Most game-changing park additions?

[Jarrett]

Which park additions, coaster or not, do you think have changed their parks the most? I don't mean like a 5-year expansion plan, I mean a single season's addition. Which single season's addition changed its park the most?

My thoughts:
Kings Island 2009- Ever since Son of Beast's closure, there was really no decent ride at the park and the only ones that were popular were Vortex, Beast, and Firehawk. This kind of fixed that and gave them a nice, solid ride with good capacity that could step in as the new flagship.

Dollywood 2012- Wild Eagle is an AWESOME coaster and while I liked Dollywood before it, I felt like the addition was very much needed. The park had a good but small coaster lineup and Tennessee Tornado, while good, is about the same quality of your average B&M. Thunderhead is an awesome wooden coaster but at the end of the day it's still pretty family friendly. And Mystery Mine, while fun, has to be one of the most random layouts ever with all the starting and stopping. At least the theming was good. :? But when we went in 2008, it felt like the park was lacking a flagship leaving two coasters (T-head and Mystery Mine) competing for the title of flagship, because two flagships at such a small park just isn't something you normally see. Wild Eagle kind of took the flagship title and ran with it. It's a wing coaster but the layout doesn't suggest it. Instead of swooping around scenery and facing close calls, it focuses more so on the freedom aspect that they provide and used that to truly make you feel like you're flying. It provided a great viewing point of the surrounding area (something the park needed desperately and should still pursue) and also brought some of the more "modern" mountain architecture into the park. It's one of the best B&M has ever made and on top of it all, it's a beautiful ride that can be seen on the central mountain, towering over the park for others to gawk at from below. There's no way the park would be the same with any other coaster.

Six Flags Magic Mountain 2013- I could not imagine this park without Full Throttle. It's a top-notch attraction and the only full-circuit launcher in the park. I also felt like there WAS indeed a giant void where Log Jammer was and I could feel that something was there in that inconspicuous old station building. It closed a huge gap and opened a smaller but still large one that the park should look into filling. I DID always feel like Gotham City Crime Wave would be a good name to appropriate to a water ride like a Shoot-the-Chutes or a log flume themed to the Gotham sewers, though... :wink:

Kings Island 2014- With Son of Beast gone, Action Zone felt really dead and had gone from being the park section with the scariest ride lineup. Adding Banshee, rebranding Flight Deck as The Bat, adding some theming, and giving the aging area a facelift really helped it in my opinion.

I feel like Centurion at Carowinds will more than make this list when more is revealed about it, especially with the new entrance.

 

[BBH]

Silver Dollar City 2013 - People talk about rides changing an area, a park, or a company. Outlaw Run not only did that; it changed an industry. The future of what wooden coasters and roller coasters in general are capable of has been shaped because of Herschend's investment in this park.


Posted while reading your mind.

 

[tomahawk]

^^You can't be more wrong about Full Throttle, that area used to be the nicest in the park with plenty of shade and a solid flume. Now, it's dirt with an ugly coaster.

If you want to talk Magic Mountain, you have to either talk about Superman, Goliath, Revolution, or X. Revolution for obvious reasons. X made the park even more of a destination, because of how intimidating it is at the park's entrance as you drive in, and how revolutionary it is. Add in that it made Arrow file bankruptcy, definitely a big deal.

I remember it being built and everyone freaking out about it. Full Throttle isn't the bird **** on the path compared to the four I just mentioned.

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

Colossus at Thorpe Park - 2002.

Complelty evolved Thorpe from a more family orientated park to closer to what it is today. As the first major big coaster in the park it paved the way for all of the thrill rides that make up the nations thrill capital.

 

[Smithy]

Beat me to it, Colossus was the first that came to mind. Not sure if it was directly responsible but definitely laid the foundations for the swift develoment path they embarked on.

Corkscrew at Alton maybe but that's beyond my time and knowledge to go into detail with.

 

[jj23w]

Rage Adventure Island

Not many people knew about Adventure Island making one of the most difficult decisions to get rid of and it paid off, it's a popular park and rage has become some people's hundredth cred and a UK favourite for some enthusiasts.

 

[Jordanovichy]

Corkscrew at Alton maybe but that's beyond my time and knowledge to go into detail with.

It's gotta be between that and Nemesis hasn't it? Obv. corkscrew was the first but I feel Nemesis probably brought more.

 

[ECG]

Kings Island 2009- Ever since Son of Beast's closure, there was really no decent ride at the park and the only ones that were popular were Vortex, Beast, and Firehawk. This kind of fixed that and gave them a nice, solid ride with good capacity that could step in as the new flagship.

