Mystic Timbers is pure, distilled fun. This breakneck airtime machine rips through its layout, making for a surefire recipe of joy. I love the quick p...
Mystic Timbers is pure, distilled fun. This breakneck airtime machine rips through its layout, making for a surefire recipe of joy. I love the quick pops, I love the surprising number of more aggressive sustained moments, and I love the weird, twisting angles of it all. And the way the pacing melts them all together is the cherry on top. The beginning, which practically creates two first drops, is a clever evolution of the typical GCI sequencing. There is the first, traditional twisted drop, which gives a surprising amount of airtime, followed by a high-speed turn. And then there is the second hill, which has a turn of its own, mimicking other woodie first drops, before it dives into the ride's real out-and-back layout with one of the coaster's strongest moments of air. I understand the disappointment over the shed after the marketing was overly obtuse about it, but it's still a fun enough theming bonus to an already amazing coaster. Besides, the varying chain speed on the lift hill is a pretty innovative form of immersion. Oh, and this ride continues to be very smooth after seven years.
Adventure Express is one of the most underrated coasters I have ridden, and in the running for the best Mine Train Arrow ever made. Looking at the rid...
Adventure Express is one of the most underrated coasters I have ridden, and in the running for the best Mine Train Arrow ever made. Looking at the ride experience alone, it is a great deal of fun, with absolutely insane laterals that jostle you from one side of the train to the other, and exciting pops of airtime as the train dips into yet another wild turn. It may be a bit uncomfortable if you don't prepare yourself, but if you do, it can be giggle inducing. And in terms of theming, this ride has gotten a facelift in the past couple of years that makes it among the most well-themed coasters in the legacy Cedar Fair parks. I would honestly consider it Herschend-level theming, with many little details in the queue and the ride itself that make for a very charming experience and even create a cohesive story if you're paying attention. Despite all these positives, this ride still consistently gets a station wait. I really hope that more coaster enthusiasts will give this ride its due diligence and realize it for the gem that it is.
Update: So, I finally got a night ride on this, and it's amazing. Whereas The Beast's night ride is legendary because of how dark it is, Adventure Express' feels like a cinematic experience. Contrast the pitch black of the little plot of woods it stands in, with the great lighting package the ride has, whether it be the lush green lighting before the "track switch," or the sodium-esque lights that accentuate the ride's many pillars, and you have yourself a wonderfully charming experience. The fact that you can't see many of this ride's best elements makes it feel even more out of control; for example, I was getting hype for the ejector hill (yes it exists) towards the end, but because it was so dark I couldn't see exactly where it was, so I just unexpectedly got ejector out of nowhere. A night ride bumps this to an 8 probably, but because it's hard to get those during the regular season, it will stay at the strong 7 that it is. Still, I love this ride so much.
Banshee was a new type of B&M Invert. There is the obvious: the use of vest restraints over the manufacturer's older over-the-shoulder restraints, but...
Banshee was a new type of B&M Invert. There is the obvious: the use of vest restraints over the manufacturer's older over-the-shoulder restraints, but also with this comes a significant layout change. Whereas older B&M Inverts focused on snappy inversions, Banshee focuses more on drawn-out, intense inversions, making it more akin to their floorless coasters. Firstly, I want to say that the first drop is great, as it whips you down 150 feet with great speed. The Dive Loop was the perfect first inversion for the coaster, matching the speed of the first drop with a drawn-out dive, flying back to the ground straight down, while the first drop curved around. The vertical loop that follows not only is good eye candy, but also ups the intensity, which the Zero-G Roll responds to with the coaster's whippiest inversion. And on the other side of the roll is a Pretzel Knot, going back into the drawn-out inversions. Immediately following this is a vertical loop; it's probably the coaster's least meaningful inversion, but I'm not going to complain it's there since it's still a lot of fun. There then is a turn into the finale: an in-line twist with great hangtime into a helix to end. It's probably the coaster's best inversion, and one last surprise to end this great coaster.
