Claw vs. Doomsday vs. Surfrider vs. Wipeout: What's better & Who's right?

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Road Runner Rollercoaster was the 2nd ride to make it into Parkz All Stars Aussie Theme Park.  Escape from Madagascar is the 2nd ride turned into paperclips.

 

Parkz All Stars Aussie Theme Park line up

1: Jet Rescue

2: Road Runner Rollercoaster.

 

I know everybody has been checking in every 5mins to see who will battle next and the wait is now over thanks to @Santa07.    @Santa07 gave us a selection of 3 but I thought I would stuff it up and add one more..

It’s time to battle! which one will be left standing?

[Jessicajealousy]

I like the Claw - I feel every time you ride it's just as thrilling and exciting as the last time (it was a toss up between Wipeout and Claw).

Not a fan of Surfrider, and I haven't ridden Doomsday. But I'm sure it's just as fun

[joz]

Hmmm wel it's not Doomsday is all I can tell ya.  The rest are 3 rather well executed interesting rides (Doomsday is too but it's a bit nothing really)

 

I think Surfrider is just too short a ride, It's good fun but it suffers from big queue, short ride syndrome.  So that's my second to go.  

 

Claw or Wipeout?  Both visually interesting, both have a good capacity v demand, both presented brilliantly.  Both have the advantage that different seats give vastly different rides making them very rerideable, and both have a low height restriction.  I think at my age the biggest difference between them is nostalgia, Wipeout has been there since I was a kid, it's one of the first rides I think of when I think of Dreamworld.  I still vividly remember the feeling of being a little kid strapped onto it and the little bridge swinging away, and just the reality of the ride I was on hitting me.  I'm sure the current generation get the same thing with the floor on the Claw, but one thing to remember as well is Wipeout was really one of the first big modern thrill rides on the Gold Coast in more than a decade when it opened.

 

Other non-nostalgia reason I'll give the nod to Wipeout is the ride builds and builds.  First you don't go upside down, then you do but close to the ground, then a breather with some fun weird topspin motions, and then you're upside down at the highest point.  Claw kinda just does it's thing, it's awesome and then it's done.  The themeing is also done a little better on Wipeout, it's actually about as close to a perfectly themed ride as you can get, even with how much has been taken away over times.  With Claw it's good, but I'm still not sure on the overall theme they went with.  Also what part of the beast are we ridding on exactly?

 

Tough one, but I'm going with Wipeout, largely based on nostalgia, a little bit on themeing, and a little bit on ride time/ride experience.

[bladex]

haven't ridden DD so claw i guess

[Brad2912]

I've never had a ride on DD as yet

Never bothered with SR as the lines are always too long for what looks like a short uneventful ride... plus i dont go to WNW regularly (been well over year)

Wipeout is a bundle of fun, but for me The Claw is certainly my favourite flat ride at the GC parks, hands down.

[liz.wis]

I love the ride experience of Wipeout, and The Claw makes me nauseous, but I think it's the most thrilling of the flat rides I've been on.  I haven't ridden either Doomsday or Surfrider.

I'm going to give my vote to Wipeout.

 

[Santa07]

Damn you made it harder by adding wipeout there Skeet  

Doomsday is a great ride, but it isn't on the same level as the other three (unless we're talking theming here - but it's not as thrilling or forceful as the other rides).

Surfrider is also a great ride, with some good forces. Its capacity is where it is let down unfortunately, and since it doesn't invert like the other two it's not going to be the winner.

I was settled on voting for Claw on this one until Skeet added Wipeout... boy that makes it a lot harder. Both are top-quality flat rides. Claw has intense forces, airtime, and is a lot of fun. Wipeout has great theming, and awesome hang-time. Both are high-capacity. I'm probably going to give this to the Claw, because I prefer the great forces and airtime over Wipeout's slow inversions and hang-time.

[jake_hunt]

My vote goes to Wipeout, with great regret. The Claw is a personal favourite of mine, but nothing can beat Wipeout for nostalgia, theming and capacity. Not to mention it's a generally thrilling, fun ride.

SurfRider doesn't quite fit into this category for me (I counted it in my coaster credits). But, nonetheless, what people say is right. It's a generally short ride with a sometimes ridiculous queue. Although I will say, I would recommend it to people like @Brad2912 if you catch it on a quiet day. It's a decent ride, worth a try if you don't have to wait for too long.

Never been on Doomsday yet unfortunately, but I'd say it probably doesn't beat The Claw for "best swinging-motion flat ride".

So yeah, tough call between Claw and Wipeout, but Wipeout takes the cake.

[Gold Coast Amusement Force]

Half of the people here haven't experienced doomsday yet

[joz]

Just pretend that the hangover ride from the local fair was well themed.  

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Joz makes some good points all round, and has convinced me Wipeout wins out.

Only sad part is that they don't run the cycles that they used to, which kind of lessens the experience today, somewhat.

I'll probably catch a ride on doomsday soon, so i reserve the right to change my vote, but by the sounds of things, i might not need to.

[Reanimated35]

If we're considering Surfrider, shouldn't shockwave be in with this bunch?

[themagician]

I've ridden all the rides, and for me there is a standout ride for its overall experience. Doomsday is a good ride, and has a good capacity, great theming (especially with the little details, and I'm not saying that because of the area it's in, the ride its self has also greatly themed. But feels to mechanical and doesn't have that free spinning motion I wish it had.

Surfrider is also a good ride, but when it's open it's queues can be a bit too long for what it is (And I still always wish that it went to SW, even though it does fit well at WnW).

