4D Interactive Thrill Ride JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis Coming in 2017 to Six Flags Over Georgia The Ride Voted “Best New Product in the World” to Debut for Park’s 50th Anniversary AUSTELL, Ga. — September 1, 2016 — Six Flags Over Georgia — in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment — today announces the next generation of interactive thrills with the all-new 4D interactive thrill ride, JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis, coming in 2017. The amazing thrill ride was recently named by USA Today readers as one of the Top Ten New Amusement Park Attractions of the year and was most recently awarded the Brass Ring for “Best New Product in the World” by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. “2017 will be an exciting year, as the park will be looking back at its 50 year history and debuting one of the world’s best innovative and interactive attractions, as the park looks toward the future,” said Six Flags Atlanta Properties Park President Dale Kaetzel. “The entire family can now join the JUSTICE LEAGUE Reserve Team and battle the iconic DC Super-Villains together.” Engaging in a full-sensory journey on JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis, guests will tag alongside BATMAN™, SUPERMAN™, WONDER WOMAN, THE FLASH and GREEN LANTERN against Lex Luthor, The Joker and his henchmen. The interactive attraction features:
Construction is already underway and JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017. For more information on other Six Flags attractions for 2017, visit www.sixflags.com/newfor2017. Six Flags Over Georgia is also announcing the start of 2017 Season Pass sales with its special Flash Sale through Labor Day Weekend, featuring the best deal of the year – a savings of up to 70% off on 2017 Passes! September 1 through September 5, guests will receive a free upgrade to a Gold Season Pass with every Pass purchased. Gold Season Passes include admission to both Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags White Water, and any other Six Flags theme park, as well as free parking and special admission for friends. 2017 Season Passes provide unlimited visits to Fright Fest® and Holiday in the Park® in 2016 and all of 2017. Passholders may also purchase a Premium Season Dining Pass, which includes a lunch, dinner, and snack during every park visit, plus they will receive a 2017 All Season Sport Bottle for unlimited drink refills. Premium Season Dining Passes may be used at any Six Flags theme park. About Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is the world’s largest regional theme park company with $1.3 billion in revenue and 18 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada. For 55 years, Six Flags has entertained millions of families with world-class coasters, themed rides, thrilling water parks and unique attractions. For more information, visit www.sixflags.com. About Warner Bros. Consumer Products Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world. About DC Entertainment DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, etc.), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables, etc.) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is one of the largest English language publisher of comics in the world. BATMAN and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics. Related Updates: Six Flags Corporation announced their 2017 expansion plans for all of their parks today. Despite some leaks we are very excited for a few of the announcements, kind of perplexed by a few, but overall happy that some parks are choosing to not just focus on new rides but overall park improvements. Hopefully with the new rides will also come general park improvements around those rides. As always we'll start on the West Coast and work our way east. Six Flags Discovery KingdomSwinging higher and higher, while rotating counterclockwise are the hallmarks of this extreme, gigantic pendulum. Experience a sensation of weighlessness as you spin and swing simultaneously, reaching heights of up to 147 feet in the air. Six Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic Mountain — in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products on behalf of DC Entertainment — today announced the newest innovation in immersive thrills, JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis — Ride. Play. Triumph. The next generation of the award-winning Six Flags ride will now feature a spectacular new finale, new game targets and the introduction of one of DC’s hottest SuperVillains, Harley Quinn. Six Flags MexicoMardis Gras Festival and The New Revolution Six Flags Fiesta TexasThunder Rapids An incredible 942-ft. long and 3-story tall water coaster. Guests will experience lightning-fast uphill speeds and adrenaline pumping drops. Six Flags Over TexasThe Joker 4D Coaster After being lifted straight up a 12-story, 90-degree hill, the freestyle-coaster will wreak havoc as riders flip head-over-heels at least six times along the weightless journey. Thrill seekers will experience exhilarating leaps and dives along a horizontal plane, along with unexpected drops as they tumble from one level to the next. The wing seats amp up the pandemonium since riders will experience all of this chaos with no track above or below─ just the sky, ground and plenty of sinister thrills. Six Flags St LouisSpinsanity Spinsanity brings a different thrill to the park as the massive disc rotates first one direction and then another while spinning from side to side. Forty guests sit on motorcycle-style seats facing outward as the disc flies along the 51-foot high half-pipe track all while whirling around at 14 revolutions