Blue Streak (Cedar Point)

From my many experiences with roller coasters, I am rarely surprised by a less than 100 foot coaster. Blue Streak stands 78 feet tall, and only reaches a mere 40 mph. Upon visiting Cedar Point, I had not heard much positive about this ride, so my expectations were probably lower than Miley Cyrus's dignity. On day two at the park I was headed for the exit to go get some lunch and visit some thrift shops before returning to the park. However, I passed by Blue Streak in a way, and remembered that I had not ridden it yet. So after briefly contemplating, I made my way over to the woodie. I waited in the ten minute line and boarded the train. The trains are the typical Philadelphia Toboggan style, and the lap bars are a bit larger than normal. We depart from the station, and climb the 78 foot lift rather swiftly (Compared to the Beast at least). We reach the top and I notice the amount of airtime filled amazingness in front of me. We drop down the drop with amazing speed, and I was ejected out of my seat with major airtime. I finally realize that I am back in my seat, but not for long as I am hit with major airtime once more. Get this; I was out of my seat more than I was in it. The speed felt way faster than 40 mph too. I notice the ride is not nearly as rough as its age (and the critics) might have signified. The whole ride may be small and a bit rough at some parts (Not really if you sit in the 2nd row on each car) but this ride is an airtime machine! I got off thinking about how I almost missed out on the greatness that is Blue Streak. This is the surprise of Cedar Point and shouldn't be missed.

Drop: 8/10

Length: 7/10

Comfort: 7/10

Airtime: 10/10

Speed: 7/10

Smoothness: 6/10

Intensity: 6/10

Overall: 86/100 (Great)

Gemini (Cedar Point)

First off, let me say I love racing coasters. I also like riding a good ol' mine train. Well, that's what Gemini was. A giant racing mine train. Sure it didn't go through any mines, but the track felt exactly the same, with the slight jerkiness to it. Anyway, I rode this ride with two of my siblings and a friend. Myself and my sister rode on the red side, whilst my brother and one of our friends rode on the blue. Let me get this out of the way; I don't know what it is with Cedar Point and these absolutely horrid lap bars (used on Gemini and Magnum) but they flat out suck. I can say with every fiber in my body these rides would be much better with different style restraints. We immediately head up the lift, and I receive a great view of Magnum and the water park, as well as the lake. The nighttime sky really sets a calm atmosphere, as well as the fireworks exploding in front of us. I prepare myself for a fairly tame 118 foot drop. I sat in the back of the train, so the moment we went over the drop I was hit with great ejector air (As well as a bit of pain from the lap bar). While the rest of the ride was fairly fun although a bit slow in some areas, the racing aspect was awesome, and I was even surprised by how much airtime the ride had. Not an awful lot of airtime, but a good amount. The ride was a bit jerky at the bottom of the first drop, but I really didn't mind, and while the lap bar pain wasn't nearly on the level of Magnum, it was still slightly irritable. While Gemini isn't an enthusiasts dream, it still proves to be a fun ride even after all these years, so it gets my thumbs up.

Drop: 8/10
Length: 8/10
Comfort: 6/10
Airtime: 7/10
Speed: 6/10
Smoothness: 6/10
Intensity: 5/10

Overall: 73/100 (Good)

Georgia Scorcher (Six Flags Over Georgia)

There are two kinds of people: Those who enjoy stand ups, and those who don't. Personally, I am not a fan. I've had bad experience with them from the start. I lost my sunglasses on Vortex at Carowinds, received one of the worst migraines of my life on Shockwave at Kings Dominion, etc. Lets just say I wasn't too excited about Scorcher. I decided I would just get it done for a credit, and then move on. So early in the day I decided it was time to get it over with. I boarded the once again uncomfortable seat-thing (though not as bad as others), and we headed straight up the 107 foot lift. While I was praying I would still be able to have children after this ride, my friend kept telling me it was a fun ride. But stand ups are never fun. Oh well. We plunged down a decent 101 foot drop, and we were off to a smooth start. Following a forceful loop, we headed through a good number of random twists and turns, a corkscrew and then onto the brake run. The ride was short, much like other stand ups out there, but that is usually a good thing. But this particular ride was not that painful. The ride was short but sweet, and not too intense. By far the best stand up out there. (I actually rode this more than once ;D)

