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If Nemesis never existed what would be the UK's #1 coaster?

Will said:
We'd live in a country where The Swarm was the best ride. And where PMBO was the best ride to open in 1994.
That's not a world I wish to envisage.
And it's possible there's a fair few of us on this forum who'd never have become enthusiasts in the first place.
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This. This would be the somewhat terrifying reality. *shudder*
 
jayjay said:
Good thoughtful post, but I'd take issue with some of this. Whatever CF members think, The Smiler was a hit with the public* (at least until it was a literal hit with the public). I hear far more praise for it outside CF and rides like The Swarm, a critical hit, went over lukewarm. Blackpool have pulled an ace out for enthusiasts, but it'll be interesting to see how the public react to something that's more technical and subtle.

*I'm also a fan, but I realise I'm in the minority here
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MM have invested in decent additions Jay, the problem is that the parks outside of MM haven't. When I say decent, I mean large investment substantial coasters, not good ones which I rank highly, though I appreciate others may like them more than I.
 
Probably would be a big split with no clear winner if this was the case.
Assuming no other inverts made their way over here, personal picks for the 'must ride' stuff in UK today would be Wild Mouse, Dragon's Fury & Smiler.
And for fleeting moments: Oblivion & Air while they were world's first, Colossus before it got cloned.
Dont think any of the other big boys can cut it as a unique/above average experience.
 
In my opinion it would be Colossus!
I know it gets a bad reputation for being rough but I really don't think it is that rough. The little bit of roughness that Colossus has gives it character. There are a plethora of inversions to enjoy and it is also relentless with its pacing.
 
From an enthusiasts point of view I'd say Megaphobia. Obviously can't speak for every enthusiast but it seems highly rated within the community, definitely our best wooden coaster I'd say. From joe public probably The Smiler because as mentioned before, it's massively popular and loved by the GP.
 
It's hard to really comprehend the situation because we don't know what would of happened had Nemesis never existed. Also, not sure whether to answer this question as UK's #1 coaster in terms of status and icon, or one which would be hailed by enthusiasts as Top Dog. I think had Nemesis failed to exist, The Big One would of taken favour for the majority of the GP for quite a few years although as it stands now I'd say Stealth would be number 1 for most GP and enthusiasts. The Smiler has a big fanbase too, but it's had controversy and hasn't held up much of a reputation so far in it's 4 year history. I think people look past Oblivion quite often. So yeah, I'd say probably Stealth.
 
I'm actually really proud of Nemesis and the fact that it exists here in the UK. I love the fact that it draws enthusiasts from all over the world to want to come here and the fact that its awesome as well! I don't know if there's anything else that would make me feel that way if Nemesis didn't exist, not even Stealth which is my personal favourite.
The Big One? I guess for a lot of people it kind of has that classic, nostalgic status as well and perhaps if we didn't have Nemesis to compare it to then we'd all think it was amazing (when in reality it's a bit underwhelming). Also Oblivion, but I feel like it was a follow up to Nemesis so perhaps that wouldn't have existed either :eek:
 
It's really hard to say, as without Nemesis, would B&M have become the go-to manufacturer for top class coasters in the UK? Without Nemesis, the big UK parks might be full of rides from Mack, Vekoma or who knows what?

I think you'd also have to split into into what enthusiasts thought was the best coaster and what the general public thought.

For enthusiasts it would probably have gone something like this, assuming Nemesis Inferno never got built either:

1994 - The Big One (or maybe Shockwave, but at the time I think most would've chosen The Big One)
1996 - Megafobia
1998 - Oblivion
2002 - Colossus (or would Odyssey have had a shot, given the lack of inverts in the country?)
2005 - Rita (mainly due to being something different at the time)
2006 - Stealth

And that's probably where it would've stayed.

For the GP you can really only look at the three biggest UK parks and stuff that either goes high, fast or has lots of inversions, so it would probably have been:

1994 - The Big One
1998 - Oblivion
2002 - Colossus
2006 - Stealth
2013 - The Smiler


The other big question I wonder about is whether Nemesis will still be the best after Blackpool's Construction 2018 is finished? For the good of the industry in this country I hope not, but it will probably always be my favourite UK coaster for nostalgic reasons.
 
witchfinder said:
I think you'd also have to split into into what enthusiasts thought was the best coaster and what the general public thought.
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Interesting point. What did goons think was the best coaster in the UK pre-1994? It must have been something at Blackpool. Or maybe The Black Hole? Beast? Corkscrew?
 
Ian said:
Interesting point. What did goons think was the best coaster in the UK pre-1994? It must have been something at Blackpool. Or maybe The Black Hole? Beast? Corkscrew?
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Oblivion was open in 1994, right?

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk
 
I think y'all are underestimating how popular The Smiler is with enthusiasts. I see so many people saying it's better than or as good as Nemesis. The Swarm also seems weirdly popular so it would probably be a battle ground between those two for the most part. Parts of me thinks that they are the newest coasters has something to do with it.

(The correct answer would be The ultimate theaux) :emoji_ghost:
 
Pink Cadillac said:
I think y'all are underestimating how popular The Smiler is with enthusiasts. I see so many people saying it's better than or as good as Nemesis. The Swarm also seems weirdly popular so it would probably be a battle ground between those two for the most part. Parts of me thinks that they are the newest coasters has something to do with it.

(The correct answer would be The ultimate theaux) :emoji_ghost:
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Smiler is good. But I think there are plenty of people who can beg to differ on it being better than Nemesis.

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk
 
Ian said:
Interesting point. What did goons think was the best coaster in the UK pre-1994? It must have been something at Blackpool. Or maybe The Black Hole? Beast? Corkscrew?
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Dis - https://rcdb.com/779.htm
And from an American mindset... Maybe Grand National?
I already kinda went on a long ramble in this topic... but for me growing up in the early 90's.. You really only knew of Blackpool, Alton, Drayton, and Chessington (oddly) and knew Ultimate was a thing... and in the UK. but where? Uh.
 
From a personal or a marketing standpoint? Marketing loves gimmicks, so it'd either be Stealth or Big One simply due to their height and speed. I definitely disagree with this, though. Wild Mouse at Blackpool is definitely the clear winner winner chicken dinner <3
 
Probably the least qualified to give my topic on this subject, I'm going to say either Stealth or Megafobia. Stealth because the speed and height, and Megafobia because it looks to be the best UK ride for airtime(I'm probably wrong by a longshot though :p ).
 
I think a lot more noise would be made about The Ultimate. But then I guess if you're taking it literally it is correct to say that perhaps without Nemesis then the likes of Oblivion wouldn't exist so maybe something fabber would take its place?
 
The Ultimate would win for me, easily.

Maybe though if Nemesis hadn't existed another UK park would have stepped up?
 
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