It's also important to point out just how good this coaster follows together. With the exception of the turn into the in-line twist, Banshee is pretty much back-to-back inversions, with only the valleys between each providing a break from the action. As such, there are no dead spots here, and the valleys themselves give the coaster an ebb-and-flow feeling to it as the crests become the most exciting moments, those of being upside-down. Also, I don't have too much of a problem with the vest restraints during the actual ride experience, as I'm too busy enjoying the ride to notice them, but while waiting on the break run, they do dig into my collarbone, and it can be a bit uncomfortable.
Millenium Force is all about the speed, rushing through and above the peninsula's more secluded section while throwing all caution to the wind. It's n...
Millenium Force is all about the speed, rushing through and above the peninsula's more secluded section while throwing all caution to the wind. It's not focused on the intensity of an i305, or the airtimes of a B&M, and while those may be more preferrable forms of a Giga for many enthusiasts such as myself, what Millenium achieves is fun in itself. Besides, the valley into the first turn pulls some impressive positives, and the two camelback hills have good, sustained floater. The speed hill before the last turn has a pretty strong pop too. And aren't those colors, and that track, just beautiful? Regardless, a sunset ride is one of the most cinematic experiences one can have at an amusement park. With all the speed, it feels as if you are riding into the sunset in an act of glorious cliche.
The first launched B&M Wing, and probably the model's best coaster. The launch that begins is not the most intense, but it still manages to be plenty ...
The first launched B&M Wing, and probably the model's best coaster. The launch that begins is not the most intense, but it still manages to be plenty of fun, especially since it has a simple yet effective dispatch sequence. And at the very least, it makes the gigantic Immelmann that follows possible, ratcheting up the positives, and, if you're lucky, will provide the briefest moment of air on the descent. The next element, a vertical loop, is just as huge, and even more intense, and the figure 8 that follows brings the G-forces to their climax. By this point, though, the ride is solidly in the woods, and, to prevent monotony, shifts to snappy manuvers. The Zero-G Roll is so satisfying as it whips around, and even has a decent near miss moment with all the trees growing under it. And that S-Bend is unbelievably snappy with how quickly it shifts direction. After a tight helix, the ride comes to a thrilling conclusion with an In-Line Twist finale that provides great hangtime. It even sneaks in the Wing coaster near miss trope as it passes through a dilapidated barn. Overall, Thunderbird offers a diverse experience in a short amount of time, making for a wonderfully fun ride.
A monumental ride for both Holiday World and CCI, as it put the former on the map for many enthusiasts and marked the latter's first truly great coast...
A monumental ride for both Holiday World and CCI, as it put the former on the map for many enthusiasts and marked the latter's first truly great coaster. It's no surprise why, as this ride served as a light in dark times for woodies with its airtime-heavy, lateral-intense layout, standing out amongst the RCCAs and no-name manufacturerers of the world. Immediately after leaving the chain lift, Raven makes an impression as it quickly turns into a rather aggressive first drop, giving strong flojector in the back. From here, The Raven can be split into two parts, one focusing on airtime, and the other one on laterals. This first half is best experienced in the back, where the air packs the most punch and is the most sustained. There are four of these moments in total, but in the midst of them comes the photogenic turn over Lake Reindeer, introducing the ride's great sense of laterals with one of its best moments. Then comes the weakest airtime moment with a little dip providing a floater pop in the back, and then finally we reach the "wood dive." Before the ride transitions into a race in the woods, we have one last moment of air, and it is easily the best one. In the back you just get launched down the hill, then suddenly you are twisting around the woods while being pushed up against the side of the car. It's one of my favorite moments of airtime in the park, and the lateral sprint between the trees that follows is just as if not more intense than what it suggests. While it may not be particularly long, The Raven uses every inch of those 28 hundred odd feet to create a complete package of an experience. Also, it acts as an impeccable greeting for the park from the entrance, showing perfectly what the Holiday World experience is all about the moment you get out of your car.
It feels bizarre to say something like this, but I prefer Good Gravy the queue over Good Gravy the ride. The theming is so well done and so charming, ...
