Giga Coasters: Are They Overrated?

Giga Coasters: Are They Overrated? It seems like everyone wants a Giga Coaster at their home park, but at the same time it seems that giga coasters rarely appear in many people's top 10 coasters lists. So why do people want a Giga Coaster at their home theme park? What makes Giga Coasters so special? Are Giga Coasters all stats and no substance? Let's explore some of the more prominent Giga Coaster installations to determine if giga coasters are the ultimate coaster model or overrated.
Chapters:
0:00-0:21 Into
0:22-2:20 Millennium Force(less?)
2:21-3:41 Steel Dragon 2000
3:42-5:51 Leviathan
5:52-6:47 Fury 325
6:48-9:26 Conclusion
Marxist Arrow by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Down With That by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
#GigaCoaster #Rollercoaster #Fury325 #MilleniumForce #SteelDragon2000

[@JakeCoasters]

Sound Off: Are Gigas Overrated?

[@Patexer]

Yes

[@radagastbrown9001]

The sound on your video is poor and you are doing a poor job of annunciation. Two minutes in and I already have missed several words and even when I replay it I can't tell what you are saying.

[@radagastbrown9001]

What is giga? There's no context for this video.

[@Patexer]

@@radagastbrown9001 the term “giga” is used for coaster’s that have have a drop or height of 300ft (399-399ft).

[@Patexer]

Bruh this Gp reply 🤦‍♂️

[@Trim_Brakes_06]

I305 has left the chat.

[@SunnylandProds]

I think what you said about gigas being summer blockbusters is spot-on. I305 is the antithesis to this. But it makes a lot of sense. They cost a lot to build, but they’re immensely marketable and massive crowd-pleasers. That’s why Knott’s needs a hyper or giga. They need a big, crowd-pleasing steel coaster with great capacity. And a giga at Busch Gardens Tampa will not only look incredible in that park’s skyline,but they really don’t have any big non-inverting coasters. And again, it would be a massive crowd-pleaser with excellent capacity.

[@JakeCoasters]

Ha yeeeah, I have a whole separate video for I305, the antithesis is a great way to put it. I agree with Knotts and BGT as well

[@SunnylandProds]

@@JakeCoasters I absolutely LOVE I305, but like X2, it’s not for everyone

[@iliketrains3546]

My only giga, steel dragon, is in my top 5 out of over 50 coasters. It’s not the most complex or objectively best coaster, but it’s just great fun and has some of the most sustained airtime ever on a coaster

[@JakeCoasters]

I'd love to see more 'Steel Dragons' built

[@c.j.buchanan8278]

Another thing gigas do well is the ride time. The experience lasts a lot longer than most coasters, and that's a big reason why I enjoy them. However, a lot of it does depend on the other forces. I like Fury way more than Millennium Force because it has so many airtime moments.

[@JakeCoasters]

That's true, some of the do have a good ride time, Fury for instance

[@RadioMuse1]

In theory, I think the optimal size for a coaster is probably right around the 150-200ft mark or equivalent speed (60-75mph) because as size increases the radius of all the directional changes has to increase as well, which increases the duration over which the forces are felt, which in turn forces the radius to increase some more to keep the forces within acceptable ranges. Kind of a rocket science style problem of diminishing returns. I suspect that many of the elite rides in that size 150-200ft class that I haven't been on could threaten to overtake the gigas (Velocicoaster, Iron Gwazi, Zadra, Goliath @ SFOG, I already preferred Behemoth to Levi - I just felt it's a more complete layout, Kondaa, Helix, Voltron, Superman @ SFNE, the 4Ds, Ride to Happiness). That said 3 of my top 5 are gigas: Millennium Force Fury 325 Project305 (formally Intimidator) But I think that has more to do with how special each of those rides are individually. Each is like nothing else when you really get into it - and I feel like that isn't true for the flood of RMCs and even Intamin Blitzs utilizing a lot of the same elements as other rides of their respective models.

