This ride really isn’t bad. Yeah it’s not the most exciting and it’s a little rough but it has buzz bars and there are some nice airtime moments. They...
This ride really isn’t bad. Yeah it’s not the most exciting and it’s a little rough but it has buzz bars and there are some nice airtime moments. They’re enough to make this ride worth doing.
This ride is actually very underrated. This park is actually everybody only talks about Monster and then skips over everything else but this ride is w...
This ride is actually very underrated. This park is actually everybody only talks about Monster and then skips over everything else but this ride is worth mentioning. It feels like a CCI trying to be a GCI. The pacing is definitely off and feels like one of those early GCIs but with buzz bars for some reason, so some of the airtime is actually really good. This is definitely a ride worth doing when visiting
Haven’t done HangTime yet but as far as I’m concerned this is the best Gerstlauer in the country by far. First of all, it’s glass smooth and has lap b...
Haven’t done HangTime yet but as far as I’m concerned this is the best Gerstlauer in the country by far. First of all, it’s glass smooth and has lap bars, which already puts it over like 2/3 of the Gerstlauers in the country. But what makes this ride elite is how amazing the layout is. Because of the lap bars, this drop gives serious ejector. Sadly that’s the only moment of airtime, but it’s a good one, and it won’t be the last time you leave your seat. Almost every inversion or element stalls out at the top, which is such a crazy feeling, especially if you’re upside down, which gives wild hangtime. Seriously one of the best coasters for hangtime out there. Easily the best steel coaster in the Upper Midwest
This feels like a kiddie coaster plus. It’s super chill but does more than like any kiddie coaster. It’s good and super smooth but I recommend walking...
This feels like a kiddie coaster plus. It’s super chill but does more than like any kiddie coaster. It’s good and super smooth but I recommend walking like 2 minutes nextdoor and riding Monster again instead
S&S freespins can be very hit or miss. They’re short and flip on its own, so the amount of flips will vary. Sometimes it doesn’t flip much, and someti...
S&S freespins can be very hit or miss. They’re short and flip on its own, so the amount of flips will vary. Sometimes it doesn’t flip much, and sometimes it does. There are two sides to Dragon Slayer, one being mild and one being wild. I have one ride on the wild side, and let me just say, this thing blows every other freespin I’ve done out of the water. It flips so much it’s dizzying. Great ride
Batwing is one of two of the very rare Vekoma flying dutchmans left in operation. These rides are very hard to come by, having terrible capacity and s...
Batwing is one of two of the very rare Vekoma flying dutchmans left in operation. These rides are very hard to come by, having terrible capacity and seem to be closed more than they are open. However, the actual ride experience of this ride is not to be taken for granted. The ride essentially acts like an unconventional flying coaster with significantly more forces and lay-down sections. It’s not my favorite flying coaster but it definitely provides the most action of the ones I’ve ridden. The vertical loop especially is one of the most disorienting elements I’ve experienced on a coaster. If you ever find your way in Six Flags America and see this ride open, be sure to get on it as it’s absolutely an underrated gem.
The Bat may appear to be a smaller family coaster, but in reality, it may be one of the craziest family coasters created. This ride is tucked away in ...
The Bat may appear to be a smaller family coaster, but in reality, it may be one of the craziest family coasters created. This ride is tucked away in the back corner of this park, making its location challenging to find for the average park goer. Bat doesn’t boast the greatest stats but it makes up for it in a very fast-paced layout with the awesome suspended trains. What’s great about these trains is that they swing whenever the ride makes a fast turn, and this ride has many of that and seemingly builds speed as the ride goes on. The ride isn’t very long but offers a very intense ride-experience with awesome swinging turns in one of the most underrated rides in the park.
Before Cedar Fair owned Kings Island, movie production company Paramount owned it and several other current Cedar Fair parks. During that time, Paramo...
Before Cedar Fair owned Kings Island, movie production company Paramount owned it and several other current Cedar Fair parks. During that time, Paramount added many rides with theming related to their movies. One such ride was the Italian Job: Stunt Track attraction that went to three different parks. The second installation went to Kings Island. Now known as Backlot Stunt Coaster, these rides are all elite family coasters. They blend family thrills with incredible theming so well. This particular one is temperamental, I’ve noticed. The layout is great for a family coaster. Both launches are punchy, fun forces on the helix and even some hints of airtime throughout the layout. The indoor section is fun too. The theming is what changes, though. I’ve experienced this ride throughout different years. Sometimes the effects work and sometimes they don’t. My most recent experience had them working, so I enjoyed it similarly to the one at Kings Island. Even without the effects though, the ride still has great theming. Great family ride.
