So what were the best new coasters of 2014?

[Zanderdad]

I only got to ride Fire Chaser Express and Banshee, so I would have to say that Banshee was my favorite new coaster for 2014. I hope to do more parks next year!!

Banshee at KI opening weekend 2014

[Gnome]

How does thunderbolt look so good but get such negative reviews? They really screwed that one up, didnt they? "Man that was like being in a car crash."

 

From what I've seen (without riding any of them so take it for what it is) I like Helix, Medusa, and firechaser as well. But I also really like what they did for tre 7 Dwarves Mine ride. Im also a sucker for great themed attractions and experiences.

[Nrthwnd]

Helix at Liseberg Park

[SFOGdude25]

Being not quite as well-travelled as some people on this forum, I only rode two of the 2014 coasters, and I rank them like this.

 

1. Banshee: Ok, my opinion may have a good bit of sway, because I love Kings Island and visit every year, but this coaster is just awesome! It's huge, long, fast, and powerful! On my first visit to Kings Island this year, I think I clocked around 20 rides on Banshee over two days. I was just so impressed by it that I couldn't stop riding! As of now, I would probably call it my favorite invert (I have ridden Montu, but only once, and my memory of it is pretty fuzzy).

 

2. Goliath: The coaster on which I finally lost my RMC virginity. Wow, what a ride! If I could use one word to describe it, it would be crazy. Crazy first drop, crazy airtime hill, crazy dive loop, CRAZY ZERO-G STALL. It was an all-around great coaster that was leaps and bounds above every other ride at SFGAm. Definitely a great introduction to the RMC family for me. However, it was super short and didn't really feel like a complete ride. For that reason, Banshee edges it out as my favorite coaster of 2014.

 

I was SO close to riding Lightning Run this year, but I decided to put off visiting Kentucky Kingdom until more of the park opened up. It honestly looks like it could be a top 3 in my book.

[tooooobbe]

I miss Flug der Daemonen (Heide Park) on that list. Only went on helix and that one. Both were great but Helix is my winner.

[medoman]

Surely Alpina Blitz at nigloland should be on the list? MACK's mega-lite "tribute".

 

This year I rode it and my first mega-lite (piraten) and I have to say I think I prefer the MACK version. The seats are far more comfortable, the airtime just as extreme, plus the 2nd hill has this fantastic transition of floater into ejector air in the same hill. After Alpina Blitz I got off with a huge smile on my face and instantly went for a re-ride. Piraten was really good but left me slightly underwhelmed after Alpina Blitz.

 

The only other new coaster I rode this year so far has been Flug Der Daemon, which feels like they forgot to tick the "low friction" box in RCT3, It's a fun ride once it warms up but I rode first thing in the morning and the train barely made it through the course which really killed the pacing. The first airtime hill is pretty sweet though and I do like how the ride is themed and fits in to the surroundings.

 

at the end of this month/start of next however I will be getting to ride Goliath so hopefully that will be good

[rcjp]

^^Have you ridden other wing coasters besides Flug der Daemonen? If so, how do they compare? Based on POVs it looks like the one which moves the slowest through the inversions which is kind of the opposite of what I was expecting.

[redfoot12]

I rode Banshee, Lightning Run, and Goliath this year and prefer them in that order.

 

Banshee-- I just had a whole buncha fun riding this thing and don't really have anything else to say (except I hate this new style of restraints). It's probably my favorite "big" B&M inverted (over Alpengeist, Montu, and Raptor). I rank it behind Afterburn and Fire Dragon though.

 

Lightning Run-- Really enjoyed this one as well and I would love to ride again when my thighs have slimmed down. I have small hopes that a ride like this might come to Elitch Gardens now that I live an hour from there (something of its ilk is probably the only thing that could get me to go back to that heap of mediocrity).

 

Goliath-- While fun, I don't prefer to have that much hangtime on a woodie. Still probably a top 10-15 woodie for me. Like one of my many new riding buddies from Cedar Point and Mini New Hotness, RubySparkles, I too rode Outlaw Run for the first time later this past summer. Unlike her, I'd say Outlaw Run craps all over Goliath.

 

RMC has me intrigued though and I look forward to possibly trying out NTAG, Iron Rattler, Steel Medusa, and Twisted Colossus in 2015!

[medoman]

the only other B&M wing coasters I've ridden are gatekeeper and the swarm. With a full train and after it's warmed up, Flug is still a nice coaster, and has much better pacing. Not sure how accurate the POVs are as if its an empty train then it crawls through the course. I stayed at the hotel and saw it testing with an empty train first thing in the morning and it was incredibly close to stalling in the inversions. With a full load it runs much better

 

compared to the other 2 wing coasters I've been on, It's probably my favourite looking wing coaster and has the best bit of airtime after the first drop. It is really nicely themed and very photogenic.

