Theme Park Battles - Cedar Point vs. Magic Mountain

Welcome to another new series here on coasterreviews.net. The other night I was watching Spike's new show "Deadliest Warrior" (a nerd show if there was ever one) and a random thought crossed my mind. Theme park enthusiasts are always ranking coasters and parks so how do some of the parks actually stack up when compared directly with one another? I know that in the past both Cedar Point and Magic Mountain were in a race to see which park could put together the most extreme coaster line-up. Magic Mountain seemed to forfeit their bragging rights when tearing down the Psyclone and taking down Flashback. But, lo and behold, by building the new Terminator ride, they are now up to 16 total coasters which is only 1 behind Cedar Point. However, the question is this: Which park has the best line-up of coasters? This post will compare a coaster from one park with its counterpart from the other park in order to determine........Who is Deadliest!?.....no wait a minute.....I mean....Who is the most extreme!? Please keep in mind this is not an analysis of each park as flat rides, water rides, shows, food, etc are not a part of the evaluations. This post will deal only with the coaster line-up each park possesses.

Hyper/Mega Coasters - Magnum XL-200 (CP) vs. Goliath (MM). Although these coasters fit into the same general category, they are very different. Magnum is the best airtime coaster at CP while Goliath is almost totally devoid of any airtime. However, it does have the "Helix of Death" which is among the most intense elements on any coaster ever built. Despite its age, I still prefer Magnum, particularly as the final ride of the night in total darkness with no trim brakes. Plus, it has a much better view. Edge - Cedar Point.

Inverts - Raptor (CP) vs. Batman- The Ride (MM). While I love the Batman rides (there are now over a half dozen of them throughout the U.S.), Raptor is just a better coaster. It is longer, more forceful, and much more respected among enthusiasts. I like the fact that Batman does not have mid-course brakes which leads to excellent pacing, but I like Raptor better. Edge - Cedar Point.

Stand-Up Coasters - Mantis (CP) vs. Riddler's Revenge (MM). In my humble opinion, this is a simple case of a good stand-up coaster versus a bad one. Riddler's Revenge is much bigger and smoother with some unique elements while Mantis is simply an ear-banger. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Launch Coasters - Top Thrill Dragster (CP) vs. Superman: The Escape (MM). I love both of these coasters as they are both intense yet smooth. Both are themed up well and are normally among the most popular rides at each park. I give the edge to TTD simply because it is taller, faster and contains the Top Hat which is preferable to simply dropping backwards like Superman. In its defense however, Superman was the original Intamin launch coaster that ended up being a direct forebearer to rides like TTD and Kingda Ka. Edge - Cedar Point.

Big Woodie - Mean Streak (CP) vs. Colossus (MM). This took some thought as both coasters were among the biggest and best when they were orginally built and have currently come under attack from the coaster community due to deterioration. However, CP is re-tracking Mean Streak making for a much better ride while MM has simply let one of the two tracks of Colossus rot. This past February, I actually did not feel safe riding it due to the horrid condition of the track. It still offered a decent ride but I have had some outstanding Mean Streak rides despite its supposed roughness. Edge - Cedar Point.

Little Woodie - Blue Streak (CP) vs. Terminator: The Ride (MM). I love Blue Streak. It reminds me so much of the Lake WInnie Cannonball that I had so much fun on when I was smaller. We even rode it 10 consecutive times last September and had a blast. But let's be realistic. Terminator is going to be in the running for Best New Ride this year and will probably be ranked among the top woodies in the world very shortly with its twisted lay-out, on-board sound system, and tunnels filled with mist. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Inverted Boomerang Coasters - Wicked Twister (CP) vs. Deja Vu (MM). This is a very even match-up with two very similar coasters. WT starts with a launch out of the station while Deja Vu pulls you back up to a height of almost 200 feet before dropping you at a 90 degree angle. I like both coasters but prefer Deja Vu because of its immense size and initital drop. It is also a coaster that can be ridden anywhere on the train while WT is much better on either end. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Basket Rides (also known as suspended coasters) - Iron Dragon (CP) vs. Ninja (MM). Hmmmm....two oriental based rides. Both are located in the middle of their respective parks but are beautifully landscaped with trees and water. Both are very similar but the main difference is the way each coaster ends. Ninja simply stops and is pulled up a lift hill to the station. Iron Dragon dives into a mist filled helix over the pond with some pretty intense laterals. Plus everyone knows a dragon could kill a ninja. Edge - Cedar Point.

