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Ultra Zone Laser Tag
Rating Details »
Categories: Amusement Parks, Party & Event Planning [Edit]
3447 Carlin Springs RoadFalls Church, VA 22041
(703) 578-6000
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Ultra Zone Laser Tag
My friend Paul (frequently noted in my reviews due to his strong opinions) suggested this place on a Friday night. Let's start out by disclosing that Paul and I are thirty-somethings and our neighbor who went with us is a forty-something. We were out of our element by between one and two DECADES compared to the rest of the, ahem, patrons at Ultrazone. That's ok, you gotta have something fun to do when you're in high school and not old enough to drive, right?
We had a good time. Clearly we were bested by the high schoolers in laser tag (ahhh, youth), but we still had fun. It was moderately crowded and I could see how a really big crowd could make this place not fun in a hurry. The video games and air-hockey distracted us between rounds. And the $15 unlimited deal after 9PM is worth it. Just know what you're getting into: pre-pubescent kids having fun on a Friday night. If you can deal with that, you'll have fun too.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
Friday Night "fun": Part 1:
All you can play for five hours for 14.95 seems like an awesome deal. Until you arrive at 9 on a friday night. It was a personal nightmare. Screaming teenagers, people that reeked of pot, an air hockey table that never produced a puck and staff that was so overwhelmed they couldn't bring us one. We never even made it to the check in station because the place was a zoo. So we opted to leave this nightmarish place and try our hand at bowling.
I will say that it looked like this place had some potential to be a great place to play laser tag as it seemed way more organized and high tech then my previous laser tag experience.
However i spend my week with screaming teenagers, on weekend i need a break from it!
People thought this was:
- Useful (4)
- Funny (6)
- Cool (5)
It might have been worth staying if we had gotten to re-create the laser tag photo but with the dozens and dozens of high schoolers pouring in, we high-tailed it elsewhere.
If you want to take advantage of the $13.95 unlimited play on weekends, you're better off going to their sister location out in Sterling. Sure, it's a lot farther away, but it is wayy less crowded and you'll actually get to play!
People thought this was:
- Useful (4)
- Funny (3)
- Cool (4)
Since I didn't actually get to play laser tag Ill get this place a 3.
A group of us yelpers went for a little UYE. (Jeff W. Michelle P. Alicia G & C, Jacklyn S. Cadence R, Ben M, Chris ? and David W)
We showed up at 9 PM for their all you can play for 14.95 deal. EPIC FAIL. Apparently you needed to be here at 6am in order to get in a game between the masses of high schoolers. There was literally little room to breath or move in the lobby.
Speaking of which, this was my personal hell on a Friday night. High schoolers everywhere. If you don't like malls on a Friday night, you won't like this place. Go during the week....or maybe a Sunday afternoon. Then the only high schoolers you will have to deal with that those "pro-laser tag" geeks. Their normal 3 game deal seemed like a way better deal than the unlimited Fri/Sat night deal---as you would maybe only get to play one game on said "Unlimitedness". High Schoolers are suckers.
Oh...they did have air hockey and DDR and some good dueling going on with that.
Biggest disappointment of the night: not getting to recreate our very PC photo.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (3)
This place is like a kid's dream come true.
I like to think of it as another source of fun exercise
since you really get into it and sweat like crazy.
They also updated their vests which are always a plus.
But look out because there are kids who are really serious about
this game and come in groups. These are the ones that spoil a part
of the fun since you're just trying to have a good time. (haha)
They get pretty intimidating, especially when they kill you over
and over again.
Great place for large groups since they keep you together by color wristbands and call you up when it's your turn to play. And expect to spend a lot of time there, the time flies right by you and you can't help, but want to play a few more rounds.
Wish there was some more food, but good thing there's a 7-11 right
across the street.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (3)
Went back for a second round and found the place had lost some of it's charm due to poor management. Last time I was there the breakdown worked like this: Briefing for 15 minutes, game for 15 minutes (allowing people to rotate in and out) with fairly full teams in the high 40's each time. They had 4 colored wrist bands so were were going back in every 45 minutes. Not a bad ratio and it improved as the night went on.
