ROLLER COASTER REVIEWS

Sunday, April 7, 2013

BATMAN: THE RIDE

SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE


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/