New Entries in the CoasterBuzz Top 100

Appropriate as a re-entry, Ghostie was once a rocket-ride to the moon, but in more recent years it's been crashing to Earth...

It was so good when I rode December of 2012. I know people say it's been terrible but it actually moved up in my rankings and I already loved it.

I thought it was excellent when I rode it back in October.

Could the GhostRider rehab team please visit SFMM and fix Apocalypse?

Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland (#1), Nemesis at Alton Towers (#18), Tremors at Silverwood (#26), and Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach (#99) all debuted in the CoasterBuzz Top 100! I can't believe that Leviathan debuted at number one. It breaks Banshee's record for best debut for sure. Also, correct me if i'm wrong, but I believe Nemesis is the first coaster in the rankings outside of the US and Canada.

Is that actually a debut? Or did it just move up the list?

I don't believe that counts as a debut, it's been open for a while. Banshee just showed up at #6 a few weeks after it was opened.

Actually, let's not pay attention to those results just yet. I'm making some adjustments in the algorithm, and what you saw is a partial and incomplete run of data, so it's wrong. :)

OK, now you've got a complete, up-to-date result set. There is some shuffling in the top 10, but it isn't terribly different.

Here's what changed: The basic math indicated in the FAQ is the same. However, the algorithm previously would consider a ride that appeared in a track record, but was unranked. I decided that didn't make a lot of sense, because I'm not just looking for a ride with a lot of riders, I'm looking for a ride with a lot of riders and a stated opinion about it. There were about a dozen rides that had lots of track record entries, but those entries weren't rated. They dropped off, and a bunch of new ones then made it onto the bottom of the list.

I'm amazed that a ride like Steel Phantom made it on to the list even though it has not been around since 2000.

I have never ridden it, but I thought it wasn't a great coaster and that's why they converted it to Phantom's Revenge.

Gatekeeper (36) dropped below Wild Eagle (35). They are both just ahead of X-Flight (42).

Batman: The Ride at Great America is apparently the best one (78). Its closest clone is at 89, followed by 90, 96, and 99.

I see Hades is on the list, but no Hades 360? Doesn't look like Hades 360 is in the database at all.

I suppose the jury is out on whether or not that's a different ride. I don't have an opinion either way.

The RMC-ification of say, SFNE Cyclone or GA Cyclone makes them different, and I'd say better, rides, but not to the extent that makes me think they'd warrant a new entry.

Iron Rattler and Hades 360, however, got completely reworked and elements added (granted, not a huge fan of inversions myself) - but to me, the changes were radical enough to warrant a new entry.

Just my $.02...

Jeff said:

Wow! Banshee debuted at #6 this week! I don't think any ride has debuted that high, or that soon after opening.

And, interestingly enough, in one month it's dropped to #9. (the only movement in the top 10 this week)

I'm glad *everyone* seems to enjoy Maverick so much....prob. takes some riders out of the lines for Blue Streak and (to a lesser degree) MForce...

Like Cheetah Hunt, there's one SOLID airtime hill, but the OTSRs and the unnecessary inversions combine to make the ride much less than what it could otherwise be...of course, YMMV - and probably does.

edit: Blue Stream is a nice name, but the coaster I was referring to is the good wooden one at CP, the John Allen ride...Blue StreaK...

I don't get the Maverick love either.

And now I get why all those Six Flags St. Louis and Kennywood rides suddenly showed up at the bottom of the list.

As a side note.. I have reworked my rankings a bit in the last few weeks. Apparently my feelings about rides have changed a good deal since I ranked some of these a couple years back.

I really like Maverick. The forces up and down are generally fairly intense and it's a lot of fun.

Maverick is well rounded. Airtime. Laterals. Speed. Inversions. Theming.

If Maverick didn't box my neck so badly I'd be all about it. For me it might be a ride or two each visit then move along.

^Exactly...the inversions would be fine with lapbars. Reminds me of my only rides on I-305, and Cheetah Hunt, and the Intamin inverting rides at Hershey. Can Intamin just find a decent restraint system already?

With what Premier did for their rides, it's not even a new idea!

I've only ridden Maverick once. It had so much potential to me, but I couldn't get around the fact that I felt like I was being punched in the neck repeatedly. It could be a really fun ride with different restraints, but I honestly don't care if I ever go on it again at this point.