Unpopular Opinions

[Mark9]

19 minutes ago, JoshC. said:

Adaptations are still okay for good rides though, right? I don't want to live in a world without being able to say Joyvelen...

 

Nah, I mean I'm 32 now. Joy is a feeling seldom felt.

[JoshC.]

Well this thread became real dark real quick... 

[Benin]

I miss the days of the bad Thorpe Park ride names.

 

Boretex, Zodicrap, Thrush, Colossus, Sore, etc.

[Matt 236]

I’m already getting throwbacks to those uncyclopedia articles, where the writers wouldn’t hold back upon bashing anything. 
 

Anyone remember the Thorpe article on there?

[Mark9]

2021 edition Part 1

 

People who think in a Nemesis vs Nemesis Inferno poll, that preferring Inferno is a controversial opinion. It's not, it's completely understandable and is discussed almost weekly by twitter coaster enthusiasts.

 

People who think Southerners hate Blackpool Pleasure Beach because its in the North. What kind of stupidity is that? I also hate Margate for similar reasons to the town of Blackpool for the sole reason its an absolute dive.

 

I really think its ludicrous that people will completely dismiss rides like Icon and Helix because their launches aren't as good as other rides. It's also equally as ludicrous that the respective parks sell the ride on the launches alone when they are nowhere near the most interesting part of those rides.

 

 

[Martin Doyle]

6 minutes ago, Mark9 said:

People who think Southerners hate Blackpool Pleasure Beach because its in the North. What kind of stupidity is that? I also hate Margate for similar reasons to the town of Blackpool for the sole reason its an absolute dive.

 

 

Honestly for those who think Blackpool is a dive (they ain't wrong in fairness), Margate makes Blackpool look like Orlando.

 

Never been to such a depressing town in my whole life and thats coming from a fella who lives in Maidenhead for christ sake.

[JoshC.]

1 hour ago, Mark9 said:

People who think Southerners hate Blackpool Pleasure Beach because its in the North. What kind of stupidity is that? I also hate Margate for similar reasons to the town of Blackpool for the sole reason its an absolute dive.

 

I still don't get the fuss over BPB in general. It has almost a cult-level following by some people, and I genuinely don't understand why.

 

The only argument I ever see people make in its favour is it's got some old rides and a Weatherspoons nearby. Yay?

 

EDIT: Just seen a tweet which I assume sparked Mark's thoughts. Kind of feels like those who like Blackpool get on the defensive whenever people dislike Blackpool and retort with "Yeah, but there's other places which are worse". Such a magical response which immediately solves Blackpool's problems.

[Matt 236]

3 hours ago, Mark9 said:

2021 edition Part 1

 

People who think in a Nemesis vs Nemesis Inferno poll, that preferring Inferno is a controversial opinion. It's not, it's completely understandable and is discussed almost weekly by twitter coaster enthusiasts.

Nothing controversial really about the first point. It seems in the early years Nemy was by far the favoured of the two, but nowadays it seems almost 50/50. I think Nemy will probably always have the higher vote, but nothing controversial at all. There’s some similarities between preferring Taron or Helix.

3 hours ago, Mark9 said:

 

 

People who think Southerners hate Blackpool Pleasure Beach because its in the North. What kind of stupidity is that? I also hate Margate for similar reasons to the town of Blackpool for the sole reason its an absolute dive.

I think it’s natural to still like a park even if the area it’s located is unfavourable. I’ve certainly heard of many who like BPB but hate the town! I guess this whole “Southerners hate Blackpool” thing must be relating with the North/South divide. 
 

I personally don’t mind Blackpool due to it’s Sea Side location and array of attractions. It’s got a lot of rough edges but otherwise it’s ok. Maybe that’s an unpopular opinion on its own. 
 

2 hours ago, JoshC. said:

 

I still don't get the fuss over BPB in general. It has almost a cult-level following by some people, and I genuinely don't understand why.

 

The only argument I ever see people make in its favour is it's got some old rides and a Weatherspoons nearby. Yay?

 

 

Aside from it’s historical content and “Spoons”, I guess the overall appeal about Blackpool is all within the variety of rides. Coasters, dark rides, etc. Plus it features some of the highest and biggest rides in the country. 
 

Don’t get me wrong, it has imperfections like everywhere, but it’s all a question of what one likes or expects from the park. There seems to typically be three types of enthusiasts as BPB is concerned. Those who love and adore the place, those who like it (but say it’s not as good as it was) and those who don’t really like the place. 

