Coaster reviews

Inversions Pace Ejectors Discomfort Lap Bar

ArieForce One is amazing and is in my opinion the best RMC I have ridden so far. The first drop has sustained ejector airtime, especially in the back of the train. The "raven truss dive" (it's a dive loop in my book) isn't particularly forceful, but is still a fun and unique way to implement a turnaround. The 0g stall might just be my favorite element on the whole ride. It provides glorious inverted floater airtime in a way that I don't recall having experienced before. The outer banked turn and the double-up once again provide great sustained ejector airtime, this time for the whole train. I'm not sure I would call the barrel roll over the arcade "whippy", but it is certainly fast and forceful. The following turnaround has pretty strong and sustained positive Gs for an RMC, but it isn't enough to make me gray out. There's another 0g roll in there, which is fun but doesn't really measure up to the 0g stall from earlier. Then there's the (in)famous quint-down finale. That's the only element on the coaster of which I'm not a huge fan. I prefer sustained airtime to quick bunny-hops (which is the primary reason why this and Twisted Timbers go above Steel Vengeance in my book), so the finale doesn't really do much for me. The final brake run also hits extremely hard (It is truly amazing how hard magnetic brakes can decelerate the train without even touching it) and I pretty much need to brace for it in order to avoid pain. Combined, these make the finale the only part of the coaster that detracts from its re-rideability. I feel like a better finale would be to replace the quint-down with a couple of camelbacks and a longer, gentler brake run. My complaints about all the other RMCs are still true here. The anti-rollback system is extremely loud and the lift hill engagement is quite jerky. The shin guards are uncomfortable to slightly painful for long-legged people. I also have opinions about the operations here. The operations were very slow and only one train was running when I visited. The operators wouldn't be in position to hold the movement enable buttons by the time the train got to the holding brake, so it was like the train was stacking even though only one train was running. Once the train did get into the station, they would often wait to scan the wristbands of the oncoming riders until after the exiting riders had already exited, causing a delay. Once the oncoming riders did board the train, there were often significant unexplained delays in checking the restraints and/or dispatching the train. Sometimes it was so slow that I could get off the train, exit, come back around through the entrance, and board the same train for the next cycle. The operators also kept crossing without clearance from the control operator, which, after only attending parks using IROC so far, bugged me. Oh, and watch out for stuff getting ejected from the train during the finale. I got hit by a phone ejected from the coach ahead of me and it was not pleasant.

Fun Intensity

It's an old Arrow looper, so it is a bit janky and tosses you around some with those tangent-radius transitions. I never experienced headbanging, but that's because I'm tall enough to make headbanging impossible with Arrow OTSRs. After having ridden Loch Ness Monster, which I found had the tendency to snap my neck forward during the loops, I was expecting that here too, but I didn't experience it. I would definitely still recommending keeping your head back against the headrest though. After reading other people's experiences with Arrow corkscrews, I was expecting the ones on this ride (which is the first Arrow to feature them that I have ridden) to be painful. The entry into the first corkscrew does have strong laterals, but I didn't experience any discomfort. The entire layout has sort of a fast-paced, frenetic kind of intensity that I don't really experience on newer coasters but enjoy quite a bit. There's a bit of a rattle if you ride in a wheel seat (even-numbered rows), but odd-numbered rows don't have this. Odd-numbered rows also have quite a bit more legroom, so if you have long legs, definitely pick one of those. Overall I don't get the hate for this. It doesn't really measure up to more modern loopers, but it is still fun.

Airtimes First Drop Fun

Thunder Striker is really an underappreciated coaster. It has great floater airtime throughout the pre-MCBR section. Like most B&M hypers, the airtime comes on in a bit more of an eject-y manner in the front of the train, while not hitting quite as hard but lasting longer in the back. The back is definitely the best place to experience the first drop though, as with just about every other coaster. It is still quite smooth. I could hear the trim brakes during the first half hitting, but they didn't seem to slow the train down much. The MCBR can be unpredictable sometimes though. I've had rides where it hardly hit at all (even on hot days) and other rides where it slowed the train down quite a bit. If the MCBR doesn't hit hard, the section after it is also fun, but it can be a bit of a dead spot if the train is running too slowly. If this wasn't in the same park with Fury 325, it would get a lot more love.

