10. Batman: The Ride
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
The first S&S 4D Free Fly coaster in the United States opens in Texas this spring.
9. Laff Trakk
Hersheypark
A Maurer-Sohne coaster with seven, four-seat, 360-degree, free-spinning trains, Laff Trakk will take riders through an old-fashioned fun house at up to 40 miles per hour. According to the park, it's the first indoor, spinning, glow-coaster in the United States.
8. Thunderbird
Holiday World
The nation's first launched wing coaster, this $22 million Bolliger & Mabillard coaster will open in April 2015.
7. Voyage to the Iron Reef
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm continues its dark ride revival, adding a new shooter ride to the old "Kingdom of the Dinosaurs" space, following multi-million-dollar refurbishments of its classic Timber Mountain Log Ride and Calico Mine Ride.
6. Twisted Colossus
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Southern California finally gets its own "Iron Horse" steel-tracked woodie, as Magic Mountain converts its once record-setting wooden racing coaster to a state-of-the-art 21st century model.
5. Fury 325
Carowinds
We've learned over the years here at Theme Park Insider that our readers love Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters, especially its Mega/Giga models. So, of course, we're looking forward to riding the world's tallest and fastest Giga when it opens this spring.
4. Paint the Night
Disneyland
It's Disneyland's 60th birthday this summer, and the highlight of the celebration might be "Paint the Night," a night-time parade that first ran at Hong Kong Disneyland last year. Disneyland's adding units to this version of the parade (yeah, you guessed it — for Frozen), and is hoping to recapture the magic that made the Main Street Electrical Parade an enduring hit.
3. Baron 1898
Efteling
We head to The Netherlands' Efteling for the number-three attraction on our list: a Bolliger & Mabillard Dive Coaster. Yes, we love B&M coasters, but it's the elaborate decoration and theming that Efteling is adding to this popular thrill ride model that's captured our imagination.
2. Fast & Furious - Supercharged
Universal Studios Hollywood
Featuring the stars of the Fast & Furious franchise, this new Studio Tour encounter will play on massive 360-degree, 4K 3D screens while your tour tram shakes on a motion base, simulating a 120-mph car chase through downtown LA. Frankly, the most amazing part of all this is the idea that anyone could find a road free enough of traffic to do 120 in downtown LA. We want to see that!
1. Justice League: Battle for Metropolis
Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags St. Louis
Six Flags has put together an all-star team of attraction developers to create its latest attempt at a family-friendly dark ride. Based on the popular DC Comics franchise, Justice League: Battle for Metropolis sends visitors on motion-base ride vehicles from Oceaneering to battle villains such as The Joker in a Sally Corporation-designed shooter attraction, with additional tech provided by Alterface, RealD 3D, Lexington Scenic, Pure Imagination, and Wyatt Design Group. Will this be the attraction where Six Flags raises its dark ride game to Disney's and Universal's level? We can't wait to see.
Obviously, many other attractions will debut in 2015, including Cedar Point's Rougarou, a floorless reworking of Mantis, and a new Stitch Encounter show at Tokyo Disneyland. Which new rides and shows can you not wait to experience this year?
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The word is that Fury 325 will debut on 3-25 (March 25). They reportedly topped the coaster off last week, so it looks like they're on track.
Just kidding. Twisted Colossus is my most anticipated attraction for 2015, but I'm also looking forward to Voyage to the Iron Reef as well. I'm not all that excited about Disney and Universal's 2015 additions simply because they aren't really my thing. Although it's unlikely I'll be able to travel outside of Southern California this summer, it will be a great year for thrill seekers with six new North American coasters I'd really like to ride (and would rank as follows in order of interest):
1. Wicked Cyclone (Six Flags New England)
2. Cannibal (Lagoon)
3. Fury 325 (Carowinds)
4. Thunderbird (Holiday World)
5. Impulse (Knoebels)
6. Batman: The Ride (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)
Other than roller coasters, Justice League: Battle for Metropolis looks like the overall best new attraction of 2015.
Dan, the main difference between Batman and Green Lantern is that Batman is an S&S design while Green Lantern is Intamin. This is why both look the same but have different tracks and cars. Batman is slightly longer, taller, and faster, and it will probably flip more (especially since SFMM has altered Green Lantern) but both should provide a similar ride experience.
We're looking forward to the new parade at Disneyland, we will be there in the fall.
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