[Martin Doyle]

I am sure this is an UNpopular opinion but who knows

 

Valhalla when it was in its prime was better than Chiapas today.

[Coaster]

Pleasure Beach being adored by some enthusiasts and disliked by others does make sense though, since I feel the same about Thorpe.  It's put on a pedestal by enthusiasts but I personally find it pretty awful, the only coaster I really like there is Inferno and in terms of other rides besides the headliners, there's naff all.

 

Blackpool is in my view a much better park than the others in the UK, the ride offering is much more complete and almost all the coasters are thrilling, plus there's the retro rides too.  It's also important to remember the nostalgia for lots of people goes towards making a park feel special to them, growing up visiting etc.

As a town, I've never really had any issues with Blackpool, every big town or city has rough areas but the tourist areas of Blackpool (and to be fair any area I've been to there) are ace.

 

BPB for me hasn't been on form for a few years now, but after most of last year spent away from the park I'm very excited to go back.

[Benin]

Blackpool is always a weird one. When it's on form it's a really nice park, but when it's bad it's really bad (much like Thorpe can be).

 

I'd certainly agree it's the currently most well rounded of the UK parks. But a distinct lack of direction and removing fan favourites has been problematic. Icon was also just average as an addition.

 

In terms of depressing seaside towns, Hemsby wins that argument.

[Mark9]

2021 Edition Part two.

 

The other day, someone said Steel Vengeance was over-rated. I'm going to stand out here, shout to the world that if you decide to refer to something as over-rated then you have no critical discourse whatsoever and you need to pick up a thesaurus and learn some new descriptive language. Saying something is over-rated is the laziest critique anyone can possibly muster up because it requires no explanation and only looks to disregard peoples opinion. It says to others, 'sure you like a ride but thats only because you're following the crowd. No, I am the only true oracle, the only one that can see past the rose tinted glasses of hype and I stand before you now to tell you that you're a blind sheeple. Follow me, I declare that Steel vengeance/Taron/Nemesis/anything people quite like isn't as good as you think it is'.

 

Under-rated is different. There are so many attractions out there (Alpina Blitz at Nigloland for example) that fall completely under the radar and deserve to be spoken about more. The term under-rated is actually quite nice because it can be used to inspire people to try something or go somewhere they wouldn't necessarily go to without the recommendation. 

 

Over-rated is an awful awful phrase and looks to just belittle others viewpoints and enjoyment. 

[Martin Doyle]

5 hours ago, Mark9 said:

2021 Edition Part two.

 

The other day, someone said Steel Vengeance was over-rated. I'm going to stand out here, shout to the world that if you decide to refer to something as over-rated then you have no critical discourse whatsoever and you need to pick up a thesaurus and learn some new descriptive language. Saying something is over-rated is the laziest critique anyone can possibly muster up because it requires no explanation and only looks to disregard peoples opinion. It says to others, 'sure you like a ride but thats only because you're following the crowd. No, I am the only true oracle, the only one that can see past the rose tinted glasses of hype and I stand before you now to tell you that you're a blind sheeple. Follow me, I declare that Steel vengeance/Taron/Nemesis/anything people quite like isn't as good as you think it is'.

 

Under-rated is different. There are so many attractions out there (Alpina Blitz at Nigloland for example) that fall completely under the radar and deserve to be spoken about more. The term under-rated is actually quite nice because it can be used to inspire people to try something or go somewhere they wouldn't necessarily go to without the recommendation. 

 

Over-rated is an awful awful phrase and looks to just belittle others viewpoints and enjoyment. 

 

This!!

 

Honestly never seen a post hit the nail on the head more than this one!!

[JoshuaWAH]

On 4/5/2021 at 11:36 AM, JoshC. said:

 

I still don't get the fuss over BPB in general. It has almost a cult-level following by some people, and I genuinely don't understand why.

 

The only argument I ever see people make in its favour is it's got some old rides and a Weatherspoons nearby. Yay?

 

EDIT: Just seen a tweet which I assume sparked Mark's thoughts. Kind of feels like those who like Blackpool get on the defensive whenever people dislike Blackpool and retort with "Yeah, but there's other places which are worse". Such a magical response which immediately solves Blackpool's problems.

