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CPX Sports
Categories: Shopping Hobby Shops Active Life Amusement Parks Hobby Shops, Amusement Parks [Edit]
2903 Schweitzer RdJoliet, IL 60436
(815) 726-2800
- Hours:
Sat-Sun 9 am - 5 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
20 reviews for CPX Sports
20 reviews in English
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Review from Dana G.
11/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
People! You act like they made you stand in line barefoot on rusty nails, gave you a cap gun, and pulled you on a wagon through a rose garden. Stop whining and realize this is their first year, the interactive haunted house concept was a great idea, and you got to shoot at people that didn't shoot back.
Yeah there are things they have to iron out for next year but I still had an enjoyable time. Thanks to cry babies complaining about waiting in line and being treated badly by teenagers waahh, some of my friends decided not to go. They really missed out.
They sold A TON of Groupons. Of course there is going to be a line! You have to take into consideration that most people are going to go on the weekends. We went on a Thursday at 8pm and were the only ones there. The girl at the counter was friendly and I even talked with her about coming back and their group rates while we were waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. I also talked to the guy at the beginning of the line about who the zombies were. They are VOLUNTEERS. Yeah, those people you were treating poorly because you came at a busy time, weren't even getting paid to stand out there in the cold while you unloaded paintballs at their testicles.
Any other haunted house you go to is going to make you wait for a disappointing short experience. Last year I paid 3x's as much to wait in line at Statesville Haunted House for a 20 minute maze with strobe lights. I will take being guided through a haunted forest trail, loaded onto a Mad Max school bus, and getting to furiously unload a paintball gun on live targets over a typical haunted house any day.
I do believe they were truly trying and just bit off a little more than they can could chew. With a little more planning I think they can perfect it. I hope they do it again next year. -
Review from Courtney S.
Westmont, IL
11/1/2011
This has been one of the most difficult reviews I've ever had to write. I'm torn between the experience I had with the zombie paintball event and my sympathies for the staff, who were clearly overwhelmed. As a customer, however, I did not receive the service I paid for. We were promised a half-hour of paintball and received five minutes.
My friends and I waited over three and a half hours in line. The most frustrating part was that no one informed us where we would be going or how long we would be waiting. The woods were so dark we couldn't see where we were or where we'd be going: for all we knew, there were 500 customers in front of us.
Rumors circulated like prized currency among the waiting crowd, so desperate were we for any information. On the day we went, it was said that over a thousand people showed up (compared to two days prior, where they only had 150). The staff were unprepared for this influx of humanity, and thus the wait. Some customers were furious and took it out on the employees, but I didn't understand why, as some of those staffers were just teenagers and had been working for 16+ hours. They were stuck in the bitter cold just the same as we were.
There was a guy dressed a zombie who walked up and down the line of queued customers. He did an amazing job trying to sneak up behind someone, or peek his head around casually while they were poking at their phones. And he let me give him a giant hug! Gradually though, as time went on, even the zombie's enthusiasm started to wane, as he was reduced to just shuffling back and forth along the line, on auto-pilot. Hug round two was rejected.
I hadn't expected to wait this long, so I was only dressed in a t-shirt and half-sweater. That night the temperature dipped to the 30s.
The one shining moment of grace (for which I am still forever grateful) is the gentleman who took pity on my frozen ass. When I went to the concession stand and asked if they sold hoodies, he said they did, but the Pro Shop was closed. Sad but not surprised, I continued to wait in line. Then, as I was receiving my nachos and pretzels, he came back!
This saint took me through the back and opened the Pro Shop just so I could buy a hoodie.
Thank you, kind sir. You saved me. I'd give you 5 stars if I could.
The girls at the concession stand even remembered me and knew I walked away before receiving everything. They remembered my order and gave me my food! I was fully prepared to re-buy everything. Thank you, lovely ladies!
Ironically not ten minutes after I got back with my hoodie, our wait was over. Whoo, irony!
The best part of the evening? Right before our group left to go paintball, the zombie unleashed a mighty wookiee call. His Chewbacca impersonation was PERFECT! Go go zombie wookiee!
