden coaster design enough gravitational pull to ride the rails smoothly. As players successfully complete each challenge, they move up the ranks in notoriety as a prized roller coaster designer. The ultimate goal: to create the fastest and most exotic coaster and become a Rollergod!

Build Mode: In Build Mode there are no rules. Players can let their imaginations soar as they create any roller coaster they want, customized with a combination of environments, backgrounds, characters and props. As long as their design is compliant with the laws of physics, players can build a coaster that no one could actually ride or complete in real life. (Build Mode gives new meaning to the phrase, "Please keep your hands inside the coaster car at all times.") At anytime during the building phase, Testing Mode lets players try out their coasters, providing clues about coaster design problems and what to do to overcome them. Build Mode is where every gamer's fantasy roller coaster ride becomes reality.

Once the building is complete, its time to grab a seat and strap in. Ultimate Ride takes players from the drawing board to the park attraction itself, letting them ride their roller coaster creations using four unique camera angles and views. Players can choose from first-person, second-person, tethered view, which simulates a camera's view as it hangs from a moving coaster car, and fly-through view, which lets players enjoy 360 degree visuals as though they are flying freely within their park environment.

Compete for the Rank of Rollergod!

Players can become a part of the dedicated coaster community by logging onto Disney Imagineering Ultimate Ride Web site at www.ultimateridegame.com. At the site, players can post their coasters via the Ultimate Ride coasterXchange, so all fans can experience roller coaster perfection at its finest and give it their own ranking. The site's message board lets gamers post questions and comments to each other, as well as the title's design team. Site visitors can also find new product information, check out interviews with the game's designers, and view coaster-building instructional videos. And for players who can't wait to share their roller coaster creations with family and friends, they can send it via email in a flash.

Additionally, starting today and running through March 31, 2002, players can compete against other roller coaster fans in the Ultimate Ride Design Challenge. Participants will vie for "Rollergod" status simply by submitting their coaster designs to the Ultimate Ride coasterXchange.

Disney Imagineering Ultimate Ride is compatible with Windows 95/98/Me PC systems and requires a Pentium II 333 MHz or faster processor, 32 MB of RAM, 64 MB of free hard disk space, a 16-bit sound card and an 8 MB video card, both DirectX 8.0-compatible. The title has a suggested retail price of $39.99.

Ultimate Ride can be purchased today in the Souvenirs section.