- August 29th, 2011, 4:43 pm
#47359
Six Flags New England - August 25, 2011
55 photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/s ... 540211834/
Ah, Six Flags, a company that has taken obnoxious in-park sponsorship and ad campaigns to a new level. From the moment you arrive in the parking lot at a Six Flags park, you are bombarded with reminders that this is a company that needs to suck every single cent possible out of you just to maintain a shaky financial footing. From $20 parking fees to ad wrappers on coaster trains, mediocre operations, and eternally long lines for rides, it can be difficult sometimes to have a great experience at a Six Flags park. But, for those of us who like great rides, we have no choice but to go, because they have built some great ones.
Today, Six Flags New England, one of the smaller Six Flags parks and one of the more pleasant. My only previous trip was in 2004. I looked forward to one thing at the park then and still that same one thing now:
Bizarro, or as it was called then, Superman: Ride of Steel. My favorite steel coaster for six years, the 2004 trip coincided with the reopening of the coaster after it had been closed for several weeks following the death of a disabled man whose lap bar had not been properly secured. When the ride reopened it had restraint modifications that were irritating and operators forcing lap bars down into riders in an extremely uncomfortable manner. Despite all of this, it was still the best steel coaster I had ever ridden. In 2009, Superman was rethemed to Bizarro (Superman's evil counterpart), which brought a number of special effects including on-board audio, and a new restraint system. Most of the effects do not actually work anymore, but the key is the new restraints.
The new lap bars are bulkier than the old ones, and connected by posts on each side of the rider's legs rather than the single post in between the legs as before. The restraint rests more on the rider's thighs than lap, which I found allowed airtime to be appreciated even when being stapled by the operators every ride. I am a fan. I just don't understand why Intamin can't put these new restraints on their new hypercoasters instead of the terrible over the shoulder ones.
Bizarro has repeatedly finished as number one steel in industry polls. It opened the same year as and was completely overshadowed by the 100 foot taller Millennium Force in 2000, but Bizarro is everything Millennium Force (while still a great ride) failed to be.
It is the closest to steel coaster perfection that I have experienced. The only disappointing part of the ride is the first drop in the back seat, which delivers a fairly weak pop of airtime, but everything from that point on is fantastic. There are eight moments of great airtime including one of the more insane airtime moments on a coaster (the fourth hill), two tunnels, and a consistently interesting layout with lots of turns and good pacing. Additionally, it interacts wonderfully with the pedestrian walkways.
It was a very off and on day weather wise. Unfortunately this meant a lot of time sheltering inside gift shops and restaurants. The bright side to this was that the park more or less cleared out of crowds. In the afternoon Bizarro was a complete walk on; I lost count of how many rides I had.
There were two new coasters since my last visit. The first was not quite so new, as the former Road Runner Express wild mouse at Kentucky Kingdom was relocated to Massachusetts and given what is probably the longest coaster name ever, Gotham City Gauntlet Escape from Arkham Asylum.
Thankfully I did not have to ride this piece of garbage again having already done it in 2004.
Pandemonium was the one truly new coaster for me. I don't know how they normally run it, but on my one ride none of the block brakes hit, resulting in a pretty wild ride. I really liked it.
Next, I attempted to ride what I remembered as the second best ride in the park (and only other ride of note, really), Cyclone.
Six Flags Over Texas you say?
This is when it absolutely started to pour. I refused to ride until the rain stopped, but then the ride shut down and everyone was kicked out of the station anyway.
A perfect getaway from the rain, and the surprise of the trip last time, Houdini: The Great Escape. This ride, and its twin at Great Adventure, were departures from Six Flags' usual style, featuring a more immersive theme park experience. I love these types of rides. It is a very simple yet effective concept. Riders sit in a room on opposite facing benches, and both the passenger seating area and the room around it can rotate independently, giving some very strange motion sensations and the illusion of going upside down without it actually happening. The program at New England is very different from the one at Great Adventure.
The skies started clearing up pretty good after that, leading to a ride on the park's other wooden coaster, Thunderbolt.
Thunderbolt is in great shape and a fun although tame ride.
