CenterCore Expo Review
This was definitely a land that I was looking forward to. There had been teases and brainstorming pitches since the game's inception for an Epcoty land somewhere in this park. CenterCore Expo fits that bill from the aesthetic design down to most of the attraction lineup. The simplicity of the design on display through the atmospheric descriptions as well as the brilliant Sketch-Up concept art provide the reader with visuals that portray the intentions of the land.
I'll also quickly address the teamwork, starting with one of the defacto leaders of this week. After coming up short but nonetheless always enthusiastic, this was
@Mickeynerd17 's best week since the Minecraft infused Week 1.
You've earned your ears, facilitating the brainstorming while also encouraging others with reminded on their parts of the project throughout. It's your first time in a role like this, but I think a Tomorrowland was up your alley and a good one to try it on.
One piece of advice moving forward, if you take a leader role (and you weren't the only leader so this is also a general statement) the mission statement/synopsis of the land shouldn't be written a few hours before the due date. While the synopsis in a way makes sense, I think it could have been more cohesive than it ended up being with the Marvel infusion mixed with more classic Epcot style attractions.
In terms of the land, I really appreciate the map from Outbound, as well as even the attraction map for InnerSpace Mountain from Hulk. Beginning with New Horizons, I can best describe it as a love letter to the original. Part of what makes designing a new Horizons attraction so difficult is that you don't want to deviate too much from what made the original successful, while at the same time you don't want it to just be the same ride. I think you tried to blend the two, overall I can tell there was a lot of thought put into this though, which to me is more important than the impressiveness of a write-up or the attraction; whether there was passion behind it can stand tall, and this definitely had that in spades.
The Iron Man attraction, on its own, I enjoy it. You were able to create potential longevity out of the attraction by removing RDJ so age doesn't play a role in it feeling dated. And the concept itself sounds like a really fun attraction. However, aside from being an 'expo' in the broad sense, this attraction really sticks out to me as not fitting with the rest. This feels like a Tomorrowland or Avengers Campus attraction rather than an Epcot attraction. That being said, perhaps this land was going for the Epcot aesthetic, but without the ties to Epcot style attractions, in which case, that's fine but I'd have to go back and wonder what the message of the land is then? It would seem odd to me that both Horizons, Living with the Land, and the Peoplemover (once planned for Epcot) get new attractions here mixed with a more fantasy Marvel expo. Going back to what I was saying though, this combined with the Convention Hall I think are very well written attractions and exhibit areas.
I can't really hide my own personal preferences but InnerSpace Mountain just seems like an attraction I'd go on over and over again. Wonderfully crafted from the detail in the images showcasing where in the attraction you are, to again the great Sketch-Up, all around very neat. Sustainability I think encapsulates the edutainment vibes of Epcot the most out of any of the attractions here. As a Living with the Land fan, I appreciate the homage to the guitar riff and the overall purpose to this attraction. It's something very unique for a Magic Kingdom park but then again most of what has happened in this park stands on its own for traditional MK parks.
The dining I thought was very well designed in terms of the Menus themselves. The names and themes though I think could have used a touch-up. A Salad Bar does make sense but the name could have been a bit more creative, and the seafood restaurant to me at least feels like it fits better in Harbortown than here? Perhaps this is a transition to Harbortown sort of like Tomorrowland Terrace? Retail as always was well thought out, VendorPort was definitely a near concept.
In the end, I think this has a lot of individual high points - all-together I think it's very good, but could have been better integrated. I think there were steps in the right direction such as Mickeynerd's request for similar music played throughout, as it is a fantastic soundtrack choice, however in general I think would have also been beneficial to not combine so many classic concepts into one Expo.
Creativity: B+
Realism: B+
Detail: A+
Presentation: A+
Teamwork: A-
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Overall: A-