Son of Beast wasn't a decent ride, but Beast definitely is more than decent. Beast remains the game-changing ride for Kings Island, even after the addition of Diamondback and Banshee.

Dollywood 2012- Wild Eagle is an AWESOME coaster and while I liked Dollywood before it, I felt like the addition was very much needed. The park had a good but small coaster lineup and Tennessee Tornado, while good, is about the same quality of your average B&M. Thunderhead is an awesome wooden coaster but at the end of the day it's still pretty family friendly. And Mystery Mine, while fun, has to be one of the most random layouts ever with all the starting and stopping. At least the theming was good.

Wild Eagle is a good ride, but definitely not AWESOME and both Mystery Mine and Thunderhead were bigger game-changing attractions for the park.

Six Flags Magic Mountain 2013- I could not imagine this park without Full Throttle.

I have to agree with Tom on this one. Full Throttle is a complete letdown and there were several greater additions to the park that didn't come at the cost of a perfectly fine water ride and destruction of so much landscape.

It remains to be seen if Banshee is the game-changer you claim it to be, but I don't think it will and it's luster will fade faster than Diamondback's did. I'm afraid that you have gotten them all wrong IMO.

Silver Dollar City 2013 - People talk about rides changing an area, a park, or a company. Outlaw Run not only did that; it changed an industry. The future of what wooden coasters and roller coasters in general are capable of has been shaped because of Herschend's investment in this park.

QFT!

I'll go on to mention the following:
Djurs Sommerland 2008 - The addition of Piraten not only made the park an enthusiast destination, but reshaped the park's future plan outlook and business model.
Kings Dominion 2010 - Intimidator 305 lifted the park back into the national spotlight, even more so than HyperSonic XLC.

There are more I want to add but the wife just yelled that it's dinnertime, so I'll be back to add them later on.

 

[Gavin]

Corkscrew at Alton Towers wasn't just a game changer for the park, but for the entire UK amusement park industry. Nemesis was the park's game changer really; there have been massive changes/additions since that opened.

Velocity at Flamingoland. It heralded the start of Flamingoland's transition from a park full of secondhand, traveling rides, to a "proper" park, some would argue for the worse, but the overall quality of the park now is vastly different.

PMBO for Blackpool. There had been nothing of any real significance added for years, and then they get the world's tallest, steepest and fastest rollercoaster. While the park has always been very popular, PMBO gave it massive exposure, and was even a game changer for the town of Blackpool itself; it's almost as iconic as the Blackpool Tower now.

 

[Darren B]

I think most of the UK parks have added a game changing addition over the years.

-The Big One, Pleasure Beach, Blackpool. Changed the face of the industry too.
-Nemesis, Alton Towers. The UK's first world beating roller coaster.
-Shockwave, Drayton Manor Park. Put the park on the map.
-Collosus, Thorpe Park. Again, put the park on the map.
-The Ultimate, Lightwater Valley. See above.

Europe;

-Expedition GeForce, Holiday Park, Germany. A park that was largely unknown outside of Southern Germany and then suddenly became the home to the best steel coaster in the world.
-Troy, Toverland, Holland.
-Collosos, Heide Park, Germany.

U.S.A

Boulder Dash, Lake Compounce. Need I say more.

I think you could go on for hours listing game changers but for me the ones that I've highlighted are the ones that stand out as far as I'm concerned.

 

[rtotheizzo17]

Many parks have had big additions that stand out as iconic attractions and changed park demographics, but I have not witnessed anything bigger then Harry Potter at IOA.

That realm has been a turning point for the company, and the industry in orlando as everyone tries to keep up with the Jonses in regards to technology, themeing, and emmersive experience.

In the 4 years since Potter 1.0 UO has added Springfield, Transformers, a new massive hotel, and Potter 2.0 is right around the corner. Rumors of waterparks, more hotels, more e-tickets like Kong, even a 3rd gate, the tide is turning in Orlando. If Potter 2.0 has the same impact 1.0 did Universal could conceivably go from about 10-11 million guests a year to 20 million a year a decade after Potter kicked things off.

 

[NAPayne31]

The Voyage was a massive addition to Holiday World back in 2006. Although they still had two world class coasters before, The Voyage changed the direction of the park as a small market park. The ride attracted enthusiasts and gave them more freedom to try new things with both the water park and regular park.

 

[ThomVD]

Python in Efteling (1981) changed the park from a nature park with a fairy tale forest to an actual theme park.

