Your Least Common Opinion?
- Thread starter Jarrett
- Start date
CrashCoaster
CF Legend
May have said this before but I much prefer Stealth over Red Force. Also, I think Rita is in the top 5 AT coasters, and Stampida is actually a good ride.
JoshC.
Strata Poster
This really is damning with faint praise ?
Whilst we're talking about Towers' coasters...
-I actually quite like Rita. Don't think it's uncomfortable or anything either.
-I think that Wickerman is not a good family attraction. The theme is too dark for the 'track and train' roller coaster experience. The cred itself is weak and does little for me. I get people enjoy it, but I cannot understand it when people rate it highly.
MestnyiGeroi
Giga Poster
Matt N
CF Legend
On a woodie-related statement, I have a new uncommon opinion that I think I might have the more I think about it, and I apologise in advance as I think it could be a controversial one:
Wicker Man is my favourite ride at Alton Towers and my second favourite UK coaster behind Icon.
I know it's a very uncommon opinion, but I absolutely love coasters that are just plain fun and leave you wanting to go back round again and again, and even though I've only ridden it 3 times, it never fails to put a huge smile on my face! Despite having followed its construction avidly for nearly 2 years, Wicker Man still remains one of the biggest positive surprises I've ever had getting off a coaster, and it somehow grew on me even more as the 2018 season progressed! The most recent rides I've had on it have all been in the front half of the train, so I can't wait to hopefully get another ride in the back half fairly soon!
EDIT: While I'm here, I have another one; the more I think about it, the more I think that Epcot might be my favourite WDW park. It would seem that lockdown has given me a lot of time to think about this sort of thing!
Wicker Man is my favourite ride at Alton Towers and my second favourite UK coaster behind Icon.
I know it's a very uncommon opinion, but I absolutely love coasters that are just plain fun and leave you wanting to go back round again and again, and even though I've only ridden it 3 times, it never fails to put a huge smile on my face! Despite having followed its construction avidly for nearly 2 years, Wicker Man still remains one of the biggest positive surprises I've ever had getting off a coaster, and it somehow grew on me even more as the 2018 season progressed! The most recent rides I've had on it have all been in the front half of the train, so I can't wait to hopefully get another ride in the back half fairly soon!
EDIT: While I'm here, I have another one; the more I think about it, the more I think that Epcot might be my favourite WDW park. It would seem that lockdown has given me a lot of time to think about this sort of thing!
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I have several unpopular opinions:
- Taron is overhyped and more a family thrill, than a thrill ride
- RMC trains are one of the worst ones I have ever sat in
- B&M Vest Restraints are comfortable
- RMC builds hybrids (topper track) and steel coasters (I-Box and Raptortrack)
- Nemesis Inferno is better than Nemesis (seriously, Nemesis is crawling after the Zero-G roll, which kills the pacing)
@Matt N If i take the experience into account, I'd agree with you on Wicker Man. And yes, Icon is the best coaster in England.
- Taron is overhyped and more a family thrill, than a thrill ride
- RMC trains are one of the worst ones I have ever sat in
- B&M Vest Restraints are comfortable
- RMC builds hybrids (topper track) and steel coasters (I-Box and Raptortrack)
- Nemesis Inferno is better than Nemesis (seriously, Nemesis is crawling after the Zero-G roll, which kills the pacing)
@Matt N If i take the experience into account, I'd agree with you on Wicker Man. And yes, Icon is the best coaster in England.
Seemingly unpopular...
Everyone says that thirteen is a good or even a ‘great’ family coaster. I don’t get this sort of praise at all. It’s almost saying “this ride is absolutely brilliant for someone that isn’t me therefore I enjoy it more.” I understand that there ARE different target audiences but is there really a target niche, other than height requirement, between “mine train only - the rest are too intimidating” and “all the rides, please”?
I think it fails as a thrill ride and fails as a family ride, for the same reason: it’s boring.
Theme is OK but the execution is 1/10 with the lazy scaffolding, which looks (unsurprisingly) like anything else with scaffolding: unfinished.
Too much emphasis on the “world’s first” and the marketing, not enough love and care put in the rest of the experience.
I know I throw a lot of flack on this and Rita but I’d be quite happy not riding either again, which isn’t much of an endorsement.
How to improve it:
- nuke the scaffolding, I’m never going to embrace the ride when it looks so poor / cheap
- otherwise improve the theming, which aside from the spooky idea which I quite like, is crap (it’s what you see and experience from the queue to the exit that counts)
- pre-show? Or something better in the queue. Something more than ‘nothing’.
- a more exciting outdoor section
Everyone says that thirteen is a good or even a ‘great’ family coaster. I don’t get this sort of praise at all. It’s almost saying “this ride is absolutely brilliant for someone that isn’t me therefore I enjoy it more.” I understand that there ARE different target audiences but is there really a target niche, other than height requirement, between “mine train only - the rest are too intimidating” and “all the rides, please”?
I think it fails as a thrill ride and fails as a family ride, for the same reason: it’s boring.