Theming Lap Bar Hangtime Rattle

Copperhead Strike really goes all-out with the hangtime. Starting right after the station with the jojo roll, every inversion leaves you hanging from the seat. There are no over-the-shoulder restraints of any type here, which definitely intensifies the effect. This was one of my first roller coasters with inversions that didn't have some kind of OTSR and while OTSRs don't really bother me, I definitely am starting to prefer this style of restraint. It also has a few great moments of airtime with bunny hills and the Stengel dive. Usually I think traditional sit-down coasters are best from the back, but this one manages to have great airtime in the front too, and there is definitely more hangtime in the front. The launches aren't the strongest and can't really be considered elements in and of themselves, but they get the job done. It has a pretty strong rattle that seems to affect every row of every train. It isn't painful, but it is annoying and in some causes quite loud, even off-ride. Sadly, once I experienced Maverick at Cedar Point, that made this one seem too tame by comparison…

Headbanging Capacity Dead spots

It amazes me how much headbanging this slow, boring coaster with no actual elements somehow manages to have. I think the layout is the same as the one at Kings Island, but that one at least has vest restraints and therefore headbanging is much more difficult. It is also only capable of running one train and therefore has horrible capacity. Why does this thing even exist?

Airtimes Too short Discomfort

Woodstock Express has surprisingly good airtime for a family woody. It was definitely better than the airtime on the Kings Island version, but I was also sitting in the back for my ride on this one, so that may have made a difference. However, with my long legs, the airtime just causes my knees to bang on the front part of the buzzbar, which is quite unpleasant. It is quite smooth for a wooden coaster though and it appears to have had quite a bit of track work done recently. If the trains were a bit bigger and the layout was a bit longer, this would be better than Hurler…

Pace Layout

For being the first gigacoaster, Millennium Force stands up quite well against the more modern ones. The sense of speed is incredible and it never lets up throughout the ride. There's plenty of positive Gs, but not enough to make me pass out like its younger sister Project 305. (The people who call it "Millennium Forceless" are just silly.) There is some airtime too, but that isn't really the focus. There is a noticeable shake throughout the layout, but I never found that to be uncomfortable or painful. I didn't enjoy it as much as Fury 325 (my favorite gigacoaster), but it is still an amazing ride.

Inversions Pace Ejectors Discomfort Lap Bar

Steel Vengeance is a truly amazing coaster, but it doesn't quite live up to the hype for me. I love everything about it. The first drop is amazing, the inversions are great, and there is so much airtime, but in general I tend to like more graceful, sustained airtime instead of the quick ejector pops Steel Vengeance focuses on. In that way, I actually consider Twisted Timbers to be superior. As with all RMCs, it is impeccably smooth but the trains are quite uncomfortable for people with legs as long as mine. It doesn't rise to the point of pain, but it does detract from the experience. The lift hill is also painfully loud and I must plug my ears in order to avoid getting a headache.

Airtimes Fun

This sort of feels like if Arrow tried to build a racing woody, but did it with mine train components. The layout definitely feels like a wood coaster, but it obviously tracks a bit better considering the steel track. There are a few janky moments (of course, given that it is an Arrow), but overall it is smoother than most mine trains. This side (blue) might also be a bit less janky than red, but that may also be my imagination. There are a few moments of good floater airtime, which surprised me given that it is an Arrow but perhaps shouldn't have considering how it is apparently designed to be like a woody. The racing definitely makes it more fun. This is the first coaster I've ridden where people can high-five each other between trains, but sadly I was on the wrong side of the train to be able to do that.

Location Fun Discomfort

After having ridden Carolina Goldrusher at Carowinds (which runs the same trains as this one), I can in with minimal expectations. I was surprised though. The ride experience is actually rather enjoyable and, while janky, it isn't painful the way Goldrusher was. The last helix is also quite forceful. This uses the old common-lapbar Arrow trains, so tall and/or long-legged people will be uncomfortable.

Launch Intensity Ejectors

This is sort of like Copperhead Strike but on horse steroids. (Pun intended?) The ejector airtime on the 95° drop is a very unique sensation and the rest of the layout follows with a series of elements that never let up the intensity, providing lots of strong airtime, whippy inversions, and insane bank transitions that remind me Project 305 (except I can ride this without passing out!). The second launch kicks hard and is one of my favorite launches. There are a couple moments where the harness causes a bit of neckchopping if you aren't careful, but I never found it painful. This is definitely my favorite ride in the park. The only thing it is missing is a heartline roll in the second half…

Inversions Discomfort Pointless

I really want to like old Arrows. I really do, but I just hate Corkscrew. It is awful and painful throughout the entire layout and has no saving grace. I normally like Arrow first drops, but this one was really to short to offer any airtime. As soon as the train hits the bottom of the first drop, a painful sort of wobble starts with the train rocking (or shaking, depending on the speed) back and forth. This continues throughout the ride. I usually like Arrow loops, but the one on Corkscrew isn't memorable. All the horizontal transitions are painful. I understand and usually even appreciate Arrow jank, but these transitions aren't enjoyable in any way. They just hurt. I'm tall enough to where I can't headbang in Arrow OTSRs, but it still hurts. The transition into the corkscrews is even worse. I feel like I'm trying to be ejected sideways out of the train. The final brake run is the best part because that means this no-good horrible awful experience is over. I really don't understand how this can be so bad though. It really should just be Carolina Cyclone with an airtime hill instead of a loop and no extra helix. I like that ride, but this one is just awful. I can't give it the "Tear it down!" tag because of its historical significance, but you also can't really eliminate the pain without compromising the history. I really don't know what to do with this one…

