Meteornotes Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I had zero expectations going in, based on previous experiences and over hype (OzIris), but Banshee was actually really good. Easily the best B&M in a very long time. Hopefully we will see more rides like this from them. dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconsfury Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 banshee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarnes84 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Banshee - Only managed to get 1 ride in due to insane lines and wasn't blown away, wish we'd had time to re-ride, think I was expecting too much from this given the reviews. Still felt like the usual "gradual" transition nature of recent B&M coasters but good to have the height at least, but a relatively weak ending. Still hold Shambala as fav newish B&M. Not a fan of the vest restraint either which pins you in. 7/10 Firechaser Express - Fantastic "family" coaster with a kick, pops of airtime, usual top notch attention to detail. 8/10 Helix - This isn't about the launches, it's about the incredibly clever layout on the hillside and the views, the hangtime, night lighting, the INSANE airtime hills and Maverick like twists at some points, the great start out of the station in the back row.... Will admit, like most rides, that it got much better towards the end of the evening. Oh and the station music 9/10 Looking forward to El Loco next month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shivtim Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Like quite a few people on here, my new ones were Lightning Run, Banshee, and Goliath (with a Cocoa Cruiser bonus). Lightning Run - My favorite of the year by far. Excellent coaster that ranks just above New Texas Giant in my top 10 list. I thought the trains were comfortable, and the airtime and direction changes were insane. I could ride this coaster all day. Banshee - A great coaster, but doesn't come close to my top 10. It has forces, but is not nearly as intense as Montu, Afterburn, Batman, etc. The layout is a bit repetitive - just one giant inversion after another. The first drop is really good, and I like the color scheme and setting. As others have mentioned, it has a bit too much rattle already, especially near the back of the train. Goliath - Another great coaster, and sits at about my #15 woodie. It's a lot of fun, but just can't compare to the Intamin woodies, Outlaw Run, or other favorites like Phoenix and Boulderdash. Still, it's comfortable, smooth, and has one really good airtime hill. Of all of the new for 2014 coasters, I think Nefeskesen looks the best. Launched Intamin top-hat coaster with lapbars, inversions, and an airtime hill? Yes please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanobieFan Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I only rode Roar-O-Saurus, and it honestly gave me 3 bruises. Uncomfortable, yet amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camthedominator Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Okay, can anyone describe to me just how bad Thunderbolt is. Does it rival Vekoma in terms of comfort or is there no competition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted October 11, 2014 Author Share Posted October 11, 2014 (edited) Banshee - Only managed to get 1 ride in due to insane lines and wasn't blown away, wish we'd had time to re-ride You came all the way from England and you didn't get Fast Lane on a busy day? Seems like a mistake to me. The line as over two hours one of the days we went. Had Fast Lane - rode 4 times in a row. Edited October 11, 2014 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterchitchat Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Banshee - Only managed to get 1 ride in due to insane lines and wasn't blown away, wish we'd had time to re-ride You came all the way from England and you didn't get Fast Lane on a busy day? Seems like a mistake to me. The line as over two hours one of the days we went. Had Fast Lane - rode 4 times in a row. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroyWD98 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 For new coasters, I was able to get on Helix, Goliath and... Cocoa Cruiser! Helix got better each time I rode it and it definitely lived up to the hype for me. The back seat was my favorite for the thrilling drop out of the station. Goliath was pretty good as well but a little too short for my liking. I think it would be a great ride to marathon though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Projektion Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Banshee - Only managed to get 1 ride in due to insane lines and wasn't blown away, wish we'd had time to re-ride You came all the way from England and you didn't get Fast Lane on a busy day? Seems like a mistake to me. The line as over two hours one of the days we went. Had Fast Lane - rode 4 times in a row. Oh fast passes, buy one and you are instantly spoilt for life and never want to have to wait in line again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I have only ridden Helix this year, but it blew me away big time! Having ridden Blue Fire I knew that Mack rides are very low on the forces, so I kept my expectations very realistic. I think that is the reason it surprised me in such a big way as it did, I did not except it to be as good as it was. I would call Helix the all-mountain ski of roller coasters. A coaster that is good at everything, but not exceptionally good in any specific area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Banshee - Only managed to get 1 ride in due to insane lines and wasn't blown away, wish we'd had time to re-ride You came all the way from England and you didn't get Fast Lane on a busy day? Seems like a mistake to me. The line as over two hours one of the days we went. Had Fast Lane - rode 4 times in a row. Oh fast passes, buy one and you are instantly spoilt for life and never want to have to wait in line again. Haha! So true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Banshee - Only managed to get 1 ride in due to insane lines and wasn't blown away, wish we'd had time to re-ride You came all the way from England and you didn't get Fast Lane on a busy day? Seems like a mistake to me. The line as over two hours one of the days we went. Had Fast Lane - rode 4 times in a row. I can be cheap at times and only traveled from New York, but even I bought the Fast Lane. I enjoyed my dozen plus rides on Banshee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishfulThinker83 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Banshee - Only managed to get 1 ride in due to insane lines and wasn't blown away, wish we'd had time to re-ride You came all the way from England and you didn't get Fast Lane on a busy day? Seems like a mistake to me. The line as over two hours one of the days we went. Had Fast Lane - rode 4 times in a row. I can be cheap at times and only traveled from New York, but even I bought the Fast Lane. I enjoyed my dozen plus rides on Banshee. I drove from Youngstown, Ohio and on impulse bought a Fastlane Plus fearing an onslaught of ridiculous lines after the 4 hour drive... Anyways the damn park was dead and I was pissed, but my next few days were great with my first visit to Holiday World and my first to Kentucky Kingdom to ride Lightning Run! On that note I would love