It is hard to describe this masterpiece. I was on a long road trip to North Carolina with my family, and somehow convinced them to let me stop here fo...
It is hard to describe this masterpiece. I was on a long road trip to North Carolina with my family, and somehow convinced them to let me stop here for an hour or so. Up to this point, my only RMCs were New Texas Giant and Iron Rattler, and neither of those could have prepared me for the sheer insanity of this bonkers ride. I knew this one would be better, but holy smokes, this thing is insane. It’s such a comical sight at a park that looks like an old parking lot with temporary rides strewn about, but nonetheless this thing is such a cool anchor point. I’d like to shout out the Fun Spot staff, genuinely some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Someone literally opened the door for me and said, “are you here to ride ArieForce?” then gave me a high five. Like, come on. That’ll get you hyped. The ride though? Holy crap. It’s a blessing to mankind. The first drop is somehow the least memorable moment on the ride which says far less about the drop and more about how world-class the rest of this thing is. It does what you’d expect - floater in the front, ejector in the back. The raven truss dive is super cool, sitting on the red rail side gives you some super good float as you twist into it. The slight banking on entry was a genius move to add a little spice to the dive loop. The following speed hill gives a shocking jolt of ejector and very minor laterals due to the slight turn of the profiling, which then leads to my first zero-G stall. This did not disappoint in the slightest. This moment is engineered to give a perfect zero gravity sensation, it feels like a perfect graceful float. Then, my favorite element on any coaster thus far: the outerbank turn. This is so long and sustained, you are just powerfully thrusted into the lap bar diagonally for seconds on end. Such a powerful and elite moment. I especially loved it on the red rail side as you get thrusted upwards a bit more. Then, the double up gives a quick stab of air into the first hill, then some glorious sustained ejector the whole way down with yet again comical amounts of strength. This then leads into the arcade roll, which is fabulous. It has great (but not painful) whip and leaves you floating the whole time while you do a full rotation. Such a fantastic moment. This leads to a quick outerbank that is better on the blue rail side but still a great surprise, then pulls out into a big sweeping positives-filled turn. Having Titan at my home park, this didn’t delete my braincells too much, but honestly, I loved the diversifying of forces that this pure positives-focused moment offered. Then you do a graceful roll into the most demented moment intentionally designed into a coaster in this century. They call it a “quad down,” but there’s really 6 moments of airtime here. I get the first hill is transitioning you into the finale and the last is just putting you on the brake run, but they were similarly strong. Those main four hills though? Obliterating. So freaking sharp and strong. It reminds me of the ejector moments on Shock Wave at SFOT, just smoother. But the rumors are true, once I hit cycle #4 these things started to hurt because of how freaking strong they were. Call me messed up but I actually loved how bonkers it was. Just fabulous. I do recommend bracing for the final breaks though, I heard it was a screeching halt, but not even Titan’s two harsh full stops could have prepared me. All in all, just saying this is my new #1 does not feel like I’m doing this thing justice. I don’t know if I’ll top this ride for ages. I’m so so glad I got to finally ride a proper new RMC.
Good lord. This is one of the single best rides on planet earth that can be enjoyed by the whole family. It is AMAZING. The ride vehicle swiveling mec...
Good lord. This is one of the single best rides on planet earth that can be enjoyed by the whole family. It is AMAZING. The ride vehicle swiveling mechanic is what brings this seemingly lackluster layout to life. I particularly enjoyed the backwards launch that flips you forward as you enter the main room, and the two inwards facing helixes around the physical planet sets. So memorable. That being said, while the layout is plenty of fun, that isn't the main highlight of this ride. As one would expect from a Disney-sized budget in 2024, the theming here is stellar. I mean completely mind-bendingly bonkers. My favorite aspect of the ride is the randomized song you get every time you ride that begins at the launch. It leaves you anticipating the launch every time more than you would if it was just a regular old launch. What song you get out of the six possibilities really changes the vibe of the ride, and if you ask me, they knocked it out of the park with the selections. My personal favorites are September and Disco Inferno, but all of them are great and would each fit in a Guardians movie. The effects in the launch tunnel are dazzling, and the big screens with the Guardians fighting the massive celestial are super believable and work seamlessly with the ride. You really feel like you're flying amongst the Guardians in space right alongside them. This is, in my opinion, the best ride at Disney World, period. This was such a godsend for Epcot and you have to go experience it.
So look, this is a fine ride, and if I grew up with it at my home park, I think I'd feel a lot more attached. But I do think this kind of gets swallow...
