Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Retro|Spective 49: Daytona USA

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Retro|Spective 49: Daytona USA

    Last minute switch puts a racer back in focus for the 49th thread:



    Mainline Entry 01 - Daytona USA
    Formats: Arcade, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC and Saturn
    Another of the early 3D racers, the original Daytona became a part of the beating heart of 90's and 2000's arcades up and down the country let alone elsewhere in the world. That sound of the announcer half singing the world "Rolling Start!" marked the beginning of a new race across one of three courses. With the cars bounding round corners taking every wobble increasing damage as the careered through bends, the game stood out against its predecessor VR Racing by featuring texture mapped cars and environments. The game was released very late on via digital platforms but most home gamers go to is the Saturn release which saw excited fans face disappointment as the home port ran at only 20 or so fps against the arcade versions 60fps. So disappointing was the release that Sega opted to create a Championship Edition variant that utilised the Sega Rally engine to improve on the last version. The new version added two more courses with the PC version adding another one on top of those.



    Mainline Entry 02 - Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge
    Formats: Arcade
    A few more years saw the arrival of the Model 3 arcade board and with the first game still holding well Sega knocked out this sequel to keep momentum going. After a few months of release Sega updated the game with several changes, an early one being a rework of the visuals of the Beginner course to make it look more NASCAR than its original setting inside a dome. Sadly though, the game never saw a home port.



    Spin Off Entry 01 - Daytona USA 2001
    Formats: Dreamcast
    Instead of porting the sequel, Sega opted to co-develop this title with Genki. The new game compiled every course from Daytona and Championship Edition with an addition three courses created too. The games key feature was its online play ability allowing time comparisons and online racing. The game was most criticised though for not adhering to the arcade games racing physics, feeling overly sensitive instead.



    Remake Entry 01 - Sega Racing Classic
    Formats: Arcade
    With the original release still circling arcades many years later, Sega returned to the well by designing this unbranded remake. The game is the same as the original minus the name and in adding widescreen support.



    Mainline Entry 03 - Daytona USA 3: Championship USA
    Formats: Arcade, PC
    The PC version is unofficial as it was accidentally uploaded by Sega so officially the game is arcade only. The game mirrors the style of the original release closely but compiles past tracks and new ones including the real life Daytona International Speedway and is in arcades now.


    Share your thoughts and memories of the Daytona USA series

    #2
    I bought this on the Xbox recently but didn't enjoy it as much as I did in the arcade.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by charlesr View Post
      I bought this on the Xbox recently but didn't enjoy it as much as I did in the arcade.
      I've never enjoyed any home version of Daytona anywhere near as much as in the arcade. It's a game that doesn't convert well to use with a joypad. Ridge Racer, on the other hand, played brilliantly with a joypad, and all games in the series do.

      I remember wanting to love the Dreamcast version, because it looked stunning. But even after adjusting the control settings, the game just gave me a blinding headache. Supposedly it plays well with the Dreamcast wheel, but I've never tried it.

      I might try and download Daytona 3 for the PC. I wish Sega would get a skilled team of people to create a new racer that has the spirit of Daytona but with loads of content. It seems like there's hardly any desire on the gaming scene for arcade-style racers these days, unless they're are cutesy, so Sega probably wouldn't bother. Even Namco doesn't feel like making a new Ridge Racer.

      Comment


        #4
        Always good for this vid:



        The trouble with Daytona is mostly that it's a good arcade experience with the cab but lacks meat on its bones for home play. I do get the issues people have with the game but personally I got a lot of joy from Daytona USA 2001, caned it back on the Dreamcast.

        I've only played Daytona 2 a couple of times but it remains a shame it stuck to arcades. I've seen 3 but not played it as it doesn't look that good.

        Comment


          #5
          Daytona USA is probably my third favourite Sega arcade racer after Outrun and Outrun SP.

          The driving model has a lot more depth than most modern arcade racers. It's pretty easy to get a 1CC on Outrun SP for example, the depth comes from improving your score, where as it takes a lot of practice to get good at Seaside Street Galaxy. If you play manual (and you need to play manual to get the best times!), gear changes become very important.

          It does handle much better with a wheel than a controller, although I have spent quite a lot of time on the PS3 and DC versions over the years, you just need to be very gentle with the analogue stick!

