Nemesis: Sub-Terra

[Cornflakes]

Towers Nerd have just experienced Sub Terra, looking forward to their opinion!

[Stokesyboy]

So the ride’s basically the same as that at the Dungeons, pictures to follow

Well we’re out. To be honest, for me it was pretty much what I expected. It’s not the best ride in the world, but it’s not supposed to be. An average addition to the park.

[Ryan]

From what I've read/seen, it seems 'Sub-Standard'.

[Stokesyboy]

It sounds as if it's terrible!

[Mark9]

The best opinion so far has got to be "Ok just got off NST. Urm… Urm..urm.. I now like Charley and the Chocolate factory."

[Cornflakes]

The best opinion so far has got to be "Ok just got off NST. Urm… Urm..urm.. I now like Charley and the Chocolate factory."

Ouch.

[AdamY]

People seem to be disregarding the entire experience from what I can see so far, but if the ride really is that rubbish then fair enough... Personally from behind my screen it wins points for looking kinda cool outside, having cool stuff like the TV screens etc but I guess it means little if the actual ride can't hack it. It did look exciting though an hour ago with the photos of misty Forbidden Valley, but that's no thanks to NST really

[Billy the Puppet]

Ok, so I guess from the reveiws this won't beat hex if it actully makes CATCF good. Oh dear... :/But at least it's better than a climbing wall

[AdamY]

Another Twitter review: "Ah #sub_terra - so impressive right up to the ' oh that's it...' moment."

[Benin]

I get the feeling this will suffer from a "IT'S NOT WHAT I IMAGINED IT TO BE" situation, where enthusiasts built it up to be something else...I remain open to it... Although how anyone could say a 7 minute overall experience is short is beyond me...

[Ryan]

We’ve heard that Nemesis: Sub-Terra has a number of effects missing today, including “back pokers” and “leg flaps”. So maybe it’ll be a little more special when everything is fully working.

http://live.towersnerd.com/

[Mark 64]

I remain open to it... Although how anyone could say a 7 minute overall experience is short is beyond me...

From what I can gather, it seems to be the fact that the majority of the seven minutes is spent building up to the drop. And then said drop disappointing people.It is early days though, and in a way I'm glad it's not getting fantastic reviews because when I do ride it, hopefully it'll surprise me.

[UnderItAll]

Just a quick opinion/theory, I've not ridden it and don't intend on going any time soon.In the past few years we've seen a massive increase of the use of the internet and social networking sights to promote new things, maybe it got over promoted and hyped up and people just expect too much from it because of this?It'll probably be the same for other new rides/attractions from now on, over hyped, expect too much of s standard ride. Although The Swarm is quite opposite to this from what I've read it's great.Tom.

[Liam T]

Sum Sub-Terra up in one world.. Interesting.Full review coming soon

[Fred]

Sum up: Needs work doing to it.From guests, the majority who think it's utter balls have gone on thinking it's gonna be a ride and not an experience. Obviously let down, just like the many thousands who were with hex 12yrs ago. The shame.Does need working on it though, hopefully feedback will be taken on board. Then it'll be a nice little filler.

[Liam T]

From the first time I saw the plans to Nemesis: Sub-Terra I took a disliking, and when it got confirmed drop towers I took an even more disliking but I bit my tongue and carried on with the hype and today finally I got to ride it.As soon as you see Sub-Terra the words “green shed” comes into your mind but if when you’re in the queue, the queue lines videos cleverly explain the reasons for the green shed, the queue has lovely views of Nemesis & Air and the Monorail runs right through it (I was shocked on how close it was)The Ride

When you reach the end of the queue, the sounds of shouting from Phalanx Control members really add to the fear, sound of people shouting and screaming at you to move into place and get ready was truly scary, once inside you wait on black spots, each person get ordered onto one spot and wait for your lifts to come, the doors open and you enter the lift (Claustrophobics stay way away from this attraction the lifts are really tight packed)Clever lights and moving floors makes it feel like the lift is going underground, a TV on each side of the lift explains where the lift is going and once your underground the doors open and your enter into “the caves” the theming is amazing, you feel like you really are underground, you enter the ride chamber where the egg is sat in the middle, you get ordered into your seats and the bars come down.Soon after the lights flicker and the computer screens started turning off, you go into darkness and then… You drop! The sudden shock of the drop is amazing; the lights go onto a dim egg which sprays water onto you! You get quite wet, the ride lifts you back up where the egg has now be cracked open, there is a rush of panic has Phalanx control members force you into the secondary lifts, where the effects of the pre-show lifts are more violent the floor violently shakes under you and the lights go off while the nemesis monster shakes the lifts, you break free and the doors openAnd that’s it.