Theme is OK but the execution is 1/10 with the lazy scaffolding, which looks (unsurprisingly) like anything else with scaffolding: unfinished.
Too much emphasis on the “world’s first” and the marketing, not enough love and care put in the rest of the experience.
I know I throw a lot of flack on this and Rita but I’d be quite happy not riding either again, which isn’t much of an endorsement.
How to improve it:
- nuke the scaffolding, I’m never going to embrace the ride when it looks so poor / cheap
- otherwise improve the theming, which aside from the spooky idea which I quite like, is crap (it’s what you see and experience from the queue to the exit that counts)
- pre-show? Or something better in the queue. Something more than ‘nothing’.
- a more exciting outdoor section
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Genuine question about 13: Is the scaffolding there to make it look like a dig site of a temple in the woods? I think that sort of approach works for Hex (which I think is easily the best themed madhouse I've done) with its backstory and is explained but I don't quite get what is going on at 13. It seems like some type of Blair Witch inspired thing I guess.
caffeine_demon
Strata Poster
13 is a decent idea, but poorly executed (particularly pre track drop), and had terrible marketing, polar xplorer is a far more "complete" ride
"Is the scaffolding there to make it look like a dig site "
Change the "I" in "dig" to an "o", and insert an "H" in "site"....
and now some "least common opinions":
1 - Collossos(heide) is better than el toro
2 - of all the removed rides from the last 10 or so years at blackpool pleasure beach, I miss gold mine and trauma towers more than the mouse (even though I loved mouse)
3 - I don't get the hate thorpe park gets...
"Is the scaffolding there to make it look like a dig site "
Change the "I" in "dig" to an "o", and insert an "H" in "site"....
and now some "least common opinions":
1 - Collossos(heide) is better than el toro
2 - of all the removed rides from the last 10 or so years at blackpool pleasure beach, I miss gold mine and trauma towers more than the mouse (even though I loved mouse)
3 - I don't get the hate thorpe park gets...
caffeine_demon
Strata Poster
X when it was run forwards with lasers, and TWDTR are fab!
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Ouch ??
For me at least it's more to do with frustration and disappointment than hate, and how it has changed negatively over time.
If I visited the park in 2009 there was Loggers Leap, Slammer, the park was generally looking quite fresh and it was a fun day out.
Roll on to 2019 and although we gained the Swarm we have lost Slammer and Loggers Leap, the park is increasingly run down and Derren Brown's Ghost Train, the biggest 2010s addition is incoherent and barely works after only 3 years of operation.
For a park that gained so much in the 2000s it's frustrating to see it stagnate horribly in the 2010s.
Uncommon Harry Potter Ride Opinion:
I prefer Escape from Gringotts to the Forbidden Journey. Whilst the former was super detailed, I found the movements of the arm so nauseating during the screen based movies that I could not enjoy it!
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Matt N
CF Legend
@Heth; I actually agree with your uncommon Harry Potter ride opinion! I too prefer Gringotts to Forbidden Journey, and I'd also agree with you in that it's probably at least partially down to the ride system, because I must admit, while FJ's ride system is a really clever piece of kit, I actually really love Universal's 3D simulator-style attractions of that style (I know Gringotts is a coaster, but it has quite a few simulator-style moments), as I also rate Transformers and Spider-Man very highly (Spider-Man in particular is probably still my favourite ever dark ride, even having ridden the likes of Flight of Passage). Another uncommon opinion of mine is that I think Forbidden Journey would really benefit from having 3D, as I think it would make those screen scenes feel even more immersive than they already are.
I also agree with @caffeine_demon in saying that I like Thorpe Park. While it isn't Alton Towers, I think the place has some really great theming in places and is quite nicely landscaped, with a great coaster selection. And on the whole, I've had some great days there; last year in particular on the late night opening was a fantastically fun day!
I also agree with @caffeine_demon in saying that I like Thorpe Park. While it isn't Alton Towers, I think the place has some really great theming in places and is quite nicely landscaped, with a great coaster selection. And on the whole, I've had some great days there; last year in particular on the late night opening was a fantastically fun day!
I said it a year ago, but it bears repeating: I don't particularly like Forbidden Journey at all. It's too noisy, too dark, and too incoherent. It takes only the scary bits of the Harry Potter franchise and try to mush them into your face with minimal transitions between them, while blasting noise at full volume and flickering the light switch really fast. Being thrown around and disoriented doesn't really improve the experience much. And the story makes no sense either.
It would have benefitted greatly from taking it a little more easy. Cut away a couple of the monster scenes and have some breathing room. A little less dark terror and a little more whimsy. Its queue line might be the greatest ever built, but the ride experience itself is too dark and noisy for me to really like. Gringott's faired a lot better in this regard.
It would have benefitted greatly from taking it a little more easy. Cut away a couple of the monster scenes and have some breathing room. A little less dark terror and a little more whimsy. Its queue line might be the greatest ever built, but the ride experience itself is too dark and noisy for me to really like. Gringott's faired a lot better in this regard.