Eric Esty - Reviews

I rode this bad boy on its 18th birthday! It's the only wooden coaster I've ridden to focus solely on lateral and positive forces, and succeed. The laterals on the turn between the two lift hills are ...

I rode this bad boy on its 18th birthday! It's the only wooden coaster I've ridden to focus solely on lateral and positive forces, and succeed. The laterals on the turn between the two lift hills are huge! The furst two drops are among my favorite wooden coaster drops ever, and the rise after the first drop gives huge airtime. The double rose bowl helix is the highlight; Enormous positive forces on a wooden coaster, with laterals between the two dives? Yes please! The ride finishes with a tunnel and some airtime hills, and is just a blast to ride.

Whoever thought to combine Maverick and Millennium Force into one coaster was bonkers, and I don't know why they built it at Kings Dominion of all places, and yet here we are. Intimidator 305 is possi...

Whoever thought to combine Maverick and Millennium Force into one coaster was bonkers, and I don't know why they built it at Kings Dominion of all places, and yet here we are. Intimidator 305 is possibly the most intense roller coaster in the world. Huge positive Gs, enormous giga level speed, and relentless transitions all happen at the same time, and with the wind in your face in the front row, you'll be begging this ride for mercy. Thankfully, there are breaks of airtime between all of the intense moments, which is what makes this ride work, as it does have a little bit of remorse. The new soft collars are even better than the old ones, so my only complaint about this ride is now out the window. This coaster is absolutely ridiculous and will probably get torn down for a more tame B&M or Mack giga in the next 20 years, so let's enjoy it while it's still kicking our asses.

Aside from not being a very forceful coaster, Big Bear Mountain is an outstanding ride. Well themed, smooth, comfortable, and very long. There's mild airtime all throughout, some fast transitions, and...

Aside from not being a very forceful coaster, Big Bear Mountain is an outstanding ride. Well themed, smooth, comfortable, and very long. There's mild airtime all throughout, some fast transitions, and onride audio.

This coaster perfectly blends dark ride with coaster. Awesome animatronics, pyrotechnics, mist, audio, and projections make for a thrilling and kickass dark ride experience. While the launched, twisty...

This coaster perfectly blends dark ride with coaster. Awesome animatronics, pyrotechnics, mist, audio, and projections make for a thrilling and kickass dark ride experience. While the launched, twisty, fast paced coaster section is unpredictable, even with a couple airtime hills! Extremely impressive coaster.

Verbolten is probably my favorite themed coaster in the world, which is saying a lot. With rides like Hagrid's, Everest, and Mummy, it has fierce competition. The indoor section is intense, the indoor...

Verbolten is probably my favorite themed coaster in the world, which is saying a lot. With rides like Hagrid's, Everest, and Mummy, it has fierce competition. The indoor section is intense, the indoor drop is forceful, the launches are smooth and exciting, and the final section mirroring Big Bad Wolf is an awesome finale. It all comes together in a perfect package, as my favorite coaster at this park.

I've found that Nitro is a perfect hyper coaster. It's one of only two B&M hypers in the US to not only feature a forceful helix, but also maintain its strength in airtime throughout the entire ride. ...

I've found that Nitro is a perfect hyper coaster. It's one of only two B&M hypers in the US to not only feature a forceful helix, but also maintain its strength in airtime throughout the entire ride. The first drop is enormous and fun. The first turnaround gives airtime in the front. The two camelbacks give great floater. The hammerhead is surprisingly forceful. The turning airtime hill gives some surprising ejector air. The helix is suppressingly forceful and long. There is ejector airtime into and dropping off of the midcourse. And the three hills on the return trip give great airtime. It's perfectly paced, is thrilling beginning to end, is forceful in both positive and negative forces with some surprise ejector, has an awesome color scheme, and has a great location out of the way from the rest of the park in the forest. A phenomenal coaster that makes it worth to visit SFGAdv by itself.

Goliath is an absolutely perfect coaster. The B&M trains are comfortable, high capacity, and spacious. The floater airtime is strong throughout the ride. It shifts from sustained floater in the first ...

