Am I the only one that is unimpressed with SWGE - where is the juice?

[Lashed34]

We're arriving in Orlando (from the UK) on Dec 4th for 2 weeks and from what I've heard RotR sounds very exciting but I doubt we'll even get near it due to crowds as we're staying off-site.

But (as a Star Wars original trilogy fan) that is the only thing that appeals to me about SWGE. I really feel that Disney missed a trick here, not having Darth Vadar, Jabba and other big original trilogy characters part of the land because they are big, well known characters that have been in people's lives for along long time.

From all the videos I've seen (of both SWGE parks) it just comes across as one big merch opportunity - an expensive one at that. Selling blue & green milk for $$$ is not what I call inviting, selling droids and lightsabers for even more $$$ kinda just makes me want to avoid any of the shops there.

Yes I know Disney Parks is alot about merch, but SWGE just seems a desperate step forward.

The only ride (currently) there also doesn't appeal, not only is it just a sim but you also have to do things as part of the ride that take you away from enjoying the full experience of it.

It looks stunning, and the Millennium Falcon looks incredible, but only RotR appeals right now and as I doubt I won't get near it I'll probably give SWGE a miss this time around and just enjoy HS.

 

[MarkinNM]

...unfortunately there's a lot of false narrative or simply inaccurate information that people spread......

Shocking I know as they go on youtube and the internet or the hate groups on FB and believe all the rumors/speculations/gossip/out right lies and then come in here and state them as facts....so gullible....oh well..............

 

[Juventus]

I'm a huge star wars fan: books, comics, roleplaying, FFG boardgames, star wars galaxies mmorpg, and have been to Disney 6 years straight and am returning this March. That said, I am not overly excited for this land. I'm as excited to see this new land as any other new land that would be opening; nothing more. In my mind the first 2 movies in the franchise were terrific movies, everything since has been a money grab with no critical merit.

Or course if it was base on the OT, that would be a different story. If I could be walking the streets of mos eisley, flying a snowspeeder on hoth taking out an AT-AT, visiting Jabba's palace, etc., etc.

I'm not saying Disney blew it, it just misses the mark for me.

 

[EmJ]

On the last DIS Show Kevin made a great point. Its too Star Wars for the casual fan and Not Star Wars enough for the hardcore nerd.

I think this is an interesting statement. I can't speak to what "hardcore nerds" want in a Star Wars land, but I kind of get the first part. I am not an innate Star Wars person. I have been forced to become one by marrying into it and producing Star Wars-obsessed offspring. However, even before that, I was definitely familiar with Darth Vader, Chewie, C3PO, R2D2, Han, Luke, Leia, and Jabba even though I had never seen any SW film. They are part of our collective culture and it's pretty impossible to grow up in the US and not at least know who they are. Darth Vader's Theme and The Cantina Band are icons as well.

BB8 I think has achieved that level of cultural ubiquity, but I am not sure about many or any of the other sequel characters, so without DH and The Boy, SWGE would make no sense to me at all. However, that may change over time. My son (4) and his friends are growing up with just "Star Wars". To them, there are no sequels, prequels, or OT. It's all just one big epic.

 

[SoarinSC]

Am I the only one that is unimpressed (so far) with SWGE - where is the juice?

This thing cost $1 billion (with a "B") and covers 14 acres and does not have anywhere near the charm/wonder/fantasy/Disney of Main Street or Fantasyland or Cars Land or shoot even the Monorail for that matter (all far smaller and less expensive). I mean, so far the only ride is a big video game embedded in a movie set.

I get it, there is a tremendous fandom of 20somethings to 50somethings but I get the feeling that there is a lot of vlogging and show-the-internet-food of it all without anyone asking if this thing fits.

I haven't had a chance to see it in person, but I had this same impression from just seeing videos and livestreams of it. I'll reserve total judgement till my trip in January, but I'm not feeling all that excited. I'm actually more excited about riding the gondolas and visiting Toy Story Land. Fresh Baked, as much as they liked it, said it lacks kinetic energy like other lands. I got that sense from the videos, but I'm hoping my mind will be totally changed.

I would have been more excited if they had based it on the original trilogy, but again hopefully I'll be totally wrong about my reservations.

 

[monkyby87]

I'm a huge star wars fan: books, comics, roleplaying, FFG boardgames, star wars galaxies mmorpg, and have been to Disney 6 years straight and am returning this March. That said, I am not overly excited for this land. I'm as excited to see this new land as any other new land that would be opening; nothing more. In my mind the first 2 movies in the franchise were terrific movies, everything since has been a money grab with no critical merit.

Or course if it was base on the OT, that would be a different story. If I could be walking the streets of mos eisley, flying a snowspeeder on hoth taking out an AT-AT, visiting Jabba's palace, etc., etc.

I'm not saying Disney blew it, it just misses the mark for me.

I respect this opinion, and I think it highlights an issue with Star Wars in general for the theme parks; it's hard to represent it in a theme park as a land as opposed to just singular rides. People often compare it to the Harry Potter offerings at Universal (understandably so), but HP is much easier to reproduce. For starters, there's only a small handful of locations in the HP. The majority of time is spent in Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and Diagon Alley. All 3 of them are in almost all of the films in some respect. So it makes sense to put those locations in the parks.