So look, this is a fine ride, and if I grew up with it at my home park, I think I'd feel a lot more attached. But I do think this kind of gets swallowed up by this park's lineup. The inversions are great and whippy, and the first loop is a spectacle, but on the whole, there's not an obvious standout moment that's super memorable. Also, the back row had a pretty strong rattle. Not anything painful, but it was distracting. Superman is a good time and is perfectly harmless, but I just don't think floorless coasters are particularly special. This is definitely a bad take, but I prefer SFOT's Titan as the standout big scary ride. It's just generally more imposing and has more memorable moments, even if Superman is technically less flawed. Nonetheless, it's a solid ride. Just not one that stuck with me much compared to other coasters in SFFT's pretty incredible lineup.
I admittedly have not ridden many coasters compared to some, but this is undoubtedly my number one so far. Iron Rattler is a unique, incredible master...
I admittedly have not ridden many coasters compared to some, but this is undoubtedly my number one so far. Iron Rattler is a unique, incredible masterpiece set atop the gorgeously scenic quarry wall that surrounds much of SFFT. And not only does it look incredible, it rides like an absolute beast. My first RMC was the first ever, that being the New Texas Giant, and these rides, while somewhat reminiscent of each other, feel very different in focus. NTG is much longer with its greatest elements spread out, whereas in IRat trims the fat, so to speak, by being a rapid fire machine of elite elements. IRat has the most incredible drop I have experienced on a coaster. Ride this one in the back just so you can get the wild laterals as you begin the descent. Yes, there are laterals on this drop. The drop bends off of the quarry wall so it can dive off of it, meaning the back of the train gets yanked sideways as you get amazing ejector. It is an incredible moment. You then get an awesome head chopper as you pull out from the drop with this wood shed ceiling above you. Then you leap back onto the quarry, do a couple of banked turns, after which you dive off yet again. This brief segment is completely harmless, but is admittedly the most forgettable part of the ride. I think modern-day RMC would have definitely thrown in some outerbanked airtime hills and/or an aggressive wave turn up here. This is more just an observation, not a complaint. After diving off the wall yet again, you take a quick turn and then ascend onto the wall again, this time with RMC's (and my) first ever zero-G roll. And I have to say, it was not disappointing. Such a great way to differentiate the ascent back onto the wall. The ride slows a bit as you do a turn around on the wall composed of inward/outward banked turns and a couple of bunny hills that give you a bit to breathe. The turns give weird sideways air followed by some strange sideways hangtime. It's kind of hard to explain. It may be slow and bizarre, but I thought it was fun and unique. Then comes the famed dive off of the quarry wall. And yes, it is as awesome as promised. You get incredible sustained ejector the whole way down. Then, you blast through a turn traveling through the dark inside of the quarry wall, then blast out and jerk violently into the brake run. This ride left me laughing my head off in joy. I love the Iron Rattler, and I cannot wait to ride it again in hotter temperatures. It is currently my number one, and likely will be until I ride another crazy RMC that can battle it.
I am in love with RMC, so now that I have more appreciation for how significant this revamp was for both this ride and the coaster scene in general, n...
I am in love with RMC, so now that I have more appreciation for how significant this revamp was for both this ride and the coaster scene in general, naturally I am a little obsessed with this coaster. The drop on New Texas Giant is still one of the best, even stacked against other RMCs. The curve to it gives you crazy ejector airtime in the back especially. The first step up gives great ejector, and while the following banked turn doesn't do too much, the second gives great lateral airtime and feels a lot more modern RMC. The third turn is overbanked and has beams surrounding it making for some great head choppers. It seems like its an obligation to mention the hill before the midcourse break run when talking about this ride, and I can tell you it’s as good as everyone says it is. I am not nearly as much of an NTG back half hater as some, but maybe more RMC rides will kill it. The back half is basically just an airtime simulator, but just weaker than the first half, barring a few instances. The step down under the lift hill is great. Some of the preceding and following hills are fun in isolation, but comparatively weak to other RMCs. Regardless, I find the three-tunnel finale to be very fun, especially thematically. There are Texas flag-colored lights flashing as you bob up and down through them, getting some brief, weak ejector. Hearing the trains roaring through the tunnels is super fun too. It just has some great energy to it. The whole coaster does, really. The ride vehicles are modeled off of 1961 Cadillac Devilles with longhorns on the front hood, the loading area has a “chicken coop” for people who chicken out of riding, and there’s a sign at the peak of the drop that says “Wait - let’s discuss this!” right before you plummet down - it’s all just very fun and very overly Texan in a charming way. I totally see why this one is the most common favorite and it’s definitely mine. The best coaster at my home park, and a historic one too.
