June 22, 2006
A friend and I visited Six Flags Over Texas, since we were staying in Texas for a few days before a trip to Mexico. Overall? Disappointing, but my ignorance of its rides/history is to blame. I know that if I had paid for it, I wouldn't go again (especially since Hurricane Harbor is a separate entrance fee). Luckily, I had my Season Pass, so it wasn't too bad of a day.
They did mention that Over Texas was the first regional Six Flags in the nation--that became more evident with the rides, unless it's poor maintenance to blame. It was also home to the first log flume and consecutive loops, but didn't have much else going for it, in my opinion. Maybe that's the hot weather talking...
Anyway, the park itself was rather confusing. The walkways varied in width (though almost always smaller than those at Great America), but that was made up by: 1) the much less traffic and 2) the hundreds of giant fans spraying mist everywhere, seperated by only 20ft, max. Even with those fans, it was still pretty dang hot, so that might be part of the problem with this TR.
I'm not sure of the name of the first ride we hit. I remember seeing a special on it when it was first opened years ago, but I can't seem to remember the name (or even find it anywhere on the net). Whatever it's name was, it was a 1-minute wait, and only because it took so long for the cars to move. The cars themselves looked like elevators--1 row of 4 seats cramped into a steel cage. You'd be lifted (vertically, like an elevator) some 10-stories at least, pushed forward, and then dropped. Of course it curves at the bottom, but there was still some pretty good air time. Anyone know the name of that one? I still can't find the name...
Whatever.. next we hit Superman - Tower of Power. It's like Giant Drop, but taller, faster, and longer (time-wise). It uses air pressure to thrust its riders up, and then let them bounce around for a few times before being pulled to the top, and dropped again. Very exciting, and probably the best ride in the park. Even the line was completely covered by a mesh and dozens of most misters, which was awesome (even though the wait was so short, I could handle it in full sun).
I lost track of what we did after that--everything seemed hidden and was hard to find. That, and Mr. Freeze was closed for the day. We did eventually hit all the roller coaster's that were open, but none were as exciting as Superman or the first unnamed ride. The crowds were very decent--so short, that, even after watching a rodeo show ("One Riot, One Ranger") and some sort of funk dance show, my friend and I were bored with too much time on our hands. We managed to pass the last of the day by watching the rodeo show again and going a few more times on Superman... So, whatever order they were in, here's a quickie on the other rides available at Over Texas:
Flashback: It's an earlier version of Deja Vu, but sit-down instead of suspension. Because of that, the two pully-systems pull you up at an angle instead of completely vertical. Anyway, going forwards was nice--just as good as Vu, but not quite as smooth. Going backwards freaked me out. The tiny seats and cramped restraints (I wasn't stapled, just too big for the seats?) made me think I was going to throw up. Normally I enjoy the air time, but the jerking of Flashback only brought pain to my loin.. Still, better than the wooden coasters there...
Texas Giant: What a nightmare. Maybe it was just the car/train that we chose, but it was the most rickity/bumpy ride I've ever ridden, next to one horrible nightmare on Son of Beast some years ago. The only good portion was the chainlift up. After that, all hell broke loose, and any attempt to have fun was brought down with a jerk and a bump, but I think the seats were to blame (once again). They were all cramped, and nothing compared to those at Great America. There was no comfortable position, and the jerking only made it worse. The curves especially--those were nothing close to being circles.
Judge Roy Scream: Hehe, a walkon, like several others. It was much better than Texas Giant, but after going on Titan so many times, it started giving me a headache. It's what American Eagle is to Great America. Just a good, classic ride.
Batman the Ride: Haha, the only ride shared with Great America. The only different being, it was smoother than the one at G.Am.!
Once my eyes started to black out, I took it as a sign that I should rest, so we didn't get too many rides in on this one.
Titan: It seemed to be the one big roller coaster at the park, yet it only seated two in a row, like most of the rides at the park. Still, it seemed to be what Raging Bull is to Great America, so we gave it a shot. The first drop isn't as steep as Raging Bull, but by my guess probably taller--we got some excellent air time (full seconds worth, which is a rarity if you're not on Superman) on the second drop. After a few rides (because the line was so short), I could see my eyes nearly blacked out around the up-ward helixes, so again, there wasn't any record-breaking numbers. At least not today.
Shockwave: Nothing like the old Shockwave that G.Am. use to have. Well, kinda, but a lot smaller. It was actually one of the smoother ones, but the condition of the track would make you think otherwise. Just a simple, short ride. Nothing to be scared of, unless you don't like the consecutive loops (think Demon-sized).
I know I'm forgetting some, but it's getting long anyway. We also got onto the Carousel, Bumper Cars, Teacups, and the Conquistador, but all only because we were bored, and nothing came out of them (except Teacups, because we spun too fast for the brakes to take effect until after 45-seconds, with everyone else already stopped). So I guess in the end we did have some fun, but not as much as expected. We were bored most of the time (and hot during the rest), whereas during any trip to Great America, time always seems to fly by before you know it. So next time you bash the long lines, the insane food prices, or just generally the park, remember how some other people are experiencing half your fun for the same price at a different park. Unless they happen to have a season pass, of course.
