I've had many rides on desperado and even a personal ride, and I still could really come to a proper conclusion. It feels like it was a once great ride that is ruined by roughness, like ghostrider. The lift is slow and suspenseful the whole way up. The drop is surprisingly fun and in the back seat, you get a good feeling of ejector airtime, one of the better drops out there, which is surprising considering its not very steep. You pull up to a giant turnaround/helix which can give a quick burst of air at the top. Then the roughness begins. The helix was brutal, it is so bumpy that's it's borderline unbearable. You get a good sense of speed as you fly toward the camelbacks. The first 2 give really good air most notably the second one. The camelbacks were surprisingly smooth but don't get your hopes up. The rest of the ride is about as rough or even rougher than the helix that came before! The rest of the ride is nothing really special, just a helix and a cools headchopper. I can probably marathon a good 5-6 rides on this without being physically unable to do so. I've had some average rides on this and some excellent rides on this, so ill just give it a 4/5 because this will definitely be a really fun coaster it they fixed the roughness. Just like shag said, the ride doesn't seem to offer the same ride every visit, some days it's really fun other days its almost unbearable.

While approaching Buffalo Bills Turbo Drop and a massive yellow mass of coaster track caught my eye. After hearing so many good things about Desperado I was eager to give it a whirl. However, it did not nearly meet my expectations. I will say this, watching the lift hill climb out of the casino definitely is an interesting sight. There was only one excellent thing about Desperado and that was the first drop. I was absolutely launched from my seat and that tunnel at the end made me fly my hands down oh so quickly. After experiencing that incredible first drop, I was expecting for that intensity to carry over through the whole ride. The intensity did carry over, however it carried over in all the wrong reasons. For the majority of the ride, it was extremely bumpy and jerky, especially during the helix. The bunny hills were smooth though, but they were totally devoid of air and were very dull. Now I am a fan of aggressive wooden coasters that beat me up a bit, but not coasters that are overly bumpy when they shouldnt and even painful. Sadly Desperado was the hugest disappointment of my Vegas trip (okay maybe the undisclosed sum of money I spent on blackjack was even more disappointing) and hopefully I just caught this massive coaster on a bad day.

This is a tough one to figure out. The trains and tracking make it so painful in some spots, but behind that is a really fun enjoyable ride. I actually feared riding the back of the train, thats how much it hurt in the front. I eventually decided to give it a try and behold it wasnt as bad. If you ride this ride in the back, it makes it an average hyper. Its ashame, if it wasnt this rough it could be a quality hyper.

Desperado is a fun and thrilling ride, but there are better hypers out there. The lift hill was unique coming out of the roof and the massive first drop still has insane ejector air-time and the tunnel is great, but after that the ride was a bit dull until the helix in the mountain. The helix was unique and fast and the bunny hills after it provided some insane ejector air in any seat. However, the ride had quite a few rough spots at the bottom of drops and in turns and the ride jackhammered at quite a few portions.

Times Ridden: 11 Date Ridden: Numerous times between the summer of 2006 and fall of 2007. I travel out west a great deal from here in GA and each time I take the road from Vegas to LA I always stop in and take a spin on Desperado. The entertainment book in Vegas had a number of buy one ride and get one free so my GF and myself usually take a whirl on it for $3.25 a ride. Thats as good a deal as you are gonna get for rides in Vegas. We will continue to stop in there on our treks across the desert since it is by far the top coaster in the Vegas area.

Desperado is a wonderful hypercoaster with an outstanding view and tons of ejector airtime. Please read the outstanding review below posted by phantomnik if you want a detailed ride account. For me, I have taken my 11 rides on perhaps 6 or 7 different trips and have found the coaster delivers different rides depending on the day. I have had almost unbearable rides in the front of the train and super-smooth rides in the back which goes against everything I have experienced in my coaster travels. Most (particularly hypers) offer smoother rides in the front and more intense rides in the back. There are also times the coaster seems to be going much faster than on other days. I am sure the desert heat plays a large part in the wide range of rides available on this scream machine but since you never really know what you are going to get (and Im sure phantomnik caught it on a great day) Im going with an 8. I have had 9s and maybe even a couple of 10 rides on it and the coaster itself does have a special place in my heart for personal reasons. There is one thing about Desperado that you are guaranteed to get. You will get an exciting ride. Many B and M hypers offer such a smooth ride that intensity is lacking. On Desperado, regardless of how it is running on any particular day, you will get a wild ride. The first drop and the camel backs going across the parking lot are unbelievable fun. Take a trip out to Primm if you are ever in the Vegas area. The food is great, the rooms are cheap, and Desperado is the best coaster there in Nevada. Its worth it.

This is my fourth favorite steel coaster.