Drop: 7/10
Length: 6/10
Comfort: 5/10
Inversions: 6/10
Speed: 7/10
Smoothness: 7/10
Intensity: 7/10

Overall: 72/100 (Good)

Gatekeeper (Cedar Point)

Another new B&M is always a good thing right? They give very smooth rides (With the exception of a few) and produce fun floaty airtime as well as new innovations such as wing-riders. Gatekeeper was my first wing coaster made by B&M, and I was quite excited. The 15 minute line moved very quickly on this cool Monday evening, and the eagerness in me grew. I boarded the train and pulled down my (slightly uncomfortable) vest restraint. This does eliminate head-banging however. We leave the station after the "all-clear", and head up the 170 foot lift. The lift offered a fantastic view of Lake Eerie and some of the park. We finally reach the peak and are rotated upside down. The 164 foot drop was breathtaking, and it was though I was diving like an eagle towards the ground. After an inversion, we headed over an airtime hill with hardly any airtime. My favorite part of the ride was the giant flat spin, and then the keyhole heartline rolls. Lastly after the MCBR we head into a helix, and finally into the final brakes. All in all I can't say Gatekeeper exceeded my expectations. Though the ride does have a "flying" feel to it, the ride itself was forceless and dull in that category. Nevertheless, it is a great addition to Cedar Points collection, and also creates even more diversity in the park.

Drop: 8/10
Length: 8/10
Comfort: 7/10
Elements: 8/10
Speed: 7/10
Smoothness: 10/10
Intensity: 5/10

Overall: 83/100 (Great)

Hollywood: Rip Ride Rockit (Universal Studios Orlando Florida)

With my trip to Florida in 2013 came a coaster unlike any other I've ridden before, so I didn't know what to expect from Rip Ride Rockit. After a glorious day at Islands of Adventure, I entered Universal Studios, and bee-lined straight for the 167 foot tall ride. After a brief 5 minute line, I sit in the seat and choose my song on the touch screen in front of me; a very nice touch to the ride. I don't have much time before I was staring straight up at the sky headed up the vertical lift. I wasn't intimidated as I have ridden many verical lifting rides, but the fact that it is a vertical lift still unnerves me (In a good way). I don't have much time to take in the view before we plummet into the "Double-Take" inversion: A non-inverting loop. A few helices, turns and drops later we hit the mid-course brake run, and I must say I was enjoying myself. The ride ended, and I got 2 more rides before I took off to the other rides of the park. My only complaint is that the ride seems to have a rattle to it which threatened to give me a headache after three rides. The lack of intensity could also be a legit complaint, but I felt that this ride is more focused on action, music and overall fun than intensity and hardcore coaster fan g-forces. Rip Ride Rockit was however a fun, lengthy ride and should not be missed if one is at Universal.

Drop: 7/10
Length: 9/10
Comfort: 9/10
Elements: 8 /10
Speed: 7/10
Smoothness: 7/10
Intensity: 5/10

Overall: 82/100 (Great)

Carolina Cobra (Carowinds)

With the Carowinds Giga-Coaster construction beginning just minutes from my house, its quite easy to forget about the other coasters in Carowinds' collection. Perhaps one of the most neglected although just added in 2009 is the Carolina Cobra. Lets just talk about the first time I rode it. I boarded the train after a half hour wait not expecting much, y'know, just another Vekoma boomerang. Upon boarding, I immediately noticed a welcome change to the Vekoma trains; Instead of OTSR, the Vekoma's updated trains include restraints much like Banshee. A vest, I might call it. The ride other than that was just another Vekoma boomerang. Get this though. No OTSR made all the difference, I actually enjoyed this ride. There was no headbanging of course, and this is BY FAR the best boomerang coaster out there (Besides Deja Vu)

Drop(S): 7/10
Length: 6/10
Comfort: 7/10
Inversions: 6/10
Speed: 6/10
Smoothness: 6/10
Intensity: 7/10

Overall: 71/100 (Good)

Ninja (Six Flags Over Georgia)