per minute. Six Flags Great AmericaAfter being lifted straight up a 12-story, 90-degree hill, the free-fly coaster will wreak havoc as riders flip head-over-heels at least six times along the weightless journey. Thrill seekers will experience exhilarating leaps and dives along a horizontal plane with unexpected drops as they tumble from one level to the next. The wing seats amp up the pandemonium since riders will experience this wild adventure with no track above or below ─ just the sky, ground and plenty of sinister thrills. Six Flags Over GeorgiaEngaging in a full-sensory journey on JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis, guests will tag alongside BATMAN™, SUPERMAN™, WONDER WOMAN, THE FLASH and GREEN LANTERN against Lex Luthor, The Joker and his henchmen Six Flags AmericaWonder Woman Lasso of Truth NEW in 2017 WONDER WOMAN Lasso of Truth will join the amazing line up Super Hero rides. This new attraction is an extreme swing ride that spins guests in a 98-foot circle at speeds of 40 miles per hour atop a 24-story tower. With a capacity of thirty-two riders, guests will climb to the top of the tower while spinning round and round, offering an breathtaking view while soaring high above the beautiful Maryland and D.C. landscape. La RondeTitan Going up to 45 meters in the air, you will fly in a giant pendulum ride at speeds of 112 Km/h. Titan will propel you into a spinning tour over the park, sending you higher and higher in the air until you experience a feeling of weightlessness. Six Flags Great AdventureIn a high-stakes clash between good and evil, guests will become members of the Justice League Reserve team and engage in a full-sensory journey to save the city of Metropolis as they battle alongside Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Supergirl and Cyborg against Super Villains Lex Luthor and The Joker. The Great EscapeBonzai Pipelines You’ll blast out of the gate shoot down a crazy winding slope to create one epic splashing finish. These new body slides are the first of their kind at The Great Escape. Standing 30 feet in the air with only one goal: deliver endless adrenaline. Six Flags New EnglandThe Joker Free Fly Coaster THE JOKER 4D Free Fly Coaster allows you to soar outside the confines of the track for an all-new coaster riding experience. Begin your journey by traveling straight up a 120-foot hill, before being released for your highly unusual journey. Face your fears as you flip head-over-heels from four to eight times along the weightless, tumbling journey. So what do you think of these announcements? Be sure to let us know in the comments and vote in our poll. Also be sure to join our Facebook Live Chat tonight at 7:00pm Pacific as we discuss all of the 2017 additions. Related Updates: This week Randy from Metro Atlanta Coaster Club headed out to Six Flags Over Georgia to check out the all new "Blue Hawk". Out of all of the new or improved coasters for 2016 this was one that really made everybody curious to see if they could actually make the ride good (again or for the first time). Check out Randy's review, it may surprise you!! Written by Randy Dewberry When Ninja was installed at Six Flags Over Georgia for the 1992 season, after spending its first 2-3 years on the Jersey shore as “Kamikaze”, it was the tallest continuous-circuit roller coaster in the park. It would hold that title for almost 15 years, only being beaten by Goliath in 2006; in point of fact, the spikes on both of Six Flags’ shuttle coasters, Viper and Déjà Vu, were also taller, at 138ft and 195ft, respectively. During that time, the ride developed something of a reputation. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good one, which usually led to its one saving grace among coaster fans – it almost always was walk-on regardless of the day you visited. Six Flags has tried to improve things. First there was a new paintjob in 2006 that changed its supports from white to black and freshened up the red track. Then there were the train swapouts about 4-5 years ago, as the park took delivery of the trains from the demolished Arrow megaloopers at sister parks Great America (Shockwave) and Great Adventure (the other Great American Scream Machine). That helped a bit, but it soon reverted to type: NinjOUCH. As coaster rumors came and went for the park, the rumor almost always involved the removal of Ninja, either actively or in the form of wishful thinking. In 2015, the coaster ran a single train almost all season, leading people to believe the rumors may finally become reality. With the arrival of the 2016 season, sharp-eyed readers noticed the park map had Ninja as “all-new” and opening later in the year, and that it was now shown blue in color. The intrigue continued as park officials stated that Ninja indeed was getting some work done and would possibly even ditch the old name for something newer. Throughout March and April, the coaster traded red and black for blue and gray (track and supports, respectively). In May, the name change became official as the park announced an election – as if we needed another one in 2016 – where guests could vote on one of three new names for the ride: American Eagle, Blue Hawk and Air Commander. Over 6,000 votes were cast by the time the polls closed, with as more than 50% chose “Blue Hawk” for the ride’s new name, thus negating the need for a runoff (which Georgia law would require to be run in July). Fortunately, the name would be the finishing touch to the already significant changes to the ride. Equally fortunate was the park understanding and full-on embracing the fact they had a problem child. In the discussions I’ve had with park officials, they’ve all acknowledged