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Blue Fire, seriously?

Martyn B

CF Legend
Basically, I really do not get the hype that surrounds Blue Fire. At all. I know people don't exactly rate it as the world's best, but all I had heard was very, very good things about it. Yet I came off completely underwhelmed at what was possibly the worst "big" coaster I've been on. Incredibly weak launch, awkward stall turn thing, awkward stall-loop thing, forceless turns and inversions, another stall-hill through the loop and a fun inline twist.

I'm by no means a "critic", it is very rare that I dislike a coaster. I find even the roughest pieces of **** to be good fun, but BF is like the biggest MEH coaster I've ever come across. Doesn't help that the hype surrounding the coaster seems to be pretty big.

It's made me a little less excited for BPB next year anyway, but that may be a good thing?
 

HeartlineCoaster

Theme Park Superhero
I haven't really heard such hype.
For the type of ride it is, meh is reasonably accurate.
In the grand scheme of things it's decent enough.
It was the first of its kind and Mack have done a lot since, I wouldn't judge Icon on it.
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
I will be riding Blue Fire for the first time in a couple of weeks, but having ridden Velociraptor at IMG, I can say I agree with the "Meh" statement.

It's a decent coaster, for sure, but it's definitely nothing outstanding. Probably in the upper half of coasters I've ridden, but not in the top 25% I wouldn't say.
 

Snoo

The Legend
Martyn, I think you may be listening to the BF hype from a few years ago which has since diminished. I heard the same when it opened as a lot of people enjoyed it but haven't heard much since. I think the true 'hype' of the new coaster has died down and your riding it on that preconceived notion of how 'good' it is. If you remember the Boulder Dash fallout from a few years back, many people felt the same.. albeit in a much different route as many people still loved it just not as the best ever.
 

Martyn B

CF Legend
I dunno, there's still a lot of hype for BF on certain sites (not CF admittedly).

There's also too much hype for Europa Park in general which I also don't get, but that's for another day ..
 

nadroJ

CF Legend
It's a bag of balls. The way it loses momentum after the first launch is laughable,


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Ireeb

Mega Poster
It's still on my place one just because my coaster count is still so low :D
I like it just because it is a chilled ride, but the inversions are still fun. I find it kinda relaxing.
 

caffeine_demon

Strata Poster
I thought it was a pleasant coaster, with some nice inversions - something you'd probably recommend as a first launch coaster for someone who's never been on a launch coaster before...

Also - I don't think it's marketed as a super high thrill ride, so it's ok by me!
 

Ireeb

Mega Poster
I thought it was a pleasant coaster, with some nice inversions - something you'd probably recommend as a first launch coaster for someone who's never been on a launch coaster before...
And that's what they intended. Something between thrill and family fun. From my own experience, Blue Fire is ideal for introducing people into more thrilling coasters. I was afraid of big roller coasters, but someday I said "F*ck it what's the worst that could happen" and rode Blue Fire. Now I'm here and searching for more thrills because Blue Fire showed me that intensity is fun, while not being scary.
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
And that's what they intended. Something between thrill and family fun. From my own experience, Blue Fire is ideal for introducing people into more thrilling coasters. I was afraid of big roller coasters, but someday I said "F*ck it what's the worst that could happen" and rode Blue Fire. Now I'm here and searching for more thrills because Blue Fire showed me that intensity is fun, while not being scary.
So your being here was the worst that could happen.
;-)
 

Ireeb

Mega Poster
So your being here was the worst that could happen.
;-)
That was indeed an outcome I did not expect :D It was the first coaster with inversions for me, my guess is that the heartline roll shook up my brain a bit too much. That's why I landed here amongst people with similar issues :^)
 

DelPiero

Strata Poster
I love the heartline but the rest is just a slightly above average coaster with excellent restraints. Better than most of the Vekoma, Zierer and Zamperlas I've ridden, so is reasonably high in my list.
 

Rob 92

Roller Poster
I think there was a lot of hype when Blue Fire first opened and in the couple of years afterwars but I can't say I have really seen any recently? It is a good fun coaster, solid but not spectacular. I'd imagine that the clones without the theming and on-board audio are rather bland as for me it is these extra elements that help make the coaster what it is. And of course the hightlight is the final inversion.

It is far from offensive, was a big risk for Mack at the time (they could have gone out of business if it had flopped) and fits Europa-Park well!

:)
 

balrog

Mega Poster
I went through the exact opposite experience : after going through an ocean of bad reviews, I was expecting the most lethargic coaster on earth. Then I ended up liking it. This ride is not meant to brutalise you, for sure, but it's much less boring that everyone told me. I liked every single elements. Buy I must admit I don't care that much about intensity, as long as I spend a good time riding it, I'll praise the coaster.

The queue, however, is offensive. I will not go back to Europa Park any time soon, as I think the park itself is as bland as it gets and I don't like spending 15 plus minutes inside an ad.
 

Ireeb

Mega Poster
I went through the exact opposite experience : after going through an ocean of bad reviews, I was expecting the most lethargic coaster on earth. Then I ended up liking it. This ride is not meant to brutalise you, for sure, but it's much less boring that everyone told me. I liked every single elements. Buy I must admit I don't care that much about intensity, as long as I spend a good time riding it, I'll praise the coaster.

The queue, however, is offensive. I will not go back to Europa Park any time soon, as I think the park itself is as bland as it gets and I don't like spending 15 plus minutes inside an ad.
Yeah, the Gasprom stuff is really unnecessary and annoying. But it's only the first part of the queue, the rest is through rocks and foliage, nothing special but okay.
 

Astro61201

Roller Poster
I think Helix and the newer Mack Mega's have kind of shown that the concept that blue fire was, is capable of so much more than what bluefire is, so people kind of see bluefire now as a shadow of what it once was as it kind of hasn't achieved the full potential of its ride type.
 

Ian

From CoasterForce
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
It's made me a little less excited for BPB next year anyway, but that may be a good thing?
I think people are excited about Icon because of the comparison to Helix, not Blu Fire.

Have you been on Helix?
 

Martyn B

CF Legend
Nah I haven't been on Helix, I just assumed most people were hyped for Icon coz it's a new coaster in the UK!

The BPB fanboys are obviously already calling it the world's best coaster but I think most people understand that'll just be good fun. I know speed isn't everything, but for a double launch coaster to only have a top speed of 43mph... it's a bit slow)

And I agree with the Europa comment above, about it being one giant advert. I get that's what it Is, but it must certainly is not the best theme park in the world (like so many people say).

I get that the prices are really good, it's a beautiful park, opening times are generous, operations are spot on, and the food is really good. But the rides are just naff. Arthur was the only ride that felt of a good quality, And probably the only ride I wanted to get on again. Everything else just felt so bland. Nice theming, but the coasters were just so average. And the other dark rides are laughably bad.

IMO they have too many rides and they're all of an average quality.
 

Will

Strata Poster
Blue Fire is no Helix; nobody can deny that. However, I still really like it.
It looks great, it rides great (though I'll agree the Gazprom thing is annoying) and pretty much marks the time that Mack threw down the gauntlet to the likes of Intamin and declared 'No... THIS is how you build a launched coaster'. Unlike their rivals, they made the launch process a comfortable one, and happily for us, they've never looked back.

Icon will be more like Helix than like Blue Fire, but judging from the video, it won't come close to Helix. But that's another debate for another time.
 
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