Top/Favorite Hyper Coasters

[coasterbill]

X2 is worse than pretty much everything as far as I'm concerned. I'll take the sh*tty Togo.

[JonnyRCT3]

Diamondback

Phantom's Revenge

Magnum XL-200

 

In that order.

[xVicesAndVirtues]

One of the best new non-news threads I've seen in a long time. I totally feel the same way about the "definition" of a hyper, such as how Expedition GeForce isn't in the height category but is still a hyper for all intents and purposes.

 

The older I get, the more I find that I appreciate the constantly re-rideable coasters that still have great forces more than some of the new ones that really push the envelope. Like, I love Skyrush as much as anyone else because it's insane, but you can't ride it all day like you can Superman the Ride. Kind of like how you might like to get beaten by a dominatrix, but if you did it every day, it would be hard to go to work.

 

1. Expedition GeForce. What they say is true. If you haven't been on it and can only afford one international trip, it should include this. I think I rode it like 20-30 times, only limited by an unfortunate one-train operation that day and the fact that it's in a really nice park. It's good in the front, good in the back, good in the middle. Amplified airtime that feels good but doesn't brutalize you.

 

2. Superman the Ride. It used to ride a little more EGF-like with the old trains and the drawn-out layout kind of slows the new trains down a little. I wish they'd do something like a cable lift replacement and send it into the layout a little faster, or something. But this is probably the best actual layout ever designed for a coaster as a whole. The tunnels and spaghetti bowl section are both brilliantly done.

 

3. Skyrush. For aforementioned purposes of enjoying a little pain from time to time. It's really scary and will hurt you if you don't hold on.

 

4. Superman RoS/Ride of Steel. They're kind of the same, because they are. I know the first halves are kind of whatever, but they ride like Intamin coasters and the bunny hills are nutso.

 

5. Magnum XL-200. Also some pain, but if you kind of put your arms on top of your legs and hold onto the lapbars in an upside-down manner, you can prevent it...just don't break your wrists like I almost did once.

 

Then some kind of order of Phantom's Revenge followed by Nitro/Apollo's, then the rest of the B&M hypers, followed by the Morgan hypers. I was really tired the last time I went on Intimidator at Carowinds and actually started to doze a little.

[storms555]

I didnt know New York,New York Coaster was considered a hyper coaster. Doesn't seem like one to me. Didnt really have that hyper coaster feeling to it. Also others are right i though hyper coasters didnt have inversions. I dont think NYNY is as bad as so many say but still isnt as nearly as thrilling as a hyper coaster.

[MrSum1_55]

^How so? Aside from having two inversions, I would say that the layout of NYNY is quite hyper-like. The first three hills are fairly big, and it mostly has hills, turns, and helices after the two inversions. If it had the two inversions taken out, but the rest of the layout remained the same, there would not be much conflict over counting that as a hyper.

 

I actually really wish this is what they did, as a version of NYNY with lap bars would be a pretty okay coaster. I feel like the inversions are mostly there for show. I wish this coaster had been designed in the first place as a regular hyper, or even kept the same ride it is now with lap bars or Intamin style OTSR's. Granted, the coaster would still not be winning any awards, but it would be a pretty fun coaster.

 

Even so, I do not think that NYNY is quite as bad as many people say. I would rather ride NYNY than an SLC, for sure. And, I would probably take it over most giant Arrow loopers other than Tennessee Tornado (like Viper, Anadonda...). But the reality is that if B&M built this, it would have been awesome.

[ABW]

The standard definition of a hyper coaster is a roller coaster with a height and/or drop of or over 200 feet. This is per Robert Coker's Roller Coaster and frankly, I have yet to see a more logical definition. Whatever this thread wants to do it up to the original poster, but know the aforementioned definition is, at least, validated by being in writing somewhere that isn't wikipedia.

[xVicesAndVirtues]

^It's not that big of a deal.

 

If you want to include the NYNY coaster on your hyper list, go for it. No one is going to stop you.

 

Top Thrill Dragster is my favorite hyper that's one hyper giving another hyper a f*cking piggy back ride. Banshee is my favorite hyper that's a B&M invert that was built in place of a demolished hyper woodie that wasn't a hyper woodie because it had a loop, then the loop was removed so then it was a hyper woodie.

[coasterbill]

The standard definition of a hyper coaster is a roller coaster with a height and/or drop of or over 200 feet. This is per Robert Coker's Roller Coaster and frankly, I have yet to see a more logical definition.

