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Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread


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I hate to say it, but this looks like just another recent B&M to me: smooth and forceless. I'll be surprised if this is really any better than Swarm. It just seems to be going much too slowly to generate any real force in the tightest and twistiest bits. Of course, I've been wrong before, and I legitimately hope I am again in this case, but I just don't see anything exceptionally wonderful here.

 

I think that B&M are focussing more on what the park wants, rather than what hardcore enthusiasts want. While I agree totally that most of the B&Ms of late have been engineered to death and don't provide much thrill, what they DO offer is a coaster that is fun, comfortable, graceful, and hugely popular with the GP - who, after all, are the ones buying the tickets and spending money in the park. They also tend to have rather high throughputs, so the lines keep moving, another big plus. That same lack of OMFG thrill also serves to have patrons feel a sense of accomplishment when they step off the "big, scary" coaster and say, "wow, I totally did that and loved it!" That might graduate them to bigger thrills.

 

In the case of X-flight, I think the focus here is on the sensation of flight more than balls-to-the-wall intensity. Look no farther than that slow burn rollover at the top of the lift to see that speed wasn't the prime focus... instead, you get anticipation and a nice transition from hanging-by-your-harness to weightlessness to positive G's all in one element. Nice. Also, with the big focus on tight clearances and theming, you don't want the train to go so fast that nobody even notices how close they're getting to the supports.

 

So YES, I agree that B&Ms fail to wow with their lack of forces and such, but I don't think that's what the park wanted with X-flight. Job well done, IMHO.

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I could very easily see this becoming a staple throughout the chain. It has that kind of universal appeal IMO.

 

Agreed. I didn't see a lot of these built in the U.S. until this design. Based on space, minimal yet effective theme, and the layout, it's prime for cloning around their parks.

 

It doesn't have to be intense, but pushing the thematic elements & playing to the seating style gives a better experience. It's all about the overall experience - on AND off-ride. This ride has it.

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Why do I get the feeling it's a bit more like the Superman: Ultimate Flight of the 2010s.

 

Since this one was announced, that was the one thing I didn't want it to be. The one at the front of the park is more than enough. The positive reviews that are piling up have me hopeful that the only similarities between the two are that they're both steel roller coasters, and they're both painted red.

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Reports coming in are that the ride is quite intense, the pacing surpasses that of B:TR, and it's disorienting until the keyhole. Doesn't let up until the end. Sounds like we may have a winner.

 

It's no-where near anything even remotely close to Batman. Still a very good ride, but it's not Batman. Batman is way more forceful, with far far quicker pacing. It's not Batman..

 

Is that clear?!

 

Seriously though - we already have a Batman, we don't need another one.

 

At the same time, we already have a Superman Ultimate Flight, and we don't need another one of those either (one is bad enough!) .. X-Flight is by far a more intense ride. It's not bone-breaking like Tatsu, or Nemesis, or anything like that. I'd put it between Batman and Raging Bull in terms of forces - probably closer to Raging Bull, even though I think it's a superior ride to Raging Bull. However it's tough to really compare since X-Flight keeps alternating between 0G and positive-G, which I found pretty cool - and a unique experience for me.

 

The Coaster-Mentalists will likely hate it; but the people who like going to amusement parks to have fun will really enjoy it.

 

For the record, I consider both X-Flight and Wild Eagle as B+ coasters. But as I said in the other thread, I can't think of any other coaster going in this year that I would rather see at SFGAm right now. The addition of X-Flight really does make the park better.

 

Cameron.

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I get the feeling that even with the weekend being exclusive to passholders, it won't feel like it. The buzz surrounding X-Flight is bigger than for any ride at Great America that I can remember apart from perhaps Batman, which I was too young to pay attention to or care about. It's probably safe to assume that it sold a season pass or two. Or hundreds. I wasn't going to go out of my way originally, but I took a gander at the weekend forecast and it looks like perfect avoid the outdoors weather. Could be worth a shot Sunday if people stick to the script and stay at home.