Before Cedar Fair owned Kings Island, movie production company Paramount owned it and several other current Cedar Fair parks. During that time, Paramo...
Before Cedar Fair owned Kings Island, movie production company Paramount owned it and several other current Cedar Fair parks. During that time, Paramount added many rides with theming related to their movies. One such ride was the Italian Job: Stunt Track attraction that went to three different parks. The second installation went to Kings Island. Now known as Backlot Stunt Coaster, these rides are all great family coasters. They blend theming with family thrills nicely. However, this particular one I found to be disappointing. It still delivers in terms of the layout and theming, but there are significant downgrades with this iteration in comparison to the others. The theming seemed much more budgeted with the same props but no effects and not even the sign that the ride popped out of. Even if there were effects, the ride did not stop in the middle to actually watch them, making it seem like a rushed experience. If for better capacity, I’m usually all for that, but it would be nice to stop and watch the effects. The layout remains the same as the others with fun turns, positives and a cool indoor section. Decent ride but definitely the worst of the three.
One of the most notoriously cloned layouts of all time is the Batman The Ride clone. The layout was the first that company B&M would ever design for a...
One of the most notoriously cloned layouts of all time is the Batman The Ride clone. The layout was the first that company B&M would ever design for an inverted coaster, and the great intensity per small acreage would prove to be wildly successful. The prototype for this layout and the prototype B&M inverted coaster was Batman the Ride at Six Flags Great America. As with any attraction featuring this layout, this ride is incredibly fast-paced and intense considering its small stats. It's small in height, short in length, and doesn't gain that much speed. However, the amount of whip that the inversions carry and the amount of positive G-forces that are exerted onto riders is deranged. Of the few Batman clones I’ve ridden, I rank this one as the greatest. I find it to not only run seemingly faster and more intense than my other rides, but it has a significantly better setting and theme than any other one. Overall, this is an awesome invert and definitely my favorite of the clones.
One of the most notoriously cloned layouts of all time is the Batman The Ride clone. The layout was the first that company B&M would ever design for a...
One of the most notoriously cloned layouts of all time is the Batman The Ride clone. The layout was the first that company B&M would ever design for an inverted coaster, and the great intensity per small acreage would prove to be wildly successful. Following the installation at Six Flags Great America, 11 more rides with the exact same layout would be constructed. The third version of such is the version at Six Flags Magic Mountain. As with any attraction featuring this layout, this ride is incredibly fast-paced and intense considering its small stats. It's small in height, short in length, and doesn't gain that much speed. However, the amount of whip that the inversions carry and the amount of positive G-forces that are exerted onto riders is deranged. With that being said, I did find this particular attraction overrated. Maybe I caught it on a bad day but it didn't blow me away like certain other clones did. As I mentioned, the intensity of the ride is astounding, but not as astounding as certain other clones I've ridden. For that reason, I don't rank this ride as high as some.
Manufacturing company Bolliger & Mabillard is famous for all their multi-looping roller coasters across the planet. Undoubtedly one of their most popu...
Manufacturing company Bolliger & Mabillard is famous for all their multi-looping roller coasters across the planet. Undoubtedly one of their most popular models that falls under this multi-looping umbrella is their floorless coaster; a traditional sit-down looper without floors on the trains. This model was a phenomenon in its prime. Unfortunately, Batman the Dark Knight at Six Flags New England is one of the least popular and favorable floorless coasters. As for me, it definitely falls into the lower tier of the model in comparison to ones I have ridden. That's not to say that the attraction isn't splendid. The ride may be lacking in stats but it has a very well-paced layout with no midcourse brake-run. Every inversion is taken with a great amount of speed and delivers awesome whip, depending on the row. The zero-G roll in particular is a highlight because of the essentially "upside-down airtime" you get from the inversion, which to that, is surprisingly strong. Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, the ride definitely loses some points because of its small stats. Height and speed don't typically mean much but the length is something to look at. The ride is very fun yet it feels like it ends too soon. That's not even to mention my biggest critique with this attraction; its intensity. Normally, floorless coasters exert high amounts of positive G-forces on me. On this ride, that is not the case. The inversions are fun and whippy yet do not seem to provide great forces, which is something that not many other floorless coasters can also say. The ride is definitely a well-paced attraction with great inversions, but its small length and lack of intensity do not grant this ride a spot in my favorite floorless coaster iterations.
