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The best ride added to Kings Island during the Paramount Era (1993-2006) was...


McSalsa
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A little while (not too long) ago, BB1 made a poll on here about what attraction people feel was the best ride added under Cedar Fair. I thought it was a decent topic idea and had I a feeling...why not continue it in a way, but going back to another era...thus the question:

What was, ride-wise, the best addition Paramount (all 3 forms- Paramount, Viacom, and CBS) added to Kings Island? Pretty simple, but I have a feeling making a choice here might be a bit tougher since Cedar Fair has had the park only 7 years now and Paramount ran it for 13. I also added a poll for this which BB1 really didn't do for his topic. I left off small flat rides and waterpark additions (to keep it a bit less clutter-y), but if you feel one of those was in fact the best ride addition, there is a "other" option. Also, for pure Paramount nostalgia purposes, all rides are named by their original names except for Xtreme Skyflyer- and that's only because that one would also be "Drop Zone" and that would cause some confusion.

Enjoy the poll, and you should all know the drill by now if you don't like it...click. Back.

MY OPINION ON THIS POLL...

Hmm...well, while the Cedar Fair additions have 2 big stand-outs in the form of the B&M Coasters, Paramount is a tiny bit harder to choose from. I never got to experience Son of Beast or Tomb Raider (at least its "true" form) for myself so I can't choose those though I expect both to get votes. The front-runners for me are, in order of debut: TOP GUN, Flight of Fear, Drop Zone, and Delirium...and based on those, my pick is...

Flight of Fear. While I've heard it was very bad when it debuted, the 2001 train modifications did wonders for it, and as of now it's my favorite steel coaster at Kings Island that is not a B&M. Add the fact it is well-themed even today, and helped push launched coasters into a new era, it gets my pick.

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I would agree with you, this was definitely a hard choice for me. I narrowed it down to three rides: Delirium, The Italian Job: Stunt Track, and TOP GUN. I still enjoy all of those. I finally chose The Italian Job: Stunt Track. I usually ride it a couple times when I go. (I enjoy everything at KI)

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^
I'm actually in that same boat of enjoying every single ride I have ridden that is currently at Kings Island. The one ride I didn't enjoy much at all isn't there anymore- The Crypt- and that one actually looked like it was VASTLY superior back when it was Tomb Raider: The Ride in its early years (and that I am 95% sure I would have loved had I rode it). I did almost consider BLSC as one of my choices, but I also was kind of using the same logic that pushed Banshee over Diamondback in the CF Additions poll: location and what it did to the surrounding area. And BLSC did hurt the middle of the park's calm atmosphere (and then Diamondback came in in 2009 and did more damage here). It's a fantastic little coaster itself though...though I still think it should have gone somewhere in Action Zone instead, where it would have fit much better versus Coney Mall given the movie backlot theme that area had (and technically still does).

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I realize this is exactly the answer you'd expect from me, but I had to vote for Tomb Raider: The Ride. In terms of quality of the initial design and experience, TR:TR was and continues to be unparalleled for a seasonal park (arguably, outside of Busch Gardens Williamsburg.) It was just such a radically intricate ride for a park that's only open from April to October/November, and it's really impressive that all if that came together in a semi-reasonable price tag ($20 million.) If only the maintenance budget was equally reasonable and/or properly funded and/or not multiplied by the HUSS product within...

I'm not judging this by which ride was the best business decision, of course. If I were, I'd say Top Gun, since it seems to have the best uptime and capacity of the bunch. I've also heard that Arrows aren't terribly difficult to maintain if you have the parts. But I'm voting selfishly, so Tomb Raider it is. :P

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I didn't allow my lack of experience of TR:TR keep me from voting for it. Even though its entire run was during my years away from the park, I can tell from what I've heard and even from what I saw that remains (during the lights-on tour of Madame Fatale's) that it was something really different and special.

OL:FoF is a close second for me.

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This was the next week's topic!

Other than the all glorious BB addition of which I do hold dear, I will have to say that out of all of the additions, Delirium or OLFOF just due to how different they are and how instrumental both were in the park. (Plus, I love them both more than any so)

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Without hesitation, I have to say Top Gun. For the initial ride/theming, as well as just the many years of providing an awesome experience due to its longevity. I also have to say something about its placement in the park. A lot of people complain about the queue, but that's something I really like about it. Something about walking the far distance into that area of the park is something I always find special about the ride. I think its one reason I like Banshee so well. For some reason, I've just always really liked that area of the park.

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It was between Son of Beast and Top Gun, but I ultimately picked Top Gun. It was one of my go-to rides when I was little and is still a fantastic ride! Although Son of Beast is my second-place choice, other contenders include Drop Zone: Stunt Tower and Tomb Raider: The Ride. Xtreme Skyflyer gets an honorable mention because for a while, it was the one ride at the park that truly scared me.

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OL:FoF for me. All that coaster stuffed in that building, to me, is pretty amazing.

Plus, I just, really love that ride.

But, I'm still a big fan of what was Top Gun.

Never rode TR:TR or, regrettably, Son of Beast, can't really say one way or another on them rides.

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Without hesitation, I have to say Top Gun. For the initial ride/theming, as well as just the many years of providing an awesome experience due to its longevity. I also have to say something about its placement in the park. A lot of people complain about the queue, but that's something I really like about it. Something about walking the far distance into that area of the park is something I always find special about the ride. I think its one reason I like Banshee so well. For some reason, I've just always really liked that area of the park.