Last year, it was a great day in June. Me and a few of my friends headed out to Six Flags in Georgia. After rides like Goliath and Batman, as well as the amazing Mindbender, we headed off to the less-popular attractions. We gave Great America Scream Machine a go, which was an okay ride, as well as Georgia Cyclone which was pretty underwhelming. Then we came across Ninja. The first thought that came to mind was "That looks pretty scenic". Y'know, it looks pretty nice over the water. Well, one of my friends who is native to Atlanta warned me, saying it was "excruciatingly painful". I excused this as an exaggeration, and besides, I needed it for the credit. Now, I've been on plenty of rough rides before, including the Hurricane at the old Myrtle Beach Pavilion (but even that had some fun airtime), and the unexpectedly painful Magnum XL-200. I ran to the station along with one of my friends and pulled down my restraint, and soon enough we exited the station up the slow 122 foot lift. After cresting the top, we slowed for a second, and I glanced at my friend with a "What is going on?" expression, and he just laughed. We finally slid down the hill, and slammed into the first inversion. As if the two butterfly elements were not enough, we were then thrown across our seats as we hit the next inversion. By this time a migraine is already forming, and the ride wasn't even half over. Three turns and two gut-wrenching corkscrews later, the train comes to a screeching halt, and I swore; "Never again". Just do not ride this ride. It is pain to the next level. The ride also takes up a large amount of space that could be used for a new coaster. Literally all I like about this ride is the scenic view of it, and the paint job. Besides that, it truly does beat you up, just like any good Ninja should do.

Drop: 4/10
Length: 7/10
Comfort: 5/10
Inversions: 5/10
Speed: 4/10
Smoothness: 1/10
Intensity: 6/10

Overall: 29/100 (Horrible)

Afterburn (Carowinds)

Yay, good ole Afterburn at my home park Carowinds. First of all, this was my first inverted coaster, and it has remained in my top 10 coasters throughout the years. I have heard all my life that this ride is 144 feet tall and 62 mph. However, on RCDB they list Afterburn at 113 feet and 62 mph, which seems unreasonably fast for that size (seeing that Raptor is 137 feet/57 mph, and Banshee is 167 feet/68 mph) and the drop is a whole twelve feet bigger than that. Is this because of the elevated station? So anyway, to get this started, this ride is fast. I mean VERY fast. Fast paced, fast inversions, just a very fast ride. It is nonstop intensity. I just went to Carowinds yesterday, and I was blown away by the intensity of this ride, To start off, you climb your way up the 113/144 foot lift, and get a nice view off to your left. Once to the top, it has a normal invert feel to it until you begin to drop. You are seemingly plummeting towards the parking lot. Let me just say, for a 125 foot drop, it never gets old. Immediately after the drop the intensity kicks in, causing you to briefly gray out at the bottom of the drop. After the wonderful loop, you speed straight into one of the best elements this ride has to offer; The Immelman. After that, its straight into the zero g roll, and then the best part of the ride. You head into the batwing element, and let me tell you this: going through that tunnel at the bottom of the batwing is one of the most intense coaster moments you'll ever experience. It is so intense, not once have I not grayed out there. Also, the tunnel that the bottom of the batwing cuts through is pitch dark at night, so all you can see is darkness and all you hear is the roaring sound of the train through the tunnel. Afterburn at night is a one of a kind experience. After all this chaos, you sprint straight to the final inversion, a corkscrew (and quite an intense one at that), and lastly into the helix finale. Although this ride is on the short side, it still remains in my top 10 after all of these years, and is best ridden at night. After receiving a fresh coat of paint this year, Afterburn has never looked better, and still gives me top-notch rides that I have been enjoying since 1999.