It was fun, for what it was, but I could certainly tell that we were rushed. Given the circumstances, it was understandable, but I don't feel I got my money's worth. I paid $150 (tickets for me and three friends, food, and the hoodie) for five minutes of paintball. -
Review from Nina P.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 10/26/2011
So, I've increased my rating to 3 stars due to the awesome response to my letter. I really appreciate it when a company ownes up to its mistakes and tries to correct them versus blaming the customer. CPX gets an A+ for customer service!
Letter from CPX:
I again apologize your game did not go well. I'd like to make it up to you. And, I hope you decide to give us another shot at showing you a good time. If you send me your address, I'll put 20 "Gold" passes in the mail for you. I wish I could turn back the time and erase the problems that you had. I hope the passes and paint will come in handy in the future so you guys can give us another chance.
Thanks for bringing your situation to our attention. It will help me address this with our employees and hopefully avoid problems like this from happening again.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/17/2011
Here's a letter I just wrote to CPX...let's see if they respond. If they do i will post an update.… Read more »
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Review from Steve T.
Chicago, IL
10/23/2011
Zombie-Shooting Paintball Ride
This was my WORST experience in using a Groupon! I felt like I was cheated from this company and that CPX has misrepresented itself. If I could give 0 stars I would.
This was my experience: We arrived Saturday, October 22nd at 8pm in a group of 4 people. After 1h30m drive, we arrived 1 hour after they had opened. We waited for 1 hour in the first line to get our tickets. Through the line maze, there was a sign stating the wait would be about 2 hours. I thought that was fair. We were then ushered to another line. Waited another hour and finally looked like we were going to go in.
We were divided into groups of 15 and were ushered into a room. An employee told us the rules and asked to stay with the group at all times. At this point, my group was thinking we would be entering the forest for the first part of the experience. It was exactly 2 hours of waiting, which I thought was accurate. We then followed an employee into a forest and he stopped us abruptly telling if we wanted to use the bathroom to go now. If you leave the line to use the bathroom, you are telling him that you want to go to the back of the line.
To our amazement, we line up in another line in the forest. We waited there for over another hour moving about 50 feet in that time. After being in the cold for 3 hours with barely any movement and no information on how long this line was. My friend got out of line and walked toward the front. He was gone for about 15m when he came back stating he talked to an employee and he said it would be another 3 hours from where we were in line.
From there, we decided to leave as it was already past 11pm (the place closes at 11pm). If we waited the entire time for this experience, we would have left CPX sports at 3am. 6 hours of waiting for a 45-60min experience. According to other reviews, it looks like it was only a 20min experience.
I did request a refund from Groupon as well, but based on this experience, I will never go back to this company and give them any more money.
Obviously, they have no clue how to run a business. STAY AWAY! -
Review from Andrew R.
McHenry, IL
10/8/2011
Found out about this place on groupon. They were advertising zombie paintball. I love anything that has to do with zombies especially shooting them, so I bought the groupon. I drove almost 2 hours to get to this place for the worst experience ever. They run/walk you though the woods with no gun for about 10 mins to get to a bus. The guns where tied to a railing with a rope so short that you really couldn't aim. They then drive you down a dirt road to shoot at zombies as they drive. During the ride I encountered 4 zombies. Wanting to save my ammo for the expected horde of zombies as advertised on the website I fired minimal shots only to find out that was all I was going to get to shoot at. The ride was at the most 5 mins long. I am very disappointed with my experience and I don't recommend the zombie paintball.
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Review from William K.
Aurora, IL
10/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Went with about 10 people, some were first timers. I spent about $50 for about 4 hours, and only played 2 games on the same course. They had no direction for open play players to get to any of the other courses. Asked an employee on where to go and they just said they did not know. This place is very expensive and no coordination for open players. They really take care of the parties that were there. My friends and I won't be returning.
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Review from Amelia B.
5/2/2011
$50 for an afternoon full of belly-crawling through mud and shooting white goo at friends from behind burnt-out cars and rubble? Yes please. Paintball may be my new favorite pastime.
