Reviews • Drive Safely

Smiler’s overrated and for me, the third best ride at Alton Towers. It’s pretty intense, and the inversions are good, but it didn’t do all that much f...

Smiler’s overrated and for me, the third best ride at Alton Towers. It’s pretty intense, and the inversions are good, but it didn’t do all that much for me. There’s a few noticeable jolts that hurt the experience, but overall, it’s definitely not bad.

Taron, on paper, is extremely overrated. The second half of each half completely meanders and it has very few moments of extreme force. But despite th...

Taron, on paper, is extremely overrated. The second half of each half completely meanders and it has very few moments of extreme force. But despite that, Taron is just so fun. The first launch is great and the first half of each half delivers, with highlight moments being those turns, hills, and twisted hills following the launches. Speeding through Klugheim is unlike any other experience, and even though the layout could be much, much better, I can’t knock Taron too much for that because it’s an incredibly fun ride overall.

FLY is one of the most overrated rides I’ve been on. Many people praise it for its reinvention of the flyer, saying it delivers a fantastic ride exper...

FLY is one of the most overrated rides I’ve been on. Many people praise it for its reinvention of the flyer, saying it delivers a fantastic ride experience with all sorts of forces. I can see where these people are coming from, but FLY didn’t even come close to blowing me away. The theming and near-misses are fantastic, yes, but in order to appreciate them, you’ll have to wait for the front row. I could talk all day about this awful loading system, but I won’t. Just know that if you want to wait for the front, it’ll be very frustrating. Back to the ride itself, FLY does deliver some great moments of airtime which are really unique sensations on a ride of its type. It’s decently intense (despite the lack of a pretzel loop), but even with Vekoma’s attempts to make flyers more comfortable, FLY’s still not. Even with those negatives, the ride itself is very good. It’s long with great forces and inversions, as well as fantastic theming and landscaping. This isn’t a bad ride by any means, but I was expecting more.

Black Mamba is a very solid invert. Like most others of the model, I prefer it up front where it’s more intense and you’re able to appreciate the lush...

Black Mamba is a very solid invert. Like most others of the model, I prefer it up front where it’s more intense and you’re able to appreciate the lush landscaping that accentuates the ride experience. Despite its modest stats and a bit of meandering towards the end, Black Mamba packs a punch and is a great ride.

The best traditional woodie in Europe (not counting Wildfire). Wodan’s absolutely relentless and never lets up. It’s a fantastic ride with extreme lat...

The best traditional woodie in Europe (not counting Wildfire). Wodan’s absolutely relentless and never lets up. It’s a fantastic ride with extreme laterals, amazing pacing, great airtime, and really everything I could want in a GCI. With each ride, I found myself loving Wodan more and more and despite its length and limitations, it’s awesome.

Silver Star gets a lot of hate because it doesn’t live up to the other rides of its model. While that’s true, it’s still a really good experience in a...

Silver Star gets a lot of hate because it doesn’t live up to the other rides of its model. While that’s true, it’s still a really good experience in and of itself. The second half is better than the first, delivering some really strong flojector airtime. Overall, it’s a bit rattly and not fantastic, but a B&M Hyper’s a B&M Hyper, and one of them will always be great.

Blue Fire, although not amazing, is a very solid ride that serves more as a stepping stone for Mack than an elite attraction itself. It’s got a good l...

Blue Fire, although not amazing, is a very solid ride that serves more as a stepping stone for Mack than an elite attraction itself. It’s got a good launch, intense moments, and a great final inversion, but overall doesn’t do anything special aside from being good.

If you like strong and sustained ejector airtime, then Expedition Geforce is for you. It’s an airtime machine with a fantastic first drop and manages ...

If you like strong and sustained ejector airtime, then Expedition Geforce is for you. It’s an airtime machine with a fantastic first drop and manages to be better than a ride built in the same style 20 years after it (sorry, Kondaa). The valleys and overbanks are more intense than people give them credit for, but the highlights are those incredible airtime hills. And yes, the capacity is terrible.

Much better up front. The elements are more intense up there and it’s much smoother. Karacho has some great inversions, a punchy launch, and is overal...

Much better up front. The elements are more intense up there and it’s much smoother. Karacho has some great inversions, a punchy launch, and is overall a very good ride (even if it’s not quite as good as I had hoped).

Hals-uber Kopf really surprised me as the best ride at Tripsdrill. It’s best in the front row, glass smooth up there and the forces are much more pron...

Hals-uber Kopf really surprised me as the best ride at Tripsdrill. It’s best in the front row, glass smooth up there and the forces are much more pronounced. The inversions are great, the airtime is fun, and it’s surprisingly intense. A very good ride and even better than some B&M Inverts.

Alpina Blitz is a powerful beast of a ride that does what it can given its footprint. It’s short and not as good as Piraten, but overall it’s very und...

