Review of Superman The Ride at Six Flags New England (Formerly Superman: Ride of Steel and Bizarro)
A Heroic Hyper Coaster That Lives Up to Its Lofty Reputation
I don’t give out a lot of 10’s. But this ladies and gentlemen, deserves a 10. It’s reputation was huge and I figured it would be better than the other coasters by the same name, I just didn’t know it was going to be THAT good. Thanks to the unimaginative minds at Six Flags it can be a bit confusing. There are two other hypercoasters by the same name, one at Six Flags America and one at the de-flagged Darien Lake, which is now just Ride of Steel. Those two are identical and very pedestrian in comparison to the New England installation. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece. Don’t take my word for it. Thousands of coaster enthusiasts agree. See the Golden Ticket Awards and Mitch Hawker’s Poll.
Now, to the review. The experience starts with some appropriate Metropolis-themed
supporting buildings. Right away, I noticed a clean, well organized queue with the Superman movie theme playing in the background. It’s a small touch, but adds to the experience. I’m not sure why this is absent from the other Superman coasters. The station was buzzing with excitement and the ride ops kept the energy up asking riders if they enjoyed the ride. Quite often, the trains returned with enthusiastic applause before the ride ops could even speak.
Intamin’s seats aren’t as wide and comfortable as the seats you find on B&M’s Apollo’s Chariot, but the back seats of each car are raised slightly in a stadium seating fashion. After leaving the station, you begin the long ascent which offers a breath-taking view of the Connecticut River a few hundred yards to your left. If you sit on the left there isn’t much between you, the river, and the ground, far, far below. At over 200 feet up, the trains crest the top and then plummet down more than 220 feet. At the bottom of the hill the train dashes throw a short underground tunnel as it reaches 77 mph. You climb up and drop down another 120 foot drop. Next is the overbanked turn that’s similar to Intamin’s overbank on Millennium Force, just not quite as large.
Packed with Airtime As Advertised
As I had heard from other coaster enthusiasts, the hills are stuffed with airtime. Some with sudden drops that are short but powerful, jerking you down and even throwing your hands up for you. The helices offer great g-forces and the second tunnel is cool and throws you a little. I also enjoyed the layout and liked the varied nature of the track. I can see why New Englanders are so rabid for this ride. It had the longest line at the park the entire day. And if it wasn’t for security there would have been a mad dash for it when the park opened. This truly is the
best steel
roller coaster (and in my opinion overall coaster) on the planet. Kumba’s still my personal favorite though. Final Rating – 10 (Transcendental)
Check out this video of Superman The Ride, though it doesn’t really do the ride justice.
Note – This video was filmed by professionals with permission from the park. For safety reasons, please DO NOT take a camera on a roller coaster.
Similar Intamin hyper coasters: Superman: Ride of Steel at SF America, Expedition GeForce at Holiday Park, Ride of Steel at Darien Lake
Bizarro is rated ‘IN’ for Intense. It’s a 4 out of 5 on my Thrill Scale for of its height and speed.
What’s Your Take?
For more info check out this fan site. How many roller coasters have their own fan sites? Do you have a comment about this S:RoS or any of the other versions? Chime in below.