It feels bizarre to say something like this, but I prefer Good Gravy the queue over Good Gravy the ride. The theming is so well done and so charming, from the moment you see the cozy dwelling of the queue's exterior to the garage-themed station, you are just overloaded with adorable cultural callbacks and quirky story of a grandmother's impossibly good gravy. The attention to detail is what really sells it: the shag carpeting on the toilet, the lively wallpapers, the Charlie Brown Christmas tree in the attic. There are two issues I have with the queue, though. The first is that, even if the elements that comprise the queue are great, they are arranged in a remarkably un-house way, feeling more like additions to an enclosed building more than making one's way through a humble abode. This I am willing to forgive, as the park had to work with the space given to them, and the stuff present really is great, even if that arrangement makes it a bit uneven. The other issue is that they use AI-generated art for some of the paintings. Why did they have to do this? I know that Holiday World doesn't have the budget of a Disney or Universal, but I'm sure if you commissioned a local artist to paint some carnival scenes, they would be more than willing to do this. I think this just sets a bad precedence and is not something I want to see replicated at other parks. Anyways, as for the ride itself, it's fine. This was a smart investment for the park, installing a family coaster in a lineup that desperately needed it (going from a Zamperla kiddie coaster to The Raven is certainly a jump), but its custom layout is somehow weaker than the standard Vekoma Junior Boomerang clone. Those have a mild touch of positives and airtime that make them a perfect transition to more intense moments of both, but the elements that deliver both of those are pretty much absent here. At the very least, it is fun to go through the course backwards, which adds just a little bit of intensity.
While the theming may be a nice touch, especially with the recent retheme around Cincinnati, do not be fooled. The ride starts out fine enough with th...
While the theming may be a nice touch, especially with the recent retheme around Cincinnati, do not be fooled. The ride starts out fine enough with that extraordinarily long helix that provides good positives, but the rest of the ride is a rattly mess with maneuvers that jostle you in the uncomfortable way a Wild Mouse does. Even that helix is not all sunshine and rainbows, as the transition into it from the launch is too sudden. And while there may be a few pops of airtime here and there, they are no where near significant enough to warrant a reride. No wonder I always skip over this when going to Kings Island.
Even if Kings Island was my home park, I hadn't ridden this since 2019 because it typically gets one of the longest lines in the park for what I thoug...
Even if Kings Island was my home park, I hadn't ridden this since 2019 because it typically gets one of the longest lines in the park for what I thought was an overall mediocre ride. Then I rode it six years later with a couple of friends, and while it allowed me to take in the theming oddity, my opinion of the coaster significantly worsened. The theming, all things considered, is solid. The preshow room has this massive model of a UFO that, when combined with a well implemented mirror trick - cleverly placing scenery to block the view of parkgoers as to arise suspicion - allows for a true sense of scale. The preshow video is a bit silly, with it being based on a 90s show known as The Outer Limits that no one cares about, but the lightshow on the UFO in sync with it is neat. And the station has all the Sci-Fi pulp charm you could imagine as it is lined with aliens encased in glass. The frighteningly loud launch zooming out the station, though, is a signal: the sign that the ride experience is about to drastically decrease. The launch is fine enough, surprisingly intense, but just not very fun with how sudden it is. Immediately following is a Cobra Roll, and this is where the rattle makes itself apparent. A while later, you will find yourself on the mid-course, and it is by this point that you will realize: where did all the theming go? All you can see about you are a bunch of multicolored lights and a soundtrack blaring that you can only hear two seconds of while coming to a complete stop (!) at the mid-course, presumably so that you could hear said soundtrack. After the mid-course is this weird drop / turn thing, providing what I can best describe as "sideways hangtime," making riders feel as if they are about to fall out. While disorientating elements can be quite enjoyable, hanging on the side of the car for as long as you do is just uncomfortable due to the train and rattle. Next comes a series of turns and switches, so you think the ride is starting to lose steam, but as you head towards complete darkness, it pulls a last trick on you by having a corkscrew out of nowhere, and because you have no time to prepare for a snappy element, you get some nasty headbanging into the break run.
I remember having fun on this as a little kid when I didn't know better, but I probably would have thought of this as rattly and boring had I ridden i...
