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Top 10: 2012 edition

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furie said:
Let's give this a go.

1. Boulder Dash
2. El Toro/Bizarro (SFNE)/Dragon Khan
5. Alpengeist/Nemesis
7. Lightning Racer/Megafobia/Lisebergbanan
10. Oblivion/Griffon

Sticking with my "you can't compare" theory, I tend to group coasters that it's difficult to separate or can't really compare. Both El Toro and Bizarro are fantastic coasters, but I couldn't say which was "the better", there's really little in it they're so mind blowing. Khan keeps in with them because it also completely blew me away, but offers an exceptionally different ride experience.

I find the Inverts exceptionally hard to separate, but I really enjoyed Alpengeist, I found it exciting, fun and thrilling - loved the ending. However, Nemesis still really packs a punch and Nemesis running well is mind-blowingly good. I'd love to have a chance riding Alpengeist in similar "best" conditions to Nemesis.

Then I hit coasters that I just adore because they make me laugh and smile. Coasters that are just exceptionally great fun. They don't do constantly massive airtime, they don't constantly do high-g (though they contain both), they're not what an expert could call "a great coaster", but damn it, I ride these thnigs for enjoyment and those three coasters are just massively enjoyable. It really is like comparing Bugs Bunny to Alien.

Filler ride there at the end then. I think that Griffon is the better coaster because it's bigger and everything, but I adore the short, sharp buzz of Oblivion. I just can't split the two really.
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I guess it's time for my update too now?

Expedition GE Force enters the number 2/3/4/5 slot with a blindingly good ride towards the end of the day. Most of the time it was "alright", but that one ride really shone.

So that pushes Alpengeist/Nemesis to 6/7

Blue Fire was a real shock and enters the 8/9/10 area pushing Lisebergbanan out as well as losing the Dive Machines from my vague top 10.

Silver Star was also a contender, a really fun, re-ridable coaster and it's definitely high up in the top 20 somewhere.
 
Returned from the US-live and almost recovered from the jetlag! :p Here's my new toplist:

1) Skyrush
2) Intimidator 305
3) Stealth
4) Black Mamba
5) Troy
6) Phoenix
7) Nitro
8) Bizarro (SFNE)
9) Katun
10) Goliath (Walibi)

11) Colossos (Heide)
12) Oblivion
13) Kingda Ka
14) Furius Baco
15) Boulder Dash
16) Blue Fire
17) Dragon Kahn
18) Goliath (SFNE)
19) Winjas
20) Flight of Fear (KD)
 
Umm why is Maverick so low and Leviathan so high ? Other than that its a good list. I'm glad to see you got some quality and variety to your top 10, especially those 2 CW Creds.
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Maverick is a great coaster, but the past few times I've been on it, it just hasn't ridden very well. It was running terribly a few weeks ago, but if I happen to go back and it's running better, it'll probably go back into my top ten.

It does suck that restraints can ruin a ride experience, Ciall.. I didn't have a problem at all with Bizarro's, but I can see why people had a problem with the restraints on Skyrush!
 
LiveForTheLaunch said:
It does suck that restraints can ruin a ride experience, Ciall.. I didn't have a problem at all with Bizarro's, but I can see why people had a problem with the restraints on Skyrush!
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I've just written about Expedition GE Force (go read the Germany Live topic), but I think that it may be a little like this.

I love the B&M floater air time because you have room in the clam-shell to actually float, like you do when you get good ejector on a wooden coaster. However, the B&M floater just isn't strong enough.

The problem comes that the Intamin T Bars are just a bit too tight, but they have to be to guarantee you're held in, so you lose that "looseness", that freedom in the restraint which makes it feel less like ejector that it should.

I hope that makes sense? I certainly got that from most of my runs on EGF and certainly Bizarro. There's brilliance there, but I'm not moving around enough in my seat to really feel like it's effecting me. I'm just getting yanked at the waist and chest like I'm in the middle of some kind of tug of war.

I loved it to be fair, but EGF gave me something just right, in between the two types. It was not quite so strong ejector, but much stronger than B&M floater. It was still fast and frantic and "OMG I'm going to fly out", but it was somehow mixed in with that lovely belly feeling you get from a B&M. It was seriously the best of both worlds and amazing for it.

So maybe that's the issue, it's the restriction mixed with the strong air time. I know a lot of people who love the strong air on some rides I despise. It's simply because the airtime when you're clamped is really unpleasant (the T-Bars are fine though for me). So maybe that's it anyway. Too strong to be that clamped?
 
The problem comes that the Intamin T Bars are just a bit too tight, but they have to be to guarantee you're held in, so you lose that "looseness", that freedom in the restraint which makes it feel less like ejector that it should.