 

I think most people can agree on the fact that the coaster should also be non launched, steel and non inverting, otherwise Manhattan Express, Some Intamin rocket coasters, Wild Eagle, X2 and Son of Beast are hypercoasters and we (mostly) all know that's ridiculous. I assumed the big debate would be with coasters in the same style that are less than 200 feet, not with a ride that opens the door for Wild Eagle and X2. Lol

 

I mean, I don't care what you guys do but I think a little common sense is necessary here, kind of like when counting coaster credits.

 

Anyway, this is much dorkier than I'm comfortable with so I'm stepping out. But yeah... best hyper coaster ever is Wild Eagle.

Edited December 14, 2016 by coasterbill

[bill_s]

^^-- allow wood and 10' under 200, El Toro for that matter! .. it is an interesting point that NYNY is kind of segregated into 2 styles, although the coaster itself isn't that tall (or great). But then, so was Steel Phantom. Could be a concept to try again, although I think corkscrews/rolls get the short end of the stick, I want to see a 300' drop or big launch put you straight into a floaty zero-G roll that doesn't drop below 70 MPH. Then a big airtime hill (or even a spike) maybe followed by one of those "head for the sky" Arrow loops....

 

I'm somewhat unexperienced on hypers, but my best single ride on one was Nitro at sunset, and my first ride on it being a dark night was a little scary too.

[PKI Jizzman]

Let's see, here's what I've got:

Goliath (SFOG), Diamondback, Raging Bull, Magnum, Phantom's Revenge, Titan (SFOT). I don't think I'm missing any others... Electric Eel doesn't qualify.

 

1]Goliath

2]Diamondback

3]Phantom

4]Raging Bull

5]Titan

6]Magnum

 

I only got to ride Phantom once, but it's so fast paced I really don't believe I got to savor every element and moment. Unfortunately, they were only running one train in July and I only had so much time at the park.

 

Diamondback I've been on hundreds of times, and I've had some fantastic rides. I do wish the ride kept the same pace post MCBR.

 

Goliath is the best B&M hyper, IMO. Our ERT sessions during DSB were amazing.

 

Raging Bull is now my home park hyper. One of the best first drops in existence and just a purely fun ride.

 

Titan was kind of weird, but has the insane helix and long sustained air hill...it's an odd layout like Six Flags was trying to create a giant steel version of the classic Cyclone.

 

Magnum....I like it, but it kills me. Over the summer I tried pulling my seat belt as tight as possible but it didn't help. Only rode once this year because my roommate refused to ride again.

[coasterbill]

^^-- allow wood and 10' under 200

 

I know I said I was leaving but okay, what can possibly go wrong?

 

Congratulations, you're a hypercoaster.

[boldikus]

Oh man can we just agree at this point the term "hyper" refers more to a style than the specific height of 200ft or more? I should have known the discussion would spiral into arguing over semantics. Sure, Arrow coined the term to mean anything over 200 feet (sorry I don't know who Robert Coker is and frankly don't care) but I think its fair to say the definition has certainly morphed a bit over almost 30 years to mean coasters of a certain style. B&M's page about hypers mentions nothing about 200ft or more. Neither does Intamins. Same with Mack.

 

Anyways, can we have more answers to the original question? If you want to call things like X2, NYNY, Valravn & Wicked Twister "hyper coasters" I think that's pretty weird but no one is stopping you... and I'd love to hear some opinions from those who have ridden both the North American and European hypers.

 

Also agreed to whomever said it feels like most of the hypers in the U.S. are on the east side of the country.

[coasterer]

Okay great, I'm also surprised this thread didn't exist before now, but I love ranking things and talking coasters so I'm game. The really great ones I'm missing are Expedition Geforce and Shambhala. And a few others.

 

1) Goliath (Walibi World). Maybe my top steel coaster overall. This to me is coaster perfection. It's maybe not the craziest/biggest/most unique ride out there, but it is flawless. This is the standard by which I judge all other traditional coasters.

 

2) Skyrush. I only have one ride on this thing, but it was unbelievable. I very much question how good my one ride on it was, and am looking forward to giving it more room to cement its spot. But hey, from what I remember it was amazing - not my favorite by any means, but amazing.

 

3) Behemoth. Definitely the best of the B&M hypers for me, the airtime is amazing, and the setting is just stunning.

 

4) Superman SFNE. Count me in the group that considers this ride overhyped. I'm actually tempted to rank the DL model ahead of it out of spite, but this spot is fine for now.

 

5) Goliath (SFOG). It's amazing when it's amazing, probably because it's a little more concise than some of the others. But it does tend to rattle itself into unimpressive-ness way too often. Depends on the day.

 

6) Nitro. I rode this thing well over a hundred times when I went to school in NJ, and still can't fully commit to where to put it. Goliath, Nitro, Raging Bull, and even Apollo's could all switch spots depending on which parts of the ride I focus on. Nitro is probably the most "classic" though.

