I had
observed Batman: The Ride from the loading area of Nitro on numerous occasions
and never felt the slightest inclination to ride it because I’d heard that it
was sufficiently disorienting to induce headaches and nausea. However, I was ready for a new
experience and decided to take the plunge.
A suspended coaster with multiple inversions, Batman is in operation at
a number of Six Flags parks although there are differences in the ride from
park to park so this review will be confined to the one at Six Flags Great
Adventure. The ride is nicely themed,
accessed through a tunnel, and boarded in a dark area no doubt designed to
resemble the Batcave. Once dispatched, the
train climbs the 105-ft. lift hill, drops on a curve and immediately traverses
the periphery of a very tight loop. (The
loop is so tight that for the train to actually travel inside the loop would be
an impossibility.) It then goes into a
zero-g roll and around another loop before a drop followed by two
corkscrews. What struck me most about
this ride was the intensity and relentlessness.
This is a coaster with very abrupt directional changes which occur sequentially
and rapidly, leaving the rider with no time to regroup. I didn’t know whether I was coming or
going. The maximum g-force is 4 and it can certainly
be felt. Parenthetically, I had struck up a conversation with a young couple
who got on the ride just before I did.
When the one train that was running at the time returned to the station,
I asked them what they thought of the ride and the guy said “She’s going to be
sick!” This did not bode well, as I was
next to ride, but contrary to my expectations, I actually enjoyed the
ride. The feeling of disorientation and
dizzying inversions were to some extent thrilling. However, I must say that although I did not
become nauseated, I did feel lightheaded at the end of the ride and decided that it
was a good time to get some lunch, chill out and regain my equilibrium. I would not recommend Batman: The Ride to
anyone prone to motion sickness but would recommend it to anyone else
interested in having a good ride. 3 ½ out
of 5 stars. For more information about
rides at Six Flags Great Adventure, visit www.sixflags.com/greatadventure/