I hope that makes sense? I certainly got that from most of my runs on EGF and certainly Bizarro. There's brilliance there, but I'm not moving around enough in my seat to really feel like it's effecting me. I'm just getting yanked at the waist and chest like I'm in the middle of some kind of tug of war.
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It definitely makes sense, and I can see why people don't like them, but I've never actually been stapled with the T-bars. I like the fact that you can leave them a bit loose and they won't just slam back down on you like some other restraints do. Skyrush had that problem, but I found a way to remedy it, and even though you shouldn't have to think about how to keep your restraint up while you're riding a coaster, it was still a great ride regardless. But yeah, Intamin T-bars are my second favourite restraints, second only to clamshells.
 
I haven't been to many major parks so bear with me...

1. Leviathan
2. Montu
3. Behemoth
4. Sheikra
5. Cheetah Hunt
6. Kumba
7. Dragon Fire
8. Vortex
9. Backlot Stunt Coaster
10. Time Warp

PS. Yeah I have only been to Canada's Wonderland and Busch Gardens Tampa.....
 
LiveForTheLaunch said:
Umm why is Maverick so low and Leviathan so high ? Other than that its a good list. I'm glad to see you got some quality and variety to your top 10, especially those 2 CW Creds.
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Maverick is a great coaster, but the past few times I've been on it, it just hasn't ridden very well. It was running terribly a few weeks ago, but if I happen to go back and it's running better, it'll probably go back into my top ten.
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I'll be able to confirm or deny tomorrow. :wink:
 
Post US-live, my new list is:

1 - Bizarro (sfne). Almost perfect, Airtime on every hill, brilliant both back and front, smooth, comfy, would happily ride for hours!

2 - Skyrush. Another insanely brilliant intamin coaster - nothing quite prepares you for the airtime, which is as "out of your seat" as it gets - the transitions in the outer seats are insane too - The restraints do tighten during the ride though, and I can understand how people find it uncomfortable

3 - Colossos. Almost as good as Bizarro

4 - Nemesis. There's still something very special about it - great theming and relentless intensity

5 - Piraten. Airtime everywhere, and keeps speed really well

6 - Dominator. Loved it - got a few rerides during the live

7 - Griffon. Great inversions, and 2 great drops, but not quite up to oblivions drop

8 - Batman the ride. Super intense and lovely n smooth throughout

9 - Superman / la Atraccion de Acero. Big, epic and smooth

10- Oblivion. One trick, done exceptionally well

I decided that batman should replace black mamba, and superman should go down a notch or 2

so - it's all intamin / bandm - with a 4/6 split
 
Speaking of Cedar Point, hotel has been officially booked and plans finalized :D
Hoping Maverick will break into my top 10.
 
LiveForTheLaunch said:
^ Nothing from Cedar Point then? How did you like Maverick/Dragster?
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both good fun - maybe maverick should be in there, not sure where KA and TTD fit though as they're both so damn different!
 
Maverick was running perfectly fine by the way, and just barely squeaked by X2 for my number 2 spot.
 
caffeine_demon said:
LiveForTheLaunch said:
^ Nothing from Cedar Point then? How did you like Maverick/Dragster?
Click to expand...

both good fun - maybe maverick should be in there, not sure where KA and TTD fit though as they're both so damn different!
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actually - had a slight rethink - maverick is number 9 replacing superman ada at warner.. Bliv's still 10
 
Before I went to the States, my top 10 looked like this:

1, iSpeed - Mirabilandia
2, Colossos - Heide Park
3, Black Mamba - Phantasialand
4, Raptor - Gardaland
5, Lisebergbanan - Liseberg
6, Balder - Liseberg
7, The Swarm - Thorpe Park
8, Krake - Heide Park
9, Shock - Rainbow Magicland
10, Furius Baco - Port Aventura

After coming back from the States, it now looks like this:

1, Skyrush - Hershey Park
2, Bizarro - Six Flags New England
3, iSpeed - Mirabilandia
4, Colossos - Heide Park
5, Kingda Ka - Six Flags Great Adventure
6, Intimidator 305 - Kings Dominion
7, Black Mamba - Phantasialand
8, Nitro - Six Flags Great Adventure
9, Raptor - Gardaland
10, Griffon - Busch Gardens Europe

Quite a change now!
 
It seems I'm the only person who hasn't put Skyrush in my top 10 :p It's number 12 for me, behind Dominator. It was just far too intense for me and actaully make me feel ill, which a coaster has never done. I also found it a bit rough, and unbearably rough on the wings. The restraints weren't too bad in all fairness. It is a good coaster, just let down by being rough in my opinion :/

I'll give Maverick another shot next time I'm in the area, which should hopefully be next summer. It has the potential and I know it's much better than when I rode it, but for now I'm happy it's made my top 10 as I've secretly fanboyed over it since I became an enthusiast :p
 
See, I found Skyrush to be intense in the right sort of way for me, as opposed to something like Intimidator 305, which felt like an obese woman was sat on my head.
 
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