 

[ignace]

And was the biggest steel coaster of Europe back then.

 

[Hyde]

Let's think low hanging fruit:

Cedar Point: 1978, 1989, 2000, 2003. Each of these years was the addition of Gemini, Magnum, MF, and TTD respectively. Each roller coaster was respectively earth-shattering for the park's draw in attendance (even if Gemini had made three false claims on world records), and collectively established Cedar Point in each given era.

Six Flags Magic Mountain: 1976. Not only did Revolution ushered in a new era of inverting steel roller coasters, but it was also the first major modern roller coaster for the park. The roller coaster was such a hit, Universal even created a suspense thriller movie Rollercoaster which was centered around the roller coaster. This was also the beginning of big change for the park, as Colossus was built in 1978, and the park was then sold to Six Flags in 1979. 1976 is also notable as the bicentennial of the United States, with numerous roller coasters built that year that featured a red, white, and blue color scheme (Corkscrew at Cedar Point, both Demon Arrow corkscrews, etc.)

Six Flags Worlds of Adventure: 2000-2002. Geauga Lake was sold to Six Flags in the late 90s, and underwent a massive $40 million, 20-ride addition in its transformation into Six Flags Ohio. This included four new roller coasters: Road Runner Express, Villain, Batman: Knight Flight, and Superman: Ultimate Escape.

However, the winter of 2000, Six Flags began talks with SeaWorld Ohio on a possible sale and merger, and purchased the park for $110 million. The entire complex was renamed Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, and featured a water park, amusement park, and wildlife park. During this transformation, X-Flight (now Firehawk) was also added to the lineup. So over the course of two years, $150 million was spent in new park additions and expansion.

Six Flags Over Texas: 1966. While the original Six Flags park had marked success with the addition of the world's first log flume El Aserradero in 1963, the addition of the world's first mine train, Runaway Mine Train, in 1966 helped the park reach record attendance, helping the Six Flags brand grow to the point of attracting new owners and expansion. Both of these rides were built by Arrow Dynamics as well, which helped advance their cause for a golden age throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Disneyland: 1959. While the park opened in 1955, it was not until 1955 that the Matterhorn Bobsleds opened. It was the first modern steel tubular roller coaster, first Arrow Dynamics roller coaster, and was able to show the possibility for using a roller coaster as a central attraction for an amusement park.

Kings Island: 1972. On the previous note, while the opening of Kings Island in 1972 was significant, the true note was the construction of the Racer in the Coney Mall section of the park. Kings Island was arguably the first amusement park to build a roller coaster as the central attraction for the park, not relying as heavily on other flat rides. The Racer is also credited as sparking the golden age of roller coasters in the 1970s, when we saw a massive influx of large roller coasters for major amusement parks.

Islands of Adventure: 2010. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Done.

I guess my biggest emphasis was that the most game-changing park additions did not only affect any one specific park, but the entire industry as a whole.

 

[Jarrett]

^^You can't be more wrong about Full Throttle, that area used to be the nicest in the park with plenty of shade and a solid flume. Now, it's dirt with an ugly coaster.

If you want to talk Magic Mountain, you have to either talk about Superman, Goliath, Revolution, or X. Revolution for obvious reasons. X made the park even more of a destination, because of how intimidating it is at the park's entrance as you drive in, and how revolutionary it is. Add in that it made Arrow file bankruptcy, definitely a big deal.

I remember it being built and everyone freaking out about it. Full Throttle isn't the bird **** on the path compared to the four I just mentioned.

Six Flags Magic Mountain 2013- I could not imagine this park without Full Throttle.

I have to agree with Tom on this one. Full Throttle is a complete letdown and there were several greater additions to the park that didn't come at the cost of a perfectly fine water ride and destruction of so much landscape.

I have GOT to be the only one out there who likes Full Throttle! :lol:

Are there any pictures of how that area looked before YOLOcoaster? I have to admit I hadn't seen the park before that trip but Log Jammer always seemed to be a decrepit, old log flume with zero theming that had met its time that was replaced by a unique coaster that filled a gap that the park desperately needed filled.

With all of mine, I was thinking mostly in recent years and more along the lines of what helped clean up the park the most, not what shaped the industry or made the park more well-known. Probably a bad title choice on my part. Not necessarily the most significant park additions, but the ones that made the park a better place to visit. With Banshee, I used to tell people that Kings Island sucked as a home park because they didn't have any decent looping coasters and nothing there really brings the "full insanity" that Son of Beast had (The Beast was fun and all but at the end of the day the layout IS crap with crap pacing without the terrain) and Banshee sort of brought back the insanity element with its shear intensity but without the pain of riding the park's other intense loopers (Vortex, Firehawk). I'm actually leaving to go in about 15 minutes and I'm excited for once because of Banshee.