Drop: 8/10
Length: 7/10
Comfort: 8/10
Inversions: 10/10
Speed: 9/10
Smoothness: 9/10
Intensity: 10/10

Overall: 92/100 (World Class)

Raptor (Cedar Point)

I can hear the groans now. Ugh, not another Cedar Point coaster. Well, I just went up to Ohio last week, so I might as well review most of them first and foremost before the details of the ride slip away. Anyway, it was day three of Cedar Point and I still hadn't ridden the great and mighty Raptor. As soon as I entered the park on July 11, my brother and I headed straight to Raptor. I've been on plenty great inverts like Montu, Afterburn, Banshee, etc. but from what I heard one may think Raptor is the best of all. Once in the station, I got pretty excited, especially since we were alone in the station and we got a walk-on front row. Of course since Raptor is a earlier B&M model, it doesn't have the great Banshee-style restraints, which is a slight bummer. The lift was relatively fast, and we reached the top fairly quickly. I got a momentary view of the entrance and Gatekeeper, but not for long, as we dove 119 feet at over 57 mph. The drop and first loop were awesome, as was the zero-g roll. But the cobra roll was not on the level of Afterburn's immelman, or Banshee's dive-immelman. It was a bit rougher and not as forceful or fun. The best part of this ride was perhaps the noticeable speed. Although the max speed is only 57 mph, the ride feels much quicker and really rips through the inversions.The helix area of the ride was the part I really dig, as well as the pop of airtime before the last corkscrew. The helices were forceful, smooth and flat out fun, and the ending was probably the best part. All in all Raptor is a great ride, and although it is not quite up there with Banshee, Afterburn or Montu, it is still great B&M invert fun.

Drop: 7/10
Length: 7/10
Comfort: 8/10
Inversions: 7/10
Speed: 9/10
Smoothness: 8/10
Intensity: 8/10

Overall: 87/100 (Great)

Top Thrill Dragster (Cedar Point)

My first day at Cedar Point was slightly disappointing as I never got to ride the Dragster due to it being broken down. The second day, Dragster appeared to be broken down as well. That is until 8:30 that night when I heard the recognizable engine sound from Mantis's lift hill. I rushed to Dragster, and found a relatively short 40 minute wait. I immediately became quite nervous standing in line, having never been on Kingda Ka or this. After 20 minutes, I was nearing the halfway point of the line, the ride once again broke down. I was pretty devastated as we were then informed the ride would be down for the rest of the night. I left the line to head for Millennium Force, when I noticed people were on the ride once again....after 5 minutes. I ran back to the line, to find most of the people gone, already having given up on the ride. The wait was now 10 minutes, and I was nearing the station. But after a mere three launches, the ride was down again. I decided to keep my place in line this time around. However, the ride was down for about an hour this time. I was now in the station, as most people have left by now with the park closing at 10. The time is now 9:40, and people are finally boarding the train. After about five minutes, and me being second in line for the third row, the ride shuts down once more, and this time they test the ride repeatedly. By then its 10:15 or so, and they tell us they will test it one more time before allowing us to board. I sigh in relief, finally feeling as though I may get a ride on the legendary Top Thrill Dragster. They test the train once more, but this time, the worst thing possible happens: the green train rolls back. I groan, finally giving up, and I begin to consider leaving. As soon as I turn to leave, they announce that we are now to board the trains. I suddenly become nervous yet excited, as I board the train. My heart is pounding as they check my lap bar, and we move out of the station, and into the launching position. At this point in time, I have no idea what to do. Do I put my hands up? Do I sit calmly? Do I scream yolo? I stare at the yellow-yellow-yellow-green lights as though it's gazing into my soul as the engine sound effect starts up. My palms become sweaty as I stare up at the 420 foot tower ahead of us. "Wow" was the only word on my mind. It's finally happening. There is a loud hissing sound, and short after, the countdown commences, and we launch. Let me tell you something. This is the most spectacular moment on a roller coaster I have ever experienced, and this is coming from someone who once called this ride overrated. Positive g's push me into my seat as we begin up the 420 foot ascent, staring right into the stars. We finally reach the the top of the tower, and I catch a glance of Millennium Force below us. Yep, below us. Finally regaining my mind, I throw my hands in the air and scream as we plummet hundreds of feet towards the earth. I felt as though I was a falcon diving through the air, even more so than SheiKra or Griffon. We reach the bottom and the on-ride camera blinds me for a second as we hit the brakes. I am truly amazed by this ride and how I overlooked it. It is truly a one of a kind experience. And trust me, the lap bar instead of the OTSR used on Kingda Ka make all the difference in the world. This ride was worth all the trouble and then some. But of course there is the all too common complaint that 17 seconds is too short, which is completely true. However, those were possibly the best 17 seconds of my life.