The Claw I've only every ridden once and never will again because of how sick I felt after it. I do remember the Gs were good on it, and that close to the floor feeling as you swing is really good. But it just isn't for me this ride. 

Wipeout is definitely my favourite of them all. I only first ever rode the ride just over a year ago, and it definitely is one of my favourite rides on the coast. The feeling you get from it is quite unlike anything I've been on before, and with its refurbishment, it really brought life back to the ride. It still is a shame they don't have fluffy roaming around underneath, but as the ride gets older, it's understandable if they need to access the ride, which required the draining of the water.

So for me personally, the order from best to least favourite is Wipeout, Doomsday, Surfrider, Claw

[mission]

Claw

Wipeout

Surfrider

Doomsday

[Wil_i_am_not]

Wipeout take the cake for me. Wipeout just gives this crazy, out of control experience and whilst Claw gives nice airtime, It's a more relaxing experience.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Wil_i_am_not

[j_m-kelly]

My vote goes to the Wipeout!

Edited January 23, 2017 by j_m-kelly

[Cactus_Matt]

I find both The Claw and Wipeout to be incredibly fun rides in very different ways that almost make them difficult to chose between. However riding The Claw has made me nauseous after 3+ goes in a row, whereas Wipeout never has so I'll vote for Wipeout.

[TomiJ]

Wipeout tops it for me. It was a rough choice between Wipeout and the claw. I'm yet to experience surf rider as it has been closed every time I have been to wet and wild (10+ times), it is the only ride I'm yet to experience on the Gold Coast. I think doomsday has the best theming but the up charge for interactive elements is not worth it. 

[AllegroCrab]

In typical me fashion, I'll be judging based on the ride alone, not taking into account capacity and reliability and all that meaningless bollocks.

For me, Wipeout is out of the question. Off ride, it looks pretty crazy and disorientating, but honestly on ride, it kinda just shakes you backwards and forwards and side to side a lot, isn't really forceful at all, doesn't go upside down enough, and lacks any fun moments of airtime.

I haven't ridden Doomsday, but I can pretty safely say it wiuldn't be my favourite out of this list. The only question for me about Doomsday is whether I'd place it above or below Wipeout, I really can't say without riding it.

The Claw is the one I'd much rather ride at Dreamworld. It's forceful at the bottom, with incredible airtime at the top. It's such a graceful ride and nothing quite beats the moments when you're right at the top of the swing and verging on being upside down while weightless. It's truly the best flat ride on the Gold Coast.

Now, onto SurfRider. This ride is properly intense. The faster spinning feels out of control, the short turnaround at the base is forceful, and the airtime is brilliant. The moments when you're reaching the top sideways and get weightlessness as you rotate around at the very maximum facing upwards are the best. I think this is a tremendously underappreciated ride, and I strongly recommend for anyone who hasn't ridden it because of queues or any reason to ride it next time, you've really been missing out.

So SurfRider gets my vote, mainly because it has the force and the airtime of The Claw, but the faster spinning makes it less graceful and more intense for me. It's a properly brilliant ride, plus, it counts as a credit, even more reason to give it a ride.

[Original]

1. The Claw - excellent forces and airtime, good theming, or at least nice area, good capacity. First flat thrill ride and I was shitting myself waiting for it to start.

2. Wipeout - Has everything The Claw has and looks even better, but for me the sensation of the ride is what makes The Claw number 1. It was my second flat, straight after Claw and so Claw probably also has some nostalgia to me for introducing me to it all. 

3. Surfrider - Great ride, wish it had some sort of music back. 

Doomsday Destroyer - VOIDED because I haven't done it, from the photos thought looks like the best looking area. It looks like a ride that would make me feel sick, but people also say it feels too controlled. 

In saying all that I haven't done The Claw in about 7 years and I have this awful feeling if I did The Claw I'd come off feeling awfully sick, maybe even vomit worthy which makes me sad. 

[MaxxTheMonster]

If we are looking at the all over of ride experience, theme, blah, blah, blah...  I would go Doomsday...  Just for the themed area...  However...  The ride itself is hardly themed...

So looking at just ride experience...  WipeOut...  Cannot handle anything that spins/rotates regardless of speed or other movements so Surf Rider and The Claw are out...  Doomsday is just back and forth with little variation...  WipeOut has a variety of thrill experiences as mentioned above and also gives you some breathing time between so it is not just one drawn out thrill but multiple thrills...

[themagician]

^I think that DD is well themed. The rides structure may just have the print on it, and the 'bones' sticking out of the arms. But the queue line area is well done, with the rides sign, Doomsday on top. Even the stair wells that lead to underneath the platform are themed to look like they lead to the underground train system. 

[New display name]

21 minutes ago, MaxxTheMonster said:

The ride itself is hardly themed...

You miss the point of the themed area.

[MaxxTheMonster]

15 minutes ago, themagician said:

^I think that DD is well themed. The rides structure may just have the print on it, and the 'bones' sticking out of the arms. But the queue line area is well done, with the rides sign, Doomsday on top. Even the stair wells that lead to underneath the platform are themed to look like they lead to the underground train system. 

 

27 minutes ago, MaxxTheMonster said:

I would go Doomsday...  Just for the themed area...  However...  The ride itself is hardly themed...

The queue, station house, stairs, etc are all part of the themed area...  The ride itself is the structure upon which the guests sit on and experience the ride...  Which as you point out mainly is just the print and some "bones"...

 

3 minutes ago, YLFATEEKS said:

You miss the point of the themed area.

How am I missing the point of a themed area...  I am stripping back from the themeing and purely comparing the mechanical ride itself...

[downunder]

Surfrider for me, no contest there.