[@JakeCoasters]

Interesting 🧐 that may be why hypers are more beloved

[@Paolo8772]

The best drop on a giga is MF (or even Orion) in the back car, but the best Giga is Fury 325.

[@JakeCoasters]

Can't beat the drop on a Giga!

[@sedricgranger]

No. Next Question! I love gigas so I’m biased 🤣 good video!

[@Paolo8772]

The only Giga coasters that aren't elite: are: Superman Escape from Krypton; Red Force, Leviathan, and Orion. However: Project 305, Millennium Force, Steel Dragon 2000 and Fury 325 are elite. (even if I've never ridden Project 305 or S.D.2000 or even Superman Escape from Krypton for that matter, since it was closed during my only visit to SFMM in Nov. 2019). I hope that clears anything up for you.

[@CoasterCarter09]

I haven't seen the video yet, but I would say no. They have great capacity, are reliable (especially the B&M coasters), and have a great ride time. My favorite is Fury; it's my number one overall. My second favorite is Orion, and my third is Millennium Force.

[@DHN669]

Are those the only gigas you’ve ridden? I agree Fury being 1 but I can’t see you putting Orion and Millenium Force that high when you’re comparing the gigas. Millenium force and Orion are some of the bottom 8 gigas

[@JakeCoasters]

Fury is my fave too (Giga that is). That's very true that they are reliable. I've rarely had downtime on Millie, Fury, or Orion

[@CoasterCarter09]

@@DHN669 Yes, they are the only gigas I've ridden, and Orion over Millennium Force is probably because I had too high of expectations for Millie

[@DHN669]

@@CoasterCarter09 that’s cool.

[@WeTheCoasters]

I’ve been on 4 Gigas (Millie, Fury 325, Orion and Project 305) I don’t think they are overrated, they are fun rides and have no issue (Also anyone who says Millennium forceless isn’t a true roller coaster fan)

[@andyroman8223]

I think Millie is kind of force less, but I absolutely love it for the sense of speed in the front row. Also, P305 is my number 1 over SteVe.

[@joshfreund6008]

I dont think so...the big drops, speed, length makes A great coaster

[@timothywait9457]

joshfreund correct

[@JJJJ-he8bz]

Steel Dragon would probably be the most intimidating coaster for me because it’s a very slow drawn out climb to 318 feet while the others have very fast lift hills.

[@JakeCoasters]

That's true haha

[@Paolo8772]

So you love SD 2000 because of its lift hill? 🤣🙄

[@wilshiflet3839]

He didn't want to start the fight of what to call I305 in the comments.

[@JakeCoasters]

Lol still waiting on the rename

[@wyattbella6459]

I would love to see rmc make a giga

[@JakeCoasters]

You and me both!

[@Paolo8772]

I don't think any of will be alive when/if that happens

[@Bnizzofashizzo]

Fury is not. Haven’t been on i305( it’ll always be that I don’t care how many times they change the name) But Millie, is fun but not even a top 3 for me at cedar point. I believe B&M waited a decade to clone Millie with Leviathan and though it’s fun, Behemoth is better. Orion is just, a shame. It’s uninspired and shows a lack of originality or creativity on B&M’s behalf. None of the planned elements , besides the first drop , delivered. So, while fun, if the park doesn’t have the budget to really allow for an interesting layout , you’ll have a big coaster that should deliver but won’t and your 200 ft ride will be the crowd favorite

[@DHN669]

You know, I think gigas CAN be overrated, but not all are. Yes, they have an intimidating drop(to the GP), lot of ride time, and good capacity. They are not my favorite type of coaster though. I’d take an RMC hybrid any day over a giga. A good park doesn’t necessarily NEED a giga to be elite, just like Hershey Park is elite and doesn’t have a giga. Parks want gigas because they are intimidating and big to the GP, so they are crowd pleasers. IMO, an elite park needs an RMC hybrid. In short, I think they are overrated because of the intimidating height, but the rest of the ride is just… eh???

