Most Overated Ride?

[psyclonerider]

Hey, i'm back after a long time away. I was just wondering what you guys thought was the most overated ride.

Personally, I believe that Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland near Toronto Ontario is quite overated. Although it is a decent ride, it's pretty low by B&M standards, and is VERY overated among the gp at the park. I personally think that many of their other rides are much more intense/high quallity, manly psyclone (Mondial revolution/Frisbee type ride), and Drop Tower/Zone.

So... What do you guys think?!?!?!?!?

[Leo C]

I have not been to Canada's Wonderland yet but it was stuffed full of mediocre cloned coasters like the Vekoma SLC, a boomerang, a Togo standup, a classic Arrow looper, a Zamperla Volaire. Since I rode Flight Deck at kings Island I knew Vortex was probably the best ride there for awhile. I think the local base of the General Public have a right to kiss Behemoth's feet. It's the first ride given to them that's on a world class brass level. The park has been given respect now with two B&M coasters.

[Daniel Barto]

This is easy: Bizarro at SFNE. It's a good I just feel that Six Flags missed the entire bloody target with this one; the audio is cool when it works, the fire isn't there anymore, and it just doesn't feel right (it would have been just as easy to do all the effects and keep it Superman). Also the ride itself is very okay because of the new trains. The new trains (with those damn U bar restraints) killed the experience before I even left the station. I normally fit in Intamin restraints no problem (even El Toro's U Bars were okay on me), but I had to almost leave the ride because the restraint barely clicked. Don't even get me started on the damn height restriction (now that I've grown again I can never be allowed on it just because I'm now 6'5") and everything SFNE does to murder a fantastic ride. How this thing won #1 coaster for years is beyond me. "Bizarro number 1!" my ass.

[Antoine]

My thoughts exactly. I haven't ridden Behemoth yet, but I am hard pressed to believe that those other hodge podge of copied coasters are topping it. It may not be the best B&M out there, but it certainly makes Wonderland seem like a better place now. Because otherwise you could have covered 80% of the coasters there simply by riding the clones in other parks. As far as the most overrated rides, I would say Mystery Mine, Magnum XL-200, and Phantom's Revenge.

[Leo C]

Magnum XL-200 is on my overrated list. I rode it in 2000 and 2003 and didn't understand what the hoopla was about. I can agree with Antoine about the Phantom's Revenge. The end to the ride is crude with its final small hills.

I should get a more up to date over rated ride.

I disagree about Bizarro at Six Flags New England. As Superman Ride of Steel the ride won those kudos. Out of respect of NITRO for years I wouldn't rate it above that ride. Finally in 2006 when El Toro came along I rode that and Superman in the same season. I thought El Toro and Superman were the wood-steel Intamin compliments to one another. Superman is at a good speed through the last bunnyhills and the sharp right curve into the final brakes. What is correct is the disappointment the ride was repainted and renamed for a Superman villian. Superman Ride of Steel shines so much it should be themed only as good. The ride still has neon from its old Superman days in the first drop tunnel. I'm disappointed the flamethrowers are off but it's a dumb theme accessory. The only thing I am aligned with on Bizarro is the "Bizarro #1!" tagline because Superman Ride of Steel lives up to the billing and beats the even taller Millenium Force. The focus was correct on the design of Superman at Six Flags New England down in the hyper range. The Superman rides at Six Flags America and Darien Lake have too much flat track, too much space between the hills. They are snoozers.

[Josh B]

Magnum is indeed a little overrated, but I think it deserved the love it had when it opened, and still deserves some. I'm still a fan. However, it's gotten a tad of that Arrow roughness, and the brakes going into the turnaround are on too tight. It has been blown away by other coasters, but I'll always love Magnum, and without it, who knows where coasters would be today?

[Thunderhawk]

I disagree about Bizarro at SFNE. I rode it for the first time this year and absolutely love the ride. I do agree that the re-theming was probably unnecessary, though to me it doesn't detract from the ride. I love this ride for the awesome setting, the out-of-this-world airtime, the lack of dead spots Leo alluded to that exist on the other two original S:ROSs, and it even has a great twister section. Non-stop action. It easily became my favorite steel coaster this year. There's nothing even close for me, and I've ridden a lot of the top steel rides.