Drop: 10/10
Length: 3/10
Comfort: 9/10
Launch: 10/10
Speed: 10/10
Smoothness: 9/10
Intensity: 8/10

Overall: 96/100 (World Class)

Banshee (Kings Island)

Ah, the B&M invert. One of the best inventions known to man. When I first heard the announcement of Banshee, I was quite excited, having ridden the inverts Montu, Afterburn, Dragon Challenge, and Batman. The best thing about these rides is that they are consistently good. Not once have I ridden a B&M invert and gotten of thinking negatively of it. I finally got a chance to ride King's Island's new coaster last week, so let me tell you of the experience. Using my Platinum Pass early entry, I rushed to the ride at 9:30 am to avoid lines. Upon arriving to the station, it appeared as though I would be one of the first lucky riders that day. I took my seat in the second row, along with two of my siblings and few people behind me and we were released out of the station. The lift was quicker than most inverts out there, and there was plenty of excitement building up to say the least. Finally, we reached the top of the 167 foot lift, and the Banshee scream sounded, scaring the living daylights out of me. We peeked over the edge of the drop and glanced down at the distant ground, and then I experienced of of the most fun drops I ever have. We dove towards the ground. This drop was not like many inverts, because normally you will experience the "floaty" feeling on them. On Banshee however, it was like I was being dropped from the sky face first. We pulled up into the diving immelman element, which was one of the best parts of the ride. After a spectacular loop and then an amazing zero-g roll, we quickly dove into the bat wing, with the pace never letting up. We then entered another loop, and soon after a decently intense helix. Next was something I had never experienced on an invert before, and that was the barrel roll in which we were hanging upside down for a long second, which was extremely unique in my opinion. After a couple of turns, we entered the brake run, and I couldn't help but clap for such a ride. My only complaint is the tightening restraint that seems to tighten more with every inversion, but that does nothing to take away from the magical experience that Banshee can offer. This easily makes my top five coasters, and CANNOT be missed.

Drop: 9/10
Length: 9/10
Comfort: 8/10
Inversions: 10/10
Speed: 9/10
Smoothness: 10/10
Intensity: 9/10

Overall: 96/100 (World Class)

Magnum XL 200 (Cedar Point)

If you know about Roller Coasters, you must have heard of Magnum. However at the huge park of Cedar Point it is often overlooked. Although it stands 205 feet high, it is small compared to rides such as Millennium Force, Dragster and the Power Tower. After riding many of the rides at the park, I knew while I was there for a short three days that I needed a good run on Magnum. After arriving to the station, I waited a mere 5 minutes before boarding. The trains have a outdated future look to them, but they are quite iconic. After boarding and pulling down my lap bar, we were ready to go. The lift was painfully long, but it offered nice views of the lake and water park, and even added a bit of anticipation. Finally, I am 205 feet in the air, and we plummet down the drop. It was a fun drop indeed, and the roughness I had heard of was hardly there. But after hitting the top of the hill, I encountered a major problem. Now, I did expect ejector airtime throughout this ride, but I did not expect that to be a problem. But upon reaching the top, my lap bar dug into my thighs with painful force. I am not one that cares about roughness on roller coasters, but that HURT. I did have just enough time to observe the view of the lake as I grimaced in pain, but just then we dove down again, this time into a tunnel. The next hill wasn't as much of a pain, but still bothersome. The pretzel-loop was intense, but nothing remarkable. But then came the worst part. We entered the bunny hops. Each and every time I was launched out of my seat from great airtime the lap bar slammed into my legs, causing quite a bit of pain. By then bruises were forming. At the midway point of the ride I was questioning how people can call this ride world class. It may be a classic, but this is the only ride I've ridden in which I hated the airtime. I'm sorry Cedar Point, but Magnum's prime time is long gone. Upon exiting the ride, I concluded that perhaps maybe Cedar Point should purchase some B&M trains for the ride, similar to what happened to Steel Dragon. But as long as those lap bars/trains are present, I think one ride is enough.

Drop: 7/10
Length: 8/10
Comfort: 2/10
Airtime: 9/10
Speed: 7/10
Smoothness: 6/10
Intensity: 5/10

Overall: 60/100 (Mediocre)