From 1840 to 1999, this park was known as Riverside Park, which explains why it has considerably more charm and a sense of history than most other Six Flags parks. The company has only had 12 years to ruin it. To their credit, Superman/Bizarro was an amazing addition.
The other major coaster installed by Six Flags in 2002 was Batman: The Dark Knight. It is I believe the smallest B&M floorless coaster out there, and is a good ride but nothing special.
Everything else was really just a distraction from the reason I made the three and a half hour drive.
Bizarro just never gets old. Even after what must have been at least 20 rides, I wanted more.
Before this trip, I was really worried that Bizarro was going to be disappointing; the new restraints, the cumbersome speakers installed on the headrests, and an annoying vibration that I had read about online.
I was so thrilled that was not the case. In fact, I liked the coaster even better than before. It is firmly my favorite steel now.
I like the skyride at this park, which uses these weird ball shaped cars instead of the standard ones.
Back over to Cyclone, which was running again but had a long wait due to one train operation.
Cyclone was featuring a significant modifaction as well, receiving the "topper track" treatment recently pioneered by Rocky Mountain Construction. As with Bizarro, I was worried. I love wooden coasters, so I am skeptical of anything that takes away the wooden feel of a wooden coaster. Topper track is basically a steel layer that replaces the top layer of wood to try and create a smoother ride and alleviate maintenance costs.
I have been converted. Cyclone in 2004 was a quirky ride with one of the most extreme and terrifying moments of airtime on any coaster. Now, that moment is still there on the first drop, but the rest of the ride is fantastic as well. Cyclone is now smooth and fast but still rides just like a wooden coaster; from the way it feels you would not even know the steel is there. Surprise of the day, and I wish I had been able to ride it more than once.
I had hoped to head down to Quassy to ride Wooden Warrior, but found out on the phone that they were closing early due to the weather, so I stayed at Six Flags to marathon Bizarro before heading home.
While Six Flags New England is not exactly a standout park, it is a definite destination due to having one of the best roller coasters in the world. As long as I live within a day trip of the park I will be returning each year. It is a real shame that Intamin did not build more coasters like this.
55 photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/s ... 540211834/
Ah, Six Flags, a company that has taken obnoxious in-park sponsorship and ad campaigns to a new level. From the moment you arrive in the parking lot at a Six Flags park, you are bombarded with reminders that this is a company that needs to suck every single cent possible out of you just to maintain a shaky financial footing. From $20 parking fees to ad wrappers on coaster trains, mediocre operations, and eternally long lines for rides, it can be difficult sometimes to have a great experience at a Six Flags park. But, for those of us who like great rides, we have no choice but to go, because they have built some great ones.
Today, Six Flags New England, one of the smaller Six Flags parks and one of the more pleasant. My only previous trip was in 2004. I looked forward to one thing at the park then and still that same one thing now:
Bizarro, or as it was called then, Superman: Ride of Steel. My favorite steel coaster for six years, the 2004 trip coincided with the reopening of the coaster after it had been closed for several weeks following the death of a disabled man whose lap bar had not been properly secured. When the ride reopened it had restraint modifications that were irritating and operators forcing lap bars down into riders in an extremely uncomfortable manner. Despite all of this, it was still the best steel coaster I had ever ridden. In 2009, Superman was rethemed to Bizarro (Superman's evil counterpart), which brought a number of special effects including on-board audio, and a new restraint system. Most of the effects do not actually work anymore, but the key is the new restraints.
The new lap bars are bulkier than the old ones, and connected by posts on each side of the rider's legs rather than the single post in between the legs as before. The restraint rests more on the rider's thighs than lap, which I found allowed airtime to be appreciated even when being stapled by the operators every ride. I am a fan. I just don't understand why Intamin can't put these new restraints on their new hypercoasters instead of the terrible over the shoulder ones.
Bizarro has repeatedly finished as number one steel in industry polls. It opened the same year as and was completely overshadowed by the 100 foot taller Millennium Force in 2000, but Bizarro is everything Millennium Force (while still a great ride) failed to be.
