Great Adventure's Medusa getting the Six Flags makeover treatment

Bizarre... I guess this is part of some long term plan to transform their existing ride collection to a more themed experience.

I wouldn't call adding lights, sound, and fog "theming", just making it more like Disaster Transport. How long do you think they'll keep all these additions up and running?

Yeah I have to wonder the same thing - this might be cool for the first year, but what happens 3 or 4 years down the road when things start to break, or (as is more typical at SFGAdv) get vandalized?

Overall, this whole idea of "re-theming" coasters is a big waste to me. I'm a firm believer of the K.I.S.S. rule - Keep It Simple, Stupid. Let the coaster experience speak for itself - I don't need bells and whistles.

I'd love to meet the marketing people that come up with this stuff and congratulate them for their ability to convince corporate execs that the park's target audience will buy into this sort of thing. I honestly can't see anyone being impressed by this sort of thing. Is anyone really thinking, "who needs a new ride when Medusa now features music and fog"? Absolutely ridiculous, but then again it never ceases to amaze me how stupid some people can be.

TiggerMan said:
Yeah I have to wonder the same thing - this might be cool for the first year, but what happens 3 or 4 years down the road when things start to break . . .

Gotta agree. Exactly how long did the soundtrack on the Beast last?

Overall, this whole idea of "re-theming" coasters is a big waste to me. I'm a firm believer of the K.I.S.S. rule - Keep It Simple, Stupid. Let the coaster experience speak for itself - I don't need bells and whistles.

I think if effects can be done intelligently -- and more importantly, if some effort will be made to maintain after their inaugural year -- then it can add to ride experience, and thus the appeal and popularity of the ride. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like this is a forte of the Six Flags and Cedar Fairs of the world.

I do have to say that the fog in the tunnels on S:RoS SFNE turns a great ride into a stellar ride. I don't know why such a small thing makes such a huge difference for me, but it does. That said, I have been disappointed at how infrequently the fog has been on when I've been there recently.

Rob Ascough said:
I'd love to meet the marketing people that come up with this stuff and congratulate them for their ability to convince corporate execs that the park's target audience will buy into this sort of thing. I honestly can't see anyone being impressed by this sort of thing. Is anyone really thinking, "who needs a new ride when Medusa now features music and fog"? Absolutely ridiculous, but then again it never ceases to amaze me how stupid some people can be.

Great Adventure wouldn't have run with this idea if Magic Mountain's X --> X2 transformation wasn't a huge success and marketing ploy.

I didn't just read "music and fog." I read fire, water, fog effects with state-of-the-art audio and visual effects.

Lastly, the park states there are more details to be released as Spring 2009 approaches.

I'm glad Six Flags is taking some initiative in revamping older rides into more multi-sensory experiences.

TiggerMan said:

Overall, this whole idea of "re-theming" coasters is a big waste to me. I'm a firm believer of the K.I.S.S. rule - Keep It Simple, Stupid. Let the coaster experience speak for itself - I don't need bells and whistles.

What about Everest? If done correctly it's amazing and one of the best rides around, period. But if done with some extra stuff like X2, then yes I agree with you. Sure it'll be cool for a year or two, but after that the wear and tear will catch up to it.

Rob Ascough said:
I honestly can't see anyone being impressed by this sort of thing.

Good thing you're not in the boardroom making the decisions. ;)

Is anyone really thinking, "who needs a new ride when Medusa now features music and fog"?

Not at all. They're thinking, "Wow! Check out Medusa!"

Absolutely ridiculous, but then again it never ceases to amaze me how stupid some people can be.

Aww, I'm telling! Where's Lost Kause!? Rob said the S-word! Rob said the S-word!

ApolloAndy said:
I do have to say that the fog in the tunnels on S:RoS SFNE turns a great ride into a stellar ride. I don't know why such a small thing makes such a huge difference for me, but it does. That said, I have been disappointed at how infrequently the fog has been on when I've been there recently.

I think what Andy just said here needs to be emphasized. How often have effects been added to attractions, ESPECIALLY at Six Flags parks, only to be disabled a few years or even a few months down the line?

I think effects and music really add to a ride. Go watch a coaster video on YouTube that is done to music. Now, mute your speaker and watch it again. Which one was better? I have often thought what Disney has done with their coasters and incorporating a soundtrack into them is what all coaster designers should be looking into.

But back to the other point, with the effects and music being so cool, when they don't work it detracts from that ride just that much more. You ride knowing that it is missing something and in that it becomes something lesser.

I think one of the biggest challenges for Six Flags is to rebuild their image to guests. Years of crappy service and a disregard for appearance has certainly not been good for them. Of course, they're now asking people to spend more money and trust that they're better than they were, which is a lot to ask.

I was just on the phone with a friend that has not been to a Six Flags park in years, but is very familiar with the amusement business. I said that I was jealous that a friend of ours was going to SFStL. She said, "Why? SF sucks!" So major rebuilding of their image is necessary, especially since this came from someone who is an "almost enthusiast." They need money to be better than they were so it is justifiable that they are asking guests to spend more money.

Greetings Everyone!

If they want to make Medussa better, first they need to get rid of the completely out of place Ketchup Ads for Heinz. The ride is one of the most reliable coasters in the park...though it often opens late in the morning during the summer.

I think that ride already went through a theming change. When it opened, it was billed as a "thrill ride." Later it got slightly re-tooled to be a part of the western section.

Have a great night!

Besides the music effects 

I think they should go all out to theme 

it as an encounter with the mythological Medusa. 

Maybe someone should send them a copy of 

Rct 2(whichever add-on had the mythology theming)

or Clash of the Titans on dvd to give them a few ideas. 

They should also consider upgrading the Medusa out

west that has parking lot theming.   

I'm here, Gonch. I don't want to get into the whole "stupid" debate. A lot of CostarerBuzzers, including me, are very stubbern in their mindset. We go through great lengths to proove our point instead of accepting that people are different.

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Tunnels, music, and fog is cool, but is it a good move? If SF could afford to retheme old coasters but at the same time add some new rides, I'd be 100% for it. I'd rather see SF add overall capacity to the park experience in order to reduce the length of waiting in lines. Long lines is the single biggest problem at SFGAdv, in my opinion, and rethemeing an old coaster doesn't address this problem in no way.

One pro for the park is that retheming an old ride will not result in having to hire and pay extra staff, which is more cost effective than spending the money on a new ride.

^I can see Medusa getting Guests off of the midways and into its queue with this re-theme. For some reason, people eat this stuff up. This section is easily the slowest throughout the entire park, why not add to what is already a good ride? What do you guys expect SFGAdv to add next year? I mean, they already have an amazing and well-balanced coaster and flat ride collection.

^I could argue that a Screamin' Swing next to Medusa might have made for a better upgrade. What the heck, I'll go ahead and do just that. Along with a kiddie ride or two in that area. I'd theme them something mythological and call that area a new section (restaurant, gift shops, etc.). It could probably even go back a little into the Safari park without causing any major disruptions. But then again, I'd have had the money to do all of that AND upgrade Medusa with the income generated from the hotel I built back when Ka went up. ;)

I'm wondering if this means that the ride will be receiving new trains, or will it just simply be audio added onto the train?

Another pathetic coaster 'makeup' job - I gotta hand it to these poor marketing department writers who have to sell this crap as the reason to visit next year.

If any coaster there needed attention, it was poor old Roll Thun - at least pack some grease into those squealing wheel bearings and get the old girl moving again