On the issue of Bizarro's restraints, I was lucky enough to ride all three Ride of Steels this year with different people and I have some thoughts on them. My experience has been tall people hate Bizarro's restraints because of the limited leg room (I rode with a guy who is probably 6'2-6'4). I, on the other hand, think they are perfectly fine and have no problem with them. On the other hand I loath both SFA's and Darien's ROS restraints. These things murder my shins. I'm 5'9, but the way my legs are shaped (proportion of lower leg to upper leg), my shins get destroyed by the ankle restraints. I literally had deep, dark bruises the next day from the restraints after both parks. I see Bizarro's new trains as a vast improvement over the previous configuration.

As for my most overrated ride, I think I am going with Millennium Force. Look, it's a really good ride, but, it's not even in the same ballpark as Bizarro. Bizarro has a lot more airtime and it is just generally more exciting. I really like Millennium Force but people treat it as if it's the best ride in the world, and I can think of at least 2-3 Intamins that are better.

[Leo C]

As for my most overrated ride, I think I am going with Millennium Force. Look, it's a really good ride, but, it's not even in the same ballpark as Bizarro. Bizarro has a lot more airtime and it is just generally more exciting. I really like Millennium Force but people treat it as if it's the best ride in the world, and I can think of at least 2-3 Intamins that are better.

Boom, I agree. On the third hill and the return hill next to it I was expecting more air. After the last tunnel it's just a speed section to the last overbank turn. I'm more about air than the speed.

Coney Island Cyclone. we just had discussed it a few weeks ago. When it ends up in a magazine or column catering more to the GP it tends to be on lists. The ride has character and is rough but it's mostly on those lists for its location, the atmosphere of Coney and New York.

[gad198]

I agree and disagree regarding Bizarro. It's still my #1 steel but the restraints on that coaster are absolutely atrocious. I wish I could have ridden it while it still had the T-bars, but oh well, what is is. The layout is still awesome and the airtime is there in abundance. The thing that's always made me curious is the big divide between that ride and the next best ride there. Does any other park in America have such a big quality gap between their best and their second-best coasters?

The most overrated coaster IMO has already been mentioned - Phantom's Revenge. It's certainly the best of the Morgan hypers but I think I would rather ride every North American B&M or Intamin hyper (except Raging Bull) over this coaster. I believe that Phantom's suffers a bit from identity crisis. Is it a big bad hyper or is it an airtime machine? The big drop through Thunderbolt didn't do it for me as the drop suffered from the same problem as Goliath at SFMM; it simply isn't steep enough. The airtime during the second half of the ride is OK but in that area it still pales in comparison to all of the B&M and Intamin creations.

[Antoine]

I agree and disagree regarding Bizarro. It's still my #1 steel but the restraints on that coaster are absolutely atrocious. I wish I could have ridden it while it still had the T-bars, but oh well, what is is. The layout is still awesome and the airtime is there in abundance. The thing that's always made me curious is the big divide between that ride and the next best ride there. Does any other park in America have such a big quality gap between their best and their second-best coasters?

You are absolutely right about that too! It is a huge gap between the best and the second best ride. I would say that Dark Knight is the second best there, but it hardly ranks high up there though. This is one of the few parks in the United States where I see this. Another place that suffers from this outside of the United States is Holiday Park in Germany. You have Expedition GeForce there which is without question my favorite coaster in Germany and ranks in the top 5 of polls every year. But their second best coaster is Super Wirbel? This is a 30 year old Vekoma clone that is very forgettable once you get off it. It's so terrible that it isn't even worthy of a ranking.

[Leo C]

I respect B&M but there are SFNE visits where I don't even bother to ride the small Batman: Dark Knight floorless looper. I don't feel like waiting 20 minutes for the ride when I'll hop on Bizarro again and again. Most likely I see a line short enough for Flashback on my way to the Cyclone at SFNE. Bizarro, Thunderbolt, Flashback, and Cyclone have been the SFNE coasters I've been on an average visit most times.