Dear lord, this ride. It is bonkers. Like, what the heck, man? This boy is intense. There may be statistically taller, faster rides at this park, but ...
Dear lord, this ride. It is bonkers. Like, what the heck, man? This boy is intense. There may be statistically taller, faster rides at this park, but this one takes the cake for being mind-blowingly insane. I’d say it surpasses Titan in thrill, at least on a first-time ride. I’ve done it both forwards and backwards, and can verify that it is a whole other tier of more terrifying and fantastic backwards. Big PSA that SFOT is now running one train forwards and one backwards, so you can pick which way you start. Such a simple fix but it makes all the difference if you have a strong preference (I hope St. Louis catches on soon). You launch out of the bay going to 70 miles an hour in just under 4 seconds, and you feel it. With that unprecedented surge of momentum, you immediately bank upwards into an inverted top hat, where the car slows a bit and you get some uncanny hangtime, all while the world twists around you. Then, you drop back down and go up into an intense banked turn, where you dip down again and then travel up the iconic spike. Magnetic boosters carry your train higher up than the speed you gained could have carried you, giving you this uncanny feeling that you’ve defied the laws of gravity. Then you stall out and your life flashes before your eyes as you stare either into the ground or into the sky, depending on if you started forwards or backwards. Then, you do it all again. No matter what direction you started, let me tell you, that backwards inversion is crazy - backwards hangtime is as crazy as it sounds. You then shoot back into the station and try to reacquaint yourself with reality, which took me a solid 30 to 40 seconds. They say that if you ride Mr. Freeze twice in a row, as you ascend the vertical spike and gaze into the heavens, you see Jesus Christ. Anyways, it’s obvious why this ride is a national favorite, as it is 60 seconds of mind bending thrill that I doubt is offered in many other places around the globe. I'm so grateful both the forwards and backwards options are available simultaneously, but I will say, I personally enjoy the backwards variant more. The speed going through the inverted top hat backwards is one of the single most wild and disorienting moments on a coaster, I'm convinced. Regardless, give this one a shot both ways if you can. This is such a fun and unique ride.
I've already seen these thoughts on a lot of other reviews, but I'll say it again - Titan is way over-hated. This thing is a blast. I'm definitely bia...
I've already seen these thoughts on a lot of other reviews, but I'll say it again - Titan is way over-hated. This thing is a blast. I'm definitely biased as I'm pretty attached to the ride, given that it was my first properly intense coaster, but it truly is an icon in its park and in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I'll go ahead and note that sitting in the back on this ride makes a huge difference, mainly for one moment - the drop. Contrary to what some say, this drop absolutely gives good air in the back, and you will be out of your seat for much of the duration of this almost comically long drop. The drop is steep enough to give you some unnerving floater 250 feet in the air, but shallow enough to last a concerning amount of time, culminating in that incredibly intense pullout in that tunnel at the bottom. I truly will never forget how mind blowing this moment was the first time I experienced it. Hearing the train absolutely roar as it rips through the tunnel, then emerging back into the sunlight almost as if you had blacked out then regained consciousness suddenly as you float up into the turnaround... It's a moment that gets me ever time. I always come out of that tunnel laughing my head off in joy. The turnaround gives mild laterals in the heat but otherwise just serves as a breather after that incredible opening. The camelback gives wonderful sustained floater in the back of the train, and the helix will genuinely knock the slobber out of your mouth if you're not actively preparing for it. It is concerningly crushing. The midcourse fully stopping you is definitely a bother, as I am morbidly curious what the elimination of it would do to the ending spaghetti bowl/helix. I think it would liven up the random dips and turns in the back half a lot. I guess the bizarre slow lean into the second half off of the midcourse is kind of unique, but I retain that getting rid of the near stop would be far superior. The only part that's really of note in the second half is the downward helix which is a good time, not to mention that there are some fun head choppers given by the rides supports in several locations. There's also this moment right before the final break run where you dip into this small manmade concrete valley that sometimes has water flowing through it that is sort of neat visually. If you can't tell, I'm sort of grasping at straws for what to talk about in the second half. It's perfectly harmless but admittedly somewhat pointless, especially when contrasted to the incredible first half of the ride. As a whole, though, this ride is such a good time. It may not be a masterclass in making each moment count, but it masters selling the moments that do. It's supposed to be the token scary coaster at SFOT, and that it does incredibly well. It is undoubtedly the most intense coaster in Texas. Also, I love the name, personally. It is overtly meant sound like the big bad of the park and that name says it all. Even with its flaws, I will always love this ride.