With Star Wars, you don't just have a few select locations. While some are more iconic than others (Hoth, Tatooine, Endor), all of them really are only in a movie each, Tatooine being the exception. Plus, they're spread out across 3 different time periods now. It makes for more of a challenge to bring to life. Making their own planet of Batuu was the compromise they made. Obviously some like it, some don't. I think they could have done well if they reproduced Mos Eisley, since that's kind of what the area makes you think of anyways. But even that then would be ignoring some aspect of Star Wars.

 

[PrestonatorSR]

The Chairman of Parks, Experiences, and Products Bob Chapek is still there. The president of Disney parks and resorts western was Catherine Powell. She has left and according to Disney it was a mural decision in which she wanted to pursue new avenues and Disney wanted to eliminate the position.

I would venture to say most people recognize that statement as polite corporate speak to provide face-saving grace for all concerned. When you invest a couple billion in something, you expect some pretty high returns--yes, it's still very early, but it appears that this project is not delivering anywhere near (revenue) expectations. If it fails to gain better traction, this will be a huge financial blow to Disney.

 

[hedg12]

this is where SWGE steps outside of the regular theme park experience. The guests has to be an active participant to get the most out of it. Not saying that walking in and going on the ride or looking at the stores won't do, but if you really want to squeeze the "juice" you have to be willing to be involved. Talk to CM for a minute and it'll do it, pretend you are in another planet and a new, alien outpost.
And I believe this is why some people do not enjoy the land, because they are just not willing to open up to it and just wants Disney to "wow" them in the regular, theme park way. Pandora was the first land of its kind and now SWGE. We will see if they continue the trend or not

Just my own musings - I wonder what percentage of Disney's visitors really enjoy this type of interaction. My 30 yo DD loves this kind of thing - she regularly goes to the HP areas of Universal dressed in full wizard garb and often hosts HP roll playing parties at home - but her 10yo DD and my 24yo DS (and I) have no interest in pretending we're in another world, be it HP, Star Wars, or anywhere else. Not trying to say one is better than the other - they're just different ways of enjoying the experience. But it makes me wonder if Disney sees some sort of cultural shift that makes them think more and more people want to "be a part of the story", or if they're just banking on there being enough people out there now who do like it. It certainly seems to be polarizing, any way you look at it.

 

[yulilin3]

Just my own musings - I wonder what percentage of Disney's visitors really enjoy this type of interaction. My 30 yo DD loves this kind of thing - she regularly goes to the HP areas of Universal dressed in full wizard garb and often hosts HP roll playing parties at home - but her 10yo DD and my 24yo DS (and I) have no interest in pretending we're in another world, be it HP, Star Wars, or anywhere else. Not trying to say one is better than the other - they're just different ways of enjoying the experience. But it makes me wonder if Disney sees some sort of cultural shift that makes them think more and more people want to "be a part of the story", or if they're just banking on there being enough people out there now who do like it. It certainly seems to be polarizing, any way you look at it.

not sure on numbers or Disney research. This particular land, the same with WWoHP can be enjoyed without getting into the story. As most theme park goers, go in, look around, eat, shop, ride the ride and leave. It's no different than any other area be it at UO or WDW/DL
There was a panel during D23 where Scott Trowbridge and Joe Rhode were taking about immersion and the guests being part of the story, so they are focused on this form of engagement, for now. Time will tell what they continue doing

 

[monkyby87]

I would venture to say most people recognize that statement as polite corporate speak to provide face-saving grace for all concerned. When you invest a couple billion in something, you expect some pretty high returns--yes, it's still very early, but it appears that this project is not delivering anywhere near (revenue) expectations. If it fails to gain better traction, this will be a huge financial blow to Disney.

I still don't know where people are getting this idea of it not making money or their monetary expectations. I haven't seen any evidence of that, from anywhere.

 

[Rickat96]

I still don't know where people are getting this idea of it not making money or their monetary expectations. I haven't seen any evidence of that, from anywhere.

Stay tuned- Quarterly earnings report in 4 days

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Just my own musings - I wonder what percentage of Disney's visitors really enjoy this type of interaction. My 30 yo DD loves this kind of thing - she regularly goes to the HP areas of Universal dressed in full wizard garb and often hosts HP roll playing parties at home - but her 10yo DD and my 24yo DS (and I) have no interest in pretending we're in another world, be it HP, Star Wars, or anywhere else. Not trying to say one is better than the other - they're just different ways of enjoying the experience. But it makes me wonder if Disney sees some sort of cultural shift that makes them think more and more people want to "be a part of the story", or if they're just banking on there being enough people out there now who do like it. It certainly seems to be polarizing, any way you look at it.

There has been a growing popularity in nerd culture for years now from comic-cons to D&D to even live action role-play. The two big comic conventions (San Diego & New York) can't handle the amount of people buying tickets to these events (I did SDCC one time, and I had to buy 4 individual day passes because the every day passes sold out in a minute while I was refreshing my screen). Given that you see tons of Jedi at these events and the growing rp population, Disney may very well have overestimated the demand and crossover market for cosplaying nerds such as myself XD.