I remember having fun on this as a little kid when I didn't know better, but I probably would have thought of this as rattly and boring had I ridden it now. That is, if this coaster was still around. RIP Coney Island Cincinnati, you were a charming (very) small park.
The last Suspended coaster Arrow made, and one that best understood the potential of the model, using its free-swinging ride vehicle to actually provi...
The last Suspended coaster Arrow made, and one that best understood the potential of the model, using its free-swinging ride vehicle to actually provide some strong positive Gs in the coaster's many turns. A common complaint for this ride is that it is too short, but really, it gets done all it could for the location it's in, and if it were much longer, it would start to get repetitive. Such opinions are probably the effect of the comically long lift hill, which in my mind just adds to the charm of the coaster. And the location of this ride - a valley that appears like it's in the middle of nowhere - really is neat, even if it comes at the cost of an overly long and confusing queue. But then again, maybe you could say that it adds to the charm as well.
Snoopy's Soap Box Racers is a nicely themed Vekoma Family Boomerang. The station (with its voiceover), ride vehicle, and tower by the first turn all c...
Snoopy's Soap Box Racers is a nicely themed Vekoma Family Boomerang. The station (with its voiceover), ride vehicle, and tower by the first turn all come together for a really cute experience that will both excite kids, and charm older riders. The layout itself is good fun too, with tiny pops of airtime and moments of positives, especially with the backwards trip. What this results in is a coaster that fits its niche very well: introducing the forces typical of a coaster to younger riders without being too intense, making it a lot more thoughtful than a typical kid's coaster of nothingness.
Simply a solid, relatively compact Wing coaster here. There's really not too much to say about it: it gets the job done in a relatively fun package. T...
Simply a solid, relatively compact Wing coaster here. There's really not too much to say about it: it gets the job done in a relatively fun package. The elements hit in the way you want to: the Dive Drop has that anticipation-building hangtime, the inversions have their positives, and the In-Line Twist has a great footchopper. The air traffic control tower that stands in the middle is a neat looking centerpiece for both the queue and the In-Line Twist. And that's really all there is to it.
My first ever Intamin credit was as a little kid. I'm so cool. Bet you thoosies can't say you rode Intamin's first. As I probably will never ride this...
My first ever Intamin credit was as a little kid. I'm so cool. Bet you thoosies can't say you rode Intamin's first. As I probably will never ride this again, the rating is pure placeholder so I can keep an accurate coaster count.
Similar to Wilderness Run, I last rode this 15 years ago, and so the rating is just a rough guess on what I'd rate it just so I can keep up an accurat...
Similar to Wilderness Run, I last rode this 15 years ago, and so the rating is just a rough guess on what I'd rate it just so I can keep up an accurate credit count.
If this was just a kid's coaster with your typical forceless layout, that would be fine. It certainly wouldn't be great, but there would be nothing wo...
If this was just a kid's coaster with your typical forceless layout, that would be fine. It certainly wouldn't be great, but there would be nothing worth hating on. Instead, this ride has mad headbanging as it goes around doing absolutely nothing. Pain for no payoff. The new paintjob is pretty nice at least, and I always thought the helix-drop thing looked cool (if weird).
Woodstock Express is a wooden kiddie coaster that serves its purpose rather well. It's a good first introduction to airtime for the little ones, and i...
Woodstock Express is a wooden kiddie coaster that serves its purpose rather well. It's a good first introduction to airtime for the little ones, and it manages to be fairly smooth for its age. But outside of this context, it's a pretty forgettable ride, especially compared to the other woodies in the park. Shout-out to the buzz bars though, even if the cars are so small that I'm practically bashing my knees against the board in front of me.
It's a Wild Mouse. Yeah, it has a layout more focused on swooping turns to spin the car around, but it still doesn't really do anything for me, and th...
It's a Wild Mouse. Yeah, it has a layout more focused on swooping turns to spin the car around, but it still doesn't really do anything for me, and the surprisingly bad rattle only soiled my opinion of it. I do appreciate the, albeit minimal, theming elements Cedar Point added to the coaster, like the silly portraits of the confused mice in the queue, and use of sound effects, and found them pretty funny. Maybe this is more fun in a car full of good friends.
