But that doesn't mean that roller coasters are bad. Roller coasters are...well, they're there for entertainment. Roller coasters are so great because I'm going to do a top 10 on them. That didn't make any sense at all, but whatever.
So what makes up this top 10? The roller coaster just has to be good in its own way. It's probably not possible to find 2 coasters alike, unless they're from the same theme park (i.e. Disneyland and Disney World), so they're not being judged the same way. The criteria is always different, in other words. Drops, flips, dips, turns, and zooms. That's what I'm looking for. Do the lines matter? Hell no. Because the mark of a good roller coaster is being able to wait in that long, tedious line to enjoy 2 minutes of sheer bliss.
Also keep in mind that I haven't been on some of these roller coasters in years. But I don't think that matters too much. I may not remember the fine detail of it, but I remember enough to give it the spot on the 10 that it deserves.
So here's another top 10 straight to your face from Blue Yoshi. (I still have no idea why I named my blog that)
10) Jaguar (Knott's Berry Farm)
If you don't like Jaguar, don't go to amusement parks at all. Jaguar was one of the first roller coasters I've ever ridden. It's the most basic of roller coasters, yet fun as heck. Again, there's nothing to be afraid of. It goes at a cruising speed, makes lots of turns, and drops minimally. With these features, it still amazes me how amusing this ride can be. Whenever I go to Knott's, I cannot leave the park without riding this ride.
9) Montezuma's Revenge (Knott's Berry Farm)
Again from Knott's, this is probably even simpler than Jaguar, but a tad more intense. There is no rise and fall; this coaster shoots you straight into a loop, up an incline, and then backwards. The whole ride lasts about 30 seconds, which is disappointing, but still fun. It's probably a good starter coaster. If you can ride this, you can probably ride anything else at Knott's. Maybe. I also have to mention that the line is short most of the times I went.
8) Thunder Mountain (Disneyland)
"...Cuz this here's the wildest ride in the WILDERNESS," is what I hear about 10 times in the line. And that's probably a true statement. What does this roller coaster have to offer? Well, it puts you into a western setting. Like PURE western. It doesn't start off with a rise, like most traditional coasters. This one just sends you down at a significant speed into the dark. There are animatronic animals placed all around the track, there are 3 rises, and the last one has a bunch of rocks ready to fall on you. Not to mention that you get to go through a T-Rex's skeleton. I'd probably have to also mention that there has been an accident with this coaster - on my birthday. Weird.
7) Silver Bullet (Knott's Berry Farm)
People have told me that you go upside down on this ride 6 and 1/2 times. I fail to see the 1/2 part about it. I rode this 3 times before and it was a very satisfying experience. It's an inverted style roller coaster, which means the cars are below the track instead of on it. Right away the ride sends you straight into a loop, and then some bunny ears, and then a cork screw. It's pretty fast, one of the fastest rides in Knott's. Just be careful when you exit. You'll feel really drunk when you get off the ride.
6) Colossus (Six Flags)
My mom told my sister that this was like Jaguar. So she went on. It wasn't. So she cried mid-ride. But in comparison to the other things at Six Flags, this IS like Jaguar. It's a wooden roller coaster, so there are no loops. But to make up for it, it has very high and steep drops. While it may be pretty intense to some people, I thought it was a very easy ride. You go pretty fast, probably a little lower than Ghostrider speed. This is a must-ride when you go to Six Flags.
5) Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios Hollywood)
They had to take out E.T. to bring in this ride at Universal Studios. I was sad. But then I became happy again when I actually rode this. I think this is the ride with the best line. I'm just saying. Along with Montezuma's Revenge, this is another backwards ride. Well, not all of it. It's like half and half. The first part of the ride is kind of like It's A Small World style. Meaning that it goes slowly through the scenery and brings you into the world of the Mummy. Then you stop before Imhotep and he declares, "YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!" And then you shoot off into the darkness, barely missing mummies and other undead things. You then come to a stop at a wall, where scarabs start swarming. This is when the ride goes backwards. You zoom past all the undead things again when you are stopped and a big puff of smoke hits you in the face. It's so awesome that I rode it twice in the same day.
4) Space Mountain (Disneyland)
This ride probably needs no introduction, being that most people have gone on this ride. It's very popular; so popular that the lines are infamous for being extremely long. But that's why you get a fast pass. Thinking ahead FTW. Like the name suggests, the theme is outer space. So the cars are rockets and you're flying through space. The actual ride is very exciting. There are speakers next to your head blasting out music while you go sailing into darkness. Yeah, darkness. If you've never ridden this ride, let me tell you something: it doesn't matter whether you keep your eyes open or closed. You can't see shit either way. Actually you can see stars, but that's about it. You have no idea where you're going, which adds to the excitement. Turns and drops are sudden, and you just have to sit there and take it. Yay. The pictures are always awesome, because usually people's faces are twisted into some crazy mix of heck.
3) Xcellerator (Knott's Berry Farm)
This could easily be the fastest ride I ever rode. One of the later additions to the park, Xcellerator has a heck of a long line. For a good reason. The ride is so exhillirating that you just forget about the maybe-1-hour you spent in line. This ride also has no rising part. It just shoots you off at 80 mph and you go flying. The whole ride lasts less than 2 minutes, but that just to show you how damn fast it goes. I only rode this once and I really wish I could ride it again. It's one of those rides that are so high that you can see it from the freeway as you go past Knott's.
2) Ghostrider (Knott's Berry Farm)
I like this ride better than Xcellerator just because the ride lasts longer. And isn't that what everyone wants? More time with the ride? Well whatever. I think this has the longest rise time out of all of these. Which only sets up for the biggest-freaken-drop ever. It was so fast that I couldn't even scream. I just had to clench my teeth in hopes that I wouldn't bite my tongue off. The whole ride never loses momentum. Everything is fast. There are so many drops here that you NEED a seatbelt. So put it on. And ride the ghost.
1) Tatsu (Six Flags)
This is one of the rides that I only rode one time. But it was so freaken awesome that it's burned into my brain for the next 16 years. Why is this ride so radical? Well first of all, the design is just like nothing I've ever seen. Your seat is tilted downward to help with the flying effect. Also, some of the loops go down instead of up. That one hit me hard because I didn't see it coming. And the rest of the ride, you just feel like flying. And everyone loves that feeling. Flying fast and high in the sky above everyone else looking at you, wishing that they were on that ride too. This ride just kicks your ass till you ride it again. And it leaves you with this REALLY satisfied feeling that probably no other coaster can give. And that's why this is number 1.
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