Here's the new line-up for Six Flags' top parks:
Magic Mountain:
Full Throttle, Billed the "World's Tallest and Fastest Looping Coaster," this triple-launch coaster will include a special effects tunnel, a backward section, and will run over the ride's signature loop, as well as looping through it.
Great America:
IgNIGHT - a new laser and pyrotechnics show
Great Adventure:
Safari Offroad Adventure - open-air vehicles go offroad through the park's safari section. There'll also be a zipline over the safari area.
Texas:
Texas Sky Screamer (400 foot Star Flyer - tallest swing ride in the world)
(replacing Flashback and the Texas Chute-Out)
Fiesta Texas:
The Rattler will become the Iron Rattler, with a steel rail overlay on the wooden structure, a la Texas Giant. With four overbanked turns and a barrel roll. (Weber called it "a beast" on the conference call. Not the word I would have used in describing a wood track with an inversion...)
Georgia:
Sky Screamer
St. Louis:
Boomerang (it's the former Flashback from Six Flags Over Texas)
Reid-Anderson said the company is spending 9 percent of its annual revenue on capital each year, with 60-65% of that going for new rides and attractions. Doing the math, that's about $60 million annually across the chain for everything.
Reid-Anderson also said that while Six Flags hasn't announced any water-based attractions in its US theme parks this year, that doesn't mean the chain is keeping wet rides only on the Hurricane Harbor side in the future. And even dark rides might be on the traditionally-coaster-focused chain's agenda in the next few years.
"We are intently focused on all options, including dark ride options," he said. "It is on our radar."
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And as for the dark ride comment, I have my doubts, especially when you consider Six Flags' complete misunderstanding of "themed entertainment" - theming is a lot more than simply adding a few decorative touches! What about story and immersion, folks???!
Technically, we haven't gotten a "NEW" coaster since 2008. I've never been to Hurricane Harbor, so the addition of the mat racer does nothing for me. And it appears my streak of not going through the Safari for 38 years..in ANY form..will continue.
As much as I love amusement parks..and roller coasters in particular..it's hard for me to get excited about these announcements, knowing I won't see or ride the attractions anytime soon..or ever, probably.
The Log Jammer is already gone - closed earlier this year. But Jim and Al said that no other rides would be closing, either to make room for the new coaster or to accommodate its construction.
Given that we've lost another water ride to a coaster, that's why I asked about the future of water rides in the theme parks, as opposed to the Hurricane Harbors. They acknowledged that they've not been putting many water rides in US theme parks in recent years, but said that there's no policy to just put them just into the water parks. They said they are looking at water-based rides for theme parks in the future.
As far as Full Throttle itself, if this were being built by any other theme park company, I'd be impressed. However, a coaster like this is almost guaranteed to be trouble from day one. First, it's has LIMs launches, which Six Flags has demonstrated they cannot maintain (Superman the Escape, V2, The Chiller, Mr. Freeze, and more). Second, it has a launch that requires a high level of precision. Not only does it have to launch backwards at the right speed to not roll back through the loop, but it has to give an extra forward boost to get the train over the top hat. To top it all off, this complicated launch section is not near the station for the ride, so if there's a problem, the ride has to be locked out at the station, and someone's got to walk all the way over to the launch track. Also, it's not clear who the manufacturer is for this coaster. It's obviously not Intamin or B&M, but also does not look like it's a Premier coaster either. A lot of this ride is going to hinge on what happens in the tunnel. Will it be a lame strobe effect, or something more elaborate like Manta?
To add to the list of new Six Flags attractions, Six Flags America announced the addition of Bonzai Pipeline, a collection of 6 trap-door water slides.
As far as the complaints about Great Adventure, what do you want? The park already has the world's tallest and the Western Hemisphere's fastest roller coaster. They have one of the best woodies on the planet, a B&M Flyer, the first floorless coaster in the world, a really good hyper, and the second best standup coaster in the US. Sure, they could add a wing coaster, or try to coax B&M to develop a 4D, but I think the time between coaster for one of the flagship parks is a good indication that the next one is going to be a real winner.
The ghetto safari was a JOKE, and it's cool to see the park try to put some lipstick on the pig.
I do think their innovation on water park rides is promising. I just hope they apply this innovation to their theme park rides.
The swing tower looks dangerous. Very flimsy chains and a simple lap bar. I wouldn't ride it.
As for food, not another fried sugary snack. Heart attack alley.
Laser Light show? Ok, I will bite... They tend to have a bit of difficulty getting people to stay in the park past 7 pm.
Did we miss a memo to all the people who greenlight new rides at parks.... where they told them that the hot new ticket ride is suppose to be Swinging in circles in the air around a tower?
Yes, the tower swing rides have become rather ubiquitous.
Yes, the StarFlyers (SkyScreamers) are not a LOT different than the Windseekers, but they do offer more speed, varying height, and a much freer feeling to the rider than the Windseekers. Granted, I've only been on the former at Coney and SFGadv, and the latter at Kings Dominion. But I'm really looking forward to riding Cedar Point's Windseeker in two weeks, simply for the view of my favorite park and Lake Erie.
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