Coaster Envy

ApolloAndy said:

I absolutely love me some Talon. The drop after the helix actually gives decent air and on an invert no less. After that it's Fire, Montu, and then "everything else" with B:TR definitely pulling up the rear. But as I mentioned before, I'm a sissy when it comes to positive G's. Somehow Patriot is just missing something that Talon has. 

CoasterHound - Doesn't really matter about wood/steel/hybrid. Whatever response you want to give. I consider NTG to be the best coaster West of the Mississippi period. (Full disclosure, of the West coasters that could hold a candle to NTG, I haven't ridden Tremors, Tatsu, or Apocalypse).

I can already see the flames coming my way for this, but among my favorite coasters on this side of the Mississippi would be The Boss, Goliath, Titan, and Medusa.

Finally! A true Goliath/Titan fan. And here I thought I was alone in the universe.

I notice you name a coaster at oT among your favorites. What is it about our collection that you find lacking?

Your not alone my friend. Maybe there needs to be a Giovanola fan anonymous.

"Hello my name is Andrew and I enjoy Goliath."

ApolloAndy said:

I notice you name a coaster at oT among your favorites. What is it about our collection that you find lacking?

Andy, what do I find lacking ? Well lets see here - The only floorless coaster within a 1900 mile radius is in San Antonio. The closest flying coaster is 900 miles away and the closest wing coaster is about 1100 miles away. SFOT has a decent collection, but if you compare it to the Big Three it isnt quite the same. I would like to say that SFOT has something that no other park for miles has in it. And a beautiful flying coaster over water (like Manta) would an eye catching sight not to mention a wicked ride experience for Texans.

Texas Giant is something no other park has.

I could see over Texas getting some type of mega looper at some point. But it's never going to have the amount of rides/coasters that SFMM has because That's a marketing thing for them and they're way far ahead of SFoT as far as that goes. And really, 12 coasters is a lot for a park.

As far as SFGAm being in the 'big three', they only have 1 more coaster than SFoT, and Great America has two wild mice. Actually, Great Adventure only has 1 more coaster than SFoT too. And IMO, Over Texas is a nicer park than the three 'big three'. And, until recently all three parks had 13 coasters.

Personally, I like that Six Flags over Texas isn't filled with a bunch of similar rides to the other parks that you seem to want. They have an out and back wooden coaster, an amazing Steel Track/wood structure coaster with amazing airtime, a somewhat unique hyper, a launched shuttle with only one other like it in the world, a well regarded invert, a kiddy mine train, a great adult mine train, a popular spinning coaster, a classic looping Anton with airtime, and more. Plus the park has nice water rides and flat rides.

I just don't see how you think over Texas is getting treated like a second tier park when they have 12 coasters, just got rid of the clone ride that every other park has, seem to add something all of the time (They got freaking 10 new rides one year, I wish Carowinds would do that), and is maintained to be one of the nicest regional parks I've been to in the US, let alone in the Six Flags chain.

I get being bored with your home park, but SFoT is far from second tier 'step child' of the chain. IMO of course.

And more on the point you were trying to make, so, SFoT doesn't have a floorless, a wing coaster, or a flyer. Yet. I dont' feel that makes them 'lacking'. Plenty of other parks don't have any of those either.

sirloindude said:

Finally! A true Goliath/Titan fan. And here I thought I was alone in the universe.

I like both as well. Goliath was more fun, I didn't get the same amount of air on Titan, but I really enjoyed both rides.

Tekwardo said:

Texas Giant is something no other park has.

I could see over Texas getting some type of mega looper at some point. But it's never going to have the amount of rides/coasters that SFMM has because That's a marketing thing for them and they're way far ahead of SFoT as far as that goes. And really, 12 coasters is a lot for a park.

As far as SFGAm being in the 'big three', they only have 1 more coaster than SFoT, and Great America has two wild mice. Actually, Great Adventure only has 1 more coaster than SFoT too. And IMO, Over Texas is a nicer park than the three 'big three'. And, until recently all three parks had 13 coasters.

Personally, I like that Six Flags over Texas isn't filled with a bunch of similar rides to the other parks that you seem to want. They have an out and back wooden coaster, an amazing Steel Track/wood structure coaster with amazing airtime, a somewhat unique hyper, a launched shuttle with only one other like it in the world, a well regarded invert, a kiddy mine train, a great adult mine train, a popular spinning coaster, a classic looping Anton with airtime, and more. Plus the park has nice water rides and flat rides.

