CANNON FODDER This…read moreinitial launch on this roller coaster packs a mighty punch, but the rest of the ride is a snoozefest. Unveiled to a massive amount of hype, Maxx Force is the newest addition to a coaster lineup at Great America that already contains a few blockbusters (X-Flight, Goliath). Scheduled to start at the beginning of the 2019 season, it was delayed by several months and finally opened on Independence Day. The line reuses some of the old Pictorium paving, though the majority of the queue is a series of switchbacks atop a massive concrete slab. There's NO shade here, so during the summer it can get scorching hot. The ride has a quasi-racing thing going on, most notably the front of the trains that have a Formula 1 motif. The station, sadly, is uninspired. At a mere 800 riders/hour, you can be assured a longer wait for Maxx Force than Batman (1,400 riders/hour), Raging Bull (1,560 riders/hour!), or nearly any other ride in the park except for Giant Drop. Trains are comfy and seat 8 rows of 2 across, with a seatbelt + lap bar combo. Seating is assigned (you're told where sit), so those wishing to get a front row spot will likely be disappointed. Once locked in, the trains slowly roll onto a straightaway where they engage the launch mechanism. After a minute of waiting, you're catapulted to 78mph from a standstill in under 2 seconds. The compressed air launch is thrilling but not prolonged; it's got the ability to take your breath away. Immediately following the launch is what RCDB.com dubs a 'dog tongue', essentially a twisted Immelman that segues into a twisted dive loop. Personally, I think it's dumb they're calling this a "double inversion", as it really only feels like one. whatever. Inversion #3 (or #2, if I'm the one keeping score) is a heartline roll that's navigated at roughly 60mph, which gives them a dubious title in "world's fastest inversion". The best inversions are ones taken slowly -- like the 'Jojo roll' on Hydra @ Dorney Park -- so blitzing through this did nothing for me. The final element is something they're calling a 'Maxx Dive Loop', a lame attempt to capitalize on an otherwise standard dive loop by giving it a unique name. Naturally, Six Flags claims this is also a double inversion, bringing their count to 5 (I'm a purist, so I say it's only 3). This ride uses compressed air as its method of acceleration, so that means you inevitably wind up with exhaust gas. Seconds after a train launches you can hear what sounds like cannon fire echoing throughout the entire park! The resulting loud noise is "action vs. reaction" at work, when the compressed air is released in a deafening BOOM. Full Throttle @ Magic Mountain in California is the closest match to Maxx Force: both are launch coasters, both are unique to their park, and both are rather short (FT at 2200ft in length, MF at 1800ft). I imagine Full Throttle delivers a better, more well-rounded ride experience. Plus, it offers two launches compared to Maxx Force's single launch. What I take the most exception with, is the fact that brakes on Maxx Force start HALFWAY UP the final inversion. The designers incorporated no space for a level brake run, so instead they castrated the ride's 2nd significant 'drop'. One circuit lasts a blink-and-you'll-miss-it 23 seconds. I'm all for roller coasters that have a nice aesthetic, and Maxx Force, well.......looks ugly. The heart-shaped dual inversion is okay I suppose, but the support structure sticks out like a sore thumb. It definitely affects the skyline of the park, and not in a good way. * TL;DR * I enjoy launch coasters of all shapes and sizes, from the massive Top Thrill Dragster to the lazy Backlot Stunt Coaster. Some have a hydraulic winch from energy stored in flywheels, others benefit from a series of Linear Induction Motors, and a few even use a tire-propelled launch. That said, Maxx Force is one of the least-satisfying launch coasters I've ridden. It's vastly inferior to Flight of Fear @ Kings Island, and nowhere near the same intensity as Xcelerator @ Knotts Berry Farm. Hell, Vertical Velocity on the other side of the park is better (and offers a ride that's 3x as long). Although station ops were doing their best to dispatch trains in a timely fashion, Maxx Force just doesn't have the same throughput as most roller coasters and that hurts its re-ridability. It gets the point across, just don't go expecting groundbreaking things from this one and bank on a LONG wait. Per usual, Six Flags felt the need to lay claim to a whole bunch of questionable records for a ride that's a lousy 1,800ft long. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be marathoning rides on American Eagle's blue side while the rest of the world gets suckered into waiting for this gimmicky eyesore.

Came with my dad, and at the start of the line, we expected some sort of practice seat, since he's…read morea little taller and bigger. We asked the teen at the beginning of the line if he thought he could fit, and he just shrugged and looked away. We decided to suck it up and wait in line for 75 minutes, make it to the front, only to fail clicking him in. Besides that, I'll just rate the ride. You spend over an hour in line (expected though, I understand how amusement parks work) and then you get to the coaster, spend 2 minutes strapping in... for a 14 second ride. It jolts to start out of nowhere, which probably scared me a bit, but after that, the inversions and speed are pretty lackluster. tl;dr- tall/husky people stay away, and be ready to be slightly disappointed if you were super excited about the speed and turns.