LOGISTICS: We had a group of 10 and reserved a half-day private game. I'd highly recommend this avenue, as our ref took us around to a variety of fields. For a half-day, its $45, which includes rental and a certain amount of paintballs. You'll want/need to purchase more, however. There is open play, but it's way more fun to shoot at people you know. And some people there are HARD-CORE. Like, full military ensemble get-ups. Our group, on the other hand, consisted of 10 attorneys. Wide-skill gap there.
THE PAIN FACTOR: Being my first time, I didn't know quite what to expect. Everyone said it hurt. Hurt like hell, and left lots of marks. I would highly disagree. Maybe I am just a m-effin bad-a$$, but getting hit doesn't really hurt--at all. And I have one or two lingering marks, but that's about it. Make sure to cover your neck: I'd recommend a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. Because getting hit in the neck leaves a nasty mark that looks like...you know. Gloves and loose-fitting clothing are also good calls.
GETTING THERE: Good God, could it BE any harder to find?? DO NOT TRUST GOOGLE MAPS. Or your GPS. They recently permanently closed a road around that area that caused us to drive around in circles for an extra half-hour. Call ahead and get specific directions.
THE STAFF: The refs are all young high-school kids. Ours happened to be really chill, professional, and helpful. So don't misjudge the youth. The pro shop staff was also helpful in getting us directions to the nearest gas station. Kudos.
Overall, it was a blast. There are some negatives: namely, on a nice Saturday afternoon, there were WAY too many private groups signed up. As a result, we spent a fair amount of time waiting around for a field to open up. Given that you only have a 3-hr window with private games, it really limits your playing time. We didn't mind that much because none of us were aiming to play non-stop, but I can see how it would anger some people. I think they need to do a better job limiting the number of people they admit on a given day.
Also, if you want to keep any of your stuff secure (wallets, phones, etc), bring a lock. There are small lockers, but you need to provide your own lock. And they will search your bags for any outside food/drink/alcohol, which is kinda lame. -
Review from Caroline B.
Chicago, IL
10/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Went to their "haunted house" this evening. It was fun. First they walk you down a haunted path, then you board a bus that is attacked by zombies, which you shoot paintballs at. A fun alternative to the regular haunted house experience.
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Review from Adam P.
Machesney Park, IL
3/28/2011
I've been paintballing twice before in Byron, IL, but this was by far the most fun fun time i've had.
POSITIVES:
They have a crazy number of fields to choose from. As a private group we pretty much were able to do whatever we wanted to do as far as what fields we wanted, rules, or gametypes. They even did a "Bachelor Run" for our friend where he had 5 seconds to run before a firing squad of 19 guys lit his ass up- hilarious. I also bought the bachelor a ghillie suit to wear, but as we found out it wasn't useful at all (we only played on two wooded fields, only one of which had much cover).
Our refs were really accommodating and easy to get along with. They say your not supposed to use cameras out there, but our refs seemed to turn a blind eye to the go-pro cams we had attached to our headgear and our guns.
NEGATIVES:
We ordered some add-ons when we booked online, and they sent us to the pro shop to pick it up, but when we got there they sent us back and told us our refs were supposed to pick it up.
I couldn't believe they don't automatically supply each player with a pod-belt to carry extra balls (have to add-on for $5). We found the new goggles for $10 to be a must have because the supplied goggles were too hazy with old paint and fogged up with your breath waaaay easier than the new masks. I brought some anti-fog gel that you may consider buying before you go to play (they have some there, but its useful to have on hand at the field).
We were all anxious to play, and I think they couldve got things going a but quicker by having our CO2 tanks topped off before we arrived, and inputting our name/ addresses, etc. online rather than wasting time writing it down when we got there.
A couple of guys paid $90 for balls, even though they only had to pay $80 since they were in a private group. Keep your receipts and they'll give you a refund. One of our guys threw his away and was screwed.
We ordered 8 pizzas, which took 2 hours to get - wasn't a huge deal cuz they told us it would take that long so we just played more games before lunch.
FYI:
Our group of 20 went through 22,000 paintballs during the course of the 8-hour assault, so bring plenty of extra cash.
You can bring a jug of water and a backpack/bag of extra stuff and leave it on the picnic table that you go back to after your games on each field. Most of our players had extra stuff and weren't sure if we could bring it into the park, but you can and most people do.
