Most Influential of the 90's

I would like to ask everybody something. What do you think is the most influential coaster of the 90's? This is definitely a good one for debate. I will probably post more of these(80s, 2000)

I probably would have to go with Kumba. Why? Well, you can start off with a fairly large lift hill, combined with 7 inversions. This was the first coaster to truly bring everything together. Cobra roll, zero g roll, tunnels, interlocking corkscrews, a beautiful first element. This set off all of the "next gen" loopers (leaving Arrow behind) in my opinion.

Wood, steel, you choose! I wanna hear!

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Coasters- a little slice of heaven

My vote goes to the original Batman The Ride that opened in 1992 at SFGAm. It showed designers could invert riders while they were underneath the track, unlike Arrow suspendeds. Combine that with an inline twist and amazing speed/smoothness throughout the ride, parks and other manufacturers really took notice. I think Batman really changed the way of coasters.

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SFGAm '01: Better than Wildfire

IMO, one and only one coaster could claim the title of most influential coaster of the 90's. This coaster was so out of the ordinary that it completely spawned a whole new way of looking at coasters. It was made by a then fledgling company that has since been dubbed "the king of steel coaster makers". This one ride, not even introduced at one of the "elite" coaster parks (SFMM,PKI,CP), turned the industry on its head (literally). And it all happened at my (former) home park, SFGAm. If you havent guessed by now, I am speaking of Batman: The Ride. If it wasnt for B:TR, there would be no S:UE, V:TBC, DD, or Invertigoes.
and thats the bottom line cause jay cee said so!
lata,
jcsn

I'm going to have to agree with the ever opinionated ;-) Legendary here and go with Batman the Ride.

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Randy Hutchinson
You build it, I'll ride it

I'll agree, It's Batman!

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Take a picture, it will last longer...

Yes, I too would say the original Batman: The Ride, even back when I wasn't a coaster enthusiast I remember hearing about it, and now seeing all the great things that have spawned off of it, really makes it stand out.

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What's life if you never get to the Point?
http://people.mw.mediaone.net/mckinnie

While not constructed in the 90's, I'd have to say Magnum opened up a whole new chapter in coaster size that would influence nearly everything built that decade.

However, I have to agree that the original Batman was the ride that changed everything. It made every Arrow looper made the decade before obsolete, and showed us someone could do it better. With its smooth, parabolic turns and transitions, it showed us a potential for looping coasters that had not been realized. It was subsequently perfected with Raptor, Alpengeist and Nemesis.

Every time I ride Raptor to this day, I take a moment to thank God for Walter and Claude!

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

Well, I have to agree on the Magnum. I don't think that Batman was the most influential of the 90's though. It was Kumba.

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Hamburgers are only Hamburgers when people choose to call them Hamburgers.

I think Batman too.

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Six Flags Great America #1 Park!!!

Thanks for mentioning that Jeff. When people start bashing them for their latest designs, they forget what this team has already done. They have built some of the most amazing rides ever built. And this rides are *still* among the best. If they never, ever created a great coaster ever again, what they have accomplished is still more than most do in a lifetime. They have raise the bar to a point where even they have trouble topping themselves.

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Take a picture, it will last longer...


*** This post was edited by Simcoaster on 12/6/2000. *** *** This post was edited by Simcoaster on 12/6/2000. ***

I will go with MAGNUM XL-200 (HA HA HA HA). There is no question it is Magnum, it stayed number 1 for more years than the Spice Girls had cloths...well maybe not that much.

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Number 1 And Only Cedar Point

Well, in my opinion Magnum is the most influential coaster since the PKI Racer, but since it was built in '89 and the topic is the '90's, I'll have to concur that B:TR stands out as the great innovator and most imitated.
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Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill.

Iorn Wolf at SFGAm. It spawned the company that spawned all of the inverts, speed coasters, most standups, and floorless coasters. Without it, B&M would never exsist, and Vekoma would still be building regular Boomerangs. We owe that humble little standup alot.

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Everybody calm down, the coasters do not open for another fifteen minutes.

Vekoma still is building regular boomerangs, at lovely Cedar Fair parks nonetheless. ;)

At least they're starting to "upgrade" some with the superboomerangs and superinvertigos.