I just don't see how you think over Texas is getting treated like a second tier park when they have 12 coasters, just got rid of the clone ride that every other park has, seem to add something all of the time (They got freaking 10 new rides one year, I wish Carowinds would do that), and is maintained to be one of the nicest regional parks I've been to in the US, let alone in the Six Flags chain.

I get being bored with your home park, but SFoT is far from second tier 'step child' of the chain. IMO of course.

And more on the point you were trying to make, so, SFoT doesn't have a floorless, a wing coaster, or a flyer. Yet. I dont' feel that makes them 'lacking'. Plenty of other parks don't have any of those either.

Im sorry Tekwardo, I guess I got spoiled having ridden Leviathan, Behemoth, Dominator, Intimidator 305, and Volcano this past summer. I mean how dare I suppose that the first park of the entire chain might actually bring something TOTALLY NEW and rare to the table. Yeah, Mr. Freeze is two of a kind, but if you think about it terms of sensation, Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster have it beat in height and speed (just not backwards motion). Youre right, TG is a neat hybrid of a coaster...But I believe that El Toro is a smoother and better ride than TG is. We have a standard carbon copied B&M inverted. They are fun and I ride them repeatedly, but once youve ridden Raptor, Alpengeist, and Montu (IMHO), you get spoiled on those.

I tend to be a very visual person and when I visited Sea World in FL last year I totally envisioned SFOT building an awesome ride right over the water just like Manta. Then when I finally go to see Anaconda in VA two months ago, I again thought a new coaster right in front of the park over the water would be a scene stealer. But hey...I guess Im in the minority (like being Black AND gay werent enough *GRIN*), so Ill just keep my desires and wishes to myself.

It's great to see the love for Afterburn. I thought I was the only one.

B:TR always surprises me with its intensity, despite hundreds of rides on it..and I love Talon. But Afterburn is my top invert, even if I can't ride it on a regular basis.

Coasterhound36 said:I mean how dare I suppose that the first park of the entire chain might actually bring something TOTALLY NEW and rare to the table.

Because NTG is SO old and boring and every park has one.

I'm sorry, but anyone expecting over Texas to get a big anything the year after they debuted what amounts to a new coaster, both in terms of marketing, budget, and ride experience, was fooling themselves. Three to Five years from now maybe said person would have a legitimate gripe, but Over Texas has been getting new stuff.

And P.S., With several now having been built, how are flyers or floor less coasters 'rare'? Wing coasters are the new trend du jour. But they kind of just came out. Give over Texas some time.

Yeah, Andy, I dont get it either. SFoT is a beautiful park, and their coaster collection could be worse. But NTG alone made the trip worthwhile.
I put Afterburn on the top of my invert list, too. It was the big surprise of my day at Carowinds and the ride I kept going back to. I preferred it over Intimidator, even, and rode it over and over. It has great pacing, all the elements you'd hope for in a B&M invert, and a setting that added to the thrill. Love it, and wish I had something as good nearby.

Hey everyone,

I'm new here on Coasterbuzz, but I just moved to St. Louis from Tampa (which is surrounded by great coasters) two weeks ago and just paid my first visit to SFSTL. While not as extravagant as my old home park, SFOG (before Tampa), I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how concise the park is. It's small, easy to get around, and has three awesome wooden coasters. Not to mention clean. I mean, The Boss is one of the most intense coasters I've ever ridden. Ninja, for what it's worth, wasn't too bad either. I do agree that the Boomerang thing isn't fooling a lot of people, but I'd rather see a machine that is built out of hundreds of tons of resources recycled than just sent to a heap.

I also think the general economy has a lot to do with it. Not only are parks themselves more strapped due to attendance, etc. but St. Louis was hit particularly hard. I really think Six Flags is just doing the practical thing.

That hyper will come for us someday.

I would love it of SFSTL got a hyper, but honestly, even without it, it's one of the best in the chain. I'd rather have it as a home park than, say, SFMM. It's far more manageable, and it has three legendary rides (4 if you count Boss in the front). I admire your appreciation of the park, but know that even those of us more accustomed to all the mega parks still think very highly of it.

First of all, welcome to CoasterBuzz, Hatham.al.

Second, while I agree that recycling an old coaster is great, I don't think that it has anything to do with poor attendance. If I recall correctly, theme park industry has been seeing a slight rise in attendance and profits lately, despite the poor economy.

Perhaps the boomerang is still in good enough condition to operate safely and economically, but ridership was not so good at the Texas park, so it made sense to move it to another park and advertise it as a new ride.