I have a friend in Pittsburgh that says Kennywood should get a B&M hyper. I at first thought that was crazy since Phantom's Revenge is already there but I admit PR doesn't have it all. I've long been eying a B&M terrain invert in black, silver steel colors for Kennywood.

[jay37415]

I have a friend in Pittsburgh that says Kennywood should get a B&M hyper. I at first thought that was crazy since Phantom's Revenge is already there but I admit PR doesn't have it all. I've long been eying a B&M terrain invert in black, silver steel colors for Kennywood.

I know its a little off subject. But I was thinking about that mystery green B&M Wing track spotted in Ohio. That is the about the same green used on Phantom. Wouldn't it be crazy if Kennywood built a Phantom (v 3.0) and called it Phantom's wing. I know it will never happen but hey.

OK. Now back on to subject. I think the most overrated coaster is one that is still being built but nobody has ever ridden yet. It seems the hype is bigger than the coaster. Some great examples are Son of Beast, I305, and (gasp! dare I say it) Wild Eagle. All were over-hyped then disappointing in my eyes.

[Antoine]

OK. Now back on to subject. I think the most overrated coaster is one that is still being built but nobody has ever ridden yet. It seems the hype is bigger than the coaster. Some great examples are Son of Beast, I305, and (gasp! dare I say it) Wild Eagle. All were over-hyped then disappointing in my eyes.

Some really surprising words right there. But at the same time, they are not surprising too. Often a lot of hype leads to a lot of disappointment. I have never ridden SOB before. The closest I got to it was sitting in the seat and the restraint not locking. After that, all trips to Kings Island resulted in the ride SBNO. I-305 I thought was a great ride, but the brakes on the drop made it lose major cool points. They have been removed now, but the ride had to be severely modified though in order to do that. So a bit of a disappointment too. Never ridden Wild Eagle before, but based off Raptor I am in no hurry to head down there to ride it. Raptor is a fun and smooth ride, but that is it. Isn't intense or anything along those lines. I came off the ride very disappointed and based off that it is hard to believe that Wild Eagle would be so much better that I have to book a trip to Pigeon Forge. Often hype is given for something new with very little regard to the quality of the actual ride. Krake was given a lot of hype, but it is terrible coaster. Mystery Mine was given a lot of hype and that is a terrible coaster too. Viper at SFGADV was hyped up because of the inline inversion but one ride on that thing and most agreed it needed to be torn down. Colossus was given lots of hype because of 10 inversions and it is the absolute worst coaster I ever encountered. At the end of the day it comes down to personal opinion, but often we are all blinded by the coaster true quality and simply happy because it is something new.

[Josh B]

I don't think I've ever actually been on a ride that was hyped up and been particularly disappointed. I even enjoyed SOB (post loop. Never rode with the loop.) The only rides I've ever really hated were ones I pretty much knew ahead of time that I wouldn't like very much (*cough* T2 *cough.) Maybe I'm just weird like that.

[Antoine]

Yeah, you are definitely weird.lol There are tons of coasters out there that I thought were totally overhyped after riding them. In contrast, I think there are coasters out there that are underhyped too.

[Josh B]

I will gladly accept being that kind of weird. lol Makes my roller coaster life that much easier.

[Leo C]

Is the Raven overhyped? I came into the enthusiast world about 5 years after it debuted. When I rode it in 2009 about 15 years of new wooden coasters came out after the Raven. I guess the Wildcat came out the same year as the Raven. I thought Raven was short.

[Antoine]

An amusement park that has still eluded me. Maybe some day I'll get to find out how good those coasters are in Santa Claus, Indiana....

[CoasterDemon]

Beast - in it's current incarnation. Millennium Force, Maverick (OUCH!).

[Antoine]

And with the 2012 season at a close, I will announce a new one to my list: Skyrush! Sooooooooooooo much potential, but the restraints are killing it. If they could fix that, it very well may become an awesome ride. But as it stands right now, not a single hyper coaster in the state of Pennsylvania impresses me.