Driving through the deserts of Nevada on I-15 from Vegas towards California, there really is not much scenery visible to break up the monotony. An occasional hotel/casino pops up, but otherwise it’s just a flat, straight road. But then, you begin to see it in the distance – is that what I think it is? You shake your head in almost disbelief, as if what you are seeing is nothing but a mirage. Then you drive closer, and discover that what your eyes saw is indeed real. Like an oasis for thrill seekers, there stands the mighty Desperado at Buffalo Bill’s in Primm! And yes, that IS a roller coaster rising right out of the roof of the hotel/casino!! Words really cannot accurately describe that, as it is something you have to see to believe! I live in the East, in Pennsylvania, where parks close in late October and stay dormant until May. This was February, and I was going to get on a towering hypercoaster in the middle of the Nevada desert! Now that, my friends, was a happy day!

Pulling off of I-15 and then into the Buffalo Bill’s area, you see Desperado up close and it is mind boggling. The coaster pops out of the casino roof and heads to the sky, before the first drop disappears behind the hotel. Then, you see at some point the coaster winds its way around the entire hotel/casino complex, passing around the parking lot and over the entrance! As it turns out, some portions of the layout are even hidden from plain view, which made the first ride all the better. Just because of the setting alone, with desert hills, rocks, and mountains as a backdrop, this coaster is one of the most picturesque rides I have ever seen! The colors are even very nice and vibrant, with slick yellow rails on desert tan colored supports. This is one of very few coasters that actually left me speechless by simply looking at it from the parking lot. It is just that cool! Desperado’s entire experience is truly surreal, as this is unlike any coaster you will ever ride. Heading inside, I purchased the unlimited rides pass (after doing some gambling first!) and then headed straight up the ramp to Desperado’s station – its CARPETED station! Like I said, simply unlike any other coaster! I headed to the back seat and strapped in.

The train departed the station, and started the climb up through the casino’s roof, which to me is such an awesome effect! Outside now, the train does that typical slow clickety-clack up the 209 foot Arrow lift hill. Cresting the top, the train then plummets down the marvelous first drop, giving a powerful jolt of airtime as you plunge 225 feet down into a tunnel! That is one of the best first drops around, in my opinion. Unfortunately, being a 1994 coaster from Arrow, the ride has aged a bit, and it shows in the following transition into the upward-twisting second hill. There is a noticeable jolt as the train heads back up, now pushing past 80 mph. This isn’t as bad towards the front of the train, and it is one of only two real rough spots on the ride. The second drop down is really neat, but then you hit rough spot number two as the train twists and coils back around itself. Thankfully though, after that this coaster gets its act together and then lets loose on a pulse-pounding, all out airtime assault! The next 4 hills are airtime machines, and you will find yourself laughing wildly, and the coaster will just take your breath away as you then hit the mid-course brakes. At this point, I had totally forgotten about the couple bone-shaking, albeit quick, transitions from just earlier, and that was something for a coaster to just be so outright unrelenting and fun, as to cover up its own weak moments. After the brakes, you continue into the thoroughly enjoyable second portion, which is relatively tamer and lets you recover while enjoying the latter elements. There’s a curved slight drop out of the brakes, a bunny hop, and then the hidden finishing double helix inside the mountain! That ending scored big points with me, and it was

Desperado was the main reason to pull off the road on the way to Vegas, and it was worth it. The ride is pretty damn good - full of intensity and some pretty hard-edged airtime. The first drop is really cool, down 200+ feet into the tunnel along with some serious Gs not found on newer hypers. The bunny hops before the mid-course provided some pretty strong and almost painful airtime, and the helix through the fake mountain was pretty neat as well. We rode four times, three in the back which were great, and one up front in which our kidneys begged for mercy, especially on the turn into the mid-course. Oddly enough, while most folks have to wait for the minimum number of riders, we just had to wait 2-3 trains at some points of the evening. A great ride, better than Magnum or Steel Force in my mind.

Hiding out in the Nevada desert is this brute. Not every coaster needs to be in a massive theme park. This gem is not in a massive theme park, but a massive desert. Its a long drive from Vegas to here. Patience rulez the world, its a long car ride. Now--about the ride. That first drop was really swell, all the tunnel needs is some mist like SROS. Ive noticed that if youre caught off guard, the sweeping turn after the second drop MURDERS you. Well, I guess they mean it when they tell me to hold on to that that thing on the car front. ANYWAY, those camelback hills a little later are astounding, and downright scary. I thought I saw some pieces of parchment fly away after the first camelback. Great air. The other parts of the ride include more turns and hills. I bet were glad that the lines are never too long because of the location of the ccomplex. Mostly for the insane ejector air and paint color, this is one of my favorites for now.THANK YOU FOR RIDING DESPERADO.

Desperado used to be a great ride. Now, its nothing more than a shadow of its former self. There is little airtime to be had, and the whole ride feels like its about to collapse. Wheel seats were brutal. The operations on this coaster were terrible. Fortunately, the line was only about 10 minutes, but it easily could have been a walk on. Desperado is also very overpriced. I believe we paid 10$ for 1 ride. This coaster needs some TLC, I cant believe how rough its gotten.