Mack Rides is currently a top manufacturing company in the industry for their record-breaking roller coasters they've introduced in previous years. Th...
Mack Rides is currently a top manufacturing company in the industry for their record-breaking roller coasters they've introduced in previous years. Though, long before Mack Rides developed these world-renowned rides, they ironically put themselves on the table because of their wildly popular "Wild Mouse" model. There are many different variations of this model and it has been created long before Mack Rides developed their take, but Mack definitely had the most impact. The different Wild Mouse layouts were cloned all around the world, including Kings Dominion when they received Apple Zapple. I will say, this particular ride is one of my favorite iterations of the model, with it's large drop in the beginning and more comfortable turns. But, like any other wild mouse, this ride suffers from its repetition, lack of pacing and uncomfortable lateral forces. The 180 degree unbanked turns provide laterals in which they are an upgrade from the typical wild mouse yet are still uncomfortable. For what this ride is supposed to do, it's pretty good. I just don't see myself riding this attraction that much, especially considering the fact that it's likely the most popular roller coaster model.
Six Flags Magic Mountain is famous for its impressive lineup of 20 current roller coasters. Though, in those 20, only one wooden roller coaster stands...
Six Flags Magic Mountain is famous for its impressive lineup of 20 current roller coasters. Though, in those 20, only one wooden roller coaster stands: Apocalypse the Ride. Apocalypse is one of the older GCIs created and is one of their smaller thrill rides. Yet to say it doesn't pack a punch in its smaller stats is an understatement. From the moment the ride drops off the lift hill you are treated with many doses of intense laterals, disorienting turns and even some surprising pops of floater and ejector airtime. The ride seems to quickly take a turn or go over a hill every few seconds, with no time to breathe. That is, until the ride's finale. Apocalypse lets off a lot of speed to take two massive turns that don't do very much, resulting in somewhat of a disappointing end. The ride also has the GCI millennium flyer lap bars, which staple you as soon as the ride gains some positive G-forces. On a brighter note, the theming for this ride is very well done. The queue is very engaging with not just the ride itself but loads of theming sets that enhance the ride well. Overall, Apocalypse is a great wooden coaster that delivers a chaotic ride for the first 2/3 of the layout.
I fully understand that roller coasters produced by company Arrow Dynamics can be very nostalgic for some. On the other hand, another person may hate ...
I fully understand that roller coasters produced by company Arrow Dynamics can be very nostalgic for some. On the other hand, another person may hate that ride for its poor tracking and roughness. For me, I typically enjoy these Arrow Dynamics looping coasters. They offer fun, intense thrills through some discombobulating inversion, and they usually aren't too rough. Though, unlike those rides, Anaconda takes every compliment I just gave to Arrow's loopers and turns it completely around. It pains me to see such a ride sitting on such a beautiful plot of land. The large pond surrounded by beautiful trees is prime real estate for an incredible attraction. Unfortunately, the insufferable Anaconda lies there. There are two sections of this ride separated by a brake-run. The first of which features the drop, two large inversions and a turn. The G-forces delivered through the first two inversions will be the only compliment I give this ride, albeit, the forces aren't even particularly strong. The relatively distant intensity is suddenly stopped by a very jarring brake-run, and what follows is what makes me truly despise this attraction. The next section of ride is a mess of turns and two corkscrews. Because of the near-stop at the previous brake-run, the ride has no speed through these turns, resulting in one of the most boring yet uncomfortable sections of ride out there. Overall, this ride is a waste of time, and unless you want to ride it to say you've ridden a defunct ride in a few years, I do not recommend.
In terms of kids coasters, this ride is pretty decent. But as a coaster enthusiast, I find myself having no reason to ever ride this attraction unless...
In terms of kids coasters, this ride is pretty decent. But as a coaster enthusiast, I find myself having no reason to ever ride this attraction unless with kids of my own, and for that, no reason to give this ride a score higher than the minimum.