Wear plenty of layers. I wore 3 pairs of old jeans, 2 long sleeve shirts, a sweatshirt, a hoodie, and a jumpsuit over everything. Only had 2 balls that actually were painful and left bruises on my legs. Also gloves are a must- I got rocked in the had 4 times and was really glad I had gloves on. Hoodie was good to cover the back of the dome. A couple of guys got hit in the back of the head and behind their ears and it hurt like a mofo. Im quite the sissy with a low pain tolerance so I wore headgear that covered my neck too. I never got shot there, but its always the spot you dont plan on that you end up getting shot at. -
Review from Kate P.
6/1/2009
As I sit before my blank computer screen contemplating how I should start this review, I suddenly hear Izzy N.'s Xtreme surfer speak pop into my head. However, since I don't want to bite on her style because she's hilarious, I will review this in my own goofy way. So, here we go...
I got shot up at Challenge Park Xtreme!
I got the Xtreme pack that included a Tippman rental gun in pretty good condition because it didn't jam up on me once, a brand new mask that I got to keep, admission, and a funky ammo pack that I didn't wear because it didn't look rad; all for the low price of $40 for the whole day. Is that tubular or what?! Then my boyfriend and I split a box of paint-balls which you have to buy there for an extra $25. The color of the day was white, which was boring, since when I got shot up, I had hoped it would be neon pink or something more fun.
We played on several courses multiple times. First we went to Armageddon, which was ok. Then we stormed Bedlam where we took over the post office and put multiple bodies on our guns without getting shot. Then we went to the mounds which was cool because it was like a real war game and that's where I got shot up at. I have the bruises to prove it too, but it was so much fun that the pain didn't even register until the next day.
To be honest, I can't wait to go back. Hopefully by then I'll have my own Tippman A-5 so then I can really do some Xtreme damage! -
Review from Jennie T.
3/16/2010
The place has some really cool paintball battle grounds. One has a town-like structure. Another is like the aftermath of Armaggedon. Another looks like warfare trenches. Very interesting!
Unfortunately, I'm not too fond of this place. Maybe we shouldn't have came here on a Sunday after it's been raining for a few days. It was very, very, very, did I say VERY? muddy... Gross. It was like stepping in poop. =/
Ok, so that isn't the fault of the place. I get it. It looked as if the town is one of the few grounds that's not muddy... Why wouldn't they let us play in there?! Yeah, that's definitely their fault.
Did I mention that our group of five was majority women?! ...Well, even the guys didn't want to get all muddied-up. Plus, we were going to a birthday dinner afterwards!
Another thing... Badlandz had a beginner's group AND they went over the rules before each play. CPX didn't do this. Definitely not beginners-friendly. CPX's openplay is open to everyone -- beginners, professional, etc... NOT COOL. Not cool at all. The people here aren't as nice. They'll shoot you multiple times even after the refs called it game. Not only that, they'll continue to shoot you even after you've been out and in the "safe zone." WTF? Not cool at all! Those balls of paint hurt like hell! I have a bruise on my middle finger to prove it.
I'd come here again for a private (read: friends-only, non-strangers) game on a sunny and dry day (it can be cold as hell for all I care, as long as I can stay rather dry and un-muddied, I'd be a happy camper). Do I ever want to play in the openplay again? Not really. Not unless someone forces me to.
Luckily for my group of five, we all bought groupons so it only cost us $24 each as opposed to $49. It also helped that with groupons, we didn't have to make reservations (despite what it says on the Groupon website-- I called and checked).
I like rules and I like separating beginners from professional players. Just sayin'. -
Review from Esteban P.
Chicago, IL
5/2/2010 5 Check-ins Here
Well, I have to agree with my friend Dean when he says "CPX is a victim of it's own success" (see his yelp review). Though I'm not ready to drop them down to 1 star yet.
I've also been a faithful CPX patron since the 90's, when CPX was only known as Challenge Park and was in a different location with less fields. At that time it was quite a charming place, and even the old CPX is still better then some of the current fields in the Chicagoland area. And CPX has THE BEST fields, hands down; which is why I've hosted a private game every year since 97.