With Dollywood, Thunderhead was definitely the coaster that turned the park into something that could compete with the larger Cedar Fair/Six Flags parks and I will admit it probably belongs on this thread too with the surrounding area that was added along with it. However, did the park honestly need Mystery Mine? It's a fun coaster with fun theming, but at the end of the day, it IS just a crap coaster with a bizarre layout that's been themed out the wazoo to make up for it. It was the first of its kind in the US but I don't think the GP knew or cared about it (I was GP the first time I went to the park and I really didn't care, though I'll admit that I did somewhat like the outdoor portion). With Wild Eagle, the big thing in my mind was that the park was built in this beautiful mountain setting yet you can't see it from inside the park on any of their coasters. Wild Eagle was built on a plot of land they were saving for something special that allowed you to finally see the surrounding area while also becoming a new icon for the park. It's in commercials now, you can see something from the park outside the park now, and it's built on that mountain smack dab in the center so you can see it from most of the park. It's clearly the big boss, it's in charge, and it lets you know from Craftsman's Valley to Wilderness Pass. I also feel like it introduced a more modern rustic feel with the mountain lodge-style station, which could be insignificant but I feel could pave the way for more new attractions like this. One of the ideas I had for another ride that could allow you to enjoy the scenic mountain location was a small polercoaster with the poles painted to look wooden and maybe some stonework accents. Emphasis would be on the top of the observation tower but the coaster could have some significance too. Heck, it doesn't even need a coaster. Just an elevator-style observation tower that maybe has a restaurant atop would be perfect for the park. But the look on Wild Eagle would probably be the only way they could bring another tall attraction into the park without messing up the rustic charm.

 

[Hyde]

With all of mine, I was thinking mostly in recent years and more along the lines of what helped clean up the park the most, not what shaped the industry or made the park more well-known.

A game-changer is often defined as a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way. That's what I was getting at with my post, giving examples of new ride technologies and innovations that created a marked impact.

Indeed, you can name all of the new roller coasters that have been added to various parks - but a true game change would change the way the park operates, markets, or is perceived by the public.

 

[tomahawk]

^^You can't be more wrong about Full Throttle, that area used to be the nicest in the park with plenty of shade and a solid flume. Now, it's dirt with an ugly coaster.

If you want to talk Magic Mountain, you have to either talk about Superman, Goliath, Revolution, or X. Revolution for obvious reasons. X made the park even more of a destination, because of how intimidating it is at the park's entrance as you drive in, and how revolutionary it is. Add in that it made Arrow file bankruptcy, definitely a big deal.

I remember it being built and everyone freaking out about it. Full Throttle isn't the bird **** on the path compared to the four I just mentioned.

Six Flags Magic Mountain 2013- I could not imagine this park without Full Throttle.

I have to agree with Tom on this one. Full Throttle is a complete letdown and there were several greater additions to the park that didn't come at the cost of a perfectly fine water ride and destruction of so much landscape.

I have GOT to be the only one out there who likes Full Throttle! :lol:

Are there any pictures of how that area looked before YOLOcoaster? I have to admit I hadn't seen the park before that trip but Log Jammer always seemed to be a decrepit, old log flume with zero theming that had met its time that was replaced by a unique coaster that filled a gap that the park desperately needed filled.

This is just one angle of how the are looked. It was the coolest (temperature wise) area of the park. It was one of the better log flumes I had ever been on not owned by Disney. Granted, I'm not a log flume nut, but I ride them if it's hot, and this was one of better. Jet Stream is one of the worst and they kept that piece of ****. You need all the water rides you can get when it is 115+ in the peak of summer there with no shade.

When Full Throttle was originally SUPPOSED to be the longest coaster in the world, going back to where Deja Vu is, utilizing the tunnels for launches, the terrain for a full on terrain coaster, and the gimmick that is Full Throttle by adding a garbage capacity coaster into the second largest metropolitan area in the country? Everyone can agree it was a disappointing addition.

 

[nealbie]

For better or for worse: fasttrack/fastpass

 

[Hyde]

^^ And SFMM already has such a rich history of other attractions - X2, Revolution, Colossus, Viper - those are the roller coasters that have helped alter SFMM's fate, not a minor player like Full Throttle.