The Voyage, an odyssey of absolutely genius design that makes for one of the most epic roller coasters ever made. Perhaps my favorite part about the r...
The Voyage, an odyssey of absolutely genius design that makes for one of the most epic roller coasters ever made. Perhaps my favorite part about the ride, and something I have not seen mentioned in this way before, is the way the ride develops. The journey out into the back of the woods is taken up by these massive hills, mimicking the sustained floater you would expect on a Hyper coaster, but with characteristically wooden bumps that suggest the beginning tribulation of a journey, taken in a methodical, but nonetheless majestic manner. The twister turnaround is chaotic, as the woods hide what happens next, and the pace speeds up as it rounds bends and cruises over small humps, almost as if the caravan has encountered a serious obstacle. The train ultimately comes out victorious, as it relaxes for only the briefest of movements on the break run until the triple down begins the third stage of the coaster. By this point, there is the excitement to reach a new land, and so it rushes down the mountain, despite the setbacks in those substantial turns and airtime pops, hoping to find an end to the arduous journey. Once it finally nears the station again, it flies around in great triumph, as the voyage has ended, the battle is won, and one of the greatest roller coasters ever made is ridden. There is, of course, so much more I could talk about, but I'll just leave it at that. Though, I do want to single out the triple-down, which is one of my favorite elements on any coaster. The way it develops, little by little, into the devilish airtime of the last drop is perfect. It's an exercise in anticipation and is made even more intense by happening entirely in an underground tunnel. How does it even manage to go that far down?
The Arrow Mega loopers are a dying breed, and they were already a dying breed by the time Vortex was closed in 2019. But there's a reason why all exce...
The Arrow Mega loopers are a dying breed, and they were already a dying breed by the time Vortex was closed in 2019. But there's a reason why all except one have bitten the dust: they're an uncomfortable experience that largely have been rendered obsolete in the eyes of many due to the existence of newer, better looping coasters. I sure remember my last rides on Vortex the season it closed; they were a headbanging mess due to Arrow's distinctly jank transitions. At least it allowed me a fun ride once, giving me license to loudly complain the entire time to my brother. And when it was still around, it had one of the best first drops in the park, being surprisingly aggressive for a coaster that focused on inversions. It also looked great in the valley it occupied and made the path between the Coney Fair and Rivertown sections of the park pretty special, especially with how close the Batwing got to the path. Maybe I would've liked it more had I ridden it again now, but all I am left with are my memories of a pretty poor coaster. If Kings Island would put a Vekoma or Mack multi-launch in the footprint this occupied, that would be so awesome.
Though a surprising number of people seem to like this 90s woodie, I don't really see why. Sure, it's got decent airtime, but the amount of turns here...
Though a surprising number of people seem to like this 90s woodie, I don't really see why. Sure, it's got decent airtime, but the amount of turns here really break up the pacing. You pretty much get only one or two moments of air before having to go on yet another turn that zaps you out of the experience. And because of this, it makes the (admittedly not terrible) rough condition of the track harder to overlook. I just really hope that Cyclone at Luna Park - the coaster this is modeled after - isn't a disappointment.
Valravn is, in a word, perfunctory. It's B&M on autopilot, lifelessly stringing together the elements of a Dive coaster because that's the way it's al...
Valravn is, in a word, perfunctory. It's B&M on autopilot, lifelessly stringing together the elements of a Dive coaster because that's the way it's always been. The first drop, in reality, provides surprisingly weak air, is only thrilling because of the trademark train-hanging-over-the-edge trick. Where is the beautiful free fall (with a bite!) of their Hyper models? The gigantic Immelmann that always follows does surprisingly nothing for such a substantial inversion, and then after a turn, the train lands through the mid-course, signifying the stilted, lumbering pacing of the entire thing. And not in the way that an intense, impressive behemoth like Banshee is. The drop of the mid-course is similarly weak to the first, then we stumble through a couple more inversions, leading to a camelback finale that manages to have way less air than the Wing coaster just down the midway. Valravn was really the first time I've experienced the high-budget mediocrity we see in other industries vainly chasing profit (movies, video games) in one I once thought largely free from it, thus leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
Okay so imagine this: you are going to a fun center for a Christmas party, and you hear that the place you're going to installed a coaster not too lon...