Alpina Blitz is a powerful beast of a ride that does what it can given its footprint. It’s short and not as good as Piraten, but overall it’s very underrated and packs a serious punch.

Toutatis is absolutely incredible. It’s one of those rides that I absolutely adore and easily one of my favorites I’ve ever been on. The layout is alm...

Toutatis is absolutely incredible. It’s one of those rides that I absolutely adore and easily one of my favorites I’ve ever been on. The layout is almost impeccable, providing varying sensations of strong airtime, fantastic inversions, and amazing pacing. I obviously hate the trim on the top hat and think that there could be a bit more positive Gs, but other than that, this is a masterpiece. I just wish it were open consistently.

I don’t know what happened with this one. Tonnerre 2 Zeus isn’t a terrible ride by any means, but it’s not what I’ve come to expect from Gravity Group...

I don’t know what happened with this one. Tonnerre 2 Zeus isn’t a terrible ride by any means, but it’s not what I’ve come to expect from Gravity Group. The airtime is okay, but the rest of the layout doesn’t do much in terms of forces and rattles the whole time. I was really looking forward to this ride but, unfortunately, it was really disappointing.

One of the best rides for families out there. Gerstlauer and Parc Asterix went above and beyond with Pegase Express and it’s very impressive for what ...

One of the best rides for families out there. Gerstlauer and Parc Asterix went above and beyond with Pegase Express and it’s very impressive for what it is.

Oziris is one of the best B&M Inverts out there. It’s got a modern-ish layout for the model, but still manages to pull strong forces. The first half, ...

Oziris is one of the best B&M Inverts out there. It’s got a modern-ish layout for the model, but still manages to pull strong forces. The first half, from the drop all the way to the vertical loop, is fantastic and offered consistent positives that had me graying out multiple times. The second half isn’t as good, though, which is why I put it under other inverts like Montu and Katun. Still, Oziris is a fantastic ride and a great number two for the park.

This is such a solid ride. It’s much better in the front; I felt like everything except the drop was better up there. Monster’s nothing special, but i...

This is such a solid ride. It’s much better in the front; I felt like everything except the drop was better up there. Monster’s nothing special, but it’s the definition of a good, enjoyable experience.

Not a big fan of this one. It’s somewhat enjoyable with its length and moderate intensity, but the trackwork is well below average and I can’t help th...

Not a big fan of this one. It’s somewhat enjoyable with its length and moderate intensity, but the trackwork is well below average and I can’t help thinking that this is just a much worse version of Lisebergbanan.

I just wasn’t a fan of this ride at all. First off, it never flipped at all and the only transitions were painful back-and-forth jerks that launch you...

I just wasn’t a fan of this ride at all. First off, it never flipped at all and the only transitions were painful back-and-forth jerks that launch you all over the place. That part’s somewhat fun, I guess, but Insane was too uncomfortable for me to enjoy.

The best part of this ride is easily the laterals. Aside from that, it’s fun, has a nice location, and is overall a solid ride despite some discomfort...

The best part of this ride is easily the laterals. Aside from that, it’s fun, has a nice location, and is overall a solid ride despite some discomfort.

There’s not much more I can say to what’s already been said about Zadra. While it’s not quite as crazy as I expected, it’s an easy 5 stars and a ride ...

There’s not much more I can say to what’s already been said about Zadra. While it’s not quite as crazy as I expected, it’s an easy 5 stars and a ride that I absolutely adore.

During my 14 rides on Hyperion, I had many differing opinions about it. It went from being in my top 5 to a rattly mess back up to an elite ride in th...

During my 14 rides on Hyperion, I had many differing opinions about it. It went from being in my top 5 to a rattly mess back up to an elite ride in the span of two days, but this is my final verdict. It’s another really strong modern creation from Intamin, filled with powerful airtime and some forceful lateral snaps. But I don’t know what happened with the outside seats on this. Especially towards the back on those wing seats, Hyperion goes from a powerful beast of a ride to a shaky waste of potential. However, as long as you sit on the inside, you’ll enjoy tons of airtime, intensity, and a smooth ride experience. There is a section of 3 mediocre elements in the middle of the ride, but Hyperion starts and ends with a bang.

Formula’s powerful and punchy. Many people have said it’s like a smaller version of Abyssus, and I definitely agree. Nothing’s really special about it...

Formula’s powerful and punchy. Many people have said it’s like a smaller version of Abyssus, and I definitely agree. Nothing’s really special about it, but it’s got some good airtime and positives along its layout. This is, however, another new-gen Vekoma with banking that’s “too perfect.” See my Abyssus review for more detail, but the unnecessary fluidity (I really have no idea how to describe it) detracts from the experience just a bit. Formula’s still a good ride, though.