 

[only hope]

The only ride (currently) there also doesn't appeal, not only is it just a sim but you also have to do things as part of the ride that take you away from enjoying the full experience of it.

To me, SR is exciting because we have an active role in the experience. And not just somewhat, like Mission Space where it doesn’t matter if you hit your buttons. Unlike every single other ride except Star Tours, each ride is unique and the outcome depends on the crew. No other attraction is as variable as this one or puts you in charge of the action instead of watching the action. I don’t want to sit idl in the Falcon as someone else flies etc. It makes it a lot more fun to repeat as I try to improve my skills. I generally am not a huge fan of screen based attractions and think there are far too many, especially at Universal. This one is so well done I don’t mind at all. I can easily pretend that it is not a screen, but the view from the cockpit. It does take more than one flight to really take it in, especially if you’re a pilot. It’s not for everyone but I’m glad to have something unique. I would love for Universal to figure out a way for us to play Quidditch or do “real” spell casting.

 

[Viking7641]

.

It's weird. I seem to have a limited suspension of disbelief (part of why I think I'm awkard around meeting characters) so I personally don't feel like I'm in that different world like anyone else regarding Pandora and WWOHP. I'm too aware that these are essentially large scale sets rather than the real thing. And that's nothing against those lands/worlds. I am still in awe with what they pulled off. I think for me it's going to be the same for Batuu.

I'm going to admire the work done, but in the end, I'm not going to be like "OMG, this was my dream!" That said, I do think that Batuu offers a new level immersion I'm very much game for. It might be the variation needed to differentiate itself from the other lands. I'll still have to overcome that suspension, but years of roleplay gaming I think will help with that.

However, I was listening to the Dis yesterday and they raised a good point. I am that niche market they're catering to and they're going to have to teach castmembers to "read the room" as to who wants to play along XD.

Tbh though I find everything in the sequel trilogy the land is based on completely forgettable except for Adam Driver’s acting

 

[DGsAtBLT]

To me, SR is exciting because we have an active role in the experience. And not just somewhat, like Mission Space where it doesn’t matter if you hit your buttons. Unlike every single other ride except Star Tours, each ride is unique and the outcome depends on the crew. No other attraction is as variable as this one or puts you in charge of the action instead of watching the action. I don’t want to sit idl in the Falcon as someone else flies etc. It makes it a lot more fun to repeat as I try to improve my skills. I generally am not a huge fan of screen based attractions and think there are far too many, especially at Universal. This one is so well done I don’t mind at all. I can easily pretend that it is not a screen, but the view from the cockpit. It does take more than one flight to really take it in, especially if you’re a pilot. It’s not for everyone but I’m glad to have something unique. I would love for Universal to figure out a way for us to play Quidditch or do “real” spell casting.

As a somewhat infrequent WDW guest, I definitely prefer the idea of rides that are just as awesome if you’ve never ridden before, and aren’t impacted by other riders. Don’t love the idea of needing to be assigned a certain job to have a better experience, and that the one or two times we experience it may not be as good as they could have been.

Not everyone is going to be re-riding.

 

[Ilovem&m]

Have you been or just making a judgement off pics and video. I have not seen one person that has been there that has not been blown away. Some are not 100% in on MFSR but still enjoyed it. If the rumors of the Rise of the Resistance are true, that ride will be far and away the most technologically advanced and immersive experience in any theme park.

I just got back from Disney today and was at SW

Have you been or just making a judgement off pics and video. I have not seen one person that has been there that has not been blown away. Some are not 100% in on MFSR but still enjoyed it. If the rumors of the Rise of the Resistance are true, that ride will be far and away the most technologically advanced and immersive experience in any theme park.

I was there yesterday. Millenium Falcon was my kids (and mine) least favourite ride and SWGE was great but I wasn't close to being blown away. We didn't spend a lot of time there because for us it lacked the feel and energy you get at all the other Disney areas. The star wars firework show was impressive and awesome though!

 

[nancipants]

Tbh though I find everything in the sequel trilogy the land is based on completely forgettable except for Adam Driver’s acting

This is an odd statement when Oscar Isaac's face exists.

 

[only hope]

And BB-8! He’s the true star of the new movies. Plus, finally, a non-animated main character who is a jedi (ish) and a female!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I think because I'm an old guy, I'd be much more interested in SWGE if it featured characters and scenes from the original trilogy. Those are the movies I grew up with. I'd have loved going to Mos Eisly cantina, Endor, etc. As it is, when I do get to see it in January it will be ok I'm sure, but not the over-the-top thrill I'd be otherwise anticipating. Are teens and young adults infatuated with characters and settings from the recent trilogy?

 

[hiroMYhero]

Are teens and young adults infatuated with characters and settings from the recent trilogy?

This linked thread is no longer on the 1st page but the age range of posters appears to be quite wide - maybe even some “old guys.”

https://www.disboards.com/threads/grown-men-crying.3767386/