Pap the Disney
Gamer's Highlights: Game
Central Station at Disney's
Hollywood Studios

I am more than
excited for the release of
Disney's Wreck-It Ralph.
In the past months, I have
analyzed the trailers in order
to explain the meaning behind
some of the jokes and references
in the film. That is because one
of the reasons Wreck-It Ralph
has caught so many people's
attention is that is sets out to
pay tribute to video games of
yesteryear and today in very
clever and humorous ways. One of
these is Game Central Station.
In the story of Wreck-It
Ralph, Game Central Station
works as a train station where
video game characters can leave
and enter other video games, but
only after the arcade has
closed. It reminds people of the
busy schedule of New York's
Grand Central Station, and it
also adds a level of fantasy
that Disney is known for.
Recently, both
Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope
have begun meet and greets at
Disney's Hollywood Studios. Like
they do with all their meet and
greets, Disney has created an
elaborate meet and greet area
that reflects the humor, fun,
and video game theme of the
movie. Housed in the Magic of
Disney Animation Building in the
Animation Courtyard, guests
enter the building and can
quickly spot the area, which has
been based off of Sugar Rush,
one of the games Ralph visits
during his journey. But before
we get to the 'game' we have to
go to Game Central Station
first. In real world terms, this
is where the line to meet Ralph
and Vanellope begins.

As is the case
with other attractions at Walt
Disney World, this is no mere
line. The queue has been
beautifully designed to resemble
Game Central Station. As you
make your way through the line,
you see several game portals,
one of them for Fix-It Felix Jr.
You can also see the first of
MANY gaming references you will
find. One portal leads to
Namco's Galaga. Galaga is a
space shooting game with the
objective being to survive the
levels while obtaining the
highest score possible. One cool
thing about this game portal is
that we are seeing right onto
Litwak's Arcade. In other words,
we are now video game characters
that are seeing into the other
world. But we are not getting a
clear view of the action
outside. That is because there
is a sign indicating that the
game has malfunctioned. This is
bad news for the citizens of
Galaga as this means the game
will be disconnected, leaving
them without a home or reason of
being (which is what poor Q*Bert
and his friends are experiencing
in the movie) if the game is not
repaired.
At the very end
of the line, just before you
meet Ralph and Vanellope, lies a
board. Much like at the airport
or a train station, this board
indicates the status updates of
various game stations. A cute
detail for sure, but if you are
a gamer like me, you will see
that Disney has gone above the
call of duty in order to
preserve Ralph's video game
authenticity.
Here is the
first set of updates on this
board. It indicates the
following:

Bad Anon Meeting
at Pac-Man Tonight: Bad Anon
Meetings is a counseling group
composed of video game villains
dealing with their roles as bad
guys in their respective worlds.
This is a scene that has been
shown extensively in the past,
but it is great to see it
reference once more here.
Q-Bert Out of
Order: Q-Bert is a classic
arcade game in which you play as
an orange creature with a long
nose. The objective behind the
game is to turn the pyramid's
tiles into a specific color by
jumping on them. As I have
indicated, in Wreck-It Ralph,
Q-Bert and friends are now
homeless due to an issue with
their arcade game. 'Out of
Order' references that fact
about the story.
Tapper HAPPY
HOUR!: Now this is an
eyebrow raising development.
Midway Games developed one game
concept: you play as a bartender
that must serve his patrons
drinks. They will keep coming
until they reach the end of the
bar, or the bartender misses and
a mug falls, leading to a game
over. I say this is surprising
because Midway developed two
versions of the game. The best
and well known is Root Beer
Tapper, which was distributed to
family arcades. The other
version is just Tapper. It was
sponsored by the beer company
Budweiser and the beverage is
clearly alcohol. Due to this,
the game was only seen at bars.
Disney has referenced the
ALCOHOLIC version of the game...
and they proudly promote Happy
Hour! Guess even video game
characters NEED a drink after
fatalities, defeats, and doing
the same thing over and over
again...
Punch-Out
DELAYED King Hippo Blocking
Track: Punch-Out first
originated as an arcade by
Nintendo that later became a
wildly popular NES game. You
play as a small boxer named
Little Mac, which encounters
boxers that are much bigger than
him. The fighting mechanic is
one that is very simple: block
and avoid the other fighter's
attacks, and when they are open
launch your own attacks. But
like any good game, this becomes
a challenge as characters become
unpredictable and their attacks
that much stronger. King Hippo
happens to be one of the
characters you face off against.
He is the best known character
because in order to beat him,
you must first make his shorts
fall, then go for his belly.
King Hippo was also one of
Mother Brain's henchmen in the
old cartoon Captain N: The Game
Master.
Now onto update
#2...

