Did 2013 live up to your new coaster expectations?

[Andrewoplis]

I only got on 2 new coasters this year:

 

Gold Striker- I was really surprised about how great this ride was! In short, its fast, low to the ground, twisty, poppy GCI goodness!

 

Full Throttle- I wasn't expecting much out of this ride, it looked pretty good but, well, this IS Magic Mountain we're dealing with here. But I actually did like this ride, mainly because it rode much differently then how I expected it to ride. The 2 launches are really fun and being hung upside down at the top of the loop is a pretty scary feeling, not to mention the weird pop of airtime at the top of the hill loop part going down.

[Jhcbiinoc]

Yes...I had originally planned to ride Gatekeeper, Outlaw Run and Full Throttle this year but was unable to get to Cedar Point or SFMM. Out of those three, the one coaster of the 2013 crop that I did get to ride-Outlaw Run-not only met but fully exceeded my expectations, lived up to the hype, and is now my #1 wooden coaster.

[gisco]

I think YOLOcoaster was nice, as was Outlaw Run. Otherwise, 2013 was fairly dry in terms of new additions. I didn't see a lot of stuff, quite like I saw between 2011 and 2012 that was fun and exciting. This coming season seems like a bust as well. There just isn't that much that's new that we're going to be seeing. I am excited for the 2015 season, though. All ready there are a few things that have been announced, and a few parks are on a two or three year expansion plan, with 2015 right in the middle of it!

 

Agreed, I think this year was kind of a bust but next year is going to be worse. Not nearly as many new coasters being announced.

[singemfrc]

Gold Striker far exceeded expectations. The best woodie I've ever ridden and definitely will remain so until I get to ride Outlaw Run or El Toro.

YOLOCoaster was pretty much as expected. A nice little edition, nothing spectacular but not bad.

GateKeeper was quite a bit better than I had expected, granted I got to ride it after they fixed the restraints, which I heard was a pretty significant issue for a lot of people.

 

Wish I could review Undertow, but..sigh..

[rcdude]

2013 was a pretty dull year for the industry. Despite 30 new coasters in the US, I can think of only five I really cared about (Full Throttle, GateKeeper, Gold Striker, Iron Rattler, and Outlaw Run). Unfortunately, my travel was fairly limited this year, and although I got around ten new credits most were the unremarkable coasters of Oregon and Washington. I did, however, ride California's three new for 2013 coasters (well, the three that actually opened).

 

Coast Rider: Just a normal wild mouse, nothing special. A nice fit for Knott's but not something anyone living more than 50 miles from the park is going to care remotely about.

 

Full Throttle: I never expected this to be a bad ride, but I always thought it would probably be a second tier coaster among SFMM's collection. Turns out it's my second favorite coaster at the park and one of the best additions of 2013.

 

Gold Striker: I'm glad to see that Northern California finally has a travel worthy coaster (Giant Dipper does not count). This ride exceeded my somewhat high expectations and despite the difficulties I think it could mark the turning point for California's Great America.

 

Undertow: All I have to say is that I should have been able to ride this but wasn't, and based on the fact that it still hasn't opened I have to call this ride a fail. Regardless of whether it is the manufacturer, the park, the state, or a combination of all three that is causing the delays it is unacceptable for a coaster of this size to be this far behind schedule.