• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Smiler vs Nemesis

Smiler or Nemesis

  • Smiler

    Votes: 15 11.4%

  • Nemesis

    Votes: 117 88.6%
  • Total voters
    132
Matt.GC said:
The station is awesome, but almost everything else about it is inferior to the original for me. The name. The "theming". The awful state of the pit. The overuse of the colour black.
Click to expand...

It's black with a strong red accent, and while I'll miss the bone white motif of the original Nemesis in its prime back in the 90s to early 00s, the "Reborn" theming overhaul seems to do more right than wrong and I love the gigantic eyeball of the actual rennovated Nemesis "creature" structure....

Thorpe Park's version of Nemesis seems underrated or unnecessarily hated as well.
 
Last edited:
I think if Thorpe's Nemesis Inferno gets a "Reborn" style upgrade, it'll get a swarm of much smaller one eyed Nemesis creatures spewing out of the volcanic fissures and where you get the fake alligators, you see a wrecked Phalanx Humvee overrun by more Nemesis creatures (implying the Nemesis Inferno is a spawning ground for Alton's much bigger Nemesis creature),

The Nemesis Reborn's pit is the way it is due to the original dyed red water being unfriendly to the local ecology, sadly. Still a fantastic looking retrack/rebrand overall, it's on my bucket list now.

I haven't been on the Smiler yet, but I wonder it the reputation it gained is in part due to the truly unfortunate accident it subjected guests too? But I wouldn't be surprised if the Smiler gets new trains in a few years time, and seems a victim of being a bit overdesigned. Awesome logo and creepy themetune though.
 
I agree with @GooseOnTheLoose. The worst thing they ever did for Nemesis Inferno’s reputation was give it the Nemesis name and invite the comparison. If they’d just named it Inferno, or something completely different, I think it would be far better received. In my opinion, it’s an absolutely excellent coaster in its own right and firmly holds its own against Nemesis for me! I currently have Nemesis ranked slightly higher, but there’s honestly very little in it; I do like Inferno a lot!

We could have had it worse, though; if Wardley hadn’t intervened and said no, Tussauds were reportedly planning to just name it Nemesis! (The source for this information is Making Thorpe Park by Chris Atkinson, a book that cites conversations with John Wardley among its numerous sources)
TedShatner10 said:
I haven't been on the Smiler yet, but I wonder it the reputation it gained is in part due to the truly unfortunate accident it subjected guests too? But I wouldn't be surprised if the Smiler gets new trains in a few years time, and seems a victim of being a bit overdesigned. Awesome logo and creepy themetune though.
Click to expand...
For me, the accident doesn’t even factor into it. Plenty of rides have had accidents in the past.

For me, it’s just the fact that I don’t massively rate the track and train ride experience. That most recent back row ride in particular was not particularly enjoyable for me.

I can’t speak for others, but for me, the accident doesn’t even factor into my opinion of it. On a wider scale, The Smiler seems more popular among the average guest than it does among enthusiasts, and you’d expect non-enthusiasts to be more put off it due to the accident, in general, so I don’t think it seems to be hurting the ride’s popularity among the wider Alton Towers visitor populace!
 
Matt N said:
The worst thing they ever did for Nemesis Inferno’s reputation was give it the Nemesis name and invite the comparison
Click to expand...
They’re the only 2 inverts in the UK there would be comparisons regardless. Although must admit never understood what The Nemesis name has to do with the volcano theme. It has no similarities to the theming and backstory of Nemesis so why did they choose to put the Nemesis name in. Was it to spark interest and instant attention? Who knows
 
Being essentially the same B&M roller coaster train and track design, and being commissioned by the same Tussauds/Merlin company didn't help...
 
Last edited:
Matt N said:
The Smiler seems more popular among the average guest than it does among enthusiasts, and you’d expect non-enthusiasts to be more put off it due to the accident, in general, so I don’t think it seems to be hurting the ride’s popularity among the wider Alton Towers visitor populace!
Click to expand...

I get the impression that Smiler, Nemesis, and Oblvion suffer from the thrillride equivalent of "Seinfeld Is Boring" trope (US born roller coasters aficianados likely get so spoiled or numbed by the Hyperia+ sized roller coasters from across N. America and Eurasia).

I really do think Nemesis Inferno at Thorpe should have a Phalanx paramilitary and monster mash re-theme to tie it more directly to its much more famous, popular sister coaster at Altons.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top