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SFGAm '01: Better than Wildfire

Absolutely B:TR, the inverted design set the standard for a new generation of thrill rides.

This debate is in favor of B:TR. Yeah, it has to be one of the most influential rides in the past decade. Iron Wolf may have started the B&M dynasty, but in terms of follow-on designs, B:TR outstrips!

Don't forget B:TR also introduced the concept of a movie themed coaster.

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Coasters - Man's finest creation or is it God's?
Brought to you by Australia's No. 1 Coaster Fan.

Even if you consider Magnum in the 90's wich I believe you should because a coaster really can't influence the 80's decade being built in 89. I Really think i would have to go with Batman the Ride. If you consider influence alone Look at the number of Inverts to the number of hypers. And if you really think about it I would rather have a good invert over a hyper coaster at any park.
I think about my first time riding one of each of these coasters.
BTR(SFGAm) I was dazed after first riding this coaster I wasn't exactly sure how many times i went upside down because of the repeated elements and constant turns and flips of this coaster, And I was amazed at how small this coaster really was and it just gave me the best thrill of my life.
Mamba(WOF) Don't get me wrong I love this coaster but after riding it I felt that The drop is just not necesarry to have a good coaster.

I guess if you sum it all up BTR added a new class of rollercoasters wich opened the market to a whole new world of elements and gave B&M a really big name to as far as i am concearned easily the coaster manufacturer of the decade.
Magnum just took what we already had and just raised it a little bit.

But don't get me wrong I think that if Intamin continues to build hypers ang Gigas, and giavanola continues to build Titan/Goliath type hypers along with B&M's contribution to the hyper/speed coaster market. The decade of tall coasters may be upon us. Oh yeah Morgan to.
I guess you could say that Magnum and other coasters >200ft may have more of an influence on this decade and not the 90's. As well adding to this point I believe 2000 was the first year that more than two hypers were built in the same year. In 2000 we saw 6 if you include SOB as a hyper.


MF
Goliath
Superman ride of Steel x2
Steel Dragon
SOB

Next Year we will at least see 2 more so far if "Nitro" tops 200'.
Nitro-B&M
Titan-Giavanola
And that still le瘀攀猀 䤀渀琀愀洀椀渀 愀渀搀 䴀漀爀最愀渀⸀ 伀渀攀 漀昀 眀椀挀栀 䤀 猀琀椀氀氀 琀栀椀渀欀 眀椀氀氀 戀攀 愀琀 匀䘀伀䜀⸀  㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀ⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀ 㰀戀爀㸀⌀㄀ 匀琀攀攀氀ⴀ䤀渀挀爀攀搀椀戀氀攀 䠀甀氀欀 㰀戀爀㸀⌀㄀ 圀漀漀搀ⴀⴀ吀椀洀戀攀爀 圀漀氀昀

First, at least two hypers were opened in 1999, both by B&M (Raging Bull and AC).

Secondly, I can't say Magnum, not because of the year technicality, but because it really wasn't the first of it's type. Yes it was the first to reach 200ft, but I dont see this as being that big of a thing. IMO it was just going after the tallest/fastest record which Shockwave (SFGAm) has only reset the year before. I used to think Maggie was more important because of the 'non-looping steelie' aspect, but since Bandit in Japan came before Maggie, I cant give any credit to Magnum. The only thing I might be able to say is that Magnum was the first coaster "celebrity" since the CI Cyclone. So maybe it can be said that it was influential because of the media attention it recieved. *** This post was edited by 2Hostyl on 12/7/2000. ***

Nitro??? Don't you mean Raging Bull and Apollo's Charriot? Nitro isn't even open yet!!!

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Hamburgers are only Hamburgers when people choose to call them Hamburgers.

Hehe, not only is it Raging Bull and Apollo's Chariot, but they didn't open in 1998, they opened in 1999. I know, it seems like so long ago! :)

Also, that same year (1999) we saw Steel Eel and Intamin's debut on the mega coaster scene, SFDL's Superman: Ride of Steel. I think that was the biggest hyper year prior to 2000, with a total of four hypers constructed by three different manufacturers.

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SFGAm '01: Better than Wildfire