Okay so imagine this: you are going to a fun center for a Christmas party, and you hear that the place you're going to installed a coaster not too long ago. Upon looking it up, you see that it is a standard SBF Visa Spinner. Okay, nothing too crazy here, but you still decide to ride it with your brother for the credit. You both decide to grab the back row, because that's what you do, and then find yourself up the tire lift hill. The first turn and the bunny hill are fine enough: you weren't expecting anything really to begin with, and at least it's still nice to be riding something in the cold of December. There's another turn, same old, same old, then BOOM, out of the blue, a drop that ejects both you and your brother out of your seat. As the train spins back into the station, you are left laughing and in shock: where did that come from?
The most surreal riding experience of my entire life. The amount of context and drama that led up to my very riding of Top Thrill 2 - from the terribl...
The most surreal riding experience of my entire life. The amount of context and drama that led up to my very riding of Top Thrill 2 - from the terrible accident that fateful day in 2021, to my growing dehydration and hunger while in the queue - all came together for a moment that straight up did not feel real. I never even thought I was going to ride this, and it's not like there's anything you can do to prepare yourself for a 120 mph launch and a 420 ft top hat with a spiral. I haven't even gone that fast before. And somehow the bumps added to the otherworldly experience too? I could do a moment-to-moment review of this, but that would betray one of the strangest and most striking rides on a coaster I probably will ever have in my life. I just wish I could have ridden Dragster (or Ka) in their original visions.
Mostly gets points for historical intrigue and rarity, since this is the only Jet Star 1 standing in America. Overall, it's pretty whippy, and has sig...
Mostly gets points for historical intrigue and rarity, since this is the only Jet Star 1 standing in America. Overall, it's pretty whippy, and has significant headchoppers due to how close you are to the supports, but it's fairly repetitive as all it does are those whippy turns. The scariest part about this ride are most minimal restraints you'll ever put on, with there just being a seatbelt between you and an uncertain future. The ride has an absolutely atrocious capacity too, since the cars fit at most 4, and usually 2, people, and there's typically one train ops. But Indiana Beach is a small park, so the 15-minute wait for a 10-person line is not a huge deal because there won't be that many people riding it anyways.
I don't really like the statement "I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said." To me, it feels like a cop-out, a maneuver when one is stu...
I don't really like the statement "I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said." To me, it feels like a cop-out, a maneuver when one is stuck in a rut and doesn't know how to add to the discourse of an already critically acclaimed thing. My advice is: try and write about it anyways! You won't ever be able to add to a conversation if you don't at least start somewhere. Besides, even if the content is not new, the form can still be strung together in a novel way. Anyways, this is basically a very long way of me saying I'm not sure how to review this behemoth. There have already been people who have gone through this ride element-by-element in a more thorough way than I possibly can with my mere three rides, and I'm not sure if I have any enlightening things to say about this coaster's place in the industry or RMC's history. Except, maybe, that they really opened themselves up to the challenge of making a longer, ambitious coaster, which led to stupendous results.
But you know what, I'm going to try, at least briefly. You know you're in for a treat when the pre-lift section has airtime. And after that notoriously loud chain lift is a breath-taking first drop that manages to both be long and whippy. The speed hill is a fun pop, but following two hills are some of the greatest elements on any coaster ever. Both give ejector the duration of a B&M Hyper Camelback, and the outward bank of the second threatens to throw you out of your seat at the same time. The Zero-G Roll - Wave Turn - Zero-G Stall turnaround is both photogenic and creative, as it dishes up a variety of sensation in such a short time. The drop off the mid-course is the sort of thing that even looks like it'll give ejector, and from there you are taken into the Kingdom of Wood. The elements after that drop may not be as strong or memorable, but the unique location within the structure of the coaster itself more than makes up for it. That and the breakneck pacing. Finally, the six airtime moments back-to-back is exactly the thunderous finale this beast of a ride needed.
