I don't think anyone has ever gotten off of a ride and thought, "I wish they'd add a few brakes" but brakes have certainly been added in response to complaints of rides being too forceful. That's kind of the same thing....

May I introduce you to three groups of people?

Bean counters

Maintenance

Senator Markey and trial lawyers

I don't think anyone has ever gotten off of a ride and thought, "I wish they'd add a few brakes" but brakes have certainly been added in response to complaints of rides being too forceful. That's kind of the same thing....

May I introduce you to three groups of people?

Bean counters

Maintenance

Senator Markey and trial lawyers

Nice to meet you guys.

I was, of course, talking about an oblivious average guest.

I don't think anyone has ever gotten off of a ride and thought, "I wish they'd add a few brakes" but brakes have certainly been added in response to complaints of rides being too forceful. That's kind of the same thing....

I know I'm in the minority but I find FOF to be far more enjoyable when it comes to a complete stop at the MCBR compared to just speeding on through it.

Just to chime in...I, too, prefer Raptor to Banshee. I do not like Banshee's pacing what-so-ever and felt it needed more elements than simple inversions. The only downside to Raptor is it's age and train/restraint design compared to the new ones.

It doesn't sound like TC rode The Beast at night either. And The Bat? Adventure Express? Back-Lot? FOF? All unique rides in their own rights. I don't have a preference to either of Ohio's large parks to one another. Both completely different beasts with completely different experiences. I love them both equally.

I have determined that the reputation surrounding Beast being a great coaster comes from those who were able to enjoy it back in the 70's.

Not because the ride has drastically changed over the years, but because it was so different compared to most coasters back then.

Beast may not enthrall today's enthusiasts because they have no choice but to compare Beast to today's coasters that have a HUGE technical advantage; but as a six year old back in 1979 there is nothing, and there will never be anything, like it.

^Buzz bars, no head rests, no seat dividers, comfy seats and skid brakes... those were the days!

I love Banshee. Raptor to me is boring. The only thing I prefer Raptor over Banshee is how it "howls" as it's running. It's has a really awesome sound. I strongly prefer Patriot at Worlds of Fun over Raptor. It's a sweet ride.

I enjoy Diamondback as well. I love the front row best (mostly because of the view of the first drop.) Millie, in my opinion is similar to Diamondback and cannot say I prefer one over the other.

I've been to Cedar Point a few times now and find it mediocre. There are other amusement parks I love more than CP.

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I have determined that the reputation surrounding Beast being a great coaster comes from those who were able to enjoy it back in the 70's.

Not because the ride has drastically changed over the years, but because it was so different compared to most coasters back then.

Beast may not enthrall today's enthusiasts because they have no choice but to compare Beast to today's coasters that have a HUGE technical advantage; but as a six year old back in 1979 there is nothing, and there will never be anything, like it.

I love Beast and I didn't ride the thing until 2009...and I can still see the ride being unique as not too many other coasters have copied it (the only thing I can even think of that comes close would be The Ultimate @ Lightwater Valley in England, or some of those single-rider "alpine" coasters and even then all those are steel rides and Beast is wooden).

I would guess the main thing that drives some modern enthusiasts away from Beast is that it is NOT what they'd expect. Most top-rated coasters these days become top-rated for being incredibly aggressive with twists, turns, airtime, or g-forces. A good example of one of these rides is The Voyage @ Holiday World- it's a ride that has won award after award after award because it aggressively hits riders with strong forces, dishes out tons of airtime, and is seemingly non-stop action for around 3 minutes. Beast is also a top-rated coaster, but for completely different reasons- and thus when modern enthusiasts ride Beast for the first time, not knowing what to expect they have this image of a ride that's going to be non-stop action like most of the other top-ranked wooden coasters...and Beast is NOT "non-stop action", as it is more about great use of terrain and pacing that starts off slow but builds up in the middle section- though it does tease a non-stop action coaster at the start with the first drop until the brake shed and the helix is very intense. And then they get off and are like "WTF WAS DAT IN DA MIDDLE!?!? THE RIDE JUST WENT STRAIGHT AND HAD SOME GENTLE TURNS AND NO AIRTIME WHATSOEVER DIS RIDE SUX!!!".

Though if you're a fan of pacing and all that, that middle section ends up being build-up- an ever increasing sense of danger as the ride slowly gains speed- that leads into the final helix and makes the helix even more awesome.

Also- the ride probably was a bit better with buzz bars and no seat divider and all that back in the day, as all that stuff would have allowed you to slide around a bit and would have enhanced the out-of-control feeling. But the ride hasn't really seemed to have been "nerfed" THAT much...

PS: I do also enjoy the non-stop action coasters BTW.

I am very interested to ride Raptor again, as when I was younger that was my favorite coaster at Cedar Point. I have now rode Banshee and I loved it, the first time was a little intense but I still thought it rocked. Cedar Point was my park growing up so it's the one I'm most comfortable with and still my favorite, but I haven't been there since 2005 so I know a lot has changed. Last week being at Kings Island I was in heaven, I loved how clean the park was, the, the friendliness of most of the staff and the different ride options. We are planning our next trip July 26-27th and then heading to Cedar Point, so it will be real interesting to compare the parks now and especially compare Banshee and Raptor. Although I do think Millennium Force will always be my favorite coaster, I do compare it to Diamondback, but MF seems to me to be a lot bigger in size.

Raptor is just...so...rough. Very abrupt, an ear boxer for sure.

That said, you can certainly tell where a ride like Banshee came from. Though, the ride experiences are so vastly different. Banshee has better design, much smoother, great transitions.

I feel the same about it. I still like Raptor some and think it's decent but it is extremely rough. Banshee is fast and forceful but very smooth.

I love Raptor. I won't deny, it's the weakest B&M Invert I've ridden, but it's a lot of fun.

Granted, it's competing against Afterburn and Banshee, which are fairly commonly agreed to be among the best Inverts B&M has ever made, so...

With your tastes, you really need to try Great Bear!

I need to go there again, haven't been in the park since Fahrenheit was put in there

But what about The Big Noodle?? Did you enjoy your picture with The Big Noodle?Just curious?

If The Beast is too rough and Banshee is too intense, I think the problem is a lack of round objects between two limbs.

^ That one took me a minute, but when I got it... OMG!!!

^^

Lymph Nodes?

I think our original poster has flown the coop...

I think our original poster has flown the coop...

Indeed. He hasn't been on here since 81 minutes after making the original post.

Perhaps he got to the point.

If The Beast is too rough and Banshee is too intense, I think the problem is a lack of round objects between two limbs.

Great reference to the conclusion of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.