Did you know there is all this inside Funscape in the Orient??? I didn’t and I’ve been to the Trafford Centre to shop and eat so many times.
What we thought was just a small area of arcade games next to Pizza Hut was actually the massive entertainment area inside called Namco Funscape.
As you enter you are greeted with a big selection of arcade games but as you go further in you find a whole host of entertainment including.
- 18 Lane Bowling
- Inside Dodgem cars
- Virtual Reality Mario Kart Game
Quite a few other Virtual Reality Games including VR Spaceship, pool tables, a bar showing all the Premier league football, the classic 2p machines and over 100 different arcade games.
Namco Funscape invited us along to try out some of their games. We arrived at 10.30am on a Bank Holiday Monday. First of all we headed to the bowling alley. Lianne who sorted our visit was there to greet us and explain how all the game work. She was very helpful, friendly and nothing was too much trouble.
At the bowling we got the lane at the end. There was two areas of bowling. One which seemed to have older computers with keyboards to enter your details while we were on a small section with newer digital screens to use. We asked for the barriers to be up all the time at the desk as this couldn’t be changed on the screen but only took a second to do.
As a family we always enjoying a game of bowling. The lane and pins were more of a basic game compared to others. We had fun playing and ended up getting a little competitive by the end, cheering and laughing. The fact the girls could edit the names throughout the game meant we ended on some silly names but there were even more giggles. One game for 4 of us costs £34 (April 23)
Next up we headed to the dodgems. At just £4 per car, and up to 2 people can ride in a car I thought this was good value. Kids over 135cm can ride on their own and kids between 90cm and 135cm can ride with an adult. This meant my eldest could go on her own and my 8 year old had a go me and her dad. The girls had two goes.
When it was my turn it was so much fun and probably my favourite thing we tried. The dodgems were fast! And the circuit they go round is big and allows alot of cars to go at once so your bumping into cars in all directions. The girls faces were beaming while driving around.
We have never been on a virtual reality game before so were excited to try Maria Kart GP VR. There are 4 seats so you can race on your own or up to 3 other people. Me and the girls had a go on this. There are 4 characters to choose when selecting your chair. Mario, Luigi, Princess and Mushroom are up for grabs. The member of staff was great, she helped with the headsets and adjusting the chairs for our height. Then we were ready.
Ready, Set, Go! The race was on. The headsets allowed us to talk to each other while racing and i loved the fact that you had sensors on your hands too, this meant you could pick up bananas and bombs as you drove and throw them at other cars to make them spin off the track. The marvellous Virtual Reality really did get all your senses and we were totally absorbed by the game. My 11 year old spent the whole time shouting in excitement while my 8 year old was totally quiet as concentrating so much. The only negative was that the time flew so fast that we were left wanting another go. For one game for four people to go head to head it costs £20.95.
Last up, we got 4 tokens for the VR Starship. You can choose from over fifty different rides including traveling through space, under the sea, or on the scariest rollercoasters. Me and my 11 year old chose to do an alien world where you had to shoot attacking creatures. This ride was the most interactive out of the ones I could see listed. We took a seat on the Spaceship and put on the VR headsets. The Spaceship lifts you up and moves about so really felt like you were jumping off high buildings. My 8 year old tried a fairy land adventure where she had to save the princess and then both girls went on a flight through outter space. Both of these were a visual video which immersed you in your surrounded, however there was nothing to do so I would recommend the alien one ahead of these. Each ride lasts five minutes, you need to be over 1.5m tall to take part and it’s £5 per person.
We had a great few hours inside Funscape, afterwards we went for some lunch in the Orient and then went round some shops. It’s a great activity to do with the kids to earn yourself some shopping time. Save this idea for when it’s a rainy day as everything is inside.
