BIZARRO

BIZARRO
SIX FLAGS NEW ENGLAND

Six rides on Bizarro almost made up for having to drive two hours from Boston to Six Flags New England due to misinformation on a website which said that Boston was the closest airport to Agawam.  (Hartford is the closest airport.)  Because this coaster was manufactured by Intamin, which built my two favourite coasters – El Toro and Millennium Force – I expected a good ride and believe me, I got one.  The lift hill reminded me of Millennium Force because both coasters have a body of water on the left side and no guard rail on that side, the only difference being that Bizarro uses a chain lift and MF uses a cable lift.  The first drop of 221 feet at a 72-degree angle was breathtaking, with the added element of speeding into a mist-filled tunnel at the bottom of the drop.  That was followed by a succession of drops and overbanked turns.  This ride is all about drops, angles and special effects.   The track layout is outstanding and the helixes were pretty intense.  I rode Bizarro in the front, middle and back of the train and found that the G-forces are much greater in the back.  This can be felt throughout the ride and particularly when racing around a right-banked turn into the second mist-filled tunnel.  However,  I still enjoy the front not only for the unobstructed view but for the very noticeable hang time before going over the first drop.  The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the sound effects.  On my first visit to SFNE, each seat had a speaker in the headrest which blasted out Bizarro-themed music that sounded like a combination of commercial voiceovers and rap.  Well, a roller coaster soundtrack is an interesting concept but I felt that this detracted from rather than added to the ride.    (At least it wasn’t as obnoxious as the repetitive pre-recorded announcements in the loading area to the effect that riders must have two legs and at least one arm to ride Bizarro.)  When I visited the park a year later, the soundtrack had been removed.  With or without a soundtrack, Bizarro is one of the best coasters I have ever ridden.  5 out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Six Flags New England visit www.sixflags.com/newengland/