My ThoughtsThe length of this ride is a problem, I expected and wanted more time in the ride chamber, 65% of the rides theming is in and goes unmissed because of the time you spend in there it has the potential to be like ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter but misses it greatly, the theming is stunning, and the queue line videos are brilliant, though the outside looks hardly any theming the inside makes up for it.My RatingsTheming - 9/10 - Amazing effects of water and lights, I hope the rest of the effects get working soon!Ride - 6/10 - The drop is powerful but not long lastingOverall Experience - 7/10 - Experience is a clear highlight for the ride, the Phalanx control and effects added to the failed attempts of the other parts of the rideRating – 7.5/10 - It may not be the best dark ride to some but it will improve over time.LiamCredits to my photographer Luke_A for the images

[Luke_A]

So today we saw the opening of Nemesis: Sub-Terra at Alton Towers Resort.Now from the day that I found out what the ride was going to be (or be similar to) I haven't really been that excited. But with it being Towers nobody really knew much about what would go on inside the ride, which still left a bit of excitement in me to try out this new attraction.So hit the spoiler button to hear my views of what goes on in the ride...

The queue is really rather good, with a professional looking video about the Phalanx which plays on a loop. Not sure how long the video is but you notice something new in it every time it plays again, it's just basic talk of what the 'Phalanx' do though, and the reasons why they are at Alton Towers. There are nice bits of theming dotted around the queue line, like these vents which are signifying that something is going on underground. Camera's were on the outside of the research facility. I liked stuff like this, even parts of the queue are made to look temporary; as if the research facility is here for a temporary amount of time.After going past the bag room (I think it is a shipping container?) You go into a batching area where you have to stand on grey spots on the floor, very similar to the way Rush's system works. In here the Phalanx actors and ride staff were shouting pretty scarily at everyone, things like "WHAT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT FACE THE FRONT" "SHUT UP" were repeatedly shouted at us, they targeted a few individuals and it was actually really good at building up suspense. Now, suspense is something which Sub-Terra does well, I'll get onto that more later...So, the doors open in front of you and you board the pre-show lift. It is not a real lift. It looks like a real lift though, any member of the GP may have no idea. But carefully placed lights in the lift give the effect your moving as well as a lightly rumbling floor. The doors open after the video in the lift has finished, and you go into an area which looks quite good, themed with catacomb like walls.Now comes the main part, you turn right and enter the main chamber. In here you can see the egg in the centre, with carefully placed lighting around the chamber. There are 4 'towers' in total, the first thing you notice when you sit in your seat is that it is wet. And you board from the top of tower. Once the bars come down the lights dim and smoke comes from around the egg. You have no clue when the Tower is going to drop, but lights start flashing and down you go. The drop was... disappointing. The bottom of the chamber had rock-work in it... couldn't really see much else, and you get squirted with water 2 times in the bottom of the chamber. The towers then get lifted back up to the top chamber slowly where a large amount of strobes are going off, and the egg is smashed. The strobes don't seem to stop until all of the ride towers are back in position it seems, they then slow down as the bars are released and you get hurried into the post-show rooms.The post show is very similar to the pre-show. It's another fake lift, and it's like your escaping from the research facility. The floor jumps around a lot more than in the pre-show, the doors open and you're hurried outside round to where the bag room is.

Ratings

• Theming: 7/10 - The interior theming is absolutely brilliant, the queue line video's are nice and the overall LOOK of the attraction is just right. I like the theme of Sub-Terra very much.
• Main Section of ride: 2/10 - The drop is weak. Especially for the sheer amount of tension that gets built up beforehand, you can't help but feel let down by this part of the ride.
• Overall experience: 4/10 - Nemesis: Sub-Terra is an average addition in my opinion. It's got a mild thrill element to it in the ride although the build up before may leave you disappointed, but I don't think it's terrible, it's an "Ok" ride.

[Doc]

It seems other than the drop itself, Sub Terra is pretty good in terms of the pre show experience and overall theming.I just wish I lived nearer to Alton as it is too far away for me to go that often and I would love to try the ride out.Also I am starting to think Merlin got some sort of a deal on those shipping containers. They are Popping up all over the place, first with Saw, then the Swarm and now Sub Terra.

[thorpeparkjack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9c8OMOREe8

[HAJiME]

The reviews here seem a lot better than on Towers Times. Nice photos guys. I like the ventilation pipes coming out the ground, giving the suggestion of where you're headed.

[thorpeparkjack]

Yeh that is a nice touch. Alton have really made a great effort on the theming and story of this ride, without it that forceless ABC drop would be on par with the likes of Storm Surge.I would say its quite similar to Hex, the only difference being that Hex delivers on the actual ride experience where Sub Terra does not.

[thorpeparkjack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ty4TCLenpIJust an overview of the area, which is quite nicely themed.