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I rode X-Flight earlier today, and it greatly exceeded my expectations. The forces are strong, although very tolerable, and the ride is flat out fun. Everything about this ride is great for its own reason, with the inverted drop and key hole being my favorite parts. The barrel roll takes a seemingly long time to maneuver, and is one of my favorite inversions. The ride is also one of the smoothest I've ridden. Overall, I'd say that this is my 2-4 favorite coaster at the park.

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Ya I rode it 4 times today in all different parts of the train and its just flat out fun. Good forces in the front and back with great hang time in the middle. I personally think the best seat is front row on the right wing, because you are literally hanging upside for the majority of the first drop and you get to see that control tower coming right at you. Plus you get a good look at all of the brakes and friction wheels. I think Six Flags has a winner.

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I got a good 10 rides in on morning ERT today. Got to try both sides in front and back.

 

Visuals from the front seat are great on both sides. Forces are fun in the back (although I prefer the right side to the left).

 

Operators were great today... friendly, nice, and efficient, even while training.

 

Overall, loved it!

 

And then Raging Bull claimed my hat, even though I was sitting on it

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Ok, I will admit that I was a Wild Eagle fan girl before even riding X Flight. Now that I've rode X Flight, I'd like to take back everything negative I've ever said about it. At first I didn't think it would live up to my expectations like Wild Eagle did. Boy was I wrong! It exceeded my expectations and honestly I like it better than Wild Eagle.

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Looks like I was right about Wild Eagle < X-Flight!

 

X-Flight truly is a phenomenal coaster and as Hank put it, "was well overdue."

 

I personally stayed out of this whole Wild Eagle vs X Flight thing until now and I don't think I ever agreed with you until my last post. I still love Wild Eagle for many reasons, like the drop and loop. I guess I'm a bit traditional when it comes to coasters and prefer loops and drops. However, what gives X Flight that edge is the forces along with all the inversions and fly-throughs. Both are very solid rides and work well for the parks. I do agree that X Flight was long overdue. I think it's going to give Raging Bull tough competition as being the "most popular" ride in the park.

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I got four rides on it today, and it didn't disappoint. The hang time on the first drop-version is solid regardless of where you're sitting, and everything that follows is an element or strong transition to an element. The headchopper after the keyhole is cringeworthy, because that roll seems to go on forever.

 

It absolutely dominates the midway in that section of County Fair to the point that you have to weave around those who just stop to gawk at it. Mid-summer waits for this thing will be unbearable.

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If X Flight is any indication of what the future of Six Flags will bring, I'm really looking forward to whats to come. They didn't just plop the ride down and open it like they have in the past, they actually tried to make something more of an experience of it. Of course it was nothing along the lines of a Disney or Universal experience, but for Six Flags, it was really good. The queue interaction for the ride is great as you walk past nearly every element and even through two thematic elements. The ride ops had themed costumes, they had a military style loading and unloading theme, and best of all, with the exception of Move It on the top of the hour, they didn't have the normal loop of 5 pop songs playing. They actually played music that fit the theme of the ride, which I really enjoyed. I really hope they keep all of those, as I could see the park dropping them which is my one concern about the ride. The ride itself exceeded my expectations. After hearing reviews of Swarm I got a little worried seeing as they are similar, but the ride was really fantastic. The first drop is just amazing yet weird, the pacing was great, lots of hangtime, and forces were definitely there (just don't go on expecting the next Batman.) So in the end, I'm extremely happy we got this coaster and I'm sure it will be hugely popular for years to come.

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Just got back. X-Flight was what everyone said: fun and a good addition to the park. I love the general in the station (who tells you ride rules etc.), and the theming did not dissapoint. However the thing I like most about it wasn't the ride itself, but the fact that it took in most of the crowd. Walk-ons to 5min. for everything except for Raging Bull and Superman.

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