My homepark is Six Flags Great America. I’ve had the opportunity to visit the park many times.
I’ve gotten a pretty good feel of all the rides and am confident on where I rank them.
In this video I’ll be ranking the roller coasters of Six Flags Great America by the element. You
won’t see a coaster twice on this list and I’m going to exclude the family and kiddie coasters.
Starting off the list I have the backwards spike on Vertical Velocity.
This ride as a whole is a guilty pleasure of mine, I just have a soft spot for it. Many people claim
the holding brake makes it better so if it were added I won’t be surprised if this element would
be higher up on this list. The first spike is great but the ride is just better in the back row
because on the backwards spike you’re shot up nearly 200 feet with extreme positives and then
you get some good weightlessness at the top. I’m genuinely surprised more people don’t talk about
this ride and element. And if you know me you know I have a soft spot for forgotten coasters.
Next is American’s Eagles surprise ejector hill.
This hill takes place on the red side after the helix. The helix provides increasingly powerful
laterals but then you exit the structure with a jarring drop that always surprises you. I
think it’s similar to the ejector death hill, which gets a lot of praise in this community.
Both have powerful sharp pops of ejector but the one on American Eagle seems to be forgotten.
Most people hype up the first run of speed hills and the iconic helix but forget some
of the other outstanding moments. And people sleep on the first drop in the back row too,
the airtime on that element is wonderful as well. Overall it’s a great ride.
Number 8 is Viper’s double down. Whether you think it’s overrated
or underrated you have to admit this element is the best on the ride
and one of the best in the park. The ride as a whole focuses on floater airtime but this element
is an exception. It attempts to remove you from the seat on the last dip. It's straight ejector
and you don’t expect it on your first ride unless you’ve experienced one of these on other coasters.
At 7 is Batman the ride and its vertical loops. Whether the first or the second they’re both
powerful. It’s a must to experience this in the back row. You hug the ground with
extreme positives after getting whipped over the top. I think because they’re so compact,
that makes them so intense. I actually prefer them to the ones on Montu and Raptor,
but those two are great too. I had a struggle picking this element or the corkscrews
but this is more of a sustained force so I think that’s why I like it better.
6 is an underrated and underappreciated element. I know I say this a lot but this element is
truly forgotten and deserves more praise. X-Flight’s first drop is the prime example.
It’s not that tall especially compared to Gatekeeper and its massive wing over drop but
this one does the trick. Insane hangtime at the top, crazy whip down in the back, and powerful
positives exiting. It’s a great start to the ride and deserves to be talked about a little bit more.
Demon’s first drop is the same. But in fact I hear not one thing about it. Literally extreme
ejector in the back row. It’s not at the crest of the hill either but rather half way down.
It’s kinda like if you combined Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point’s drop with
Maverick. If you’re not expecting it then boy you’re in for a treat. As a matter of
fact I think I like to keep a secret because I love hearing people surprised by that airtime
moment. Arrow Dynamics hosts many powerful airtime moments in their coasters and it’s no secret.
Staying on track with extreme forces, Superman’s Pretzel loop attempts to rip your face off.
Not because of airtime or the hangtime of X-Flight but rather the positives. In the back
you get whipped down and it feels similar to those beyond vertical drops but instead of sitting down
you go from flying below the track to on your back. It’s known that these inversions
are the best out there and I thought the same up until I rode another roller coaster in Florida.
Number 3 is Golaith at Six Flags Great America. Yet again another inversion. This one is hangtime
focused. It was the first of its kind and on a wooden roller coaster too. Probably the most
impressive inversion. Just as groundbreaking as Hades 360’s- yes pun intended. But the inversion
has a really good whip going into the front and exiting it in the back. I wouldn’t call it
overrated or underrated, the hype for the element is appropriate. If you haven’t experienced one of
these I think you’ll have to add it to the top of your bucket list. That speed hill
is also a great element, it’s really hard to choose when every element hits hard.
I think a lot of people know about this one, but Raging Bull’s drop comes in
at number 2. This is my favorite airtime moment on any B&M. Back row is the way to go.
You can’t do any other row, it must be back. Usually there’s a decent wait for that row but
every cycle is worth it. It’s that much better. And it’s crazy because you feel
like you’re going to get launched from over 200 feet in the air. There’s not a sensation
on a roller coaster I could compare it to. You just gotta experience it for yourself.
Number one is Maxx Force’s launch. The ride is commonly broken but when it decides to open
make this a must do. Front row provides something unparalleled. There’s no countdown so on the first
few rides this comes unexpected. It’s got so much power. I wouldn’t change a single thing
about the element, the only thing I would change would be making it more sustained. But honestly I
don’t know if I would want to because I think it would ruin the power of the element. And
the ride as a whole is a powerhouse too. I just wish it was a bit longer because it’s so good.
There’s no correct way to rank the roller coasters or elements of this park. Everyone's
opinions seem to be different so tell me your favorite element in the park, or if you haven’t
been here yet tell me which one you’re looking forward to the most. Thank you for watching!