Ohio State students searching for intense roller coaster thrills still have two main options: Cedar Point and Paramount’s Kings Island. Both amusement parks are traditional favorites for Ohio residents. But the question remains: Which park is better?

With its record-breaking Millennium Force, as well as thrilling juggernauts such as Magnum XL-200, Mean Streak, Raptor and Mantis, Cedar Point boasts a line-up of top-notch coasters.

Millennium Force, billed as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the universe, stands at 310 feet and reaches speeds of 93 mph. The coaster’s debut was in May 2000 to a massive wave of hype. The coaster exceeds every expectation and provides a smooth ride, even at its furious speed.

Despite its status as king of the roller coasters being usurped by the Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200 still packs a ferocious punch. Mean Streak is a great wooden coaster, hurt by some shakiness, but overall a strong ride. Gemini is a classic coaster in every sense of the word, with an unmatched fun ferocity.

Paramount’s Kings Island’s featured ride is Son of Beast, the tallest, fastest and only looping wooden roller coaster. Son of Beast reaches speeds of 78 mph, sending its riders down a 214-foot hill and through a 118-foot tall loop. The ride, while thrilling and intense, is also very rickety. Despite its high profile, Son of Beast is not one of Kings Island’s top coasters.

Kings Island’s top coaster is the haunting Flight of Fear, which takes the rider from zero to 60 mph in 4 seconds and through numerous loops and intense turns making it the best indoor coaster at either park. Flight of Fear’s only drawback comes with its small seats, which makes the ride slightly uncomfortable, even for medium-sized people.

Beast, one of Kings Island’s signature rides, is an enjoyable coaster, but falls short due to its advanced age. Racer is a surprisingly intense older wooden coaster, in which the rider can be taken backwards or forwards. The backwards ride is a novel experience.

However, the class of Kings Island’s supporting players is Face/Off, a unique coaster that puts one face-to-face with other riders. Face/Off outdoes its other lofty rivals. It takes the rider from one end of the track to the other, and back again in reverse. Its numbers are not as impressive as some coasters, but this ride packs a mean punch.

Both amusement parks feature a strong supporting cast of attractions that are eerily similar to one another. Adventure Express is a better-than-average wooden coaster, easily outclassing its Cedar Point counterpart, the Cedar Creek Mine Ride. Top Gun is a suspended steel coaster, much like Cedar Point’s Iron Dragon, but is a quicker and more thrilling ride. In standup coasters, Cedar Point’s Raptor exceeds Kings Island’s King Cobra by only the slightest margin. Cedar Point’s Mantis falls into a distant third.

Both parks are fairly even in rides with long drops; Cedar Point has the classic Demon Drop and the new Power Tower, where riders can choose to be shot up or dropped down. Kings Island has the Drop Zone which, after a grand buildup, drops the rider 315 feet.

But as amusement park enthusiasts know, the rides are not the only things that make the park. Different intangibles can make the difference between a positive or negative experience for a park attendee.

Waits at Kings Island were frequently extended by employees not pairing up single riders together, an effective method of shortening lines. Especially on rides with long waits, such as Millennium Force and Power Tower, Cedar Point was far more apt to use this method to keep lines moving.

Cedar Point used a more hands-on approach with park-goers. Every ride was met with a greeter welcoming the riders to the ride, going over safety procedures and other chatter. This is fine for one ride, but the experience repeated on every single ride becomes nauseating. Kings Island took a more easygoing approach, simply checking to see if the riders were secured and letting them go.

Amusement parks have evolved over the years. Waits in long lines are now greeted with cool sprays of mist, DJs playing to the crowd, video monitors, music blasting from speakers and machines with $2.50 bottles of soda pop. However, even as coasters get larger and faster and higher, the excitement will always remain the same.