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Overrated and Underrated Roller Coasters

Pear said:
I find that Skyrush is the kind of ride you either love or hate. I personally adore it but some of the friends I was with at Hershey absolutely hated it.
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See I didn't hate it! I thought it was a great ride. I was in just too much pain to really enjoy it like everyone else. I haven't been on it in a few years so that may change next time.
 
Overrated:
Balder- Yeah it's silky smooth but for me it is too safe and predictable. Also the Intamin trains are ugly and plastic, I really hope Colossos gets some new ones when it opens.

The Swarm - Where is the airtime? Too much of the short ride is just positive Gs. For a 130ft B&M, it just doesn't deliver the fun for me.

Goliath at SFMM - Terrible layout, no airtime, drops not steep enough, too much time going round in circles.

Underrated
Thundercoaster - Wonderful second drop down the hill, overall great twisting layout, love the Timberliner trains. By far my favouite Vekoma.

The Smiler - I don't get why people don't rate this one. It has a couple of rough moments but it has a great mix of elements, that airtime hill in the second half is brilliant, and when it duels with itself it is spectacular.

Jubilee Odyssey - Yes it is rough. Get over it. This is an extreme coaster and if you brace yourself properly it is very enjoyable.

The Ultimate - I just love it.
 
Skyrush is king. You guys are crazy.
Peet said:
The Swarm - Where is the airtime?
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Were you expecting airtime on a wing rider? I mean I can think of three wing riders have a single airtime hill but it's not like the ride type is supposed to have airtime anyway.
 
Sanchezmran said:
Were you expecting airtime on a wing rider? I mean I can think of three wing riders have a single airtime hill but it's not like the ride type is supposed to have airtime anyway.
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Of the others that I've ridden, Raptor has some good airtime down the first drop, Flug has that nice airtime hill after the drop. Those are probably the best bits of those 2 coasters.

Swarm has a 130 ft drop with no airtime at all because it's a dive drop. I know wing riders are not supposed to be airtime machines but The Swarm just has relentless positive Gs throughout the ride which I don't find enjoyable. On a separate note, I contest the 5 inversions that rcdb says it has - that inclined loop barely makes it past 90 degrees.
 
The airtime hills on the wing riders are indeed the best part of the ride (well I can only say that for Gatekeeper, rest of mine don't really have airtime). I can understand your feelings about Swarm's gs, though I don't remember them being too bad. You're right about the inclined "loop" too, no way that thing is an inversion.
 
overrated: Afterburn, I305
Underrated: Most of the coasters at KI
such as Firehawk, Invertigo, BLSC, Vortex, Adventure Express,
and Hurler at Carowinds, Blue Streak
Rides I don't like as much as other people: Afterburn, just wasn't as intense as the other B&Ms I've been on. Probably in my bottom 3 B&Ms out of KI, CP, BGW, and Carowinds.
Rides I like that others don't: Disaster Transport :emoji_broken_heart:, Grizzly to an extent, it reminded me of a knock off Beast, just more boring IMO.
 
As with a few other people, I'm going to preface this by saying that overrated to me does not mean bad. With the disclaimer out of the way...

Overrated:
Nemesis: looks stunning and is artfully designed, but I always find it a little incoherent after the helix, and too short.
Silver Star: The contrast between this and Shambhala was striking to me - the acoustic screen in the first drop robs the sensation of height, the airtime is decidedly average and the car park setting is uninspired, especially in such a well-turned park. Also, Lewis Hamilton can do one.

Underrated:
Big One: so having lambasted a hyper for not having poor airtime, I'm now going to praise, of all things, the Big One. Why? Because the Big One was never designed for airtime and delivers what it sets out to do extremely well in my opinion. Keeps the speed up well, the proximity to other rides, the sea and the street below still make it feel stupidly tall and the first drop remains my favourite. O also don't think it's as rough as people say, it's just not as smooth as a B&M
Vekoma SLCs: sure, they mostly ride badly, but the first part of the layout up to the sidewinder I actually find really fun and well paced (especially the straight section between the swooping first drop and the first inversion which lets you feel the speed nicely). I do still hate the restraints, mind.
The Swarm: there have been some well-reasoned arguments as to why people don't like this in this thread, but I find it hugely fun, well-themed, exciting and completely re-ridable. On the extreme right seat, swooping low to the lake just makes me happy.
 
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Overrated: Winjas... don't get me wrong, these coasters are beautiful. And cleverly-designed. But they're just not as amazing as people make out. I genuinely prefer Dragon's Fury to these.

Underrated: Oz Iris. I loved that ride - the steep free-fall drop, the unusual menu of inversions, the theming. But I never see people talking much about it.
 
Well, I’ll throw out two random ones that people probably wouldn’t think of.

Overrated: White Lightning. Fun coaster — very smooth with little pops of airtime. I get why people like it; I like it. But I don’t get why I see it making people’s top ranked woodies lists. It’s just not on that level for me.

Underrated: Runaway Mountain, SFoT. This is a fun little coaster that hurtles around in the dark. It’s not a world-class ride or anything, but I bring it up because I never hear it mentioned at all, yet it’s better than a lot of indoor coasters I hear mentioned a lot.
 