 

7) Phantom's Revenge. This ride blew me away, but I only got one ride on it, and have a natural aversion to ranking Arrow rides any higher than this. My wife is from Pittsburgh though so I'll ride it again eventually. It may go up.

 

8) Superman DL. I love this thing. It's unique, and it does what it does and I'm more than fine with that. Love the location too.

 

9) Raging Bull. I grew up on Raging Bull and refuse to let my love for this ride be tainted by the trims. I'm in denial. The first drop is heaven and I love the unique layout.

 

10) Superman el Ultimo Escape (SFMexico). Totally under-appreciated / under-ridden ride that is almost as good as Phantom's but not quite.

 

11) Apollo's Chariot. This one to me is one of the more forgettable hypers? But I did really like it a lot.

 

12) Superman SFA. The crappiness of the park has more to do with this ride's ranking than the actual ride.

 

13) Magnum XL 200. Didn't hate it, but certainly don't love it. I remember someone once wrote, in a caption of a picture of Magnum's 20th anniversary sign, "Magnum's getting something new for its 20th anniversary?? I hope it's a new set of thighs." And it still cracks me up to this day.

 

14) Intimidator. Literally, the most exciting thing about this ride is the smell of BBQ as you approach the brake run, and I love B&M hypers.

 

15) Mamba. This is quite fun if you're in the mood for a leisurely stroll around the park, but none of the other hypers suck enough for it to rank any higher.

 

16) Titan(SFOT)? I'm not a huge fan of this model, and Goliath was closed when I was at SFMM. It was fine, but didn't impress.

 

17) Wild Thing. Love the long sustained airtime hill and huge turn around, but otherwise this is pretty forgettable.

 

18) Steel Force. I can barely keep this one straight from Mamba, so who can really say where it should go.

 

19) Pepsi Max Big One. Not bad, just meandering foreeeeever. Love this park though.

[xstech25]

Of the ones i've ridden

 

Top Tier:

Goliath SFOG

Superman SFNE

Mako

Intimidator 305

 

Upper Tier:

Fury 325

Superman SFA / SFDL

Diamondback

Nitro

Phantoms Revenge

Goliath Laronde

Steel Dragon 2000

 

Mediocre Tier:

Raging Bull

Apollo's Chariot

Millennium Force

Intimidator

Silver Star

Behemoth

Wild Thing

Steel Force

Mamba

Hollywood Dream

Thunder Dolphin

The Big One (Haven't ridden this in a long time, I suspect it would drop down to crappy if I rode it now)

 

Crappy:

Desperado

Magnum

Goliath SFMM

Titan

Fujiyama

[chickenbowl]

The standard definition of a hyper coaster is a roller coaster with a height and/or drop of or over 200 feet. This is per Robert Coker's Roller Coaster and frankly, I have yet to see a more logical definition.

 

I think most people can agree on the fact that the coaster should also be non launched, steel and non inverting, otherwise Manhattan Express, Some Intamin rocket coasters, Wild Eagle, X2 and Son of Beast are hypercoasters and we (mostly) all know that's ridiculous. I assumed the big debate would be with coasters in the same style that are less than 200 feet, not with a ride that opens the door for Wild Eagle and X2. Lol

 

I mean, I don't care what you guys do but I think a little common sense is necessary here, kind of like when counting coaster credits.

 

Anyway, this is much dorkier than I'm comfortable with so I'm stepping out. But yeah... best hyper coaster ever is Wild Eagle.

 

So Phantom's Revenge is a hyper but Steel Phantom isn't? Even though they literally had the same 200'+ drop? I think the inversions are irrelevant

[coasterbill]

So Phantom's Revenge is a hyper but Steel Phantom isn't?

 

That sounds totally reasonable to me but I mean, in the end it doesn't really matter. If you want to call it a hypercoaster than that's okay with me, it's your list. If we don't care about inversions or height though (personally I think most people would include things like Steel Eel and Goliath at La Ronde) then literally every coaster becomes a hypercoaster.

 

For me, a hypercoaster is a steel coaster with no inversions that's 200 feet tall (or has a 200 foot drop) but honestly if you disagree I can't stop you. Calling Steel Phanton a hypercoaster isn't that unreasonable. I wouldn't but I get the argument. I also don't want the thread to spin off the rails with defining it (even though I'm partially responsible for starting that discussion for sure) since it's more about listing hypercoasters than defining what they are.

[gerstlaueringvar]

When you actually forgot about Raging Bull, Giovanola Goliath and Titan on your list, you know they are bad.