Goliath is an absolutely perfect coaster. The B&M trains are comfortable, high capacity, and spacious. The floater airtime is strong throughout the ride. It shifts from sustained floater in the first three hills to pops of near ejector airtime at the end. It has a huge spiraling helix mid ride, one of only a few B&M hypers to have one, adding a variety of forces. The horseshoe turn is fast and whippy, and there's even an ejector hill into the brakes. Best of all, there's no midcourse brakes. There's no break in pace, the ride is strong from first drop to the very end. The setting is great, soaring over entire coasters, paths, roads, between the trees and skimming over a pond. There's nothing I can think of that's wrong with this ride. It's a perfect coaster.

My first ride on Diamondback in 7 years and my first ride in the front row has provided me with a new perspective, as now with the knowledge that I prefer front row on most coasters I can confidently ...

My first ride on Diamondback in 7 years and my first ride in the front row has provided me with a new perspective, as now with the knowledge that I prefer front row on most coasters I can confidently say this is no longer my least favorite B&M hyper, and one of my favorites at Kings Island. Every hill gives great airtime, there are impressive moments of positive gs, and the setting and theme further elevate the experience. As always the ride is very comfy and accommodating. No complaints, but the second half's airtime is noticeably less intense.

Mako is my hometown hyper, and it's near and dear to me. It's beautiful, graceful, and well themed. It has a beautiful queue and an amazing soundtrack. The airtime is complimented by the perfect smoot...

Mako is my hometown hyper, and it's near and dear to me. It's beautiful, graceful, and well themed. It has a beautiful queue and an amazing soundtrack. The airtime is complimented by the perfect smoothness and clamshells. An amazing first drop, fun overbanks, and a beautiful setting over the water. The first camelback is my favorite moment of airtime on any coaster. The only coaster in Florida that eclipses Mako is Velocicoaster, which has a longer layout, more variety in its elements, and better theming.

Behemoth is my favorite coaster at Wonderland! A front row ride on this coaster is blissful. Smooth, perfect floater airtime in the entire first half. A forceful downwards spiraling helix after the mi...

Behemoth is my favorite coaster at Wonderland! A front row ride on this coaster is blissful. Smooth, perfect floater airtime in the entire first half. A forceful downwards spiraling helix after the midcourse, and a last third of the ride that doesn't leave you disappointed. Plus the waterside location is gorgeous, as is the coaster itself. This is absolutely one of my favorite hypers in the world.

Jack Rabbit is as charming as it gets. A loud tunnel, terrain layout, minimal seating arrangement.. a true classic. Then you sit in the back car and hit the double down and giggle like an idiot the re...

Jack Rabbit is as charming as it gets. A loud tunnel, terrain layout, minimal seating arrangement.. a true classic. Then you sit in the back car and hit the double down and giggle like an idiot the rest of the day.

The ride has a lap bar that's hilariously unaccomodating to larger riders, but unlike Penguin Trek they didn't have to staple me to make me fit. I also like the theming way more, the station is absolu...

The ride has a lap bar that's hilariously unaccomodating to larger riders, but unlike Penguin Trek they didn't have to staple me to make me fit. I also like the theming way more, the station is absolutely gorgeous. The ride is short, but it has fun gentle forces. Unlike Penguin Trek this one is far from forceless. If you've ridden Dragonflier, it's a lot like that. I definitely prefer Vekoma's new SFCs a lot more. A decent ride and a worthy replacement for Sand Serpent and Phoenix, better than both and really rounds out the area. If only my enjoyment of the ride hadn't been tainted by mourning of the loss of the coaster across the midway...

This ride is definitely a family coaster in that it doesn't feel like it's made for adults. There's a weird rattle in some spots, the lap bar fits weirdly and probably only fits kids and thin people, ...

This ride is definitely a family coaster in that it doesn't feel like it's made for adults. There's a weird rattle in some spots, the lap bar fits weirdly and probably only fits kids and thin people, and the ride is very short for having two launches. The theming is good. It doesn't pull any significant forces. A run ride for kids but it doesn't do anything for me.