[tooooobbe]

^^Have you ridden other wing coasters besides Flug der Daemonen? If so, how do they compare? Based on POVs it looks like the one which moves the slowest through the inversions which is kind of the opposite of what I was expecting.

 

I was on The Swarm last year and I have to say that I liked Flug der Daemonen alot more. I just liked the inversions and how close it was to the queques (The Swarm is pretty close aswell).

 

Next year im gonna do Raptor at Gardaland aswell

 

 

I love winged coasters.

[Mrlittle]

So I got to ride El loco, Banshee, Lightning Run, Goliath and Thunderbolt this year. Here is how I would rank them starting with my least favorite.

 

5. Thunderbolt - Now I will admit, I probably rode it to many times. Some would say 1 ride is to many. I liked it the first time but quickly started to dislike it after.

 

4. Goliath - It's tough to beat two great RMCs just hours from me and I've been on Outlaw Run. I just wasn't overall impressed with Goliath. It's still a top 20 ride for me.

 

3. El loco - I really enjoyed this small but very fun coaster. I also really liked the trains. Finally we have a coaster you can enjoy in Vegas.

 

2. Banshee - It was great to finally see B&M get forceful. It was a very pleasant surprise. KI took a huge chance building an invert coaster when so many other parks are building snooze fest wing ciasters. So I appauld them for stepping out. Plus Babshee has one of the nicest ride signs and stations I've seen in a while.

 

1. Lightning Run - AWESOME AIRTIME! It's by far the best new coaster of 2014. I have dreams about my rides on it. I hope other parks take note and build more of these. I want one for my backyard.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Mrlittle

[Swede]

Helix is the only 2014 coaster I tried this year as Thunderbolt at Coney wasn't operational during my visit in early June. What can I say. It's a good coaster but after a few rides I was of to Balder for the reminder of the day.

[Barge84]

All of my plans to ride the new US rides fell through this year, so I've only ridden Helix at Liseberg. I loved it, and it's in my top 5 for steel coasters. I rank it just a little bit behind Maverick for my #3. The ride incorporates a ton of different things, in my opinion. Launches, drops, airtime, inversions, and all in an incredible setting. Sure, some of the inversions get a little repetitive, but I'd say the pretzel inversion is pretty intense, and the last 2 inversion both provide some very awkward feeling hangtime, especially with the restraints Helix has. The final airtime hill that drops over the cliff is one of the greatest "Oh shi*" moments I've ever encountered on a first ride.

 

I want to go back to Liseberg. Such an amazing place.

[Jcoaster]

I only rode Thunderbolt which was nothing to write home about. Im ranking the others off of looks and other reviews alone:

 

1.Lightening Run - Looks beautiful, rides beautiful and packs ejector air. Morgan really stepped their game up and I would love to see more of these installed in other parks.

 

2. Banshee - I'm a sucker for B&M Inverts and I could already tell this ride would do it for me. Especially if its a throw back to older B&M's as Alvey mentioned.

 

3. Medusa - Wow.

[SharkTums]

I'm not big into ranking but if anyone cares here are my thoughts...

 

Banshee - Really surprised me with actually having forces and probably the best first drop on a B&M Coaster! Too bad it already had the notorious 'rattle'. If they could smooth it out it would be amazing.

 

Lightning Run - Totally reminded me of Phantom's Revenge in a good way. It tried repeatedly to eject you. My only problem were the restraints and cars, they were not comfortable at all for me and KT.

 

Goliath - Like Robb said, worst of the RMC's but worst of the RMC's is till better than more coasters on the planet!

 

Seven Dwarfs - Kiddie Coaster in the front, Junior Coaster in the back, fun and cute.

 

Helix - I love Liseberg and the coaster was okay, but it really let me down. Had a bad rattle and was very repetitive. It's okay thought because it gave me more time on Balder with shorter lines! The queue and music were awesome! I have the queue music on my phone!

 

Thunderbolt - This ride should not exist. So rough and terrible. They raised the height requirement a few weeks into operation which is never a good sign and they should raise it even higher so less people have to ride it.

[Ed Farmer]

I wasn't expecting to have the opportunity to sample 3 new rides this season, but happily, that's the way it worked out. I'm only about an hour away from Great America and Goliath, but it was the last of the 3 I was able to try. I just rode it for the first time this past Sunday (only managed 2 laps).

 

Banshee/Lightning Run

Goliath

 

I had a feeling that Lightning Run would be the sleeper hit of the year for many. I was expecting a great ride and it lived up to those expectations. More of these need to be built everywhere. I'll agree with a lot of what was said about Banshee; I wasn't expecting that at all. It's great to see B&M build an excellent ride again. If I had to choose between the two, I'd probably give the slightest of edges to Banshee. It's not my favorite Invert (I think they got it right the first time with Batman The Ride, and that's my measuring stick), but it's in an entirely different and better realm than much of their other recent designs.

