Year of the unthemable coasters?

X-Flight, Deja Vu, V², X, Hypersonic XLC, is it just me or are parks (at least Six Flags anyways,) trying to avoid theming their rides this year. Newer names are nice, but a lack of theming may lead to a little boring waiting in queue lines this summer. What's your take?
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"100,000 miles of track..."-Geddy Lee

I think Six Flags has used the most popular DC characters and they've run out of ideas. :)

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

Wildfire is supposed to have good themeing.
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4/11/01 First snow day for BVSD schools in 8 years!

A good coaster shouldn't need to be themed.

Theaming does help.
Queue lines should be in a building like the one's in Florida, not in the hot sun like Thunderbolt at Kennywood. I don't care for the cheezy tv skits that play over and over again. Techno music (not blaring) would be cool, or music videos like they have at PKI.
Let's take Medussa at SFMW, it's built over a parking lot, never goes underground and the very end of the ride has no tunnel.
Compare that with Kraken, covered queue, the ride goes underground a few times, and the ending does that 180 turn past a waterfall. If you're in the left side of the train, you can reach out and slap the water. This is what Medussa West is missing. Same thing with Kumba at BGT, it has that tunnel at the end.
This is what we're talking about.

I think your right. Even last year on Son of Beast there was no theming. The ride was fun but the exitment was lost when I found there was nothing to build it up & no obstacles in the trains path.

A good ride themes itself. Look at the Coney Island Cyclone. About the no obstacle comment, I think the scariest obstacles are the other parts of the coaster's track. i.e. The Beast

Jeff said:
"I think Six Flags has used the most popular DC characters and they've run out of ideas. :)

Well, they STILL haven't used a Flash-themed hypercoaster. Talk about missing a licensing opp...

;)

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--Greg

http://www.pobox.com/~gregleg/

Why are people so worried about theming in corporate parks anyway? When's the last time you past any theming while waiting in line for Raptor?

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Favorite parks:
Knott's Berry Farm
Alton Towers
SFMM
Cedar Point *** This post was edited by DWeaver on 4/12/2001. ***

i agree theming helps a lot does nitro have theming. Titan has a theme thats nice.

Themeing can being nice-see Alpengeist-but do I feel like I rode an out-of-control skilift in the mountains like they want me to feel? No. How many people ride a skilift when it's 90 degrees outside and also see snow? The point is it doesn't matter. If the corporations want to come up with a storyline and themeing for their rides that's fine, but does anyone buy into the storylines? It's a coaster, not a movie. And even Busch has started to use less themeing on their rides. Compare Alpengeist or Big Bad Wolf to Apollo's Chariot and you'll see what I mean.

A nice theme job can enhance a ride, while a lack of a theme doesn't detract from a ride. It's like finding a $10 bill on the ground. A poor theme job, if nothing else, gives you something to do while waiting in line (when we rode Mr Freeze at SFSLo, we had lots of fun with the 'windows' into the warehouse).

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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
--Groucho Marx

I know some of the rides I've been pumped up the most about in line were IOA coasters, Disney coasters, BGW and BGT coaster, and The Beast and PKI coasters. Theming really helps. So does queue lines with shelter overhead(Mantis was a killer 2:30 in the afternoon). Especially during a long wait.

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PKI-Kings Mills, Ohio-Wooden and Kiddie Coaster Capital of the World!
4/9/00-Newest Hyperbuzzer-200 posts! :)
You are the Weakest Link! Goodbye!!!

Krazy said:
"X-Flight, Deja Vu, V², X, Hypersonic XLC, is it just me or are parks (at least Six Flags anyways,) trying to avoid theming their rides
"

I think Deja Vu is the theme for Six Flags ;)

What a cheap shot millrace :)
LOL!

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"Boomerang will be the only roller coaster in the Midwest that will propel its riders both forwards and backwards" - Dan Keller

Dosen't X-flight have the parking lot theme?

I think that Six Flags has ran out of names for their coasters, so they're substituting letters now!!

X
X-Flight
V2
.... Vu
XLC
They sure like letter X! *** This post was edited by force312 on 4/12/2001. ***

Actually I just read Shivering Tim's post on X-Flight, there will be a airport theme for the queue.

Apollo's Chariot has some theme, and the station has some exciting "pumped up" music. Themes add a lot to the rides. I appreciate themes a lot and they add a lot to rides.

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Talon 2001

'Nuff Said

Queue line theming doesn't get me all that pumped up when it comes to coasters. I get pumped up just watching the thing run! That's enough for me. Now when it comes to most of the rides at say, Disneyland or WDW, I expect something to look at while waiting in line, but at Six Flags or a Paramount park, I feel the COASTER is enough to look at while waiting. It would be an added bonus to have the same thing at a Six Flags park, but I don't think it's a necessity. I do feel that most queue lines should be covered though, at least partially. I hate standing in the hot sun. COVER THE QUEUE!! Just my opinion. Peace. :)

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Medusa at Marine World: the best coaster in the west!