I love six flags however this ride is so bad they need to take it down immediately. The ride is so…read morebroken and falling apart. It seems like it will fall apart at any minute and it seems as if it was built 500 years ago. It makes for a dangerous and terrifying experience. My whole cart was derailed and almost flew off the track. It seems as if there is always something broken on it. It would be much better to knock it down before someone dies. They have no safety on this ride at all. Shameful.

YOU'RE MY BOY, BLUE! #redsidesucks…read more Even when it's not running backwards, the blue side of the eagle is still superior. Better return run back to the platform, and having the outside of the huge 540° helix yields more lateral G's. The station operators make an effort to race the two sides, which is very cool of them. Eagle is--and always has been--one of my favorites at Great America, delivering amazing ride after ride on an annual basis. It's the summer of 2015, and the red side is offering double rides. 2x the rides means 2x the wait. Avoid this silly gimmick folks, it's not worth it. Stick with the shorter wait and single ride. But make sure you include American Eagle on your trip to SFGAm, just be prepared for a rickety out-and-back adventure. "" Roller coaster storytime funsies! "" On 8/22/15, I got stuck at the top of the red side's lift hill for about 10 minutes. No biggie, I've been on enough coasters where this has occasion to happen (in fact, I was on one in New Jersey that dropped back a notch on the lift hill and being in the back row, I nearly pissed myself). A charming station worker by the name of Patty walked aalllll the way up to the top to console the rest of the riders who were practically in hysterics. Not me of course, I was cool as a cucumber, cracking jokes to boost train morale ("somebody get out and push", "at least the view up here is nice", and so forth). I even snapped some decent photos while stranded up there. Eventually we got going again and our train got a huge round of applause back in the station. I gleefully requested 'triple rides' for the inconvenience, but to no avail. The upstops (wheels underneath the car) are the only thing keeping the trains affixed to the track as it crests the short hill immediately preceding the helix. If you listen closely, you can actually *hear* the sound of the train crashing back down on the running wheels (main ones on top). Yeah really. And the way the trains pick up speed in that massive helix is a beautiful thing, I never get tired of those lovely laterals. American Eagle: a true blue classic. Here's to hoping you never change.

I call this a pallet cleanser ride. After riding a bunch of rides, you come here and you think of…read morewhat you should do next especially when you can see nearly everything in the park. This ride is historic because 4 generations of my family have been on this and it's actually the only thrilling ride an 89 year old grandma can possibly do. It's awesome. The rides been taking a beating over the many years I've been away from it. I did scare my girlfriend thinking this ride was a giant drop. Time to teach this old ride some new tricks.

I SEE HOME This is…read morenot a thrill ride nor should you be scared. This ride is perfect for seniors and babies. On a clear day you can actually see downtown Chicago, so if you need to make sure it's still there, then this is the perfect ride for you. It is a nice view up here with a great perspective of the park. If you want to see how massive Six Flags is, then I recommend you go up here for a whirl. The Sky Trek Tower opened in 1977. It was manufactured by Intamin and rises above Six Flags to 330 ft or 100 m, if you're into the metric thing. The official name of this ride is called a Gyro tower 1200. This ride is basically an observation tower that has a vertical moving platform but the platform not only rises here it also rotates. This does offer spectacular views of Gurnee. Gurnee? Who doesn't want to see the mall, Key Lime Cove or even the traffic trying to park in the lot. Is this my favorite ride now? Nope! Did I love it when I was a little kid? Sure did! This ride serves its purpose here for so many people. My family likes it but I usually find some excuse to not go. Hey I can sit out a ride or two because of dullness. Ha! So if you're really looking for a smooth ride above the park with some panoramic views then this is the ride for you. Make sure to give me a wave when you're at the top because I will be sitting down on the ground waiting for you.

American Eagle is an old classic in the park and it's imposing white painted superstructure has…read moreloomed large over I-94 for a long time. And it's not officially Halloween in Chicagoland until the giant spider goes up. But this ride is starting to show it's age with peeling paint and a rather rough track. Racing coasters are always fun (Go Team Red!) but it seems like Six Flags often has just one train running. Maybe it's because ridership seems to have declined over the years, which is a shame because it means people are missing out on a great first drop into a tunnel, lots of airtime, and one of the best and biggest banked helix turns anywhere. Maybe it's time for RMC to work their magic on smoothing out this old girl's wrinkles. But if they do, I hope they keep this a dueling racer and keep it true to it's original spirit. Maybe just a simple retracking instead of giving it the full Goliath treatment like they did with Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Carousel Columbia and Columbia Carousel are a pair of double decker carousels at Six Flags in…read moreCalifornia and Illinois. The carousel in California is the tallest carousel in the world at 101 feet and the one at Six Flags Great America is the second tallest at 100 feet. They were built almost 50 years ago on 1976. Each of the horses and animals is a replica of a famous carved carousel animal. The paintings reflect American history. When I visited Six Flags Great America with my daughter, I told her that this is how we should end our day of riding rollercoasters and that is exactly what we did. Climbed the stairs to the second level. Then chose a row of jumping horses and we were on our way. Such a great way to end the day at Six Flags Great America.

