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Overrated (but still great) coasters...?

AstroDan

AstroDan

TS Team
Favourite Ride
Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
You know those coasters you really like. But just not as much as it seems everyone else does? The ones where you end up sounding negative, but actually you really like them? They're top class coasters - but for you they're just not *THE* best? Here are five coasters I can think of, all of which would fit into my top 50 (I have done 503 coasters) - but I just don't quite buy the relentless hype for!

Shambhala, PortAventura
A brilliant B&M Hyper Coaster: but not god's gift. It's certainly up there with the best B&M Hypers I have done - but ultimately, the model has its limits. Fury325 is the best of the bunch - but Shambhala would definitely come in at 2nd or 3rd. Sadly, the mixed bag of operations get in the way too - and the sheer volume of Fastrack on a busy day make waiting in line pure hell - on a coaster which should achieve 1,600+ per hour and eat people up.

Taron, Phantasialand
When this was announced, I had hoped it would, quite literally, be the best ride in the world. I had hoped for Maverick - but longer, and better themed. We got the theming: it's amazing how well that ride loops and twists around the area. But the coaster? I'm afraid there's just too many spots where it doesn't really do much. It has its moments, but I was rather hoping for something with more airtime, more twists and more fire power. Love that 2nd launch, though!

Balder, Liseberg
This is one of those coasters I had read about and seen years before I actually rode it. But riding it is just... so awkward! The airtime is really fun, and there's lots of it. Quick pulls right out of the seat. But the corners. It just goes round them while you awkwardly wonder what to do with your arms before you get to the next little drop and the next bit of airtime. So yes - much fun can be had, but much awkwardness too on what is a fairly unadventurous layout. El Toro all the way.

Blue Fire, Europa-Park
I really like Blue Fire. Indeed, when it was new in 2009 - I remember being blown away that Mack Rides had built a ride so smooth, with such build quality. But let's be honest. 8 years on, there's just bigger and better out there - from Mack, too. So whilst I recognise what Blue Fire has - and still does do - for the company, I really want the park to step it up when they get their next big coaster and really chuck out the thrills. *That* roll at the end, though...

Storm Runner, Hersheypark
Another iconic legend of the launch coaster world. The layout is cool. The launch is nice. But this thing gets brownie points just because it's a drop on the weird side. Actually? It's not even the 3rd best launch coaster I have been on. It's really fun but it's nowhere near as "£$%^&*() as you'd believe if you read all the stuff online! Take me to Skyrush, please!

Do you have any?
 
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Expedition GeForce. Great first drop and first hill, but unfortunately the rest of the layout leaves so much to be desired and feels so much of a waste of speed. Too many drawn out turns and not enough proper airtime hills! Not a clue how this was consistently top of the steel coaster polls for so long.
 
I have one. This is:
  • Manta (SeaWorld Orlando) - It was a good coaster, don't get me wrong. But I personally think that other than that insane pretzel loop, it didn't feel much different force-wise and ride-wise to Galactica. Also, I found it quite rattly, although I'm presuming I had a bad ride judging by what others have said. I think the thing is, with Manta, I was expecting it to reach my top 10 and be so much better than Galactica, like some evolved flying roller coaster, and it wasn't. I actually think that Manta is the weakest of the park's 3 B&M's.
 
Speed at Oakwood seems to get a decent review from the enthusiasts I speak to, but I personally found it rather naff.
 
(Awaits barrage of abuse for the first one on my list :p)

Helix, Liseberg

Now don't get me wrong, its a good ride, but the enthusiast community goes ape over Helix and it just didn't get up to those levels for me. The day I visited operations were terrible (stacking on two trains) which resulted in longer queues than it needed to have. The launches are quite poor in my opinion and apart from the two great moments of ejector airtime, it seemed to be just inversion after inversion.

New Texas Giant, Six Flags Over Texas

I will put my hand up now and say that I just don't get the love for any of the RMC Iron Horse conversions of woodies that I have ridden. Yes they have ejector airtime in abundance, which is what I love about coasters. Yes, they have interesting layouts and yes , they are good solid rides. But they just leave me cold inside when riding them. Take the New Texas Giant, when this was launched it had enthusiasts salivating, even more so when they rode it. For me, its just a series of drops that try to throw you out of the train and that's it. All of the RMC Iron Horse conversions seem a bit....... samey to me..... :). I think I will feel the same Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point. !! :p
 
Good thread, and one that I'm sure will prove rather controversial!

Balder certainly springs to mind but I think having ridden El Toro beforehand goes some way to explaining that one. It's a great woodie of course but just not as good as I was expected based on other reviews.

There are other coasters that people rate fairly well yet I think they are poor (looking at you Tonnerre de Zeus and Grand National) but they don't really fit the brief!

On the other hand I do feel that Silver Stat is a somewhat underrated coaster. A fair amount of people (not necessarily on here mind but certainly on other forums) give it a lot of stick but I still think it's a very good coaster.