 

My biggest reservation about Goliath prior to riding was the brevity of the ride from the top of the lift to the brake run. Upon riding, it felt longer than it was, so that was nice. Both of my Goliath laps were in the last row, which I assume is where you'll get the most potent ride. The first drop was a bit underwhelming to me, though. Just from watching it while walking past it and waiting in line, it looked like it could be one of the best anywhere. Definitely a case of anticipointment. It was very good, but Raging Bull's drop on the other side of the park easily trumps it. That aside, it's still a hell of a ride. I love B&M StandUps, so it was a bummer to see Iron Wolf go, but the old stomping grounds were definitely put to good use (unlike with the previous two major coasters that were taken down at this park).

[PKI Jizzman]

Banshee and Goliath are the two I rode.

 

Honestly, Banshee did not impress me with my first ride. But the more and more I rode it - wow, I really love the ride and it's definitely one of the best I've been on. The front row is incredible, and the back seat is very forceful. The night rides are so much fun!

 

Goliath - I only got one ride, and I picked the front row. I don't think it's a front row ride, I kind of regret not going for the back seat. But hey, I did it in the front row. It was fun, and the zero G stall is crazy good...but I didn't love the ride. Liked it, but didn't love it. Can't wait to try the back seat next year.

[Kyle Coleman]

I only got to ride two new rides this year lightning run and el loco(kind of regretting not going to ki for banshee). Between the two of them lightning run was the clear winner. I have never been on a mega lite before but from what I have heard about them this one comes really close to duplicating the experience and the air time that you get on a mega lite. Really hope more of these are built as I can see them being a big hit in smaller parks all across the country.

[urzishra]

Only rode El Loco. But it was incredibly fun. I didn't know what to expect. I think I said this somewhere else, but I wish all "small compact coasters" were as fun as El Loco. I want all theme parks to replace their mouse coasters with El Locos... (not a fan of those fast switchback turns on mouses...)

[coasterchitchat]

I rode Banshee, Lightning Run, and Goliath.

 

Banshee- Excellent invert with a TON of forces.

Lightning Run- Had a ton of twists and turns and AIRTIME! This coaster would do great at any of the smaller parks that can't afford a B&M, but don't want to go in the Intamin route.

Goliath- First RMC and disliked it. The drop and zero-g roll were the only good parts, but SFGAm could've used a launch coaster instead of this. Just my opinion.

[WishfulThinker83]

It's hard for me to give fair judgement having only rode 2 of the new attractions for 2014 (Banshee/Lighting Run), but using provided POV's of the others and common sense I'd have to make my top choice Banshee, then #2 to either of the RMC's. You really have to give credit where it's due with Banshee IMO, unlike the GTA's of recent years!?? SMH over the Golden Ticket Awards on an annual basis recently... For example, what happens if Knoebels' new Impulse steel coaster gets the nod for best new ride for 2015 over Fury325?? You know how Flying Turns got it over the $24 million Banshee!?? Love Knoebels but C'mon GTA's, and please tell me who's doin Dolly? The business and the fans need a non-biased, fair, and relevant way to rate the World's theme parks and attractions IMO!!?

[K1ngdaKa88]

My only coaster that is new for 2014 I've been on was Flug der Dämonen at Heide Park in Germany. This was my first and only Wing coaster I rode and it was Amazing! But next sunday I can ride Sky Scream at Holiday Park in Germany and I'm very excited about that!

[Cmbgo12]

The only coasters that I rode that were new was Banshee and a Wisdom Dragon at a Mall...

 

Banshee was really good with TONS of forces and a pretty good layout (Though I didn't really feel like it used its landscape to its advantage). Something that was a bit annoying on it was the really slow B-Roll that killed the pacing, oh and you should definitely not ride in the middle rows, the rattle on 3 middle rows kills the ride in every sense of the word...

 

The Wisdom Dragon was well... A Wisdom Dragon, two helixes and a pretty good ride for $2...

 

Banshee was definitely the best new coaster, but still not my favorite Invert.

[ZeroGravity55]

^^Have you ridden other wing coasters besides Flug der Daemonen? If so, how do they compare? Based on POVs it looks like the one which moves the slowest through the inversions which is kind of the opposite of what I was expecting.

 

See I thought the same thing when I saw videos of it when the ride opened up, but I recently saw some videos from earlier in the summer and it appears the ride has broken in quite a bit. Wouldn't say it's moving fast through the inversions, but it seems to be moving at a much quicker pace than when it opened up.

Edited October 11, 2014 by ZeroGravity55

[Myself]

Add me to the list of people who only rode Banshee this year...and I loved it! I've only been on five B&M inverts, but it's definitely my favorite and probably my top Kings Island coaster as well.

 

Oh, yeah! I also embraced my inner credit whore and rode Cocoa Cruiser at Hersheypark as well. Sure, it IS a 2014 coaster, but it's not anything noteworthy, so...