But of course all things do come to an end. CPX being one of them. It seems that during these times of economic burden those of us who can still waste money shooting hundreds of paintballs at out of range targets, are really being let down.
CPX has continued to charge outstanding prices for admission. We payed $55 + $5 for admission to our private game. The extra $5 was because we were late ad ons. The price of admission for a private group will grant you access to the park, a private staging area, a private ref, a bag of paint, and a paintball gun and mask rental. Of course if you have your own equipment, you're still paying for the rental. Mind you general admission for park access alone is $18.
I remember when you could get all of that, plus lunch and a group photo for $45. They eventually stopped offering lunch, and then a year later they stopped offering the group photo. Of course the price increased with each cut; imagine that... also they had different rates for party members that had their own equipment.
Challenge Park has always disallowed outside paint. Back in the day they used to stamp their logo on each and every paintball! They require you to purchase their premium Marballizer paint at $90 a box (2000 count). Thought I feel Marballizer is the best paint on the market, I don't think it's right to push exclusively Marballizer paint. The rental guns are not that great, and will chop the paintballs anyways. Don't get me wrong, the Tippmann 98 and A5 are great beginner guns, but they are not properly maintained, so they will chop paintballs.
CPX was one of the first fields to offer self server air stations. This is GREAT! Only problem is that they have 7 stations running off the same compressor. If more then 2 stations are being used, you'll be lucky if you can fill your tank to 2200 psi. Right after a game, I was barely able to get 1600 psi, since all the stations were in use. And for anyone having a 4500 psi tank, your out of luck. There are no 4500 psi fill stations.
Granted, with all of it's faults, CPX is still pulling in the big crowds, which only means, longer lines, longer wait times before games, some fields can only be played once (that is you don't swap sides), of course the air station problem, and I'm pretty sure if you are having problem with your rental gun, you're pretty much screwed.
With all of the money CPX is pulling it, it would be nice if they could invest in extra compressors and start offering 4500 psi fill stations. It would also be nice if they would bring back the group photo for the private game, after all, we are paying a premium, and some parks are offering this for free now! Sure you don't get a print out, but I'd be happy to see our group photo linked on the CPX site.
CPX should also reduce the number of private parties they accept. They are severely crowded! Good for the money hungry machine, but not good to the faithful patrons.
I'll still go to CPX, but I'm moving our private party to another facility, and will stop recommending CPX. I hope they read some our reviews and that others express their discontent as well.
I'll review our replacement field after I revisit it this season. But to sum it up, it's half price of CPX, and you get the group photo, can bring your own paint for open games, or have a variety of paint in different price ranges to purchase ($45 - $80 for 2000 count), AND you can even tailgate! Try firing up the ole barbie at CPX.
In closing, it is with a heavy heart that I have to accept the fact that my favorite paintball field is now only worth 2 stars (and dropping).
Oh ya, I have to give props to the airsmith. I don't remember his name, but he's a younger kid with glasses (last I saw him he had a big ole 'fro). He really takes the time to help you out, get your gun working. -
Review from Patrick T.
Chicago, IL
10/27/2010
I'm from the city. Joliet is not a city. I wore jeans. Others wore full fatigues, battle armor, and whatever else you'd wear to a local militia get together. I was a sitting duck as soon as I entered.
I tried this place out because of good ole Groupon. First, it's a pain to get to CPX. It's a long drive, and worse because of nearby construction there's a detour that we didn't know until I googled CPX on my iphone and saw that they posted a detour on their website.
After the safety video and picking up our rented gear, it was time to attack. They randomly opened and closed fields throughout the day, so it was difficult to judge where you could play. Second, some courses just seemed too big and being a new player I got schooled. By freshmen high schoolers... and possibly 6th graders. Apparently my Halo skills haven't caught up to my age.
The outdoor course with the mounds and hills was fun, but I can't say too much about the "urban" fields. Way too big and unless you're experienced and have a straight shooting paintball gun, it's not worth it.
Eventually refs opened up the smaller fields and allowed myself and my 7 friends to do a private battle, which was a lot more fun and exciting when you can playfully shoot your friends and not strangers you don't know.