:)
 
I agree with what Matt N in saying Manta but for a slightly different reason. I found that unless I had the restraint locked just right it could be an awkward experience, and even then I didn't enjoy the actual flying experience as much as I did on Air. The pretzel loop sets up an intense thrill ride even though the rest of the ride isn't.

Black Mamba is my pick. Great setting but the layout is utter... meh. I cant call it a bad ride but why it gets raved about I don't know.
 
I have to agree with you Dan about Balder and Blue Fire. With the former, the airtime is really good, but that's about it. Having actually now ridden it, it's hard to believe it was considered one of the best wooden coasters in the world, I don't even think it's the best wooden roller coaster in Sweden now!

As for Blue Fire, it's a fun ride but as you say Mack Launches these days (or ones with inversions at least) have been done so much better and makes BlooFi feel a bit vanilla in comparison. Although vanilla ice cream can still be very nice :p
 
Agree with everyone on Balder, haven't been on close to as many coasters as some people and still didn't care much for it. There's amazing airtime but nothing else, long, forceless turns and stretches with nothing happening. Easily my least favourite of the four Scandinavian woodies I've done (Wildfire, Thundercoaster and Twister). It's very good don't get me wrong, better than any we have here not including Wild Mouse, but I expected so much more. Tighten the layout up and it would have been incredible.
 
Well, since we're being controversial....

The smiler. Even ignoring the shoddy construction and unfortunate incident, I find it to be an unimaginative, desperate attempt to gain a tenuous, fleeting world record. It's also a real headbanger and induces Gerstache.
... Having said that, I can't fault it when it comes to being an intense / extreme ride. I will concede that many people feel the same way about The Ultimate (one of my top rides) as I do about Smiler. ;)

Have to agree with what has already been said about Black Mamba.

Tonnerre de Zeus. When it's traveling in a straight line it's amazing, but the corners are so rough they ruin it for me.
 
The stand out one for me is Black Mamba at Phantasialand. You can’t fault the theming but the coaster it’s self is just a bit dull. I would argue that if you put Inferno in such an immersive environment you would have a better ride.

I also agree with Zeus at Astrix, it just doesn’t do it for me.

The one that most people look at me funny about is Dragon Khan at PA, that ride to me was painful mixed with mediocre.
 
I think some folks are missing the point ;)

These are all coasters you rate highly, but just not quite as highly as others.

You bleedin' hate Khan, Dave!

:p
 
Agreed with The Smiler. In theory a great ride, but for a number of reasons I can't get excited about it. I can however get why others do.
 
The Incredible Hulk. Great ride, but aside from the launch, which is great, it didn't live up to the hype with a strange layout which doesn't do too much for me. The fact that arguably the best B&M sitdown is just an hour away probably doesn't help either.
 
I agree with the sentiments raised in previous posts about Shambhala, EGF, Balder, Black Mamba and Taron. For some reason Phantasialand's coasters in general don't wow me aside from the fantastic Colorado Adventure, so I'd add Winja's Fear and Force to the list. Both are a lot of fun, with Fear in particular being very enjoyable. However, the trick track sections are complete flow breakers, the queue isn't that nice an environment, and Wuze Town feels a bit...'shopping centre' to me, I guess.

Others I'd include are:

Silver Star, EP - OK, a B&M hyper coaster is what it is, and I do enjoy a ride on our dear Sylvia, but I'd prefer a lot more airtime for the height of this ride, and that first drop pullout can be pretty unpleasant.

Wildfire, Kolmarden - Some of the folks I was with when I rode this utterly adored it. While it's undoubtedly very good, it's neither relentless or glass smooth as RMC coasters are sometimes claimed to be; there's a significant dead spot towards the end, and it rattled in a way that gave me a headache in the heat of the day we visited. It also just felt a bit soulless somehow.

Schwur des Karnan, Hansa Park - I can appreciate the utter insanity of this coaster and the ambition of both the park and Gerstlauer in making it do what it does. It's hugely exhilarating to ride. It's also hugely uncomfortable, and feels like it pushes the capabilities of the Gerst Infinity ride system just beyond its practical limits. I really want to love it and can see why people who are able to overlook its flaws do, but it doesn't offer that complete package that I'm after, spectacular as it is.
 
So Shambhala is totally over hyped and I only got a decent amount of airtime in the back row with a very loose restraint. The turnaround lacked any force wherever I sat.
Red Force and Stealth are far too short and simply feel quite boring.
Dragon Khan is very, very rough.
Galactica is just rough and doesn't give me a flying sensation.
THE SWARM is too short and forceless, to properly wow me.
Vampire is VERY rough.
 
I'd disagree with Winja's but only because I never expected them to be great rides. All the faults mentioned above are true but as they are Maurer Spinning coasters I didn't hold them to the same standard as a B&M. Hence I see them as should be average coasters which turned out to be great, rather than a potentialy amazing coaster which fell short.
 
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