Mine Rides - Cedar Creek Mine Ride (CP) vs. Gold Rusher (MM). Now I have had some excellent rides on the CCMR particularly during Halloween when the entire ride is blanketed in mist. However, the Magic Mountain version is much faster and longer. It is also spread out on the side of the mountain making it landscaped much better. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Unique/Intense Steel Coasters - Maverick (CP) vs. Tatsu (MM). Wow! These two rides are among the best in the world and neither park has a coaster to match the other so I put them together. Tatsu is the best flying coaster on the planet with the most intense element (Pretzel Loop) that I have ever felt. It is enormous as well standing well over 125 feet tall and seeming much taller at times. Maverick won Best New Ride of 2007 with its dual launches and crazy airtime filled hills along with its steeper than vertical 1st drop. This is so close that the coaster reviews staff does not agree on which coaster is the best. Guy prefers Tatsu, but since I am writing the review, Maverick gets the edge for one simple reason....I had rather sit down than fly on my coasters. Edge - Cedar Point.

Old School steel loopers - Corkscrew (CP) vs. Revolution (MM). This is an interesting comparison. Revolution was the first coaster ever with a veritcal loop while Corkscrew was the 1st coaster ever with three inversions. Both coasters are well maintained and beautiful. Corkscrew is a Cedar Point icon with its twisted inversions directly over the midway. Revolution is also gorgeous flying through the trees and around Tatsu with a great lead up to the loop. I bet that last rise before the inversion scared people to death when this thing was first built. It's a tough call, but Revolution is much smoother now and a much more enjoyable ride. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Sit-down steel coasters - Wildcat (CP) vs. Viper (MM). This is really not even close. Wildcat is a fun little family coaster which has some pretty fast elements but Viper set the inversion record when it was first built. Inversions are not really my thing but Viper is one of the better sit-down loopers I've been on. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Family Coasters - Woodstock Express (CP) vs. Canyon Blaster (MM). I am sad to say I have ridden both...more than once. Woodstock Express is much better because it is longer and much more family friendly with its on board video cameras. Edge: Cedar Point.

Kiddie Coasters - Junior Gemini (CP) vs. Thomas the Tank Engine/Goliath Jr. - Neither park will let me ride either of these so no one gets the point. Edge - Even.

Random Match-up - Gemini (CP) vs. Scream! (MM). I had no other coasters to match these two against so they ended up against one another. It is difficult to compare an older racing coaster with the best capacity in the world that was once the tallest and fastest coaster built against a newer floorless B and M design. Nonetheless it had to be done. Despite Gemini being a fun ride and Scream being built in the middle of a parking lot (with the lines still present in under the coaster), Scream still gets the edge. Edge - Magic Mountain.

Whew! If I have counted correctly, we have now looked at 15 coasters with each park getting the edge on 7 with 1 tie. That leaves the signature coaster from each park which will be the decding vote. The final match up is:

Signature Coasters - Millennium Force (CP) vs X2 (MM). Wow. Both of these coasters currently reside in my Top 10 and each offers soemthing totally unique. If a 300 foot drop at over 90 MPH with over a mile of track is your preference take MF. If you had rather listen to an awsome soundtrack while riding a 4th dimension coaster which drops you over 200 feet at a 90 degree angle face down, then X2 is your thing. There is no wrong answer but readers of the site know that Millennium Force ranks at the top of my list, as well as # 2 in the world according to the Golden Tickets. Edge (and winner) - Cedar Point.

That was a long post but hopefully someone out there enjoyed it. One coaster that was left out was Cedar Point's Disaster Transport which did give them another slight edge when tallying the results. Both parks are great and no enthusiast can go wrong with visting either of them. Check back in a couple of weeks for more Park Battles with two family owned parks containing some of the greatest wooden roller coasters in the world matching up against one another.

Tatsu - Six Flags Magic Mountain - CA

This is a different kind of roller coaster.

Tatsu is without a doubt, the most intense flying coaster ever created. It is far from the standard B and M model they have used at numerous Six Flags parks around the country. This is one of the most creative coasters on the planet and is a definite "can't miss" ride for any enthusiasts.

Having said all of that, let me now say this. Tatsu is not one of my favorite coasters. I totally respect the unique elements and creativity that went into this monster, but I still prefer to sit in my coaster trains, not fly. I like the feeling of airtime more than inversions and in a flying coaster, the inversions are what make them special.

I have three laps on Tatsu with hopefully a few more coming up in October. This past February, the station was virtually empty so we could have ridden it as much as we wanted. However, after putting 10 laps on X2, we were physically unable to take the famous Pretzel Loop on Tatsu more than twice. When you take into account those two coasters plus the helix on Goliath, you have probably three of the most intense coasters on the planet.

So in conclusion, Tatsu grades out as a solid 9 and is by far the best flying coaster I have ever ridden. The argument could be made to give it a 10 as it is the best of its type but, as I said earlier, flyers are just not my thing. One piece of advice. Looking at Tatsu from ground level does not do justice to its immense height. When going up the lift hill while laying face down, it looks as if the train is over 500 feet high. Only people who have ridden it can truly appreciate the size and intensity of this coaster.