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2005 is looking to be a decent, if not exemplary, year for new rides and coasters. The 2 coasters on everyone's mind for next year are SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa and Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. However, those aren't the two that I'm most looking forward to. That honor would belong to Hades at Big Chief's Mt. Olympus and Insanity at the Stratosphere.
Below is a breakdown of all the major new rides coming up for 2005 with some details, some hype, and some comments. (If you're curious where a park is, just click on the city and state name after the park name. It will take you to an interactive Yahoo map with that park as the center.) The Northeast Hydra the Revenge Kingda Ka Untitled Spinning Coaster Untitled Spinning Coaster The Midwest Hades Italian Job Stunt Track Powder Keg: A Blast in the Wilderness MaXair The South The Curse of DarKastle SheiKra Untitled Spinning Coaster Untitled Boomerang The West Space Mountain Insanity Late 2004 Tsunami Silver Bullet The Northeast Hydra the Revenge - Dorney Park, Allentown, PA A steel, floorless, coaster with a height of 95 feet and seven inversions, designed by Bolliger & Mabillard. The Hype: "We deliberately designed Hydra with a fast-paced series of sensory challenges," stated John Hildebrandt, vice president and general manager of Dorney Park. "The ride is a non-stop mix of twists, rolls, drops and spirals that keeps riders wondering what comes next. Hydra even treats riders to a special surprise right out of the launch station." The ride begins with a unique feature park officials call the jojo roll, the first-ever pre-lift hill inversion where riders twist upside-down after exiting the launch station. With adrenaline pumping, riders climb out of the jojo roll up a 95-foot-tall lift hill, followed by a 53 m.p.h. plunge down a menacing 68-degree, 105-foot sideways drop into a rock-hewn canyon. This "near-miss" race through the canyon is followed by an inclined dive loop 65 feet above the ground, dropping the train back into the ravine to be shot through a zero-gravity roll, carrying the train out over the midway. The coaster races through the first of two flat-spin inversions, plunges 50 feet into another ravine and rises into Hydra's signature design element of a tight cobra roll, before dropping back into the same ravine. "This ride will keep coming at you," Hildebrandt said. "By design, there's not much recovery time between elements." - Read the Press Release The Good:Hydra is sure to deliver a ride that is smooth as silk, invigorating, and fun. With 7 inversions, how could it not be fun?! The Bad: B&M has done such a marvelous job at creating a uniform type of coaster, that delivers such a consistent type of experience, that it's difficult for anyone that's been on a few B&M floorless' to be that excited by a new one. The Anticipation:Moderate/High - Some who have looked at the planned layout are saying this could be the best B&M floorless yet, while others are expecting more of the same - which is not really a bad thing at all. Kingda Ka - Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ An launched, steel coaster that will debut as the highest and fastest in the world. The Hype:" "The new roller coaster will shatter all existing world records for speed and height by legendary proportions. Truly the "King of Coasters," Kingda Ka will rocket riders horizontally from 0 to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds before vertically catapulting them a mind-blowing 456 feet (45 stories) into the sky at a 90-degree angle. After a brief moment in the clouds, riders descend 418 feet (41 stories) back down to earth in a 270-degree spiral, only to experience another breathtaking moment of weightlessness as they soar over a 129-foot-tall hill (nearly 13 stories) and then glide back into the station. " Read the press release at rcdb.com The Good: When you can say your new coaster is the tallest, fastest, and with the largest drop... that's very good! The Bad:It's location. Great Adventure is a park plagued wiht operational problems that often lead to less then stellar days for it's park guests. Whether the park can overcome those problems and handle the crowds Kingda Ka will generate is questionable. Also Kingda Ka, unlike it's inspirations, Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point and Xcelerator at Knotts Berry Farm, hos over the shoulder restraints. This is a big let down for many ride and coaster fans (myself included) who much prefer the thrill of upper body freedom that lap bars allow over the restricted confines of OTSRs. The Anticipation:High/Very High - If you build it, they will come. And as a record smashing coaster, people will be flocking to Great Adventure for this monster. Untitled - Martins Fantasy Island, ">Grand Island, NY A steel, mouse-like, spinning coaster, built by Zamperla. The Good:This is a good model of spinning coaster. The Rajun Cajun, the same model located at Great America, is a great little ride, and my second favorite spinning coaster. The Bad: These coasters are fairly low capacity, but that shouldn't be a big problem at Martins. The Anticipation:Low - Even though it's a fun coaster and a great addition for the park, no one is going to be going out of their way to get on this one as it is a generic model that can be ridden at other parks in country. Untitled, Six Flags New England, Agawam MA A steel, mouse-like, spinning coaster, built by Gerstlauer. The Good:Spinning coasters are a lot of fun, and this one will be no exception. The Bad: This is my least favorite model of spinning coaster. Also, Six Flags New England, a park with the problem of having too many rides that are low capacity, is adding another ride that is low capacity. The Anticipation:Low - This is pretty much the same deal as Martin's new spinning coaster. While these are cool, they're not anything anyone beyond an hours drive from Agawam is getting excited about. |