[Leo C]

Pennsy is disappointing in the steel category in the last decade. Hydra, Fahrenheit, Skyrush: yuck.

[Brian H]

I loved Hydra. Yes, the jojo roll was overated, but in my opinion, the coaster is smooth, wild, and fun. It was one coaster that the direction changes were not known beforehand, but it wasn't a jerky ride.

[Antoine]

Yeah, I agree that Hydra isn't that bad at all. It isn't the best floorless out there, but it is good enough. Now that big red thing in the back of the park known as Steel Forceless is highly forgettable.

[Leo C]

I'm completely the other way around with Dorney Park in regards to Hydra and Steel Force. They never should have stretched out that cobra roll on a smaller layout. It's a mockery. I also called the coaster a mine train family floorless for how slow it runs. I do like the jojo roll because my legs are long enough to tap the head rests to do a "stand".

Contrary to what I said about PA in the last decade Skyrocket at Kennywood is a winner. Storm Runner is exempt as well.

[Thunderhawk]

SkyRush COULD be awesome. I think we give Intamin the offseason to tweak it, maybe get some new restraints, maybe some new trains, and all of a sudden we might have a comfortable, yet extremely intense, hyper coaster in my home state.

Yes indeedy. I am sure Hersheypark knows their new prize has an issue and will be highly interested in fixing it.

1,000th post.

[Leo C]

Congrats on the 1,000th post.

I think you'll be "On the hunt for 360" now. Hades 360 - yup

[Jayfreeze]

The most overrated ride by far for me would be millennium force and maverick. Millennium force just have the speed cause I really didn't feel any airtime on those massive drops,both coasters are way to overhype.

[Antoine]

I'll agree with Maverick. That is a severely overrated roller coaster right there and I just was not too impressed with it. The second launch is cool, but her transitions are pretty rough with those restraints. As far as MF, to each their own. I can see how people love it and I can see how people hate it. I think it is a great ride, but certainly not worthy of a number 1 or 2 ranking in the world...EVER!

[gad198]

Maverick simply needs to retrofit the restraints with the softer padding (ala I-305). Why that change hasn't been made (particularly when you know there would be a real, proven benefit on one of the park's most popular coasters) is beyond me. I still love the layout, but the beating I took from that coaster last year was less than enjoyable.

Why Intamin has failed to come up with a comfortable restraint on their newer coasters continues to baffle me. Their T-Bar restraints are good, but their other lap bars and OTSRs are just terrible. The thigh crushing lap portion of the bars prevent full enjoyment of many of their coasters. It's too bad, really, because many of their coasters would move up significantly in my rankings with more comfortable restraints. Skyrush and Maverick right now are the biggest offenders in that category. On a related note, I've always wondered if the lack of good lap bar only restraints are the reason Cheetah Hunt has that singular (and in my opinion - out of place) inversion. It seems that inversion serves only to justify them putting OTSRs on that coaster.

[psyclonerider]

Hello 'y'all, sorry about being gone so long.

This really isn't an over rated ride, rather, a ride I thought would be overrated. The ride I'm talking about is Leviathan, at my wonderful home park of Canada's Wonderland. When the ride was first announced 2 years ago, I thought it would be just a stupid MF ripoff, even more forceless than the original, considering the ride was made by B&M, a company who likes to play it safe. Boy was I wrong!

The highlights of the ride include CRAZY g-forces in between the hills and lots of airtime, (probably more than MF, but I'll have to test that when I ride it). Oh, i almost forgot, of corse, the massive 306 foot drop., that's so long, you feel like you hit terminal velocity about 3/4 of the way down.

Overall, I believe that leviathan, along with all the other B&M masterpieces built this year, show that the company is making a major comeback. Also,IMO, cedar fair is turning wonderland into the CP of Canada, just look, a hyper, windseeker, and now a giga (which is strikingly simular to MF in terms of layout). Although some may not like this, for various reasons, I for one think it's great., as it means I don't need to make the trek down to CP (at least not as often). If we continue at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if Us Canucks got our own version of gatekeeper in the next five years or so.

Just my two cents.