Disney Interactive has launched its premiere title under the Disney Imagineering brand, ULITMATE RIDE, a roller coaster design game. The photo-realistic, real-time, 3-D action roller coaster game allows gamers aged nine and up to imagine, build, customize, test and ride various coaster designs. ULTIMATE RIDE lets players pick from three types of tracks, classic wood, hanging or top-track, or modern steel to design with and ride. Coasters are built within four unique environments: mountain, outer space, underground cavern and engineering grid. Players can also customize their roller coasters with three themes: a Medieval World" of fire-breathing dragons, Dwarven mines, and castles, the "Futuristic World" featuring airships, pipes and heavy machinery and "Outer Space," where players have access to an entire solar system. Various props to create the coaster environments are included as part of the game. Some props are readily available while others are hidden within the game and must be unlocked with codes found in ULTIMATE RIDE advertisements placed in select PC gaming magazines and on online game sites. In the future, new props, missions and music will be made available for download via the ULTIMATE RIDE Website. Players can also log-on and become a part of the dedicated coaster community. At the Website, players can post their coasters via the ULTIMATE RIDE coasterXchange, so other visitors to the site can view the coaster and give it their own ranking. And in a contest running from October 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002, players can compete against other roller coaster fans in the ULTIMATE RIDE Design Challenge. Participants will vie for "Rollergod" status by submitting their coaster designs to the ULTIMATE RIDE coasterXchange. More information is available at www.ultimateridegame.com. Disney Imagineering ULTIMATE RIDE is compatible with Windows 95/98/Me PC. The title has a suggested retail price of $39.99.
