Phantom's Revenge new track

That point in the ride suffers from that which ailed the original: Trying to do too much in too little space. I don't think it's a deal breaker though.

First X, now PR and S:RoS @ NE. Did I do something to anger the steel-coaster gods? Stop messing with that which works wonderfully, fix the junk that's broke or missing (incidentally, KW would have been an ideal recipient for Laser, if it didn't already have a new owner).

I though we all found steel perfection in Milenium Force? How many OTHER coasters broke 10 records when they opened? Plus, how many give you such a smooth ride and kickin' overbanks?

I actually prefer all three others (S:RoS, X, and PR) to MF.

I also love the double down the way it is. It does give a pretty good slam, but that's what I like about it.

^The three you mentioned all have higher numbers than MF... ;)

ApolloAndy said:

I also love the double down the way it is. It does give a pretty good slam, but that's what I like about it.

Masochist. I think it compresses my lower back.

Hopman said:
I though we all found steel perfection in Milenium Force?

I can think of a handful of coasters which seem to be near-universally adored by enthusiasts but MF is certainly not one of them.

Well...

I think there's a small, but vocal, minority that likes to rally against Millennium Force. But the fact that the ride has never ranked lower than #6 on Mitch Hawker's poll strongly suggests it's pretty universally adored.

That said, I'd never claim it was the "perfect" coaster. Not by a long shot.

-Nate

coasterdude318 said:

IThat said, I'd never claim it was the "perfect" coaster. Not by a long shot.

Okay, what elements from which coasters would you combine to make the "perfect" coaster in your opnion?

Raven-Phile said:

ApolloAndy said:

I also love the double down the way it is. It does give a pretty good slam, but that's what I like about it.

Masochist. I think it compresses my lower back.

This coming from the person who likes to sit in the back seat of Mean Streak.

I'm with Andy, love, love, love, the double down!

That double down at the end is what killed the ride for me. It's like taking a speed bump at 70mph. Smooth that painful thing out and I would give this coaster high marks... as it is, I can only say "meh... I can take it or leave it."

MF is just about as universally adored as Nitro, which is to say, that's far from being the case. Both coasters continually rank very high in Mitch's annual poll and as much as I respect the results of that poll, I will be the first to admit that they represent a very small portion of coaster enthusiasts. I love Nitro but many others disagree with me on that one, just as I don't care much for MF but many others will disagree with me on that one too. So, let's not assume any coasters are loved by all. That has never been the case, and never will be the case.

I happen to like Phantom's Revenge... a lot. It's not the longest steel coaster around and for its height, it could be a lot longer, but it packs more thrills into its layout than many others. I don't think it tries to do too much, at least not more than The Voyage tries to do. There's a lot going on but I'd rather that be the case than long expanses of track where nothing is happening. As for the new track, I hope nothing is changed. I used to think that a double-up after the first drop would work very well, but after riding this year and experiencing a few good floats at the crest of the second hill, I think it's perfect the way it is. The only thing I'd love to see added is the tunnel that was originally proposed after the high-speed turn above the valley, before the turn above the Turtle.

What would I do to MF to improve it? Give it some actual air hills...and some forces. While I love the sensation of speed on MF, the layout is pretty darn boring.

The problem is that all enthusiasts seem to want a coaster to feel like The Voyage for some reason. I think MF is a sweet ride.

I think the problem is that most enthusiasts think that most enthusiasts want a coaster to ride like The Voyage. That usually happens when a certain ride takes the industry by storm. I'm pretty sure there was a time when there was widespread desire for most coasters to ride like MF.

Don't get me wrong, I like MF. For what it is, it's a good ride. It's actually a lot like Nitro, but Nitro trades some speed and some height for a lot more airtime, and that's what makes it a better ride in my opinion. When you think about it, those two coasters aren't really all that different. It's not like you're comparing Blue Streak to Hades.

Rob Ascough said:
MF is just about as universally adored as Nitro, which is to say, that's far from being the case.

Sorry, but that's just not supported by the facts. Both Nitro and MF have consistently ranked at the top of Mitch Hawker's poll since 2001. Certainly there are (vocal) people out there who do not care for those rides, but that's very obviously a small minority. How a ride can rank in the top ten for a decade and not be considered pretty "universally adored" is beyond me. That obviously doesn't mean that every single person in the world loves them, but it does suggest that the vast majority of enthusiasts really feel those rides. Compare those results to something like Magnum, which dropped nearly 55 places between 2001 and 2006, and you'll see an actual example of a ride that would probably be considered pretty loved by all when in reality that isn't the case.

As for whether or not that poll is representative of the enthusiast population as a whole is another discussion ,but I doubt very much that only people who like MF and Nitro take that poll while people who don't like those rides don't tend to take the poll. I'd be willing to bet it's a pretty even distribution.

-Nate

This just all goes back to the fact that the only poll you should care about is your own. Those other polls are great for planning trips, and thats about it, ride what you enjoy. I love the Phantom, the only thing I see wrong with it is that its just a hair too short, a few more hills and it would have been a contender for spot #1, that said its still in my top ten steel. However, Im also a guy who has Magnum at #2 so I actually prefer ejector air like that last double down.

loriu said:I'm with Andy, love, love, love, the double down!

I'm just jealous you can drive to PR any weekend that the park is open...that double-down is one of the most forceful on any steel coaster (and complements JR just perfectly). :)

^Any weekend? Try any day :P

^ Any day the park's open? Try riding it at 3:30am and in November! :P ;)

Also, the double down is one of my favorite parts of that ride.