[AstroDan]

My own full Review:

Nemesis Sub-Terra ReviewBilled as "Terror Underground" and "Your worst nightmare underground", Nemesis Sub-Terra is Alton Towers' first new 1.4metre attraction in 7 years - the last being Rita - Queen of Speed in 2005.The new attraction, which is hoped to signal the dawn of a new era in “experience”, is a medium investment. From the beginning, it was widely assumed that the ride system in use would a basic ABC Rides mini drop tower, which are commonly found in several dungeons attractions both in the UK and Europe (London, Edinburgh, Blackpool, Hamburg). Together with this, it was anticipated that a wide range of special effects would be used to create an intense experience using the Nemesis backstory as the plot.My expectation was as follows:A weak ride system backed up with unique and scary special effects together with pre and post shows which build strongly on the story. The image in my head was one which included an animatronic, lots of jolts and bumps and a scare-factor to rival a typical Halloween scare maze. Would there be a lot of smoke? Tentacles dangling inches in front of you? Sparks? Even flames? The experience has failed to live up to even modest expectation. I fail to accept that just because Nemesis ST is a “medium” investment, it means that everyone should be prepared for mediocrity. “What did you expect?” is not good enough. This is a multi-million pound attraction at the UK’s biggest theme park whose last new ride, Th13teen, was billed as the scariest ride ever and now needed to prove the doubters wrong.So, it starts in a queue line which is perfectly OK and features screens developing the story. It’s not totally clear or loud enough, however - and once at the batching area most people are none the wiser (myself included). The waiting area for the lifts included lots of shouting (although I wasn’t sure why the Phalanx were so angry with the guests?). At this stage, everything seemed satisfactory. Then, enter the lift. The lift fails to really simulate a descent way below the surface although I wasn’t too concerned about this.Upon exiting the lifts, you are met with a really well themed short corridor into the main chamber - although everything is so quickly paced you do not have time to take this in. A moments pause here, with some basic rumbling sounds would be pretty cool. But no - straight into the main chamber and into the seats.The ride begins cleverly - with no inclination that you are on a tower of any form. There is an egg in the middle, with screens and lights shining on to it. All looks quite cool. The show begins, but within just a few seconds - it’s dark, you are sprayed with water, a lot of noises and then you drop. The drop is less than Th13teen’s and feels very weak. It lacks any punch at all. Then you are greeted with a few small eggs and (when they worked) some strobe lights. However, there was no understanding what was really going on. Then, after about 15 seconds ( ? ) the ride car goes up and you see the original egg, broken. Strobes are going off. You are told to escape. Sorry? Why? The bars come up and you walk out into the lifts. The whole thing just seems VERY, VERY rushed.The final lift then starts going up, and with some Charlie and the Chocolate Factory style jolts and bangs, and a few effects such as panels moving a few centimetres, you leave and exit.The ride is incredibly rushed. You have no time, like on Hex, to truly engage with what is happening. The first lift is 20-30 seconds. The main show is barely 1 minute. The post show lift is barely 1 minute. Nobody understands what is happening and it is not scary.The drop is also poor compared to Th13teen. There is nothing scary enough after this point. There is nothing at the bottom but some small eggs. Where are the top quality effects? Where was the terror?This is, I hate to say it, yet another disappointing thrill-marketed attraction from Alton Towers. With Th13teen and Sub-Terra, they now have two rides with a total cost of around £20m - both of which offer a quick flash in the pan drop mechanism and neither of which have anywhere near the excitement of the parks other thrill rides.What upsets me most is that they have clearly had ideas, and have made efforts with the theming. But it fails to deliver what it is supposed to: Terror Underground.Loitering by the feedback hosts for some time, the general public opinion was poor. Certainly, amongst TowersTimes members, I have never known such negative response to a new ride at Alton Towers.As a matter of urgency, Alton need to buy a couple of thrilling flat rides which are themed and will tick the boxes. Forget buying cheap, family claptrap and dressing it up as something scary. Go back to your roots and build the new Ripsaw. Something which you know, 100%, guests will go on and get off and be “yeah - that was cool, that was thrilling”. It’s cool to try new things, and I respect what they are going for here - but there has been no new thrill ride since 2005 and this is absurd for the UK’s number one theme park.And what is with opening a new ride that is not 100%? It should be ready on opening day. Especially if it’s as special effects driven as this.Someone needs to get a grip. It’s so bloody sad.

[Liam T]

The Member Voke of TowersTimesFourm said that:

The 5 new effects will be ON TOP of the repairing of the leg ticklers, back pokers, etc. So we have got 5 completely new effects that are being aimed to be up and running for tomorrow.

Sounds like Alton are working 110% to make Sub-Terra better, ill be on the park on the 9th to see if Sub-Terra has improved, I really hope it has.

[Fred]

Well thats news to me..What I can say though, is that the leg ticklers and back pokers will finally start working from tomorrow (albeit one gondola at first).