Summer 2012 is not yet over, but it has brought us not only many fun and exciting coasters, but also many unique coasters that don’t require the breaking of records over and over like we saw in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. In the last decade or so, we have gotten away from the so-called “Coaster Wars,” and instead have seen rides that get back to being fan favorites.

We have seen multiple wing coasters from B&M, three to be exact. Wild Eagle, X-Flight, and Swarm have all made their debuts this year, making a total of four all together in operation. Reviews have been pretty positive generally speaking, and already we know that at least two of these rides will be coming in 2013. The first of course will be Cedar Point’s Gatekeeper. The second, while still unconfirmed, is expected to open in China.

Staying with the wing theme, Intamin also debuted a new type of train this season that featured winged outer seats. While not really true winged seats like B&M’s, these trains are something that has made Skyrush at Hershey one of the most talked about coasters of the summer. While it is currently unknown if Intamin will use these trains again, a small rumor of a Knott’s coaster could be a chance for Intamin to use these trains again if they please.

Back to B&M, we have also seen them step outside their previous range of rides with their first ever giga coaster, Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland. Much like their hyper coasters, Leviathan is big, fast, and has some airtime to it as well. Like Intamin’s winged trains, nothing has been confirmed yet, but there is speculation that maybe a B&M giga is in the works for 2013 somewhere.

B&M also built Shambhala, their second tallest coaster behind Leviathan, for PortAventura in Spain. It features a wicked turnaround that has never been seen before and also has a mid-course water splash, although the trains don’t actually touch the water like on Diamondback.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has finally gained some attention as well with the opening of Superman: Ultimate Flight. This is perhaps the most unique 2012 coaster of the bunch. This ride reminds me of both Wicked Twister and Kennywood’s Sky Rocket, the latter of which is another Premier Rides launched coaster.

It has the back-and-forth motion and the footprint of Wicked Twister, but has the inversion 150 feet above the ground and the length of a ride on Sky Rocket. It is a shame that the capacity of the ride is so low, because other Six Flags parks could certainly benefit from a ride of this style. Again, while nothing has been confirmed, many think that a Six Flags Magic Mountain multi-launch coaster from Premier is on its way. We find out on August 30.

Staying with launched rides, we have also seen some more family oriented launched coasters this season, with Manta at Sea World San Diego, and Verbolten at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Sea World’s coaster is a terrain-hugging coaster that features some nice scenery and a water splash of its own like its big brother in Orlando. Verbolten also features a fantastic theme, and a background story the fittingly nods to the Big Bad Wolf. While also marketed as a family coaster, Verbolten is an intense coaster everyone will love.

While 2012 featured loads of new steel coasters, 2013 will see at least one new wooden coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction, and that is Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City. The record breaking, three inversion coaster will re-write the book on what wooden coasters can do, and is sure to draw people from across the country, and maybe even the world, to ride it.

So yes, 2012 has been a great year in terms of new coasters, and it has brought to light many new ideas and styles. At the same time, I think this is only the beginning of an excellent run of new, exciting, and most importantly, FUN coasters that will be coming to the parks, and 2013 should be no exception.