1 Hour at Kings Island

it not only made the list of most overrated, it was number 1

http://themeparks.about.com/od/rollercoasterarticles/ss/OverratedCoasters_9.htm

As decided by whom?

Some guy on the internet. What more do you need?

That blogger, Mr. Levine, is probably cackling right now over the fact that four of his (personal) over-rated coasters are now no longer operating.

And let's give poor Krafty a break. She's already made it clear that an hour (or so) is all she's gonna get, as they want to get to Columbus that day as well, and back at a decent hour.

P.S. - get the hand stamp, Krafty...

novak72 said:

Anyone who has ridden the beast back in the 80's before the brakes would agree. They have ruined a really great coaster.

I had my first ride on The Beast around 1986. I am someone, and I disagree. :D

Last year at BeastBuzz, Don addressed this issue and made it very clear that the brakes have always been there.

So much depends on when you ride it. On a hot night, it is out-of-control fast. On a not-so-hot morning, it can feel very slow. I think in the latter case, people blame the trims which are doing the same thing every time. The sections between brakes/lifts can really vary in speed.

I find Beast terribly overrated. There is nothing worthwhile to the ride aside from the ending helix. Really, if the ride was just a lift and helix it would be just as good. The rest of the ride is just... meh.

As far as the time goes... My girlfriend and I made (2) different 1hr stops at KI recently. One we got 3 laps in on Banshee during one. The other, 2 laps and a quick walk around the park. I think you can easily fit in 2-3 rides if you do it quickly and in the right order. I would suggest doing Banshee right away, Diamondback and then Beast.

Aside from that, the park is nice but nothing worthwhile. Until Banshee, there was no real "draw" to go for me. I have been there more this year than the last 5 combined, easily.

I want to say something about the term "overrated." Does it strike anyone else as kind of arrogant? I mean, you're basically saying that the consensus opinion which is positive is wrong because you disagree with it. It is especially egregious in cases where, as in the case of roller coasters, ones regard for something is completely subjective. It seems much more appropriate to say something like "I don't like ______ as much as everyone else seems to" or "I don't get what people like about ______."

I use the term "overrated" in pop music all the time, which is just as subjective. In fact, I think a lot of the music accepted by the masses is not only overrated, but absolute crap. I could say the same about some coasters. I don't get offended when people say a coaster like Alpengeist is overrated...or crap, even.

And I think balking at a perfectly acceptable term and suggesting more PC language in order to not offend someone is getting old. Not referring to only you, but in life in general.

I don't get offended by it, and I agree with you regarding PC language, I just think it's an arrogant thing to say (though not in all cases). Saying something is crap is a statement of your opinion, while saying something is overrated is a statement of your opinion in addition to a statement that everyone else who likes it is wrong.

I think coaster ratings are overrated.

I think the term 'overrated' is overrated. ;) Which is to say, I sometimes wonder who exactly is doing this 'rating' that we're protesting. Looking at that About.com slideshow, who the hell ever thought highly of Son of Beast? Manhattan Express? The indoor mouse Dark Knight?? His text beneath each one sounds more like a list of reasons why he doesn't like them, but that's not evidence that the public at large thinks they're great. Maybe Kingda Ka, until they actually ride it.

Usually the only place I ever see Kingda Ka overrated is 'news' filler pieces that say it's the #1 roller coaster in the world because "welp, it's the tallest, must be the best."

It's a little different in Vater's example since one could use something like the Billboard charts to see what's popular.

Agreed on all counts, bird, but we have the Hawker poll, CBuzz top 100, and other similarly tallied polls that give a pretty decent idea of what coasters are rated consistently high, at least among enthusiasts. I haven't ridden Bizarro or Voyage, but if I did tomorrow and found either didn't reach my expectations based on all the praise I've heard over the years, I don't think saying "wow, Bizarro is overrated" is an arrogant statement.

You know what's underrated? A good bran muffin.

Bakeman31092 said:

It seems much more appropriate to say something like "I don't like ______ as much as everyone else seems to"

Isn't that just another way of saying "______ is overrated"? By definition, something overrated must be subjective. Anyone who argues that something is overrated (or not) is not stating a fact.

I don't think it is the same. In the first case, you're implying that the consensus is wrong, while in the second, you're simply saying that you disagree with the consensus. Maybe you can argue that there's no difference there, but I think there is. Consider:

"I don't like _____, but hey, different strokes for different folks."

vs.

"I don't like _____, so anybody that does must have unsophisticated taste."

But either statement is still the expression of an opinion about something that is subjective. The statement about unsophisticated tastes is still an opinion. The same disagreement with the consensus (whichever one you deem relevant to the given subject) is still there. So to me, they are the same.

Not the same: One contains the supposition that the author is in a position of superiority, the other indicates an awareness that different tastes do not necessarily require one to be more authoritative than the other.

I like The Beast. If you don't, you can suck it.