Ninja’s reputation, and that all this work was intended to fix as much of that was humanly possible. Vekoma provided a lot of assistance, from inspecting and making any needed adjustments to the entire run of track (it’s not known if any sections were outright replaced instead of being finessed) to providing two new trainsets for it. Said new trains would sport Vekoma’s new vest-style restraint system that had already improved the experience on the nearby Carolina Cobra (well, as much as a Boomerang experience can be improved). Then there was the theme switch, from Japanese assassins to the American military. The station colors match those of the ride itself, and the former “pagodas” along the queue line are now festooned with red, white and blue pennants. Six Flags could not have picked a better day to launch the renovated attraction. Warm but not oppressive, low humidity – a “Chamber of Commerce day”. As invited guests awaited the new ride, they were treated to a duo of bagpipers and a local falconer who had brought along a European Buzzard (it sure looks like a hawk, but that’s its name, according to its handler). After a rousing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” from a lovely team member with tremendous pipes and some appropriate words from park brass, the first train was sent on its way, filled with 28 active-duty military and their families. Moments later, your intrepid reporter was aboard and kicking the tires. The seats are fitted with black rubber inserts that were rather grippy and comfortable. The harnesses are hydraulic in nature, with an infinite number of lock points, meaning it’ll be secure and comfortable for any rider. While not my first experience with the Vekoma vests, I still treated them as if they were brand new to me, analyzing them and checking their comfort. The rubber vests are secured by seat belts at the back, and when the harness is closed, there’s a bit of slack in it so it’s not squeezing into you (riders of Wild Eagle at Dollywood will be thankful), yet it’s still quite secure. Final checks complete and the train was on its way. Even in the first few moments leading to the lift, the ride felt different. The 122-foot lift felt a bit slower than the previous version, but as soon as it drops off the chain, that’s where the fun really begins. The entry and exit for the butterfly are still a bit rough in points, but (1) it’s much less than before and (2) there’s no horsecollar to bang one’s head into. The entry into the reverse sidewinder, as well as the element itself, were light-years beyond Ninja and quite smooth. The final dual corkscrew is one of the best components of the ride now, and everyone returned truly happy with the experience. I was definitely happy with it, so happy I rode it again in multiple locations, to see if there were seats to seek out and/or seats to avoid. Riders will be eager to learn that based on my sampling, there is not a bad seat in the bunch. In fact, the best seat may well shock you. My initial run was in my “happy seat” on Arrow/Vekoma loopers, which is the front seat of the rear car … “happy” in the sense that it’s generally the least painful of the various experiences. Since science suggests you try different methods, I took three more trips: in the very front row, in the very back row, and one smack dab in the middle of the train (specifically, back seat of car 4). NOT A ONE was rough, so any seat will be a good ride. Surprisingly, the very back row gives a smooth and speedy experience, and arguably was my favorite of the group. If there’s any bad news to be had, it’s that the ride is still only operating a single train. Park officials stated that having both trains aboard would have led to another 1-2 week wait on the opening. The second train is on the way and is expected on by the middle of the month. Until then, be prepared for a bit of a wait … unless you yourself are active-duty military and visiting the park in July. Park president Dale Kaetzel announced that they were eligible for front-of-the-line access simply by showing their military ID at the ride entrance any operating day next month. In conclusion, I do have to confess something: I actually kinda liked Ninja. It wasn’t a good ride, but it wasn’t that bad of a ride either, again thanks to the happy seat. So I’m sure people would assume I’d say the ride was better by default. Well it is certainly better, but I was honestly prepared for it to be just slightly better, enough to be different, but still “Ninja 2.0”, as it were. But it really is better, enough to where Ninja should be purged from one’s memory and replaced by what is actually a very good coaster for the park. It’s not going to enter anyone’s top 10, but it may well leave someone’s bottom 10. In the long term, it’s going to do what it set out to do – improve its reputation – but I also am hoping that there’s an ulterior, yet benevolent, motive at work. As a reminder, next year is the park’s 50th anniversary, and all signs are pointing to a new coaster on the horizon, and hopefully it’ll be something with some size to it. Whatever it may be, the park seems to be preparing in advance for it, by providing an improved mid-tier ride to absorb the influx of riders to the park who want to experience the new toy(s) for 2017. If that is indeed its true mandate, Blue Hawk will rise to the challenge, and I do encourage all enthusiasts to give this ride a fair shake and a second chance. While you never get a second chance to make a first impression, people (and coasters) can change, and they deserve the chance to show that. Ninja is dead. Long live Blue Hawk! Related Updates: |
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