It is the closest to steel coaster perfection that I have experienced. The only disappointing part of the ride is the first drop in the back seat, which delivers a fairly weak pop of airtime, but everything from that point on is fantastic. There are eight moments of great airtime including one of the more insane airtime moments on a coaster (the fourth hill), two tunnels, and a consistently interesting layout with lots of turns and good pacing. Additionally, it interacts wonderfully with the pedestrian walkways.
It was a very off and on day weather wise. Unfortunately this meant a lot of time sheltering inside gift shops and restaurants. The bright side to this was that the park more or less cleared out of crowds. In the afternoon Bizarro was a complete walk on; I lost count of how many rides I had.
There were two new coasters since my last visit. The first was not quite so new, as the former Road Runner Express wild mouse at Kentucky Kingdom was relocated to Massachusetts and given what is probably the longest coaster name ever, Gotham City Gauntlet Escape from Arkham Asylum.
Thankfully I did not have to ride this piece of garbage again having already done it in 2004.
Pandemonium was the one truly new coaster for me. I don't know how they normally run it, but on my one ride none of the block brakes hit, resulting in a pretty wild ride. I really liked it.
Next, I attempted to ride what I remembered as the second best ride in the park (and only other ride of note, really), Cyclone.
Six Flags Over Texas you say?
This is when it absolutely started to pour. I refused to ride until the rain stopped, but then the ride shut down and everyone was kicked out of the station anyway.
A perfect getaway from the rain, and the surprise of the trip last time, Houdini: The Great Escape. This ride, and its twin at Great Adventure, were departures from Six Flags' usual style, featuring a more immersive theme park experience. I love these types of rides. It is a very simple yet effective concept. Riders sit in a room on opposite facing benches, and both the passenger seating area and the room around it can rotate independently, giving some very strange motion sensations and the illusion of going upside down without it actually happening. The program at New England is very different from the one at Great Adventure.
The skies started clearing up pretty good after that, leading to a ride on the park's other wooden coaster, Thunderbolt.
Thunderbolt is in great shape and a fun although tame ride.
From 1840 to 1999, this park was known as Riverside Park, which explains why it has considerably more charm and a sense of history than most other Six Flags parks. The company has only had 12 years to ruin it. To their credit, Superman/Bizarro was an amazing addition.
The other major coaster installed by Six Flags in 2002 was Batman: The Dark Knight. It is I believe the smallest B&M floorless coaster out there, and is a good ride but nothing special.
Everything else was really just a distraction from the reason I made the three and a half hour drive.
Bizarro just never gets old. Even after what must have been at least 20 rides, I wanted more.
Before this trip, I was really worried that Bizarro was going to be disappointing; the new restraints, the cumbersome speakers installed on the headrests, and an annoying vibration that I had read about online.
I was so thrilled that was not the case. In fact, I liked the coaster even better than before. It is firmly my favorite steel now.
I like the skyride at this park, which uses these weird ball shaped cars instead of the standard ones.
Back over to Cyclone, which was running again but had a long wait due to one train operation.
Cyclone was featuring a significant modifaction as well, receiving the "topper track" treatment recently pioneered by Rocky Mountain Construction. As with Bizarro, I was worried. I love wooden coasters, so I am skeptical of anything that takes away the wooden feel of a wooden coaster. Topper track is basically a steel layer that replaces the top layer of wood to try and create a smoother ride and alleviate maintenance costs.
I have been converted. Cyclone in 2004 was a quirky ride with one of the most extreme and terrifying moments of airtime on any coaster. Now, that moment is still there on the first drop, but the rest of the ride is fantastic as well. Cyclone is now smooth and fast but still rides just like a wooden coaster; from the way it feels you would not even know the steel is there. Surprise of the day, and I wish I had been able to ride it more than once.
I had hoped to head down to Quassy to ride Wooden Warrior, but found out on the phone that they were closing early due to the weather, so I stayed at Six Flags to marathon Bizarro before heading home.
While Six Flags New England is not exactly a standout park, it is a definite destination due to having one of the best roller coasters in the world. As long as I live within a day trip of the park I will be returning each year. It is a real shame that Intamin did not build more coasters like this.
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