You took the words right from my mouth... well said!

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^

I'm actually in that same boat of enjoying every single ride I have ridden that is currently at Kings Island. The one ride I didn't enjoy much at all isn't there anymore- The Crypt- and that one actually looked like it was VASTLY superior back when it was Tomb Raider: The Ride in its early years (and that I am 95% sure I would have loved had I rode it). I did almost consider BLSC as one of my choices, but I also was kind of using the same logic that pushed Banshee over Diamondback in the CF Additions poll: location and what it did to the surrounding area. And BLSC did hurt the middle of the park's calm atmosphere (and then Diamondback came in in 2009 and did more damage here). It's a fantastic little coaster itself though...though I still think it should have gone somewhere in Action Zone instead, where it would have fit much better versus Coney Mall given the movie backlot theme that area had (and technically still does).

That is what exactly I was thinking when I was deciding between a couple of them. It did kind of change the middle of Kings Island. The area between the Eiffel Tower and BLSC is kind of awkward for me (except Halloween Haunt with Backyard Bayou....which is still sort of akward) because there isn't much to that area. The wide open grass by BLSC is strange but I am not sure what they would be able to put in there. More greenery would be nice but still wouldn't make it less akward.

I am just not sure....

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I voted on my first impression. So I voted for Tomb Raider: The Ride. That ride was my favorite in the park from 2002-2005 or so. I absolutely loved it. The show that it was released with, was amazing. To later work on the ride (The Crypt) though it wasn't the same ride as it formerly was, was a highlight for me!

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Flight of Fear was my favorite from Paramount. It really was a tough decision for me though, TR:TR was simply an amazing ride and there is little to compare it to, Delirium & Drop Zone really upped the bar for flat rides at Kings Island, and Son of Beast brought in a new extreme wooden roller coaster.

In the end though Flight of Fear was my favorite, the theme in the queue area and the intense ride experience just cannot be topped. TR:TR had both of those things but I feel that Flight of Fear tops it in both categories, plus it was able to keep most of it's theming and ride experience following the sale to Cedar Fair, whereas TR:TR was simply stripped apart following the sale.

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Hmm...random question, but was the B&M Invert at California's Great America also being planned in 1992 when Paramount made the purchases...if so, anyone have any idea what that was going to be called had Paramount not bought the park? (Since it was also named TOP GUN upon its 1993 debut) Or would it have also been Swoop/Thunder Road/etc?

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Yes, it was already planned.

It is important to realize that Carl Lindner was calling the shots at Kings Island, and had already put KECO on notice that its services would no longer be needed, when Paramount agreed to buy the KECO parks, but only if it got Kings Island back and sold it as well.

See also Adventure Express and Phantom Theater.

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Thanks.

Wow, that's kind of interesting that during the Carl Lindner years Kings Island was kind of "seperated" from the other former KECO parks, only to re-unite with them under the Paramount banner in 1993. Considering how the Lindner years aren't looked back on with too much love (though they did introduce a bunch of beloved rides like the mentioned AE and Phantom Theatre) I fear what may have happened had Paramount been OK with just buying the KECO parks WITHOUT Kings Island, completely seperating them. Kings Island would not have been a pretty sight by the late 90's had things kept going downhill...Cedar Fair may have not even wanted to make the Paramount purchase since KI was all they really wanted, so Paramount Parks might still exist or would have been bought by someone else (though if CBS was still running the other parks those would have been in bad shape by now as well probably). Six Flags would have had more incentive to "beef up" Kentucky Kingdom, since they could draw guests away from a slowly dying Kings Island under Lindner...so SFKK may never have closed. Geauga Lake could probably have also survived since in this alternate universe, since no PP purchase means Cedar Fair wouldn't have suddenly gone into debt and thus wouldn't have had to kill it- though it likely would have been downsized since CF was already slowly doing that before 2006. Though I figure any rides sent out of GL would have been to Cedar Fair legacy parks instead of the former Paramount ones. Wow, to think the industry could be THAT different had Paramount NOT requested ownership of ONE park in Ohio...crazy...

EDIT: Fixed spelling errors in LindNer's name. Thanks for pointing that out Terpy...

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We could play the "What if?" game all day. What if Dick Kinzel had not gotten cold feet when he at first agreed to recommend Cedar Fair be sold to Paramount Parks in the late90's-2000 timeframe?

What if Apollo Global had gotten its mitts on Cedar Fair as Mr. Kinzel tried to let happen?

What if Avenue Capital had gotten Six Flags and merged it with Cedar Fair as it and Apollo reportedly plotted to do?

What if KECO had not been too leveraged and not been forced to unload Kings Island to Lindner?

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We could play the "What if?" game all day. What if Dick Kinzel had not gotten cold feet when he at first agreed to recommend Cedar Fair be sold to Paramount Parks in the late90's-2000 timeframe?

What if Apollo Global had gotten its mitts on Cedar Fair as Mr. Kinzel tried to let happen?

What if Avenue Capital had gotten Six Flags and merged it with Cedar Fair as it and Apollo reportedly plotted to do?

What if KECO had not been too leveraged and not been forced to unload Kings Island to Lindner?

All of those- had they occured- would have drastically affected the amusement industry IMO. And all would have created very different versions of Kings Island...and to be honest part of me wouldn't mind seeing some of those versions of the park.

If only the What-if Machine from Futurama was real...

http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/What-If_Machine

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