I just wanted to add my two cents to this- I feel like Blackpool is so liked as it is actually quite unique. Blackpool has so many weird throwbacks to the past in its lineup, rides like Steeplechase are absolutely old gems, you cannot ride a Steeplechase anywhere else. Revolution is a great coaster, and happens to also be one of 3 operating (the only one in Europe, and the most well known of its kind). Throw in 4 fun retro woodies, one of the best Mack Bobsleds, and a good looking Mack. I do see why people like the park.

 

Sure it is really strictly an amusement park- most of the rides are not themed, but the park know that. They keep their classic dark rides, like Alice, River Caves, Ghost Train. Which are always pretty charming, and good fun. They have Skyforce which is the best non Detonator flat ride in the UK IMO. Skyforce also happens to be incredibly reridable and enjoyable too. The park sure is a bit outdated, it does not look the pretty. But I always have a blast there, I think it is easily the most well known non merlin park, and for good reason. Even though I make fun of it every now and then, I do respect it as the second best park in the UK. I do think it has fans for a reason. It certainly has its unique quirks, I feel a lot of parks that are as old as Blackpool haven't preserved the past as well as Blackpool had, the fact they have rides like Revolution and Steeplechase still going shows..

 

Now sure someone might make a Wild Mouse comment, but honestly you have to remember it was a in-house wooden wild mouse, it had a bad throughput, and we did get a consolation prize the next year.

Wild Mouse was the best ride on the park, yes. But I bet it was wholely complicated, Wooden Wild Mouses are nearly extinct (I think there is one left), and that is for a reason. The park do take care of their wooden coasters quite well, and they have still their arrows running strong, so it is not like the park do not try. Sometimes you cannot preserve everything.

 

On 4/8/2021 at 10:27 AM, Mark9 said:

2021 Edition Part two.

 

The other day, someone said Steel Vengeance was over-rated. I'm going to stand out here, shout to the world that if you decide to refer to something as over-rated then you have no critical discourse whatsoever and you need to pick up a thesaurus and learn some new descriptive language. Saying something is over-rated is the laziest critique anyone can possibly muster up because it requires no explanation and only looks to disregard peoples opinion. It says to others, 'sure you like a ride but thats only because you're following the crowd. No, I am the only true oracle, the only one that can see past the rose tinted glasses of hype and I stand before you now to tell you that you're a blind sheeple. Follow me, I declare that Steel vengeance/Taron/Nemesis/anything people quite like isn't as good as you think it is'.

I agree, as a 'I'm better than you' kind of thing- I really hope this one day stops. I think a lot of people (including myself) have coined rides over-rated (like Millenium). I think it really just stems to what each of us want in a coaster, I know people like Millenium for its speed and length, what I value in coasters the most is airtime. I think people really go in expecting without considering that ride really actually will not appeal to their indivdual taste. And then coin it as over-rated. Which is perhaps a bit of bad way of saying you perhaps do not have a common opinion on a ride. Which is what I have been guilty of in the past. I think if people elaborated more on why the coaster did not live up to their own personal expectations- it wouldn't be so bad!

 

Okay enough rambling for the day

 

 

 

 

 

[JoshuaWAH]

So I wanted to add a list of under-rated rides I have ridden- for those rides that do not get appreciated enough.

 

Eurosat- Europa Park

In a park full of loads of things to talk about- food, shows, theming. And their big 3, plus Arthur. Euro-Mir's wackyness and its forceful ending. Eurosat seems to not get talked about much. Which is odd considering it is in a huge white dome. The coaster itself is one of the best indoor coasters IMO, ever since the re-track the ride is butter smooth. Has some good laterals, and is a fairly long ride. It is a family coaster, but it does have a bite to it. It also is mostly in darkness so that really adds to it (plus the use of theming as the only lights on the ride).

 

Tomahawk- Portaventura

I was considering putting Stampida here, but then I remembered some of the dreary rides I have had on it throughout the years- the awful roughness, or the horrible pacing where the ride just starts crawling.

Its neighbour though, Tomahawk is an amazing family wooden coaster. It is very small, it is not very long, but it does pack in some good forces for what it is. When the park has two high questionable intamins, and two high profile B&M's, I guess it is quite easy to forget about Tomahawk.

 

Blue Streak- Cedar Point

People like this ride- but it gets buried in the deep sea of great roller coasters at Cedar Point.

I often forget about when talking about Cedar Point, which is a grave shame. As it is a pretty classic fun woodie.

 

Gemini- Cedar Point

A great racing coaster with good airtime. And a real sense of quirkiness. Again, if this was at Thorpe, it'd be revelled as amazing. But at a park like Cedar Point, it just kind of gets buried sadly.