Frogger NOW
BOARDING Please Mind the
Platform: Frogger is a game
in which you play as a little
frog that just wants to get to
the other side. However, what
separates him from his home is a
very busy highway and uneven
platforms. Frogger himself makes
a cameo in the movie. The
'Please Mind the Platform'
comment references the fact that
in the game, some platforms are
prone to sinking in the water,
or move out of the way.
Paper Boy
REROUTED TO THE HARD WAY: In
Paperboy, you play as a young
paperboy trying to deliver
papers to the neighborhood. This
quickly becomes a challenge for
him as not only does he have to
deliver the paper to the RIGHT
household, he must avoid many
obstacles like trash and
pedestrians. 'Rerouted to the
hard way' references that you
can choose between the hard path
and the easy path in the game.
Star Wars Arcade
ON TIME May the Force Be With
You: Star Wars needs no
introduction. The popularity of
the film franchise spawned many,
many video game adaptations on
various consoles, including the
arcade. What confuses me a bit,
though, is that it isn't clear
which arcade game it is
referencing. In 1993 there was
3D arcade game developed by
Sega, and in the 70s there were
several classic arcade games.
Either way, the mention is very
cool. In addition, Disney's
Hollywood Studios is home to
both Star Tours and Star Wars
Weekend so it is cool of them to
reference that fact about the
park.
The board
changes and we get the
following...

Sugar Rush At
Platform: We are heading
right into the game where Ralph
and Vanellope are waiting to
meet you!
Dig Dug
CLOSED Tunnel Cave In:
Dig Dug, developed by Namco,
stars a futuristic miner who
sets out to destroy the enemies
that lie underground. You do
this by using a drill that also
serves as an air pump. Enemies
are defeated by blowing them up.
Because the game takes place
underground, the chances of cave
ins are very high, hence why
Game Central Station has closed
the game off.
Castlevania JUST
DEPARTED Back in a Snap:
Castlevania is a game series
developed by Konami in which
players take on the role of a
vampire slayer named Simon
Belmont. In the first game in
the series, Simon does battle
against many classic monsters,
such as Death, werewolves and
Dracula himself. He does this by
using his family weapon, the
whip, hence the 'Back in a Snap'
quip on the board.
Pitfall CLOSED
Due to Opening and Closing Sink
Hole: Pitfall is a home
console game developed by
Activision for the Atari in
which you play as adventurer
Pitfall Harry. As his name
indicates, one of the many
challenges he faces are pitfalls
that open and close.
Because this is
a very busy station, the board
quickly updates with more
boarding information...

Madden 2014:Madden
is a football simulator series
in which sports commentator John
Madden headlines as commentator.
The series, developed by EA, is
one of the most popular sports
video game franchise of all
time. There is always a new
version of the game released
each year both to the amusement
of fans and annoyance of various
gamers. Even though this year's
edition is Madden 2013, the
board is mocking the fact that a
2014 will soon be released at
this time next year.
Robotron NOW
BOARDING: Robotron is a
shooting game in which you
rescue humans from a never
ending wave of rogue robots. It
seems there are no issues with
the game if boarding is
occurring as normal.
Skykid: ON
ROUTE: Skykid is a
sidescrolling shooter where you
control an airplane. This is one
of the most obscure references
so far in the board. It was also
the first game Namco arcade by
themselves. Prior to this, their
games were released through
another company.
Space Paranoids
OFF THE GRID: Ladies and
gentlemen, we have our first
reference to Tron, Space
Paranoids! If you remember the
story of Tron, Space Paranoids
was the game Flynn was working
on before he got zapped into the
digital world. You control a
tank and try to destroy the
other player's tank. 'Off the
Grid' references that the
digital world is known as the
grid.
Donkey Kong Jr.
ON TIME: Donkey Kong Jr. is
the sequel to Nintendo's mega
classic Donkey Kong. In this
version, Donkey Kong's son, DK
Jr, tries to save him from the
wrath of Mario (that's right,
Mario is an antagonist here!).
Donkey Kong Jr is actually
partially an inspiration to
Fix-It Felix Jr. Not only is the
Felix-Ralph relationship similar
to that of Mario and Donkey
Kong, the fact that their game
is called Fix-Fit Felix Jr
indicates that there may be a
predecessor to the game, and
that Fix-It Felix Jr may
actually be the son of the
original Fix-It Felix!
Mega Man 2 ON
TIME: The very first
reference to a Capcom game, Mega
Man 2 is an action platformer in
which players step onto the
metal boots of Mega Man, a robot
boy whose mission is to stop Dr.
Wily's evil robots. While there
are ten entries in the series
and even more under the Mega Man
X series, Mega Man 2 is still
seen to this day as the most
definitive entry in the series
and the most revolutionary.
During an early version of the
Bad Anon Meeting, Dr. Wily was
set to make an appearance as one
of the bad guys in dire need of
counseling. His appearance,
though, was scrapped.
There are
hundreds of games that are ready
to travel, so the board changes
into the following:

Uncharted 2
TRAIN DERAILED: Uncharted is
a game series developed by
Naughty Dog and published by
Sony. Exclusively for the
PlayStation 3, the Uncharted
series is one of the most
revered in this generation of
gaming. Starring Nathan Drake,
Uncharted takes player around
the world in an adventure with
very huge action pieces and a
captivating story. 'Train
Derailed' references the runaway
train level in the second game.
Its hero Nathan Drake will be a
playable character in the Super
Smash Bros like game,
PlayStation All-Stars Battle
Royale. And speaking of Super
Smash Bros...
Super Smash Bros
ON TIME: First released in
1999, Super Smash Bros is a
Nintendo fan's dream come true
as it pits many Nintendo
characters against each other in
a creative way. The likes of
Mario, Link, Pikachu and more
have made this fan fest one of
the best of all time. There are
three games in the series, with
a fourth set to be developed by
Namco and be released for the
Wii U and 3DS. Ralph's Bad Anon
buddy Bowser is a playable
character in parts 2 and 3.
Guitar Hero AT
PLATFORM-NO WAIT!: Guitar
Hero first debuted in 2005 as
the next evolution of the
music/rhythm genre. Using an
elaborate guitar controller,
players must hit the notes by
hitting the corresponding
buttons on the controller. Its
popularity lead to five main
games and several spin-offs like
Aerosmith (which happen to have
their own rollercoaster at
Disney's Hollywood Studios). The
arcade version of Guitar Hero is
extensively featured on Disney's
many resort arcades.
Crazy Taxi AHEAD
OF SCHEDULE: Crazy Taxi is
an arcade game, later a
Dreamcast game, in which you
play as one of four cab drivers.
The difference is that these
drivers will go to ANY lengths
to get their clients to their
destination. The super fast
gameplay and rocking music made
it a cult classic of the late
90s. 'Ahead of Schedule'
indicates that the characters
drive so, so, SO fast that they
got there way before their
expected arrival time.
Space Invaders
Out of Order: In the game,
players control a tank fighting
off a wave of alien invaders.
You move left and right while
trying to eliminate all the
aliens before they land, making
you lose the game. It seems
Litwak needs to fix this arcade
cabinet.
Don't blink as
you'll miss the next set of
station updates...

Super Mario
Bros. TUNNEL CLOGGED!: Super
Mario Bros. Is yet another game
that needs no introduction
whatsoever. The 2D sidescrolling
adventure game introduced to the
world Mario's curious world as
inspired by Alice in Wonderland.
The game along with the NES
seemingly saved the video game
industry after it experienced a
bad crash in the 80s. 'TUNNEL
CLOGGED' references the fact
that Mario and Luigi are
plumbers and need to unclog the
tunnel.
Speaking of
which, many gamers have wondered
where are Mario and Luigi in the
film if they got the rights to
use Bowser. According to
director Rich Moore, they
approached Nintendo to get the
rights to the characters.
Nintendo unfortunately declined
the opportunity, leaving Bowser
as being the only Nintendo
character in the movie. Bowser
and this queue reference may be
the only instances of Nintendo
in Wreck-It Ralph.
Dance Dance
Revolution ON TIME ' PERFECT!:
Dance Dance Revolution is a game
series by Konami in which
players step on arrows to the
beat of the music. It, along
with Guitar Hero, has become a
staple of modern arcade gaming
thanks to how players can put on
a show. A DDR dancer can be seen
in the movie. 'ONTIME '
PERFECT!' mentions how one of
the rankings is 'perfect.'
Zoo Keeper
DELAYED: ANIMAL ESCAPE: One
of the most popular genres of
computer gaming is the
simulator. Many simulators were
released throughout the decades,
Zoo Keeper being one of them. As
the title implies, you play as a
zoo keeper trying to keep
animals happy and make the zoo
one of the best and most
attended. It seems the
characters did not take care of
the animals, though, if the
boarding has been delayed.
Guess what?
There are EVEN MORE station
updates!

