Sad thing was all three of those rides were just copies of rides from Florida. What made it worse was none of the rides really used experience from their prior iterations to really improve guest experience. For numerous reasons the rides were all built with budgets smaller then their predecessors and engineered as rides the parks would prefer to operate rather then rides guests would like to see.
However it appears the attitude for this decade will be completely different. Each park is executing its own ambitious expansion plan. Even though some of these ride systems have been seen, the instillations are more guest focused and something unique to the market is being done with each one.
Manta
I'll start by describing Manta which is Sea World's new bid for 2012 dominance. This was the last of the rides to be announced and so sadly will not be seeing as much time spent on its construction as the other projects are seeing. However getting this ride installed was no small accomplishment for Sea World considering how difficult it is to install ANYTHING in San Diego.
The ride will bring a MUCH needed thrill to the San Diego park that is lacking. The ride will be a MAC coaster featuring a launch that will bring it up to speed rather rapidly. The maximum height was sadly limited by the coastal commission to a mere 30ft though the maximum drop height is 54 ft thanks to building much of the ride underground.
Manta layout
While some details may not sound too thrilling (I believe the Atlantis ride already in Seaworld San Diego has a longer drop) the coaster itself is actually set to be quite action packed. When executed it should have rather impressive projection effects in its launch sequence and dip in and out of caves keeping the ride both fun and action packed (something the dumbed down Atlantis ride lacks).
The other exciting thing about the addition of this ride is the announcement that it will include an expansion to the manta exhibit present in the park. The line will actually take guests through manta tanks giving people something to be engaged in while they wait for the ride.
Transfomers
Universals ride for 2012 will be a hybrid 3D darkride themed to Transformers. The ride system used comes from the award winning Spiderman ride which opend in Islands of Adventure last decade.
The ride seamlessly integrates real props and effects with 3D movie projections to create a new sort of immersive feel not felt in other attractions. You sit in a motion simulator base, that is connected to a vehicle, and you move between darkride scenes and 3D screens. Initial concerns were that the ride would not have the space that the Orlando Spiderman ride has but recent news seems to indicate the ride will actually be two stories and feature a elevator to solve the space issue (also some rumors that there will be some fairly impressive Transformer animatronics as opposed to relying on pure projection tech).
This ride system has never been seen on the West coast, so its good to hear that we're finally getting one. With the new improvements made in CG technology odds are good the Transformers will look much more impressive/realistic then Spiderman ever did.
Carsland
Finally the crowning achievement for 2012 will likely be Carsland which stands and one of the most ambitious stateside projects Disney's pulled off in recent history. It will be the crowning achievement of Disney's 1.2 billion dollar improvement project to California Adventure (a project that has included the World of Color show that opened last year as well as the new little Mermaid ride opening this year and several other large scale remodling projects that will reach completion in 2012).
Its almost unfair to compare this to the other projects as Disney has spent so much time on it. Outside of its Eticket Radiator Springs Racers attraction it will contain two flatrides, one of which is the rare Flying Saucers type ride no longer seen in many parks (think of bumper cars on a giant air hockey table).
Radiator Springs racers will take up something of 12 acres of land and the mountain range being designed for this area is a larger rock making project then even the work don on Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom.
The ride systems to the Racers is the same one experienced in Disney World's Test track though much more refined. The ride will be made much more interesting by an exstensive darkride segment through the town of Radiator Springs (as opposed to Test Track's rather bland car breaking tests and freezer segments). The outdoor segment will also be improved over Test Track by not only racing over real mountain terrain (Cadilac Range > bland testing ciruit) but your vehicles will race side by side with other cars.
Its actually pretty unbelievable to see all the construction going on right now, can't wait for next year! (even though this year has just barely begun...)
My recommendation is pick yourself up some CityPasses or pick your favorite :P can't really lose. Here's to this next decade being far more ambitious then the previous!