This time however, someone decided they'd do 6 colors and each game would be 10 minutes long, meaning we should have been going every 50 minutes for shorter games, only this didn't happen. It was taking almost an hour and a half between games and later in the night the games they were running were half full, such that you could have combined two of them and ran it (assuming you believe their advertisement that they have 60 packs). Ideally there should have been 20 people per team but no team had more than 13 and usually there were teams with less than 10.
End result was that it took almost twice as long between games that were 2/3 the length of the last games. Just kind of seems silly. While there may have been a few more people it doesn't explain the length between things at all.
Just get someone to manage it better in terms of coordinating the people going in.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/4/2009
So the basic run down is that this is the same kind of place you remember from your childhood, only… Read more »
Oh my gosh. I love this place! I'm thinking about the one time that I went with a large group of friends last Spring and it was one of the best rainy Sundays we had all had in a LONG time. (There was about a dozen of us between the ages of 22 and 33).
Personally, I had never played laser tag before so I thought the info session that they offer in the beginning was helpful. Beyond that, I also have to admit that because I like kids (I'm *still* a baby-sitter!) I had a really good time having the youngins' help me. If you don't like kids, this will annoy you because on the weekends, there's a lot of them and the employees make the teams so you might end up with some kids on your team.
Anyway, the first or second time we went around my skills were low so some of the kiddies 'covered me' while I searched for the lights that you have to hit. I found the zone to be like a labryinth but others might disagree - though I'm generally good with a map and spacial planning.
I think it was a *little* pricey, but I can't remember what I paid which means that whatever it was worth, it was clearly worth it. I'd also recommend it for a rainy day. I mean, what else would you be doing? Going to the movies? This is way more fun. :P
People thought this was:
- Cool (1)
Ultra Zone laser tag was great! Five of us, all mid-20s, went on a Friday night for their unlimited play for $14 deal. We had a blast! None of us had really experienced laser tag before, so I won't tell you what our scores were, but Ultra Zone made it fun even though we weren't experts. One of the guys in the briefing room was absolutely dismal, but later we had other employees giving the briefing and they were much more excited about it. The actual vesting only takes a couple of minutes and then you're off into the arena. I have no idea if the map is any good, but it is freakin' huge. It's lots of fun to either hold the second floor, or STORM IT with your team! I think it would be totally awesome to rent this place out for an overnight or something.
The only downside to Ultra Zone is the complete lack of food and drink. They sell Gatorade and water for a few bucks each, but that's it. Make sure you eat before coming, because you won't find food anywhere here.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (3)
This was a very important part of my life from ages 11-13...I'm sure there are some people on Yelp with kids, and if they enjoy video games, nerf weapons, etc., they will be in heaven here. I actually can't believe that this place is still open and thriving. It seems like Lasertag (Lazertag?) was one of those early to mid 90's phenomena that tend to fade away into obscurity. When I think of Lasertag, vivid memories of Putt Putt, the X-Men arcade game, and Mortal Kombat II come rushing back as well. Those were the days.
Ultrazone was the perfect place to let your pre-teen violent fantasies run wild. You are divided into teams, and you can get points by shooting your opponents, and also by attacking the other team's base. It appeals to the younger crowd, although you might want to have your kids watch out for socially awkward older teenagers who like to take over, as well as a few overzealous adults who participate, mowing down kids as if they are getting revenge for torturous years of parenting. When the match is over, you get a scorecard with your statistics, and they are also displayed on a large video board ala Starship Troopers.
They also do birthday parties, so bring your kids here for some sweaty and chaotic fun. Afterwards, you can hit up a Korean bar in Bailey's Crossroads to make the evening complete, minus the kids, of course.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
This place is so state of the art. All the TVs in the briefing is awesome! You have to check it out for yourself. Best laser tag place in the area.
Well they have really improved the place. It keeps getting better and better. They keep a fresh mix of video games there and they now have multiple air hockey tables, which is really cool.
This is the most popular laser tag place in Washington, DC as far as I can figure. And it's no wonder why. They have a friendly staff, cool place, and low prices.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/9/2008 First to Review
Great place for fun with the whole family. I love that parents can play laser tag with the kids and… Read more »