 

Updated list:

Diamondback

Magnum XL-200

Flash

Hollywood Dream The Ride Backdrop

Coaster Through the Clouds

Hollywood Dream The Ride

Steel Eel

Titan

Goliath SFMM

Sleeping Bull

Titan MAX

Edited December 15, 2016 by gerstlaueringvar

[coasterbill]

When you actually forgot about Giovanola Goliath and Titan in your list, you know they are bad.

 

I did the same thing with Goliath at Magic Mountain. It's so amazingly mediocre that I had to edit my post and add it in because I totally forgot that it even existed.

[chickenbowl]

When you actually forgot about Giovanola Goliath and Titan in your list, you know they are bad.

 

Updated list:

Diamondback

Magnum XL-200

Flash

Hollywood Dream The Ride Backdrop

Coaster Through the Clouds

Hollywood Dream The Ride

Steel Eel

Titan

Goliath SFMM

Titan MAX

 

Oh wow, you've ridden the Nanchang Intamin? And it was worse then backwards Hollywood Dream?! That's pretty disappointing, tbh. I would've expected it to be better than every other hyper on your list.

[Canobie Coaster]

1) SkyRush (5)- Arguably the most powerful air-time of any coaster and an outstanding drop.

2) Goliath- SFOG (7)- Faster & more forceful than other B&Ms with the same comfort.

3) Superman the Ride (8)- Unique layout, powerful air, & intense helixes.

4) Phantom' Revenge (11)- Short but very strong air time and the legendary second drop.

** Goliath- La Ronde (12)- Basic layout but tons of floater air on every hill.

5) Behemoth (13)- Great first drop, tons of floater air, but a little rattle.

6) Apollo's Chariot (15)- Great setting and really good drops, not as intense as previous hypers.

7) Nitro (17)- Just a tad worse than Apollo's Chariot for air, but better helixes.

8) Ride of Steel (18)- Great airtime, but could be higher if straight sections removed.

9) Magnum XL-200- Intense air (painful if ridden incorrectly) and a great setting.

10) Intimidator- Floater air on every hill but not intense at all.

11) Diamondback- Great first half and then the trim tames the second half.

12) Steel Force- I've gotten some great rides and some rides without much air at all.

13) Goliath- SFMM- I'd rather hills over helixes. Good first drop though.

 

** Technically not over 200 ft, but it's so close I added it to the list.

[xVicesAndVirtues]

When you actually forgot about Giovanola Goliath and Titan in your list, you know they are bad.

 

I did the same thing with Goliath at Magic Mountain. It's so amazingly mediocre that I had to edit my post and add it in because I totally forgot that it even existed.

 

I haven't been on Goliath at SFMM since WCB 2012, but I'll say that when I rode Titan over the summer, it seemed like it had aged 20 years past how I remember Goliath riding. I probably would have ranked Goliath towards the middle/bottom of the more boring Moragn hypers like Mamba or Steel Force, but Titan might actually be my least favorite hyper.

[gerstlaueringvar]

When you actually forgot about Giovanola Goliath and Titan in your list, you know they are bad.

 

Updated list:

Diamondback

Magnum XL-200

Flash

Hollywood Dream The Ride Backdrop

Coaster Through the Clouds

Hollywood Dream The Ride

Steel Eel

Titan

Goliath SFMM

Titan MAX

 

Oh wow, you've ridden the Nanchang Intamin? And it was worse then backwards Hollywood Dream?! That's pretty disappointing, tbh. I would've expected it to be better than every other hyper on your list.

As the tallest coaster in China, you don't get a sense of speed at all and the entire layout is very forceless. I want to believe that Wanda asked for something like that from Intamin or designed the entire layout and ask Intamin to build it out.

[thrillseeker4552]

1. Skyrush

2. Nitro

3. Superman (SFNE)

4. Diamondback

5. Steel Force

6. Superman (SFA)

7. Magnum

8. Desperado

9. Goliath (SFMM)

[Condor]

Oh wow, you've ridden the Nanchang Intamin? And it was worse then backwards Hollywood Dream?! That's pretty disappointing, tbh. I would've expected it to be better than every other hyper on your list.

As the tallest coaster in China, you don't get a sense of speed at all and the entire layout is very forceless. I want to believe that Wanda asked for something like that from Intamin or designed the entire layout and ask Intamin to build it out.

 

It almost gives the impression that Wanda requested something like Millennium Force and that's what they got. Only smaller and lacking the setting and intangibles that make MF more than the sum of its parts.

[larrygator]

Oh man can we just agree at this point the term "hyper" refers more to a style than the specific height of 200ft or more? I should have known the discussion would spiral into arguing over semantics.

 

Yes, you said have known better.