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If you want to experience the next chapter in the Mass Effect saga, complete with super-high-def visuals from EA and BioWare, you'll need to head to an amusement park. The Mass Effect: New Earth "4D holographic journey" officially opened this month at California's Great America and California Coaster Kings graciously shared images from one of the first rides.
The Mass Effect: New Earth journey begins as it does for most amusement park attractions: in a line. Visitors will be able to read some plaques recounting how Commander Shepard saved Terra Nova from a hijacked asteroid back in the original game's Bring Down the Sky DLC and check out some N7 armor while they wait.
Once inside, you'll watch a brief intro video talking about how the Mass Relays will nigh-instantaneously transport you to your vacation destination on Terra Nova. The movie is interrupted by a news report about mysterious communication blackouts, but I'm sure there aren't any Reapers and you don't have anything to worry about.
The ride itself takes place in a large theater with moving seats (though they don't move enough to require restraints, apparently). A live actor Captain stands at the helm and makes small talk with the "passengers" as they sit down.
The journey begins with some very familiar Mass Effect elements projected hologram-style in front of the audience, including a system map and a helpful Virtual Intelligence avatar.
Then things go sideways and there's lots of mist and your chair is shaking and oh dear there probably are some Reapers after all. Presumably this is where those cameos with characters like Commander Shepard, Garrus, and Grunt come in.
You'll just have to try the ride yourself if you want to see the rest of the journey. Though, as California Coaster Kings notes, this looks like way too big-budget of a production to only appear at a single regional park, and its theater design would make it easy enough to replicate elsewhere - you may see more Mass Effect: New Earth locations pop up in the near future. Until then, you can watch this making-of video.
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