Though Steel Vengeance is a masterpiece, I don't see enough people talk about how annoying its queue is. Originally, I was going to go on a long rant about how the lockers, metal detectors, and inevitable wanding are all frustrating in their own specific ways, but I realized it was too negative for something this good. Regardless, it has made me less enthusiastic to reride it in the past compared to the minimal precautions for something like Magnum, for instance, but I always seemed to find my way on it again simply due to its quality.
A Wild Mouse off its rocker, where every element is trying to be as disorientating as possible. The fun begins as soon as you climb the lift hill, whi...
A Wild Mouse off its rocker, where every element is trying to be as disorientating as possible. The fun begins as soon as you climb the lift hill, which is much steeper than is typical, making it quite an unnatural position to sit in. After a quick turnaround, you have a quick 111 degree drop, something I'm not so sure how to describe. All I know is that it's weird. What I can describe, though, are the two outer banks turns that happen just before and after the mid-course. Since they are taken at relatively slow speeds, they almost convince you that you are going to tip out of the ride vehicle, especially the slower and more pronounced second one. This snaps rather quickly into a nearly 90-degree banked turn, which is fairly discombobulating, but feels less out of place considering what immediately preceded it. Only it starts developing into an inversion while it is turning for a truly bizarre Dive Loop. There is no graceful twist, you just hang upside-down for a moment until the ride decides it wants to drop you right side up, thus producing a crazy moment of hangtime. Then there's a quick rise upwards, another mid-course, and an inward bank turn at a steep but not suspicious angle. Okay, things seem to be cooling down. But nope, the ride throws one more curveball in a downward-sloped In-Line Twist, giving you hangtime at the same time the train start speeding up. A horseshoe turns riders into the break run, showing that Steel Hawg never truly is or wants to be normal. The sort of stuff that could only come from the mind of Alan Schilke messing about, and a ride well-suited for a park as quirky as Indiana Beach.
I was pleasantly surprised with Rougarou, considering its reputation as one of the most forgettable coasters at Cedar Point. Now, it's not the greates...
I was pleasantly surprised with Rougarou, considering its reputation as one of the most forgettable coasters at Cedar Point. Now, it's not the greatest of looping coasters, but it provides a decently intense layout for what it is. Though that massive vertical loop after the first drop doesn't pull many forces, it gets by for being upside-down at an impressive height. The rest of the ride is more so about the general feeling of positives and sharp turns, so most of the elements aren't particularly stand out, and instead successfully work together towards the greater whole. I do want to mention the Inclined Loop for being particularly strong, and the surprisingly snappy switches between turns adding intensity in the sideways direction. Oh yeah, and I don't know if this is the case for all the rows, but I ended up riding in the "accommodates larger guests" row as a not large person and I had so much room as to be scary. This may or may not be a thrill hack.
Like Cobra's Curse, I rode this as I was just starting to get into coasters and so had an inflated opinion of the ride. I remember having a good time ...
Like Cobra's Curse, I rode this as I was just starting to get into coasters and so had an inflated opinion of the ride. I remember having a good time on it, but it will be impossible to refresh my thoughts on it now since the ride is gone, so I adjusted my rating based off of other Wild Mouse coasters I've been on. At the very least they replaced it with a better fit for the park and the section.
Probably the coaster at Cedar Point that needs a rereride the most, as after certain point on the day I rode it, I was so overloaded with coasters tha...
Probably the coaster at Cedar Point that needs a rereride the most, as after certain point on the day I rode it, I was so overloaded with coasters that it was hard to give specific thoughts on them. I did appreciate the snappiness of the inversions though, but felt that there was a bit too much meandering between them, most likely to make them all fit in the ride's allotted footprint. This feeling was probably exacerbated by the fact that I didn't find the helixes all that powerful. Maybe they are on a better day, and to figure that out is exactly why this needs a reride if (when) I find myself at Cedar Point again.
