Attraction Top Thrill 2

Register or Login to Hide This Ad for Free!
Attraction Type
Roller Coaster
Attraction Status
Existing
Attraction Manufacturer
Zamperla
Attraction Model
Lightning
OK, so...The ride looks good. I'll give it that. As long as Zamperla doesn't give this some good ole' fashioned potholes, this should be one crazy experience.
The rest of this makes me hope this isn't a sign of things to come.
First, the leak. As @Zachary mentioned on Sunday, Zamperla's marketing team ought to be in some trouble after this. This is by far the biggest project in Zamperla's history and they're already making major mistakes. In my possibly unpopular opinion, this alone is firable.
And now the name. This is the single worst name I've ever seen on a roller coaster. They're literally describing the ride within the name! Anyone who follows this park will know this is the reimagined version, which means there's no reason to flat out say it's the sequel! Likewise, the general audience will see that name and be confused! "Where's Top Thrill One?", they'll ask! This name has literally no reason to exist and feels as low effort as I've ever seen out of this park.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SLC Headache
warfelg said:
I just thought of something.

Taron goes from near standstill to 50 in about 200 feet.
Velocicoaster does near standstill to 50 in about 200 feet.

And this needs over 550 feet to get going to 72. I don't know the math on everything be this all seems....weak? Especially when it needs all near 600 feet to get to 100 then 120 using a total of 1700 feet of track. Am I wrong in thinking that's not super impressive for the track length they have to work with?
Click to expand...
Actually 72 MPH is just over twice the energy input than 50, due to the v-squared term in the kinetic energy equation. I estimate this swing launch will have almost equal energy input on each swing, a bit less on the last one but it may be harder to get as much in at that speed, plus a margin of error etc.

I clocked the video as taking 45 seconds from standstill to top of the top hat. That's a lot more ride.

The name is generic but it's not really a dragster anymore otherwise it's the same or twice as much?
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChiefGorilla, CoasterMac and rollercoastercoaster
I’m just excited to feel 120mph of lake air again. The name is absolutely horrendous. When it leaked, I thought it was Zamperla’s internal name that just had to be replaced with the real name, but nope that’s it lol. People will just keep calling it Dragster anyway
 
  • Like
Reactions: Furyous Baco 325
Nicole said:
"DarKoaster is clever wordplay. Whereas, "Top Thrill 2" is an assault on the English language.
Click to expand...
...I was trying to say "Top Thrill 2" made me re-evaluate "DarKoaster" as a name. DarKoaster has the cool factor of being a fan nickname that ascended into canon. Top Thrill 2 sounds like an internal placeholder name created by suits.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nicole
Why does it seem that so many of the efforts within the American amusement industry are becoming lazier and lazier with each new project? Its like every time I watch a video from Coaster Studios or other content creators, they are in Europe showcasing seriously thoughtful additions with intriguing theming elements, storylines, and layouts that will stand the test of time. So many American parks continue to throw together half- assed efforts that bring out the frustration of enthusiasts like us, and yet wow the general public with expectations at an alarmingly low level as of late.

Opportunities continue to be missed in the world of rides that could potentially push the envelope in so many ways, and enterprises such as Cedar Fair, SeaWorld, and Six Flags continue to add some of the most lukewarm, theme – devoid creations in recent memory. I used to think that the golden age of new coasters could be during this timeframe, and creations like this continue to prove me wrong.

I won’t beat a dead horse about how bad the name is and the lack of creativity, but I will say that I will not be spending my hard-earned money to make a trip to Sandusky for this, and I would rather save my money and head to spots abroad like Asterix, Plopsaland, or even Energylandia to see what thoughtfulness coupled with dedicated imagination generates in the right mindset.

“I’m not mad, just *SEVERELY* disappointed.

This is bullshit.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: Intimidator325, Connor Conant, John and 4 others
Honestly the layout is about what I was expecting. I wish that the launch could've been on a bunny hill but the support setup proved against that. I'm surprised that the spike track looks just like Intamin 4-rail track instead of Zamperla's track they've used on most of their coasters. The name is a bit of a letdown, I was hoping from the leak it was just a placeholder. But it's just a name, I'm not sure why everybody makes a big deal over coaster names.

A lot of people are upset that it's not Intamin, there's no big layout extension, the spike isn't 500 ft, etc. It's obvious that CF is no longer working with Intamin, and why would you need to speed up a 500 foot tall spike when your next pass is going over only 420 feet? Lots of people getting their hopes too high because it's Cedar Point...as if they're not owned by a company who plays it safe. I'm very inclined to see these Lightning trains in action for the first time, and a backwards segment in a full circuit layout? That's a first for Cedar Fair, isn't it?
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChiefGorilla, AlpenChariot, SLC Headache and 1 other person
cschnizer said:
I'm not sure why everybody makes a big deal over coaster names.
Click to expand...

At an amusement park, I would argue that names probably aren't that important. If the company is trying to introduce any kind of theme, however, the name is critical. It is first piece of the placemaking and storytelling. It seems that CF is trying to improve their theming, which would make this important. How exactly do you theme a ride to a "Top Thrill?" What is the story? What icon can you use?

Perhaps, CP doesn't need to be more themed (or themed at all). The name is still nearly meaningless and adding the "2' makes it seem even more stupid. It feels as if they didn't even bother to expend even one hour coming up with branding for this very high visibility attraction.

Moreover, given the negative press TTD has gotten and will continue to get over the accident, the decision not to decouple the new ride from its predecessor seems a bit tone deaf and honestly shortsighted.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lightninlady, Connor Conant, Bring Back Questor 87 and 3 others
There is a lot of complaining about the name but next to no one has actually provided a new name had they been in charge.
 
bradd1319 said:
There is a lot of complaining about the name but next to no one has actually provided a new name had they been in charge.
Click to expand...
I think Wicked Dragster like some on YouTube have pointed out. Would connect to both the original TTD and with the vertical spike, Wicked Twister.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SLC Headache
Bring Back Questor 87 said:
Why does it seem that so many of the efforts within the American amusement industry are becoming lazier and lazier with each new project? Its like every time I watch a video from Coaster Studios or other content creators, they are in Europe showcasing seriously thoughtful additions with intriguing theming elements, storylines, and layouts that will stand the test of time. So many American parks continue to throw together half- assed efforts that bring out the frustration of enthusiasts like us, and yet wow the general public with expectations at an alarmingly low level as of late.

Opportunities continue to be missed in the world of rides that could potentially push the envelope in so many ways, and enterprises such as Cedar Fair, SeaWorld, and Six Flags continue to add some of the most lukewarm, theme – devoid creations in recent memory. I used to think that the golden age of new coasters could be during this timeframe, and creations like this continue to prove me wrong.

I won’t beat a dead horse about how bad the name is and the lack of creativity, but I will say that I will not be spending my hard-earned money to make a trip to Sandusky for this, and I would rather save my money and head to spots abroad like Asterix, Plopsaland, or even Energylandia to see what thoughtfulness coupled with dedicated imagination generates in the right mindset.

“I’m not mad, just *SEVERELY* disappointed.

This is bullshit.
Click to expand...
This is especially disappointing coming from Cedar Fair, as their recent additions were raising the bar. I would have expected this from current SeaWorld or five-to-ten-years-ago Six Flags. And as of recently Disney has been cutting corners. It's like Universal is the only major player in the US who still cares.

I almost want to see more family entertainment centers adding amusement park size/quality rides to challenge the regional amusement parks at this rate, though not if the end result is the regionals going under.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Consider Donating to Hide This Ad