          Talking of the DC version, it was ok at the time, but handling isn't quite as good as the arcade version and the opponents are far less aggressive.

          The DAYYYTOOOONAAAAAA theme is, of course, legendary!

          I haven't seen Daytona 3 anywhere, I'm hoping they get it at Arcade Club at some point. I'd like to give it a serious go.

          Comment


            #6
            The original is my all-time favourite racer, just behind F-Zero GX. The amazing XBLA/PSN ports handle exactly like the Supermodel emulator, so you just need a decent wheel at home to replicate the arcade effect. That said I'm unsure if proper force-feedback is implemented.

            Comment


              #7
              This is one series where the original is still the best and one of the top 5 racers of all time.

              Daytona 3 is said to be very poor by all accounts Sega largely outsourced the game and it's a case of a team not understanding what made the first game so special.

              Comment


                #8
                Daytona USA 3 wasn't outsourced. It was made by SEGA UK Amusements and SEGA China -done by the Dirt and Grid Arcade team, but PR spin and fans just took it as a SEGA Japan and AM#2 sequel, when its nothing more than a SEGA UK Amusements production.


                I have to say that while I liked Daytona USA CE and Daytona USA 2001 they both felt like different games and didn't feel or play like the Arcade classic, but nice games in their own right.

                Nothing with beat the Arcade original and the AM#2 Saturn port in the Daytona series, the sequel was a bitter disappointment even if it was graphically the most amazing looking game around at the time.

                The Model 2 and Saturn game were just incredible and I must have put more money into the Daytona USA than any other Arcade game by a country mile; That game just made all other racers in the Home and Arcades look like nothing and pale in comparison for gameplay. It was a sensation, nothing like it at the time, but going back to its now its aged badly, far more than a game like Outrun imo

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Team Andromeda View Post
                  Daytona USA 3 wasn't outsourced. It was made by SEGA UK Amusements and SEGA China -done by the Dirt and Grid Arcade team, but PR spin and fans just took it as a SEGA Japan and AM#2 sequel, when its nothing more than a SEGA UK Amusements production.
                  Are you certain about that? I thought those titles were made at Codemasters; was Daytona 3 by Codemasters too?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Daytona is getting a lot of love in the office at the mo. I wonder why that could be…

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Asura View Post
                      Are you certain about that? I thought those titles were made at Codemasters; was Daytona 3 by Codemasters too?
                      I know some of the staff that Work at SEGA Amusements HQ in Cardiff. Daytona USA 3 is the work of SEGA Amusements UK and SEGA China, the same teams that did the quite brilliant Grid Arcade game

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Strider View Post
                        Daytona is getting a lot of love in the office at the mo. I wonder why that could be…
                        Is a new Daytona on the horizon? I hope so.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I've got very happy memories of Daytona USA It was a genuine wtf moment seeing that beast running in an arcade for the first time. 4-player hook-up at the local leisure park bowling alley munched through more pounds than a Coral roulette machine. Equally brilliant was the Saturn version (if you had an import console, of course). It's easy to focus on the shortcomings now, but it was Daytona in the home and it played like a dream with the stock controller. Even raggedy and rough it managed to bring enough of the arcade home.

                          I remember picking up my copy on my lunch break, driving to Dream Machines in Hartlepool where they'd closed the store to keep the riffraff out while they played the game and managed the orders.

                          Not quite as special at the time as PS RR imo, but it deserved better from the gaming press (though anyone reviewing the pal version could justifiably complain).

                          I bought it again on PS3 and it was pretty much perfect, especially with a decent wheel set-up. But my interest in it had long since peaked and I quickly moved on. Saying that I would buy a new game if the online servers were solid enough.

                          In between the Jp Saturn original and PS3 ver I also tried CE and the Dreamcast release, both of which I really disliked. They looked all wrong and they played all wrong.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Atticus View Post
                            and they played all wrong.
                            I went back to the Dreamcast version the other day - and the control of the car still makes me feel...

                            It's stupid things like this that make you wonder "what was the developer thinking?" Getting the control of the car right should have been paramount. Such a shame.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I enjoyed the original in the arcades but always preferred Ridge Racer at home. The Dreamcast version looked good but I didn't play it for more than an hour.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X