Superman's sometimes tag-team partner, Batman, has his own Six Flags New England roller coaster. While not nearly as intense or fine-tuned for thrills as SFNE's Superman behemoth, the floorless feature for Batman--The Ride is a load of fun.
- About Guide Rating (0=Yich!, 10=Wow!): 7
- Thrill Scale (0=Wimpy!, 10=Yikes!): 7.5
Inversions, floorless style leaves riders feeling exposed - Coaster type: Floorless
- Height: 118 feet
- Top speed: 55 mph
- Six Flags New England
- More Batman--The Dark Knight Photos
The prototype floorless coaster, Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey (and its close clone at California's Six Flags Marine World), is longer, taller, faster, and simply a better ride, than Batman: The Ride. But the SFNE coaster still shows the floorless concept to great effect.
After passengers board the train, Batman's loading platform descends to leave riders' floorless feet dangling. With a dramatic flourish, a gate swings open and the train ascends the lift hill. Just before the train turns to dive into a vertical loop, there is an almost uncontrollable urge to combine the requisite roller coaster first drop scream with a jumping-jack like pose: arms up in the air and legs thrust forward. The open-air ambiance of the floorless coaster inspires the position.
There is a phenomenon with twister coasters (coasters that twist and turn into themselves many times) known as "head choppers," where the track's narrow openings appear poised to decapitate riders. The floorless Batman coaster has what may be coined "foot choppers." The inversions and drops give the illusion that riders' feet could get caught in the track. In typical B&M (the coaster's manufacturer) style, the ride is very smooth.
The compact coaster is short, but sweet. The themeing is amusing with Gotham City's most feared villains lining the queue and other comic book touches throughout the ride area.