One caveat: it gets pricey. You have to buy their marbalizer paintballs, which can add up if you want to play more than a half dozen rounds. If I ever return maybe I'll try their paint grenades they sell... -
Review from Eric M.
9/9/2009
CPX Sports gets a star for each welt on my body. If that were true it would receive 40 stars.
This place is outstanding. I went here with a group of 15 other guys for my bachelor party and we all made a pact to come here year after year (if not more). I'm not sure of actual prices as I was told I wasn't paying for anything, but it seemed to be about $100 a guy. This covered gun and mask rental, 1000+ paintballs, and five hours of play. These are the private party prices so the open play may be cheaper.
Our ref, John, was great. He took us to some great fields (Mounds, Jungle of Doom, Fort Courage, and the Junkyard). He was on top of everything and made sure we got the right amount of playtime for our pay. Don't worry if you've never gone before. I hadn't and you pick it up quickly and it's great fun.
Make sure you have solid directions as a few of the guys got lost on the way and bring cash to buy water as you'll get dehydrated quick running in that hot sun. Don't be scared of getting shot either. It only hurts for a minute and the paint easily wipes off. I can't wait to head back here and seek revenge on those that shot me in the back. -
Review from Laura N.
1/10/2010
I played paintball for the first time ever yesterday and it was AWESOME. I was a bit hesitant at first because it was about ten degrees outside and I was the only female in a group of ten people (almost all have played before, and man, they play viciously!) but I quickly got over the cold and we were all running around, rolling in the snow, shooting each other, and having a great time! I love the battle scars (paintball bruises) I have. :)
I was there for a private game which included private game fees, admission, our own CPX guide, complimentary rental equipment for those requiring it (Tippmann Custom 98 Semi-Automatic Marker with Anti-Chop Technology, Proto Goggle System), All-Day CO2 & HP Air Fills, and 500 paintballs each. It cost us $55 each which wasn't bad at all! We played for about three hours before the paintballs started to run out.
The Town of Bedlam and Armageddon were closed for the season but we were able to play in Fort Courage (a game of cowboys and indians), the Wastelands (a junkyard), and a variety of other smaller fields. The mounds were probably my favorite - but it was also the last field we played in and I was much more confident about my paintballing ability at that point. Our guide was also very knowledgeable and laid-back, which helps with the paintball experience.
One negative downside to playing in the cold (aside from the temperature) is the tendency for the goggles to fog up from your breath, which obviously makes it very hard to see and play. This happened to me a lot during the day (and caused me to panic because I dislike being 'blind'... on top of being shot at!) but as the day progressed, I found out the 'right' way to breathe (down) and my goggles didn't fog up as much.
I am so glad I gave this a try and CPX sports is a great place to go for first-timers and veteran players. I can't wait to paintball again!
Note: You need to be 10 years old to play -- all players under 18 need a form signed by a guardian.Listed in: Sweating Towards Sexy.
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Review from Jennifer K.
San Francisco, CA
5/7/2006
Okay, this is only the second time I've gone paintballing, but it was just AWESOME! I don't know how else to put it. I went with about 80 other college students, so I knew it was going to be crazy. Before we could do anything, we first signed waivers and equipment lists. Then, we were handed out guns, goggles, and paintballs. Okay, when you rent out stuff from CPX, be careful about the equipment. The gun can be pretty weak and stuck, and the goggles can be scratched up so much that you can't see anything.
We went to the first course, Bedlam. It was a weird course with mesh curtain acting as "walls." It was not nearly as fun as Armaggedon. Cracked down two-story building acted as towers, strategic points to shoot other players. And rubble was everywhere in mounds, so you could crawl and creep up around enemy teams. The forests are sort of hard to play in because the entire place is sloped. So it's hard to gain an advantage in anything point. Perhaps the best course was the Wasteland, just a huge, flat terrain with junked up cars, vans, etc. It looked more like a junkyard than anything else. This was the round where it was 30 v. 30 students...and it was insane!