Fun Smoothness

I don't hate regular wild mouses, but this one is definitely a step up in my opinion. The spinning definitely adds to the experience by making the "laterals" more unpredictable. The car I was in was quite imbalanced and got a lot of the spinning. It tracks very smoothly. I found the position of the lap bar to be rather odd, as in it was kind of pushing up against my stomach rather than down on my legs. That was weird, but it wasn't painful. This was my first Zamperla coaster. I was hoping I could get that strata lawn ornament across the park as my first, but no such luck. While I'm definitely not in the target demographic for this, I enjoyed it and would take it over a regular wild mouse any day.

Location Fun Rattle Dead spots

I really wanted to love this after having previously ridden Big Bad Wolf and The Bat (the newer one) at Kings Island, but I ended up coming away disappointed. It doesn't have the speed of either of those coasters. There is more swinging overall. There is a pronounced rattle that I didn't experience on The Bat though, and while it didn't hurt me, it did take away from the experience some.

Airtimes Fun

I came in to this expecting to hate it based on what my friends had told me about how rough it is. For that reason, I rode it in row 2 of the train (which I'm sure is the smoothest row in the entire train), but I came away pleasantly surprised. Being wooden, it obviously doesn't track perfectly and has a few shaky moments, but it never hurt me. The airtime was about what I would expect from a PTC woody, which is good, as I quite enjoy that type of airtime with looser restraints. I didn't ride in the back though, and I'm sure it is rougher back there.

Airtimes Fun

This sort of feels like if Arrow tried to build a racing woody, but did it with mine train components. The layout definitely feels like a wood coaster, but it obviously tracks a bit better considering the steel track. There are a few janky moments (of course, given that it is an Arrow), but overall it is smoother than most mine trains. There are a few moments of good floater airtime, which surprised me given that it is an Arrow but perhaps shouldn't have considering how it is apparently designed to be like a woody. My ride on the red side didn't race because they had already shut down blue for the day, but I'm sure it would be even better with both in operation simultaneously.

Inversions Headbanging

Rougarou wasn't as bad as some people say it is, but it doesn't quite make the top tier for me. The inversions are nice. It tracks OKish, but there is definitely some shuffling. There are several near-headbang elements and an actual headbang (at least in the back, the only place I rode). I didn't find that too unpleasant, but as a stand-up, it would have been a real headbanger.

First Drop Fun Too short

Unlike a lot of enthusiasts, I really enjoy dive coasters. Valravn is no exception. It has an incredible first drop, a quite decent second drop, and several very nice inversions including one with very good hangtime. I didn't find the restraints uncomfortable. The tracking was smooth, though perhaps not quite as smooth as Griffon. My only real complaint is that it is too short. What's with the train handling though? The final brake run had not 1 but 2 car-crash stops. Usually B&Ms are better than that at train handling, especially the newer ones.

Airtimes Location Ejectors Discomfort

Magnum XL-200 really surprised me. I was expecting it to be an awful jackhammery mess with painful airtime and without a saving grace. However, I found that in the second-to-back row it had an enjoyable jank but wasn't painful at all. The first drop was quite good and there was some airtime in the first half. The second half had incredible airtime. Up front was a different story. in 1-3 (which I am informed is the "magic seat"), it is quite rough and the airtime in the second half is painful. While I can appreciate that, this is definitely a back row (or second-to-back row, anyway) ride for me.

First Drop Inversions Smoothness

I knew I was going to enjoy GateKeeper, but it still exceeded my expectations. The inversion in the first drop is quite unique and surprisingly intense. Surprising intensity is really something of a theme for this coaster. I was also surprised by several airtime moments. The inversion are all great and the keyholes are a great element. The train tracks very well and the ride is quite smooth, though it is noticeably more bouncy in the outer seats. It never caused me any pain or discomfort though. The wing coaster is a great concept and I hope to see more of these get built.

Inversions Pace Intensity Headbanging

Raptor is everything that an old-school invert should be. It is extremely intense and doesn't let up with the inversions and positive Gs. The inversions are quick and very whippy, which can cause headbanging if you aren't careful, but it never hurt me. The tracking is remarkably smooth given the age of the ride. This is my new #2 invert. It doesn't quite live up to Alpengeist, but it is close.

First Drop Smoothness Too short

The first drop on this really isn't nearly as bad as it looks from the ground and it is one of the smoothest roller coasters I have ever ridden. The transitions are so smooth and there is so little rattle that it is almost like the train is just floating down the track. My only complaint here is that it would be nice if it was longer.