to see more of these coasters by Chance Rides, but it may be tough if Lightning Run is any indication of the Capacity they'll accommodate per hour!?? Who know's but I'd imagine most of the parks capable of topping Lightning Run wouldn't be interested, unless the manufacturer were to accommodate their high-capacity needs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillseeker4552 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 The only 2014 coaster I rode was Banshee. I though it was a great ride; it sits at #6 on my list. It's my second favorite B&M (behind Diamondback), and by far the best B&M Invert I've ridden (out of Silver Bullet, Raptor, and Batman). It was sort of a let down, but it's a very solid coaster that is very re-rideable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroyWD98 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 The only 2014 coaster I rode was Banshee. I though it was a great ride; it sits at #6 on my list. It's my second favorite B&M (behind Diamondback), and by far the best B&M Invert I've ridden (out of Silver Bullet, Raptor, and Batman). It was sort of a let down, but it's a very solid coaster that is very re-rideable. "By far the best B&M invert I've ridden" but "sort of a let down"? How would being better than Raptor by far be a let down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 I drove from Youngstown, Ohio and on impulse bought a Fastlane Plus fearing an onslaught of ridiculous lines after the 4 hour drive... Anyways the damn park was dead and I was pissed You know, there is the total risk of this happening, but I always have to remind myself of this... A day where you end up buying a Fast Lane pass and don't really need it is much, MUCH better than a day where you didn't buy it, desperately needed it, and they sold out for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 I would call Helix the all-mountain ski of roller coasters. A coaster that is good at everything, but not exceptionally good in any specific area. This was my biggest issue with Helix. I felt that it has a lot of "good" moments, but not really any "great" moments. The airtime moments were both good, but not better than the wooden coaster on the other side of the park. I would have preferred the ride to be "F**KING AWESOME" at just one thing rather than "Pretty good" at a variety of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosscoe Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I really enjoyed Helix, I think the big thing for me was it wasn't a 20/30 second coaster. it really was a fun ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarnes84 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Banshee - Only managed to get 1 ride in due to insane lines and wasn't blown away, wish we'd had time to re-ride You came all the way from England and you didn't get Fast Lane on a busy day? Seems like a mistake to me. The line as over two hours one of the days we went. Had Fast Lane - rode 4 times in a row. I can be cheap at times and only traveled from New York, but even I bought the Fast Lane. I enjoyed my dozen plus rides on Banshee. I'm originally from Scotland so maybe that helps explain my lack of enthusiasm for paying for "extras" Our day involved driving from Gatlinburg to Cedar Point via Kings Island, to be honest by that point in our trip we'd been spoilt by the lack of lines at so many parks with so many incredible coasters, road trip burnout was well and truly setting in. Most other lines at KI that day were 15-20 mins, so we didn't feel the need to purchase a $60 fast lane pass each (when entry cost us something like $40) for re-riding one decent invert. Thanks but no thanks sort of thing. When we got to Cedar Point however, paying for fast lane was well worth it, strongly recommended! As for Helix, I completely agree that it's good at everything it does but not amazing other than the airtime hills which did seem stronger than Balder once they'd both warmed up. I do think that the ride length goes a long way to bumping it up the ranks, and I wouldn't say Blue Fire is a better coaster but does have a better launch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I drove from Youngstown, Ohio and on impulse bought a Fastlane Plus fearing an onslaught of ridiculous lines after the 4 hour drive... Anyways the damn park was dead and I was pissed You know, there is the total risk of this happening, but I always have to remind myself of this... A day where you end up buying a Fast Lane pass and don't really need it is much, MUCH better than a day where you didn't buy it, desperately needed it, and they sold out for the day. True. Especially if you've travelled a long way to go to the park (which is pretty much always the case with me) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestreak Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I only got to ride Goliath and Banshee and I'd have to say Banshee is better. Although Goliath is an outstanding ride it's just too short of a ride to place it above Banshee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camthedominator Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 So why did Zamperla mess up to the extent they did? They managed to make a brand new coaster only to be described as getting into a car crash. It takes some skill to make a coaster that bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flex Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Here is what i thought about the new rides that i tried this year : Europe : - Alpina Blitz : great little airtime machine, very forceful and comfortable, very close to Intamin megalite. - Sky Scream : forceful, fast, and awesome ! - Flug Der Damonen : the beginning of the layout is great, the end is boring. I was a little bit disappointed of this one, as i think that a wing rider has to be tall and large like Gatekeeper to be enjoyable. - Helix : it's a good coaster, long and with variety, but not the perfection i was waiting for. The launches are too weak and some inversions are too slow. Maverick is still better. - Nefeskesen : i was waiting for a new iSpeed, but it's not. This coaster is quite good and offers excellent elements, but it's a little bit slow, just like Helix. USA : - Goliath : New Texas Giant is my number one steel coaster and this one becomes my number one wood. Yes, it's very short, but every second is an amount of pleasure. Thank you RMC for this winner, the best of 2014 for me with Lightning Run - Lightning Run : Unfortunately, due to a storm, i had only one lap on this one, but it was awesome ! extreme airtime ! - Banshee : good and solid B&M invert, a little bit repetitive although. - Firechaser Express : excellent junior coaster, perfect for families visiting Dollywood. Wish we could see more of these ! Well, i did a good part of the new ones in 2014, and i hope i will do the same in 2015. There will be not so much in Europe to try (except the two kiddies dive coaster at Efteling and Gardaland) so i hope i will come to USA once again and try at least Twisted Colossus and Wicked Cyclone ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippindotsguy8 Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 I only got on Banshee, but dang! It was a lot more fun that I had expected, not to mention it makes that area of the park so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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