Random Game O' the Day: Daytona USA

[digitalpress]

Hey, the Wednesday Random Game Generator has hit upon a popular racing game, the venerable Daytona USA.

Who HASN'T played Daytona USA - I want to hear from you too! Were you first exposed to this phenomenal arcade-style game in the arcade or at home? On home systems, did you play the Saturn version first? Dreamcast? What were your impressions of the game? How do you think it's held up? Share your opinions here

DP Guide sez:

U.S. Game Releases

Daytona USA (Arcade, by Sega) $0/R0
This is a checkpoint-style racing game, featuring realistic physics and multi-player action. It features three different racing tracks, multiple player views (4), and numerous "secrets. It is a superb racer that will be the benchmark for many years to come." HMC/Sega Model 2/16P.

Daytona USA 2: Battle On The Edge (Arcade, by Sega) $0/R0
Choose one of three different courses, one of three types of cars (easy, normal, hard) and either automatic or manual transmission. Hold the Start button during the course select to enter timelap mode. HMC/Sega Model 3/40P. Released 1998.

Daytona USA 2: Power Edition (Arcade, by Sega) $0/R0
Pick from several different cars and race against your opponents. HMC/Sega Model 3/40P. Released 1999.

Daytona USA (Dreamcast, by Sega) $7/R2
Developed by Amusement Vision. Based on the 1994 Sega coin-op. Sega packed quite a lot into this Dreamcast update. Online modes including downloadable driving records, online ghost training, and online racing. 2-player split-screen offline, 8 circuits, 40 cars available for play. Can be tough at times, but a steering wheel gave it the right feel. Plug this in to a VGA adapter to really treat yourself to the arcade experience. Racing/F1/Indy/Stock Cars. Supports online play. PERIODICALS: Electronic Gaming Monthly gave this game a 9, 9 and 9 (out of 10).

Daytona USA (R-Zone, by Tiger) $4/R3
Based on the 1994 Sega coin-op. This game was a pack-in for some releases of the R-Zone unit. Racing/F1/Indy/Stock Cars. Released 1995. #71-236.

3 Free Game Pack: Virtua Fighter 2 / Virtua (Saturn, by Sega) $3/R1
Cop / Daytona USA
Developed by Sega. Based on the 1990s Sega coin-op. 3 discs: Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Cop, and Daytona USA. To help sagging sales, Sega busted out this 3-in-1 freebie containing their biggest hits. Even after all the Saturns had disappeared from store shelves, this collection was in
abundant supply. Miscellaneous/Compilation. Released 1996. #81606.

Daytona USA (Saturn, by Sega) $1/R1
Developed by AM2 (Sega). Based on the 1994 Sega coin-op. Supports the steering wheel controller. This is one of those Saturn games that you can also slide into a CD player and enjoy the soundtrack. Racing/F1/Indy/Stock Cars. LANDMARK: This was a launch title in the US. EASTER EGGS: One of the more interesting codes in the Saturn library is the ability to play Daytona as a horse. Go to the title screen and hold Up/Left + A + B + X + Z and press Start. When the next screen appears, release them, choose "Saturn Mode". All of the cars and also horses are now selectable. Better still, if you finish first in endurance mode's beginner track with one of the horses, a second set of horses will become available! Released 05/11/95. #81200.

Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition (Saturn, by Sega) $6/R3 +
Developed by AM2 (Sega). Based on the 1994 Sega coin-op. The player's choice Daytona for the Saturn. Includes 2 new courses, 8 new cars, and fewer bugs than in the preceding Daytona USA disc. 2-player split screen mode. Supports the steering wheel controller. Racing/F1/Indy/Stock Cars.
EASTER EGGS: Similar to the original Daytona, you can race as a horse. The code is a bit different. Go to the main menu and hold X + Y + Z + R, select a game mode with A, which unlocks the Super Car. Now go back to the main menu and press X + Z + L, select a game mode again with A,
which unlocks the first horse. Finally, go back to the main menu once again and press X + Z + L + R, select a game mode for the last time with A to unlock the second horse. Released 11/21/96. #81213/18.

Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition Net (Saturn, by Sega) $20/R6 +
Link
Developed by AM2 (Sega). Based on the 1994 Sega coin-op. The player's choice Daytona for the Saturn. Includes 2 new courses, 8 new cars, and fewer bugs than in the preceding Daytona USA disc. 2-player split screen mode. Supports the steering wheel controller. Racing/F1/Indy/Stock Cars.
Supports online play. Released 02/16/98.

Non-U.S. Game Releases

Daytona USA 2001 (Dreamcast, by Sega) $9/R4
Developed by Amusement Vision. Packaging variations: -50 (English, French, German and Spanish) PERIODICALS: Dreamcast Kult rated this game a 8 (out of 10) Released 11/05/01. #MK-51037-50.

Daytona USA 2001 (Dreamcast, by Sega) $12/R2
Racing/F1/Indy/Stock Cars. #HDR-0106.