[@JakeCoasters]

Hershey is a great example. Very well rounded and Giga-less

[@jimthar17]

I honestly think hypers (and probably gigas) are overrated. The ones I've been on really don't do anything much. Up, Down, Up, down, TURN AROUND, up, down, up, down, brakes. There's not a lot going on there. I don't get why so any people cream themselves over these models so much. Every time there's a new ride announcement all anyone says is, " i hope it's a giga or hyper" as if no other ride types exist. In every coaster vlog all they ever say is, "this park really needs a giga/hyper." I can literally predict it. Sorry but I just don't get it. The up, down, turn around thing doesn't do anything for me. I much prefer coasters with more fun and exciting layouts.

[@iceblade019]

I guess you hate high quality sustained floater airtime and speed

[@charismaticadventurer8448]

So I guess air time just sucks for you

[@davidnevolo4402]

Millennium forceless, rageless bull. Raging bull is still my favorite but people complain. Those 2000 era hyper/gigas were built different. It was all about height and speed. Any more intense and people would have been too scared to ride. I love hypers and gigas but ultimately they are giant steel versions of the wooden racer coasters from the 70s and 80s. Rides that are fun without being maverick level violent. More about the sensation of flight. I really want great america to get a giga. They need another long ride with 3 train ops. They have a hyper already but its a unique hyper twister and has a predrop that provides ejector air. Having one coaster with a predrop and one with a regular one would be nice. It could be a speed focused out and back twister like fury with low to the ground elements, and have the more perfected versions of b and m ejector and floater hills than raging bull sprinkled throughout. The gp would love it.

[@JakeCoasters]

Indeed, a showcase of speed and height...There is definitely a throughline from wooden coasters of old and the gigas/hypers of today

[@davidnevolo4402]

@@JakeCoasters i updated my comment to speak about which park I would like to see a giga at. Thanks for the response

[@tigerrocks503chase8]

My home park does not have space and the Village of Gurnee is strict with height.

[@davidnevolo4402]

@tigerrocks503chase8 they can approve anything up to 315/325, whatever height sky trek tower is. They just need to approve anything taller than 120. Other structures higher than 120 include american eagle, goliath, vertical velocity, raging bull, sky striker, maxx force, raging bull, giant drop. And they have room. They could easily put the station by bus drop off, first drop along the front entrance between main gate and hurricane harbor, out to 94 and back. Would have tons of room, and all the noise would be projected toward the freeway instead of the houses nearby. Would lose barely any parking by tracing the front of the parks. They could also fit something big in the middle of the park by replacing buccaneer, go carts AND demon, but it would have to be a twister layout and they already have raging bull so keeping demon and using the other site for something more compact is a better bet. They could also go over roaring rapids, picnic grove out toward goliaths overbanks but theyd have to rip out the entire picnic grove and I like all the trees back there. That would also be close to houses so I think a bigger ride belongs in the entrance. Random side note though, might be nice to renovate picnic grove and open it up as a new family land with a vekoma family coaster.

[@Paolo8772]

If you like Raging Bull You'd love Behemoth and Diamondback

[@CoasterBroCam]

No.

[@fredericklockard3854]

No. They are not.

[@timothywait9457]

fredericklockard correct

[@HYDRAdude]

Giga coasters aren't overrated, but B&M giga coasters are overrated compared to other giga coasters.

[@JakeCoasters]

I feel that

[@kmccurdy21]

Yes and no. Fury is a much better ride than Milli. It should be though.

[@chaunceymattei5049]

Disagree…. I’ve been fortunate to ride MF, Fury, I-305, and Orion. Fury is EASILY the best of the bunch. I might have Orion just behind MF. All the hate is unjustified, its main drawback is the length. Also from a business standpoint it’s rare that a B&M doesn’t pan out to be a positive investment. I’d love to see them build one more giga in NA….