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The Midwest Hades, Big Chief's Mt. Olympus Theme Park, ">Wisconsin Dells, WI A wood roller coaster with a 154' drop and long, underground tunnel, built by The Gravity Group. The Good: The Wisconsin Dells builds badass, mean coasters. Hades promises more of the same. The Bad:Hades could well be too mean and violent for many people. The Anticipation:High(Everyone else) / Very High (me) - This is going to be one very badass coaster. Italian Job: Stunt Track, Kings Island, ">Kings Mills, OH A highly themed, family coaster with 3 launches, built by Premier. The Hype:Park guests will experience what it's like to be a Hollywood stunt driver and go behind the scenes of an action movie. Guests board their very own MINI Cooper S tricked out with audio special effects adding to the multi-sensory sensation of the experience. Once strapped into their custom stunt car, rubber meets the road as the MINIs peel out to begin their chase sequence. Drivers twist through a parking garage, dodge near-collisions, race down stairs, chase through tunnels and narrowly escape massive explosions triggered by gunfire from a menacing helicopter. Tires skid out one last time as the stunt cars crash through a billboard and splash down into an L.A. aqueduct concluding the chase sequence and their trial as a stunt driver in this screen test! Read the Press Release The Good: Paramount seems to be continuing the same high theming and production values they applied to a Top Spin with Tomb Raider by now applying them to a coaster. Considering their success with Tombraider, what they do with a coaster should be interesting. The Bad:Italian Job is being labelled as a "family ride." Basically, the term family ride often means "not so thrilling it won't scare children." What's another name for a coaster that won't scare children? A kiddie coaster! The Anticipation: Moderate - So far, only Disney & Universal have created "family rides" that are honestly entertaining for adults. Whether Paramount is good enough to rise to that level remains to be seen. Powder Keg: A Blast in the Wilderness, Silver Dollar City, ">Branson, MO A launched, steel, roller coaster by S&S rides, that is actually an extreme modification of an old ride from this park, Buzzsaw Falls, a water coaster. The Hype: Silver Dollar City's newest attraction shoots riders into a thrill zone within seconds of climbing aboard, launching riders from 0 to 53 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds. Powder Keg, a thrill ride unlike any other in the history of the theme park, combines the shocking speed of the launch with spiraling turns, negative gravitational or "G" forces, and "floater" hills for a truly wild ride experience, billed as a "blast in the wilderness." A $10 million project, Powder Keg takes riders from the big blast of the compressed air-launch up a lift to a 110-foot drop, into spiraling and dragonfly banked turns, through a wave of floater hills and into a bunny hop brake run. Negative G forces give riders the experience of weightlessness as the cars soar through the trees at speeds up to 64 miles per hour. The Good:S&S Power is looking to further distinguish themselves from being "those guys that make drop towers" and so far, with Avalanche and Tsunami (2 wood coasters), they've succeeded. Powder Keg (a steel coaster) could be a unique and thrilling experience in a continuing string of successes. Read the Press Release The Bad:S&S Power's other American air launch coaster, Hypersonic XLC at Kings Dominion, has a great beginning but a very flawed 2nd half, fairly uncomfortable restraints, and is a capacity nightmare. The Anticipation:Moderate - Because it's a bit out of the way, people tend not to notice what's going on in Branson, and as there's no giant stats connected to this coaster, no one seems to be paying much mind. But like the Ozark Wildcat, this coaster, if well made, could turn out to be unique sleeper hit that people will need to get to Branson to ride. Or it could suck. My crystal ball broke last week and is in the shop. MaXair, Cedar Point, ">Sandusky, Oh A new flat ride at Cedar Point (a Huss Giant Frisbee), notable for being very thrilling. The Hype:Riders on the super-sized maXair will sit in outward-facing suspended seats that form a giant circle of 50 passengers; their legs will dangle freely, and each seat will have an individual shoulder restraint and restraining belt. maXair will let loose by swinging riders back and forth in a seemingly out of control pendulum motion while spinning in a clockwise rotation and reaching a maximum speed of 70 mph. When the pendulum movement reaches its peak, riders will be 140 feet high and experience that coveted feeling of “airtime” – similar to the sensation of weightlessness that is popular for thrill-seekers on roller coasters. The dynamic return drop will generate varying forces on riders depending on their specific position through the clockwise rotation, creating a different ride experience each time. Read the Press Release The Good: When this super-flat hits the peak of its' axis, there's nothing quite like it out there. It's certainly a rush. The Bad:Judging by both Delirium at PKI and the general flat operation of Cedar Fair parks, the ride cycle will likely be too short, while the lines will likely be too long. The Anticipation: Low - Any real ride or coaster nut has already been on this ride as it's been at Kings Island, a 4 hour drive away, for the last 2 years. While certainly a great addition for the park, it's not a highly anticipated new attraction simply because so many have been on it already. |
