SeaWorld’s Kraken roller coaster will go virtual next year, becoming Florida’s first virtual-reality coaster. In addition, the park’s theatrical orca shows will transition to educational encounters in 2018, SeaWorld Entertainment said Tuesday in announcing $175 million worth of new and upgraded attractions at many of its parks.Kraken is a floorless roller coaster, built around a mythological sea creature, that opened at the Orlando park in 2000. It will be converted to a virtual-reality coaster with the addition of headsets that will cover the rider’s eyes and ears, adding music and new sights on a “deep-sea mission alongside sea creatures inspired by extinct and legendary animals of the past, including the mighty Kraken,” SeaWorld said in a release.The coaster, which tops out at 149 feet, has seven inversions and two vertical loops.Kraken tops out at 149 feet, has seven inversions and two vertical loopsA specific date wasn’t announced, but the addition of virtual reality will be another upgrade to the thrill-ride segment of the theme park, just a year after the opening of Mako, a 200-foot, shark-themed hyper coaster, the tallest and fastest in Orlando.The company announced in March that it was stopping its orca breeding program and would phase out theatrical shows starring the killer whales at its three
SeaWorld parks (the company also has two Busch Gardens parks, Discovery Cove in Orlando and several water parks). On Tuesday, SeaWorld said the first changeover will take place at its San Diego park next year, followed by Orlando, then its San Antonio park in 2019.The change comes after years of protests and pressure from the public over the company’s care and use of captive orca whales, especially in Orlando, where an orca killed its trainer in 2010.The new Orca Encounter will replace theatrical whale shows first at SeaWorld San Diego in 2017, then SeaWorld Orlando, and San Antonio in 2019.“The new Orca Encounter will be based on orca behavior in the wild: what they eat, how they hunt, how they navigate and how they communicate,” SeaWorld said. “These live documentaries will focus on orca enrichment, exercise and overall health.All three SeaWorld parks will add a music and light show called Electric Ocean in summer 2017. “The ocean comes to life with bioluminescent lighting, music and pathway entertainment, immersing guests in a glowing sea of wonder,” the company said.
Also next summer, the dolphin nursery at SeaWorld Orlando will get big windows on multiple levels through which guests can see mother and baby dolphins up close and kids will get a face-to-face perspective with baby dolphins. SeaWorld Entertainment also announced new thrill rides to open at two of its parks next year. Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster, with jet-ski-style seating, two high-acceleration launches and a track that is mostly over water, will open at SeaWorld San Antonio next summer. It was inspired by the SeaWorld TV show “Sea Rescue,” about the teams that rescue marine animals.And a new wooden roller coaster — rare in an era of more versatile steel tracks — will open at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in the spring. The “family thriller,” named InvadR, will have nine airtime hills.Another month, another selection of awesome games you can score at big discounts during NVIDIA’s latest sale. Starting today and running until June 26, you can get six new games for NVIDIA’s SHIELD family of devices—including LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, Octodad: The Dadliest Catch, The Great Wobo Escape, Ultimate Chicken Horse, and Juju—for a whopping total savings of over $50 if you add up the half-dozen games offered during the sale.
All six games, which include both Android titles on SHIELD and streamable GeForce NOW titles on SHIELD, are also excellent, family-friendly experiences perfect for your next get-together with loved ones of all ages. Here’s a look at what you can nab at a fraction of their normal price during the four-day sale. SHIELD Games on Sale on GeForce NOW The following two games are available to purchase on NVIDIA SHIELD at a discount for a limited time on GeForce NOW, which is NVIDIA’s cloud-based game streaming service (think Netflix for games). A GeForce NOW membership ($7.99 a month and free for three months) gives SHIELD owners instant access to an ever-expanding library of PC gaming heavy hitters including everything from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to Saints Row. If you buy any game on GeForce NOW, you’ll automatically get an additional key to download the game on PC for free. In a world where superheros play a gigantic role in movies, TV and games, Marvel’s Avengers is one of the most popular and captivating comic book franchises of them all.
And LEGO Marvel’s Avengers delivers on the brand’s widespread appeal with another highly entertaining puzzle platforming adventure featuring iconic scenes based on movies set in the Marvel universe including both Avengers films, Captain America, Thor: The Dark World and more. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham The Dark Knight’s crime-fighting adventures come to NVIDIA SHIELD in the third and arguably the best installment in Traveller’s Tales and Warner Bros. Interactive’s incredibly addictive sidescrolling platformer series. In LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Batman must take on the maniacal Brainiac along with the help of DC superheroes including Superman, The Flash, Atom and more superhero favorites. SHIELD Games on Sale on Google Play The following four games are available to purchase on NVIDIA SHIELD at a discount for a limited time on Google Play. Vibrant, imaginative and a great platforming adventure fit for the entire family, Juju is a SHIELD exclusive Android game that casts players as the titular Juju and his buddy Peyo who go in search of Juju’s father who’s been captured by an ancient evil spirit.
While Juju’s colorful characters and world are geared towards younger gamers, it packs an experience gamers of all ages can appreciate bolstered by Tegra enhanced animated visuals, effects and charm. In this hilariously over-the-top physics-based adventure, players are casts as an unlikely protagonist in the form of an octopus disguised a human husband and father. The game’s seemingly everyday missions would be easy if not for your unwieldy tentacles that flop, flail and generally aren’t designed for suburban life. Originally created in just a few days as a project entered into a game jam competition, Ultimate Chicken Horse has since been developed into a full-blown and frantically fabulous multiplayer experience unlike no other. As a colorful array of animals including a chicken, a horse, a racoon and more, players place objects and traps in levels and then race to the finish line in a bizarre but incredibly amusing experience on SHIELD. Featuring SHIELD specific graphical flourishes including specular highlights and 1080p visuals, The Great Wobo Escape puts players in the role of the Wobo the robot who sets out to escape a mining colony.