 

Rougarou- Cedar Point

This seems to get a lot of hate- which honestly I do not get. It is a good coaster IMO, way better than Valravn. It is not the smoothest ride, nor does it have the best layout. But it is a fun coaster, that has somehwhat of a different style of layout for a floorless. If this was not at Cedar Point, again, I think it would get more love.

 

Runaway Mountain- SFOT

A premier rides coaster with a lift chain? This ride is very akin to Eurosat. But a little smaller. It is compact, forceful, in the dark, and a very fun smooth ride.

 

Viper- Six Flags Great America

This woodie is respected, but honestly it deserves a bigger reception. It is one of my favourites woodies, period. It has great airtime, laterals, forces. It is such a classic woodie, and is kept in great condition by Six Flags. It is top 3 at Great America for me, it is a very strong wooden coaster.

 

The Joker- Great America

These things get hated on too much- I actually think they are such fun rides.

 

American Eagle- Great America

Okay it is brutal as hell, but the ride has some great airtime, so many laterals it is painful. It is also a beast of a woodie.

 

 

[Matt 236]

Thought I might chip in:

 

1/ Magma is better than Croc Drop, because I consider it to have better theming and a more thrilling cycle

 

2/ Veloceraptor is the best junior boomerang (having done Raik & Accelerator)

 

3/ Flight Of The Pterosaur is the best coaster at Paultons park. 

[Benin]

I don't think anyone would say those are unpopular opinions. The Vekoma SFCs are generally fantastic coasters and certainly better than the other fayre at Paultons currently.

 

I don't think there are many good Junior Boomerangs though. They're all a bit meh filler.

[JoshC.]

ha, I disagree (quite strongly) with at least 2 of those.

 

1. Haven't done or seen Gator Dive yet, so can't comment. I've heard the cycle is considerably shorter than Magma's (not that longer necessarily means better), but if the theming for Magma is better, then...ooft.

 

2. I prefer the Accelerator layout to the Rebound (Velociraptor) layout tbh. Raik is best for overall theming and experience, but probably has my least favourite layout. Agree with Benin that they're all quite meh, though I'm intrigued to try the stretched out layouts (see Volldampf and Saven/Light Explorer, and the one going to Tayto Park).

 

3. I agree with Benin that Vekoma SFCs are solid coasters, especially the much-cloned Orkanen layout. But I don't like Pterosaur that much. Don't get me wrong, it looks good, interacts with the land well, etc. And it's perfect for the park. But the layout I find very weak. Kind of just meanders round the whole course, not really doing anything that interests me. I much prefer Cobra, even Storm Chaser. Given the choice I'd probably even do Velociraptor over it.

I guess that's my (actually unpopular) opinion right there.

[Charlesberg]

Here are two general ones that come to mind:

1. I think Spinball Whizzer is a very enjoyable and rather intense coaster that deserves a bit more recognition by the park itself. I personally think it should be one of the main 8 (currently 7 obviously). Honestly I’d take it over Th13teen and Rita and it’s on par with Galactica and Oblivion (I’m not sure if I prefer it to them or not). I’m just a huge fan of Maurer spinners in general.

 

2. I think the Big One in the 2nd and 3rd to back row is the best coaster experience in the UK. I find the very back unbearably rough and the front fairly tame after the drop but it feels relentless near the back throughout to me (and I’ve ridden El Toro in the back so I know what relentless feels like). 

[Matt N]

Sorry to bump the thread, but I have some of my own controversial opinions I'd like to share. I apologise in advance if any of these are controversial or triggering... but I guess that's what this thread is for, right?

