Riders save the Justice League in Great America's newest ride
Attention citizens, the Justice League of America has been taken hostage by the Joker and Lex Luthor, and are asking for your help.
Your mission - should you choose to accept it at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee - will be to free Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern and other heroes from the DC Comic Universe before a slew of bad guys led by the Joker take over Metropolis.
The new interactive "Justice League: Battle for Metropolis" ride opened for media and other invited guests Thursday at the Gurnee theme park.
And, for the most part, the "4D" ride seemed to be a hit for everyone large and small.
"I thought it was awesome," said Brittany Grzeca of Johnsburg. "The fourth D is what made it really cool. It was great watching my little one shoot things while we went around the track."
The ride uses a six-person car that slowly moves around a track. Riders follow a storyline describing the capture of the Justice League and how it's up to them to save the day.
While never eclipsing a speed of about 10 mph, the cars lurch, turn and spin to give riders the feeling of zooming through the streets of Metropolis while trying to save the superheroes. Large screens interact with the cars to give the riders the feeling of going through a virtual reality loop or a simulated barrel roll.
Each car is equipped with a video game gun, allowing players to shoot things on the screens and collect points. The visuals are in 3-D, so each rider uses a pair of 3-D glasses.
The fourth dimension is the fog, mist, fire and water riders encounter along way. Animatronic "robots" are in place to interact with guests as the vehicle rolls along the track.
"The ride is very adaptable in that everyone from young kids to seniors like myself will enjoy it," said Great America park President Hank Salemi. "We are honored to put something in the park that guests told us they wanted to see."
The ride is open to season ticket holders only Friday, then opens to the general public Saturday morning. Daily park hours are available at sixflags.com.