A fast paced, intense coaster with plenty of airtime and tight turns. The transitions are zippy, the drop gives airtime in every row, the airtime gets more intense as the ride goes on, and I love the ...

A fast paced, intense coaster with plenty of airtime and tight turns. The transitions are zippy, the drop gives airtime in every row, the airtime gets more intense as the ride goes on, and I love the cheetah hunt turns and the outer and overbanks. A flawless ride whose only flaw is not being as fast or long or tall as typical hyper, if you could call that a flaw.

I literally got insane standing up airtime on the first airtime hill, and the second two are no slouch either. The rest of the ride doesn't give any notable airtime, but the laterals get more intense ...

I literally got insane standing up airtime on the first airtime hill, and the second two are no slouch either. The rest of the ride doesn't give any notable airtime, but the laterals get more intense as each u-turn gets tighter. The surprise hit of the park and it's still in 3rd place.

I wish this ride was a little longer, and I wish it had an inversion. There are some rough spots on the last turnaround. That's my only critique. The ride has airtime on every element, is well paced, ...

I wish this ride was a little longer, and I wish it had an inversion. There are some rough spots on the last turnaround. That's my only critique. The ride has airtime on every element, is well paced, and has a great terrIn layout. Not my favorite RMC but a damn good one.

Thunderhead is a monster of a GCI. It's unpredictable, long, and has no breaks in pace or dead space. The terrain is used very well, the views of the rest of the park is great, the Millennium Flyers a...

Thunderhead is a monster of a GCI. It's unpredictable, long, and has no breaks in pace or dead space. The terrain is used very well, the views of the rest of the park is great, the Millennium Flyers are incredibly comfy, and the ride is smooth, especially for its age. This is my favorite GCI and it beats out Mystic Timbers for its crazy twister layout.

The ride has strange potholes and bumps in some spots, but the first drop is sharp, the inversions are smooth, and the hangtime is exceptional. The view is beautiful and the best part of the ride, plu...

The ride has strange potholes and bumps in some spots, but the first drop is sharp, the inversions are smooth, and the hangtime is exceptional. The view is beautiful and the best part of the ride, plus it's well themed and has nice merchandise. The harness feels tighter on my shoulders and collarbone than on Thunderbird but not enough to ruin the experience, which is ultimately pretty mild but fun.

There's some shuffling but none to cause any sort of headbanging. The first drop gives incredible airtime, great hangtime on Dolly's Iron Butterfly, and very powerful positive gs on the last two inver...

There's some shuffling but none to cause any sort of headbanging. The first drop gives incredible airtime, great hangtime on Dolly's Iron Butterfly, and very powerful positive gs on the last two inversions. The ride is unfortunately very short but is great start to finish.

A smooth and fun ride with nice theming. The curves are smooth and twisty, the first one being fast and powerful the first time and giving slow sideways hangtime the second. There's a curve before the...

A smooth and fun ride with nice theming. The curves are smooth and twisty, the first one being fast and powerful the first time and giving slow sideways hangtime the second. There's a curve before the spike that gives great positives. There's an airtime hill that gives good airtime the first time and weird backwards floater the second. The spikes are great, especially midway through giving great floater air.

Orion's only weakness is its length. If it had a couple more elements it would be a contendor for my favorite coaster, but Fury's final hills eek it out. Orion is an outstanding coaster. Ride in t...

Orion's only weakness is its length. If it had a couple more elements it would be a contendor for my favorite coaster, but Fury's final hills eek it out. Orion is an outstanding coaster. Ride in the front row near the end of the day and you'll see what I mean. The speed is incredible, the airtime is excellent, and every element brings something unique. The scale of the ride is enormous and every element feels huge. And it has the huge benefit of being a B&M hyper model, with its high capacity and very comfortable restraints. The giga speed and size make this one absolutely world class and somehow my new favorite coaster at Kings Island, beating out the truly incredible Beast, Diamondback, and Mystic Timbers in dramatic fashion and becoming my second favorite Giga, somehow beating out Millennium Force and 305 somewhat effortlessly.