• I prefer Rita to Stealth, and it's not even particularly close (of the 79 coasters I've done, Rita is currently #14 and an 8/10, while Stealth is #41 and a 6/10). Building upon that, Stealth ranks 4th of Thorpe's big 5 for me based on my most recent experience with each (behind Inferno, Swarm and Saw).
• Standup coasters, while not my favourite coasters or the most comfortable coasters by any stretch, are not as abysmal as they're often made out to be, and I actually prefer them to flying coasters from a comfort standpoint. (This is based on DMP's Shockwave for standups and Galactica and Manta for flyers)
• Blackpool Pleasure Beach's Avalanche is surprisingly good fun and my 2nd favourite coaster there behind only Icon; it makes me sad that the bobsled genre is seemingly dying a death, as I genuinely like Avalanche a lot!
• I prefer Thirteen to Expedition Everest, of the backwards coasters of that style I've done, and by a fair distance (Thirteen is #18 and a 7/10, while Everest is #28 and a 6/10). Building upon that, Everest is only my 4th favourite Walt Disney World roller coaster, ranking behind Rock'n'Rollercoaster, Slinky Dog Dash and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, in that order.
• I prefer Gringotts to Forbidden Journey of the two Potter dark rides in Orlando, and I'd say it is my 2nd favourite dark ride of all time behind only Tower of Terror. (the much revered Spider-Man is a very close 3rd, however)
• Runaway Mine Train is my 6th favourite coaster at Alton Towers, and a huge guilty pleasure of mine; those helixes have no business being on a family coaster, and it just puts a huge smile on my face every time! (The rides that rank lower are Smiler, Galactica, Spinball and Octonauts, in that order)
• I did not especially enjoy Olympia Looping, in spite of it being hugely praised; while it (surprisingly) didn't make me grey or black out, it was too intense for me and made me feel pretty nauseous like no other coaster has done, and I also found the restraints to be some of my least favourite ever; those shoulder bars tightened so much it actually caused me to wince in pain during the ride. I'll admit that was perhaps the most disappointed I've ever been by a coaster.
• I prefer Universal parks to Disney parks by a fair bit; while I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Disney (I loved Animal Kingdom and Epcot in particular), the Universal parks have that special something for me that the Disney parks lack. IOA and USF are my 2 favourite parks in Florida, and IOA is my favourite park of all time.
• Wicker Man is my favourite wooden coaster in the UK by a considerable distance, and my 2nd favourite in the UK overall behind only Icon (I can sense Icon being my British favourite might perhaps be another hot take!). I think it's terrific fun and hugely rerideable; it absolutely blitzes through the layout, and packs fun twisty sections and surprising airtime, in my opinion, as well as being fairly smooth and comfy as far as wooden coasters go!
• In spite of finding sections of it impressive, I didn't particularly enjoy Valhalla, and I can think of water rides in the UK alone that I prefer, let alone Florida.

So, those are some of my most uncommon takes! If you want justification for any of those, ask away!

[Coaster]

One that came to mind after how both rides have been running this year.

 

I'd say that Infusion is much more intense, fun and thrilling than Icon.  It also looks cooler and delivers a much higher throughput based on both rides' performance this year.

 

The only thing that holds it back from being better outright is inconsistency and the fact it's sometimes horribly rough.  If it ran at its best, all the time, I'd genuinely consider it a "better" coaster than Icon.

[Martin Doyle]

Heres another of mine and I aint sure how "unpopular" it is. I will assume it is given the massive fanbase and popularity Europa has in the theme park/coaster community. Full disclaimer, I really like Europa before anyone things likewise!! 

 

Of the two top German parks, I FAR prefer Phantasia to Europa. I believe the following reasons are valid enough.

 

1. Whilst Europa has a far large coaster selection, I much prefer Taron and Black Mamba to ANY coaster at Europa. I actually personally find most the Europa coasters "middle of the road" with the exception of Wodan. I would rather one world class coaster to a handful of "good ones". Quality over quantity.

 

2. With water rides. Again, Europa has a far bigger selection but I would have Chiapas and River quest over any of the Europa water rides. Same as I said in point 1.

 

3. Dark rides. I personally prefer Maus Au Chocolat to all Europas dark rides. I personally cant warm to the dark rides at Europa as I find them to be blatant rip offs of Disney dark rides.

 

4. I find it a more manageable park in regards to not feeling knackered when walking around and trying to fit it all in. I liken Phantasia to a dish where the portion is just right and the food is incredible whereas Europa is a buffet where one has gone mad stacking the plate high.

 

5. I think Phantasia has a more unique overall feel to it and the theming quality in my book is far higher. Rookburgh and Klugheim optimise that.

 

6. I prefer the food options at Phantasia. Rutmoors tavern is heaven and the noodles in China are gorgeous!!.

 

So yeah. They be my reasons for having the opinion of Phantasia being the better park to Europa.

 

 

[Mark9]

Sure we love rides but lets face it, the music is the best part of the theme park experience. Rides make up ten or so minutes of the day, music is all round you, encompassing you, selling you the experience. No one has been in that Baron 1898 queue and not hummed along to the tune.

[Matt N]

A surprisingly unpopular one of mine following my recent trip to Europa is; I prefer Icon to Blue Fire, and by a definite distance.