The original Batman Clone this is the one that started it all as this exact coaster exists at many…read moreof the Six Flags parks across the country! This one however has some details that are different which if you've ridden all of them like I have then you will notice that the Bat Cave station is a bit more detailed than the others which is cool because it totally feels like it fits the part. The layout of this coaster is perfect and it's just a fun ride from start to finish every time I ride one of these I always say how fun it as at its just a super cool compact layout that provides a great ride for all ages every single time! Overall it's the OG Batman Clone and it's definitely one of the best ones out there still it's for that reason of how fun it is I will look forward to my next ride on this one or one of the many other ones that exist at some other parks in the chain!

Have you ever wanted to feel what it feels like to fly?! You need to ride Batman! It will give you…read morethe sensation of gliding through the air, feet fancy free! Batman the Ride goes up to 55mph and growing up, it was my favorite ride at Six Flags Great America opening in 1992. I way way too young to ride when it opened, but once I got to junior high I was all about it! I could ride over and over when there with no lines with ease. It's kind of crazy to think that this ride is 25 years old! It surely does not seem like it. I suppose that's just how innovative the roller-coaster was for the time! Batman goes fast, does twists & turns, loops, all while you're sitting with your feet dangling below. Do not wear sandals on this thing! They will surely fly off, never to be seen again. Doing the loops while your feet fling above is really a cool feeling! I love it! Thrills are always had while riding Batman at Great America!!!

Do you love rollercoasters? If the answer is yes, this is the ride for you…read more The Wrath of Rakshasa is a new inverted dive coaster that just opened at the end of May in 2025. Five inversions. A drop that is more than vertical. Speed of up to 67 MPH. A definite adrenaline rush. Interestingly, I heard about this ride the day before we went to Six Flags from a grad student that I met at a mindful meditation class. He said that it was one of the top rollercoasters that he had been on. I agree! A great way to start a day of riding rollercoasters at Six Flags Great America.

FLYING HIGH The…read moreCondor opened in 1991 and is located in Orleans Place next to the Superman roller coaster and Rue le Dodge, which is French for bumper cars. It was relocated to Gurnee from Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. The ride was installed in 1988 at Six Flags Great Adventure and was one of the first of three production models to appear in the US. The ride is manufactured by HUSS of Bremen, Germany. HUSS introduced the ride in 1984 at the World's Fair in New Orleans and it was called the Cyclo Tower. Unfortunately it spent most of its time closed because of operating problems. It took an additional 4 years of re-engineering before the ride was put into production. Six Flags purchased two of the rides and had planned to use the condor as part of its ride rotation program. It was an idea for parks to have new rides each year at a reduced cost of purchasing a new ride for the parks. Luckily for us it landed in Gurnee and never flew away. The ride is a 112 foot tower and offers amazing views of the park and parking lot. I love going up to the top and looking for my car. My little one just loves this ride and it never gets old to her. We have been riding on it together since she has been tall enough. It is a great family attraction because riders can sit together. One child can sit in front of you in each car between your legs and they will feel safe and secure. It reduces their stress level making them feel protected. The ride was designed to be programmed for various speed cycles but at Six Flags it only has two. The normal operation during the year and a version during Fright Fest where it slows down at the top. I wish that Six Flags would actually utilize the programming and make the ride more of an adventure. Riders would never know if there next ride was going to be fast or slow or in reverse. Let's mix it up because we have the technology. At night this is one of the best rides in the park to look at. It says fun and carnival as it lights up the night sky. If you are attracted to the ride then that is a good thing. The lighting was designed for the "European Fair Circuit" where rides compete against each other to sell tickets. The flashier the ride the more people wanted to ride it. Luckily for me it's included in my season pass or my little one would have cleaned out my wallet. There are 28 gondolas all painted to resemble a condor. Riders climb in as two riders or they can ride solo. In addition to an added seat belt there is an original pneumatic air pressure sliding gate. I love informing my little one that when I was a kid there were no added safety features like seat belts. Thanks a lot insurance companies. It freaks her out and she often asks why I never flew out. The ride has a dual rotation as it moves up the tower. It is fun to watch but even more fun to ride. There is also a tilting motion of the gondolas when it reaches the outer part of its rotation. It makes you feel like you are actually turning. We love riding the condor and a trip to Six Flags would not be complete if we didn't jump on board for a whirl. My little one and I often make a bird noise like "Ca-cow" as we spin to the top. It is one of those traditions that I hope she shares with her children one day.