I really liked the refs. They were respectful in setting up the game and made sure to heed the calls of "paint check." Moreover, they were very helpful to all teams, depending on which ref you had for the entirety of the game. One of the refs merely pointed out how many enemy members were waiting, where, and which vantage point I should go to in order to shoot them down.
All in all, it was a fantastic way to spend the day. As each game progressed, I noticed that more people were becoming braver in moving up in each course. I also ended up using not one, but two, bags of ammo. So bring extra money for that too. Spending 7 hours will do that to you. -
Review from Dean D.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 5/2/2010 1 Check-in Here
Was very upset with CPX this weekend so let's go over the great points and the not so great points.
Great: fields, field variety, indoor bathroom w/ running water, friendly refs, buses that take you to distant fields.
Not-so-great: Price ($60 for private game (no discount if you have your own equipment), $90 for a case of paint, we were only able to play one round on the popular fields (were not allowed to switch sides since they were so busy), air station filled only from 2,000 psi to 2,500 psi ALL DAY, only had 3,000 psi fill stations and no 4,500 psi fill stations.
To summarize, this is a great place to waste you money if you are a first time player and want to have an expensive party, but the more cost conscious paintball player will choose different parks, such as the Badlandz, because, while they offer less perks, the price is right and they take care of their players better instead of treating them as ATMs.
You can spend $60 (entry w/ 500 balls)+$90(case of paint) here for a day of paintball or $48.75(entry w/ 500 balls)+$45(case of paint) at badlandz for a full day of private play.
I've been going to Challenge Park since the 90s and I do love the place, but CPX is a victim of it's own success. It will continue to draw crowds, but the more regular paintball player will choose to go elsewhere if they keep treating us like cash machines only.
I did have a great time there, but I wouldn't go back to CPX unless drastic changes are made.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/5/2010
I've played here for years and you get what you pay for here. They have the best fields, but also… Read more »
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Review from John M.
Cave Creek, AZ
7/25/2010
I give them 4 for the overall experience. Helpful staff, prices in line with other paintball facilities, and an over-the-top scenario experience. Little to no wait for fun. My only complaint is a lack of creativity in the games themselves. Last time I went indoor in Tempe, AZ, that company went the extra mile in making each game different and special; one shot and your done gets old after a while, especially with kids. Note to CPX: how about Capture the Flag? Medic? Restore your health? 3-team play?
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Review from Sean K.
Chicago, IL
6/6/2009
I honestly can't believe how much fun I had at this place.
I'm not a paintball person. The idea of paintball has always kind of frightened me a little. I mean, why would you WANT to get shot at?
But, I had my first paintball experience ever today at the Challenge Park, and it was such a blast. I went with a large Private group, and couldn't have had more fun.
Coolest coursess:
The town of Bedlam- it's a town! A whole little re-created town
Armageddon!- A post-apocalytpic landscape!
The Mounds! A bunch of hills- sound lame, but they were super great!
Buses that looked like they were hi-jacked from the set of the Road Warrior!
Prices not really all that bad!
Fun!
And I got shot in the throat! And it hurt! But it was cool because I was enjoying myself so much. -
Review from Aubrey G.
Chicago, IL
10/31/2009
We went paintballing today and it was an interesting experience. It was fun and painful. They have a lot of courses so it says on their website, however I feel like it's a little disorganized. We basically stayed in the same area because there was no one really guiding you or telling you were to go. You watch a 5 minute video when you get in about safety with bad music and bad clip art. The guy that worked there was cracking jokes about the video the whole time, so there was no point of us really watching it. The store was packed and like a zoo and only 2 people were behind the register working slowly so that was a wait there too. Someone then yells out open players can go to this field or that field, but when you walk in it's either the jungle or target practice or Bedland. I wish the place was a little more organized with people guiding you and telling you where to go or have some directional maps or something. It also is mostly kids working there, so maybe they don't care. With spending a whole day there and money, you want to try to see as much as you can, but we only saw three fields. If you do decide to go, I really suggest wearing a hat and a hood because after I had already raised my hand and the ref called me out and I was trying to walk off the field, someone hit me from behind on the back of the head. I know have a huge bump and it hurts like heck. They make you wear a mask or helmet thing with goggles, but the back of your head is exposed.