After this summer, I have a clear personal winner in the underrated category.

When I think of all coasters that I found truly great, they all have their hordes of fans, even if in some cases the fans are in the minority.

But there was one coaster that I found mind-blowingly good this summer, but the only people I’ve ever seen praise it really highly were ONE OR TWO enthusiasts, and they were here on the CF forum. The coaster I’m talking about is American Thunder. For me it was nonstop wild airtime and great fun from start to finish, and I don’t get why it’s not in the same conversation with the likes of Renegade and Ravine Flyer II. And it’s not because people haven’t ridden it — many, many people have, and they tend to find it good but not great. That’s just a real head-scratcher to me, as it’s probably in my top ten woodies.
 
MestnyiGeroi said:
After this summer, I have a clear personal winner in the underrated category.

When I think of all coasters that I found truly great, they all have their hordes of fans, even if in some cases the fans are in the minority.

But there was one coaster that I found mind-blowingly good this summer, but the only people I’ve ever seen praise it really highly were ONE OR TWO enthusiasts, and they were here on the CF forum. The coaster I’m talking about is American Thunder. For me it was nonstop wild airtime and great fun from start to finish, and I don’t get why it’s not in the same conversation with the likes of Renegade and Ravine Flyer II. And it’s not because people haven’t ridden it — many, many people have, and they tend to find it good but not great. That’s just a real head-scratcher to me, as it’s probably in my top ten woodies.
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Well.. RF2 is actually a GG and not GCI.. so there typically isn't a comparison. :p

Also, funny story, American Thunder was actually my favorite GCI up until I rode Mystic Timbers which does way AT does but better IMO. You can add me to your list. <3
 
Snoo said:
Well.. RF2 is actually a GG and not GCI.. so there typically isn't a comparison. :p

Also, funny story, American Thunder was actually my favorite GCI up until I rode Mystic Timbers which does way AT does but better IMO. You can add me to your list. <3
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I wasn’t lumping those three coasters together because of manufacturer. It’s more that for me they have a similar kind of ride with similar flojector air, and Renegade and RF2 are often considered in the upper echelons of woodies — but not quite at the very top with the likes of Voyage, Toro, and LR — and for me AT belongs in that second-tier category.

Anyway, I’m glad it was (is?) a favorite of yours! And for me it’s better than Mystic Timbers.
 
For me personally...
Overrated...Voyage, Diamondback, Nitro, Banshee, Time Traveler

Underrated...Renegade, Raging Bull, Gemini, Powder Keg
 
Overrated:

Nemesis. After all this time being dubbed the most intense coaster in the world and being one of the best, I was incredibly dissapointed by it. After a good first drop/inversion, to me, I just didn't feel anything throughout the rest of the ride. In fact, I felt like it was just meandering a bit TBH, and wasn't anywhere near as forceful as I was expecting.

Icon. Excellent coaster, but still massively overhyped by many people. If you want to know who overhyped it, it's just about anyone who compares it with Wicker Man, despite the fact the only thing they have in common are a s*** ton of mist and the fact they opened this year.
Hell, it's not even the best double launch coaster in the park.


Underrated:

The Ultimate. Ok, so it's not as underrated as some coasters mentioned in this thread. BUT, it is underrated when you consider Nemesis is considered the most intense roller coaster in the world when this is just a few hours away. An absurdly long ride that throws you about as much as it forces you back into your seat, all whilst staying close to the ground, The Ultimate is a great example of a WTF coaster that deserves more praise than it gets.
 
MestnyiGeroi said:
After this summer, I have a clear personal winner in the underrated category.

When I think of all coasters that I found truly great, they all have their hordes of fans, even if in some cases the fans are in the minority.

But there was one coaster that I found mind-blowingly good this summer, but the only people I’ve ever seen praise it really highly were ONE OR TWO enthusiasts, and they were here on the CF forum. The coaster I’m talking about is American Thunder. For me it was nonstop wild airtime and great fun from start to finish, and I don’t get why it’s not in the same conversation with the likes of Renegade and Ravine Flyer II. And it’s not because people haven’t ridden it — many, many people have, and they tend to find it good but not great. That’s just a real head-scratcher to me, as it’s probably in my top ten woodies.
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I rode it this summer, but it didn't do anything for me.
That's not to say it's a bad ride. I'm pretty certain it was a combination of ****ty park, ridiculous temperatures and a long day. We just wanted to leave, and AT was the last cred.
 
Underated - Silver Star. Honestly every time I've rode this the airtime is absolutely brilliant with some seriously good ejector after the mid course - it's better than Shambhala IMO.

I've heard it's got better over the years and I first rode it in 2016, can anyone confirm? Perhaps those who slate it haven't ridden in recent years?
 
FistedColossus said:
Underated - Silver Star. Honestly every time I've rode this the airtime is absolutely brilliant with some seriously good ejector after the mid course - it's better than Shambhala IMO.
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I think @Lofty, @Ben and I would agree with you there. We got Shambhala on a bad weekend, and arguably Silver Star on a good one, but Silver Star was brilliant. I'd always heard it getting panned, so went in with low expectations (the opposite of Shambhala), but it was brilliant.
 
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