Street Fighter
II NOW BOARDING: Street
Fighter II, developed by Capcom,
is a fighting game that would
become one of the most
definitive of the genre. It's
huge popularity in the 90s
inspired hundreds of clones, and
it itself received several
updates, many of them ending
with the word 'Turbo.' There are
four main entries in the series
and several spin-off and
crossover series. Street Fighter
will be receiving a ton of
exposure in the movie as Zangief
and M. Bison are part of the Bad
Anon Group. Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li
have also been spotted making
cameos.
Mortal Kombat II
DELAY: Fatality: Mortal
Kombat II is the second game in
the series. Created by Midway,
it was released when Street
Fighter II was gaining momentum
in arcades around the world. It
had three distinctive traits:
the fighting mechanics were so
simple anyone could master the
game, the characters were
actually digitized actors, and
the most important of all, it
had finishing moves called
fatalities. Mortal Kombat was a
super bloody and violent affair
that let players finish their
opponents in the most offensive
way possible. The sequel, being
referenced here, is considering
the best in the series. It was
so violent that it even inspired
the current game rating system
and parents felt the games were
being sold to young players. Its
inclusion in the Disney film is
interesting. Heart-ripped Kano
is featuring in the Bad Anon
meeting. As for Game Central
Station, it seems that one of
the kombatants (misspelling
intended) got angry and
performed a fatality on the
other guy, hence the delay...
Also, this might
be the only time in which Street
Fighter and Mortal Kombat share
the same universe, so this is
the closest we will ever get to
a full crossover of the two
series.
Halo
DELAYED-Flood: Halo, now
considered to be a classic of
the first person shooter genre,
was a launch title for
Microsoft's new gaming system,
the Xbox, in 2001. The enigmatic
character of Master Chief, the
intriguing story and the
spectacular gameplay made it one
of the most popular games of the
system. Hero's Duty, a game
featured within Wreck-It Ralph,
owes its inspiration to Halo as
an evolution of gaming. The Cybugs, which are the threat to
both Hero's Duty and the game
world, were inspired by the
Flood, enemies that invade the
Halo world, hence why in Game
Central Station, Halo's delay
was caused by them.
Asteroid Under
Repairs: A game of the late
70s, Asteroid has players
controlling a small ship
destroying big asteroids. This
is yet another game Litwak needs
to look into...
Contra REROUTED
Go up up dwn dwn lft rt lft rt
station AB: Contra is both
an action arcade and NES games
by Konami known for being one of
the hardest of all time. Even
with its difficulty, the
polished controls and addicting
gameplay made it one of the
icons of the golden era of
gaming. But what is this about
up down on the board? Well,
someone at Disney is a clever
gamer as this is the world
famous Konami code! On the title
screen of Contra, press up down
up down left right left right A
and B. You will get 30 extra
lives! You can also enter this
code on other Konami titles.
This simple code is now a famous
thing in gaming. Since then,
many games would hide great
treasures and cheats behind a
series of control inputs. Well
played, Disney!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND we come to
the last set of updates from
Game Central Station!

Sonic the
Hedgehog 2 CANCELLED ' Rings on
Track: You hear the word
'sonic' and you might thing of
two things: a fast food chain or
a blue hedgehog with red shoes.
Sonic the Hedgehog became Sega's
mascot in the 90s when his first
game defined the then new Sega
Genesis. Much like with Mega Man
2, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is seen
as the best game in the entire
series. It introduced his
sidekick, flying fox Tails, has
the best music and the gameplay
is very polished. Wreck-It
Ralph pays homage to the
blue blur in many ways. Dr.
Eggman, Sonic's nemesis, is a
Bad Anon regular, Sonic appears
everywhere in the world of
Wreck-It Ralph and now, Game
Central Station is having issues
with his rings. In the games,
Sonic's health are the golden
rings he collects. If he gets
hit by an enemy, all his rings
fall off him.
Centipede
DELAYED Don't be bugged!!!:
The arcade game Centipede is all
about the childhood dream of
crushing and destroying various
bugs, but in the actual game,
the bugs are very dangerous and
larger than life! But even video
game characters can lose it at
Game Central Station, hence why
the train has been delayed...
Discs of Tron ON
TIME ' FLYNN LIVES!: And we
come to the very last shout out
to a classic game, and it's
appropriate that we end on
another reference to Tron. Discs
of Tron is a game in which
players toss discs at each other
in order to defeat one another.
In the film, this was a critical
game of survival as one wrong
move equals death. Finally,
'Flynn Lives!' was one of the
tag lines when Tron: Legacy was
released in 2010.
And that, my
friends, are the shout outs in
the queue line for Wreck-It
Ralph and Vanellope. It should
be noted that not all of them
originated in the arcade, so
their mention is somewhat odd.
However, Wreck-It Ralph is a
celebration of gaming, both past
and present, at the arcade or at
home. It shows that the
production team behind the film
did more than just reference
games: they truly love video
games and believe in their
legacy. Disney seems to have
come aboard for the ride and
have openly embraced the history
of video games. So if you are at
Disney's Hollywood Studios, go
on and visit Ralph and Vanellope
and enjoy some very sweet video
game nostalgia.
Pictures
courtesy of Brent Dodge. To read
more about the meet and greet,
read the latest update on From
Screen to Theme!