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The South Curse of DarKastle, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburge, VA Family dark ride inspired in design by Islands of Adventure's Spiderman attraction. The Hype: "Curse of DarKastle will transport guests through a grand Bavarian castle frozen in time. Following a pre-show that hints at a mysterious legend, guests will board golden sleighs for a mesmerizing journey through the castle’s ghostly chambers. Never before has a combination of innovative technology, state-of-the-art motion-based engineering, and visual projection come together to deliver an incredible theme park ride." Read the press release on Busch Gardens official site The Good:An attraction similar in design to Spiderman, one of the best darkrides and easily the best 3D attraction out there, is a very good thing. The Bad:Busch Gardens, while known for pretty themeing, does not have a proven track record for providing indoor attractions with great stories or environments like the Orlando parks do. But just because nothing of the quality of Spiderman has ever before come out of Busch Gardens doesn't mean it's not possible. The Anticipation:High. Any attraction similar to Spiderman is going to create a lot of buzz and anticipation. SheiKra, Busch Gardens Tampa, ">Tampa, FL A diving, or vertical coaster, the first of it's kind in America, debuts at a height of 70 feet and hitting a projected top speed of 70mph. The Hype: "Set among the jungle ruins of a once-mighty African civilization, SheiKra will carry riders up 200 feet at 45 degrees, then hurtle them 70 mph back toward the ground at a 90-degree angle. It will be the first coaster of its kind in the Americas and only the third in the world. Similar diving coasters in England and Taiwan can't match the height, speed and intensity SheiKra will offer. SheiKra is the first dive coaster to incorporate an Immelmann loop, a water feature, and a second 90-degree, 138-foot drop through an underground tunnel. The ride also includes a 360-degree climbing carousel. SheiKra's 3,188 feet of steel track offers a total ride time of just over three minutes." Read the Press Release The Good: Not only is this the first of it's kind in the country, it's doing much more then any other coaster of it's type. Even better is the simple truth that Busch Gardens Tampa build s fantastic roller coasters. The Bad:Some ride and coaster fans were slightly disappointed by Oblivion, the first coaster of this type. The Anticipation:Very High - I predict this could easily break into the definiteve top 10 steel coasters list by next season. Untitled, Beech Bend, ">Bowling Green, KY A steel, mouse-like, spinning coaster, built by Zamperla. The Good: See Martins The Bad: See Martins The Anticipation: See Martins Untitled, Visionland, Bessemer, AL Though still not titled, it's known that this is a Vekoma Boomerang, purchased used from a closed park in Sydney, Australia. The Hype:"It was created for the World Expo in Brisbane, Australia, and has seven cars with two seats each. Riders are first propelled forward at 50 miles per hour through the three loops and then are sent backwards at the same speed through the loops. "It's such a great ride because it's like two different experiences in one ride," Visionland General Manager Terry Mackey said." Read the full article The Good:Surprisingly, there aren't many Boomerangs nearbye in this region, so this will be a new experience for many teens. Those who haven't yet made the 2.5 hour drive over to SFOG should especially love it. The Bad: The most unoriginal steel coaster out there is also, unfortunately, one of the most unpleasent, with many models producing the sort of "headbanging" violence within the restraints that prevents people from going on other rides for the rest of the day. The Anticipation:Low. Ride and coaster enthusiasts can often spit and hit a Vekoma Boomerang whever they are. The West Space Mountain, Disneyland, Anaheim, CA The classic roller coaster gets a 2005 treatment with extensive new effects, lighting and sound. The Hype:None. Disney is keeping mum. The Good:The rumor mill (ok, miceage.com) suggests this is a really extensive rehab and that it's going to "Wow" people when finished. The Bad: When will it be finished? Though the 50th anniversary celebration is in May, Disney is predicting the Space Mountain rehab won't be finished until November 2005. Could this end up being a "new for 2006" attraction? The Anticipation:Moderate/High - For Disney-heads, this is probably the most anticipated new attraction of the year. The rest of us are merely curious. Insanity, The Stratosphere, Las Vegas, NV A new flat ride opens at the top of the Stratosphere, notable for the height and at which it will be dangling and spinning it's riders. The Hype:"Insanity–The Ride is the Stratosphere’s newest ride attraction that will shatter the barrier of what thrill rides are. Designed by Interactive Rides of Logan, Utah, the best way to describe Insanity–The Ride is an inverted centrifuge where riders dangle in mid-air 64 feet out over the tallest observation tower in the United States and the tallest building west of the Mississippi River as they spin at up to three “G’s.” As riders spin, they are propelled up to a 70-degree angle where they look downward more than 900 feet up in the air. Insanity–The Ride will be the world’s fourth highest thrill ride behind the Stratosphere’s Big Shot thrill ride, High Roller roller coaster and X Scream thrill ride. Insanity–The Ride is designed for only the bravest of riders." The Good:This is quite simply the craziest looking doohickey I've ever seen. For me, that's good. The Bad:I think most people think the ride is simply too much. I think others think of it as "gimmicky." Me? To me, there is no bad to this ride! The Anticipation:Low (everyone else)/Very High (me) . This ride is pretty much creating no buzz. Unlike Kingda Ka and SheiKra, there's barely any discussion out there on the ride that, along with Hades, I'm most looking forward to this year. |
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Posted by Mike
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