Inversions Intensity Layout Headbanging

How does a park of this size only have one B&M, and a relocated one at that? Anyway, this is a nice old-school Stengel-designed one and it really shows though the speed and intensity of the entire layout. The inversions are very forceful and the intensity never really lets up. The MCBR hardly hits at all and the back of the train even gets suprisingly good airtime on the subsequent drop. After a few rerides, I've decided that I like the back best, mainly due to the airtime and the whippiness as the front of the train pulls the back through various elements. The front is fun too though, but it can sometimes be a bit headbangy going into that first corkscrew. I can avoid that by just pushing my head up against the right side of the restraint before that element though.

Rattle Headbanging Discomfort

I don't care what anyone else says, this ride is hot garbage and I hated every minute of it. It feels like jackhammering around in the woods on the business end of a jackhammer. Whenever the train is moving at faster than a snail's pace, it jackhammers intensely and painfully in every row. The faster it goes, the worse the jackhammering gets. And it goes really, really fast. The jackhammering gets even more intense during high positive Gs, which is pretty much every element of the ride. It is extremely painful throughout, with the only break from the pain being the second lift hill, after which the jackhammering resumes posthaste. It has no saving grace or enjoyable moments. There is no airtime. The focus seems to be on positive Gs, but positive Gs are just not enjoyable with that much jackhammering. I marked Headbanging as one of the negatives. While this has lap bars and therefore cannot headbang in the traditional sense, the jackhammering does cause my brain to bang around inside my skull, which counts as far as I am concerned. I ended up riding this 3 whole times due to poor decision-making. I rode it once on my first night in the park as a night ride (which is not at all special, it's just jackhammering around through the woods in the dark). After that, I decided I didn't want to ride it any more. However, my friend wanted to ride it for his 100th credit, and that being the milestone that it is, I decided to ride it again with him (bad decision #1). Then, he realized that he also wanted his dad to ride it at the same time too, so he bailed after we got to the station. I went ahead and rode it anyway with his other friend (bad decision #2). We all then rode it for my third time (bad decision #3). All the jackhammering gave me a headache that pretty much ruined the rest of that day and a good part of the next day for me. In fact, I still have a headache several days later as I write this review. I hate this roller coaster. It is my least favorite roller coaster by a long, long shot and I will never ride it again.

Fun Smoothness Capacity

This was my first new-gen Vekoma and it definitely lives up to the hype in the smoothness department, quite possibly being the smoothest and best-tracking coaster in the park. For what it is, it is decently fun. There is no airtime, but it does turn my stomach over at the beginning of the return run. Naturally, being a Boomerang, it can only run 1 train and the capacity is bad.

Fun Capacity Dead spots

it's actually pretty fun for what it is. While I didn't headbang at all, without defensive riding I can definitely see how you would. I think the main problem there is inconsistent track bending which results in lateral kinks that throw you side to side. The profiling itself seems good with the right amount of banking in the right places. The bank transitions don't seem to cause the laterals. The capacity is awful with the ability to run only a single train. A wait brake and an anti-rollback system on the lift hill could easily result in a significant capacity increase.

Fun Discomfort

It's a nice way to introduce kids to wooden coasters. It's fun, but nothing really specific to call out. The trains are a bit tight for my long legs. Other than that I don't really have anything negative to say.

Inversions Intensity Capacity Reliability

While this looks like a cross between a Boomerang and an SLC, by 1999 Vekoma had figured out how to profile transitions well (just look at Rock'n Roller Coaster) and it really shows in the smoothness. I didn't get any headbanging at all. The inversions are fast and intense and the loop taken on the return run has the most Gs of any ride at KI or anything I have ever ridden. It made me gray out quite strongly. The reliability is bad though and it can be difficult to actually get a chance to ride it. The capacity is also bad, so expect to wait a while.

Theming Fun Dead spots

It's a fun little mine train. The trains themselves are much better than the ones on Carolina Goldrusher at Carowinds and actually have enough room for real people in them. The pacing is a bit weird. Starting directly into the course after the station is nice, but the lift hill directly back into the station at the end is a pretty big dead spot. As with (almost) any Arrow, the transitions are janky and can throw you around some, but I never experienced any pain and it isn't difficult to brace if you want to.

Airtimes Fun Smoothness Too short

I was looking forward to this one because I really enjoyed Racer 75 at Kings Dominion and I heard this one was better, specifically in the airtime department. While I didn't find that to be the case, I still enjoyed it. Like the KD one, it is smooth and the racing aspect is fun. The KD one is my slight preference though, mainly due to the control modernization from Irvine Ondrey Engineering, where the impeccable programming from Brian Ondrey (of Dueling Dragons fame) uses the variable-speed lift hills to jog the trains into alignment on the hill to ensure an even start to each race.