Daytona USA (Saturn, by Sega) $2/R1
Developed by AM2 (Sega). Based on the 1994 Sega coin-op. This arcade conversion has all the tracks, cars & looks of the original arcade unit but seems to be lacking the refinement of the controls that the CCE version has, possibly due to the rush to have it ready for launch day. This is
one of those Saturn games that you can also slide into a CD player and enjoy the soundtrack. Racing/F1/Indy/Stock Cars. LANDMARK: Avalible at Launch (UK) EASTER EGGS: Race as a horse hold 'Up/Left'+'A'+'B'+'X'+'Z' and press 'Start' at the title screen. Release the buttons when the next screen appears and choose the "Saturn Mode" option. All ten cars and a set of horses should be selectable. A second set of horses can be accessed by finishing first on the beginner track on endurance mode with a horse. - Secret sign Turn your car around at the starting line of the advanced track. Drive up the ramp to the right. A sign displaying "CONGRATULATIONS. You Just Lost. Your Sponsors!" will be at the top of the ramp, in the back of the tunnel. BOX DESCRIPTION: ''This conversion of the smash-hit coin-op contains all the bumper-to-bumper action found in the

Daytona USA (Saturn, by Sega) 1$0/R0
Based on the 1994 Sega coin-op. This is one of those Saturn games that you can also slide into a CD player and enjoy the soundtrack. Released 04/01/95. #GS-9013.

Daytona USA Circuit Edition (Saturn, by Sega) $0/R0
Released 01/24/97. #GS-9100.

Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition (Saturn, by Sega) $3/R2 +
Based on the 1994 Sega coin-op. Updated graphics and new tracks along with the addition of a split screen 2 player mode make this update of Daytona USA well worth having. Racing/F1/Indy/Stock Cars. EASTER EGGS: Mirror Mode To play any track in reverse, hold "X"+"Y"+"Z" while selecting a
track. - Play as Daytona Super Car place first on all five tracks in Normal mode. - Play as Uma (horse), place first on all five tracks in Hard mode. - Play as Silver UMA, use the Uma to finish the game in Normal mode. BOX DESCRIPTION: ''Slick new full-screen graphics and two brand new

[kainemaxwell]

Very fun arcade racer! Even funnier when you would use the horse on a racetrack full of stock cars!

[s1lence]

I was first exposed to this game in the arcade when I was in high school 1994-1995. All of my friends berated me because I bought a PSX instead of a Saturn because the Playstation didn't have Daytona. I was a game I continued to play in the arcades until the dreamcast version came out and I finally picked up a Saturn. This was a game that truely got me into multiplayer gaming.

[Lady Jaye]

I've never played Daytona USA on a home console, but always in arcades. To this day, it remains an easy-to-find but very fun racing arcade game -- in fact, any half-decent-sized arcade has at least one double-sit-down cabinet of the game. The fact that after 11 years, it's still so easily found in arcades, says a lot about the quality of its gameplay.

I can't say that I'm very good at it, but at least, it's always a fun must stop in any arcade I may pass.

[bargora]

Oddly enough, I played Daytona USA for the first time last week. Saturn version. I play so few racers that it kind of fits into that gap between Pole Position and Gran Turismo 3 for me. I thought it was fun, but it reminded me once again why I don't do well in racers--I just don't have the powers of concentration to be perfect (in the required way) for the extended periods of time that racing games demand.

Anyway, I thought the visuals were nice and the gameplay was smooth. Even as a non-fan of racing games, I give Daytona USA the ol' thumbs up.

Well, I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the opening title music...

[anagrama]

Oddly enough, I played Daytona USA for the first time last week. Saturn version.

Man, in that case you haven't really played Daytona The Saturn version is frankly awful, at least graphically. The DC incarnation makes amends there, but is ridiculously over-sensitive unless you're using a steering wheel.

For me, arcade Daytona is the only way to go. Back when it came out there were two arcades in Newcastle. One was yer classic dingy, smokey 'proper' type of arcade where we all used to go for SFII tournaments on Sundays and to waste away our weekends & free time. The other had recently opened and was a repulsive 'family entertainment centre' - it was multi-floored, clean, spacious & expensive and was the subject of extreme ridicule from those of us who used to frequent the other place (Hell, ya couldn't even smoke in the 'nice' one - what sort of arcade is that? ). We were forced to eat our words however, when the 'nice' arcade installed 8 sit-down Daytona units all linked together (you would have even struggled to fit them in 'our' arcade), and despite the somewhat-extortionate £1 a play, it quickly became a staple of Saturday afternoons. To this day there's no multiplayer driving game that can touch it, and only Outrun holds a dearer place in my heart.
Sadly, within a couple of years both arcades had closed thanks to the death-knell that Sony dealt to their kinds with the Playstation, and to this day there is nowhere in central Newcastle to get a coin-op fix (other than a few pubs with the recent-ish 'classic' cocktail units)

[yuppicide]

Daytona USA was an awesome game. I was really good at it, but that third track was really hard. One time there was a bunch of kids hanging around the machine and I asked if I could play because nobody had sat down in the other seat. So, I get in the game and I believe we're on the third track. Well, you know how those hard turns are. I'm waaaay ahead of the n00b and I get up on his bumper and move the steering wheel left and right really fast on his bumper and all the kids were laughing at his uncontrollable car.

Really I was just trying to get by..

[Vigilante]

I used to play Daytona USA in the arcades all the time. I was down in Seaside Heights with a bunch of people and we played an 8 player hookup. Half way thru the race I would spin my car arround and head in the other direction, trying to aim! The other 7 players would go nuts trying to avoid me!

[WanganRunner]

I played it first and most recently in the Arcades, and it was Daytona 1, the original Model 2 title.

I'm a fan, it's a fun arcade game, but it's not something I'd put serious time into at home when I can play Sega Rally instead.

Sega Rally makes me happy in pants.

[Captain Wrong]

Something to be said about the fact that I still see Daytona USA cabs all over town, even though it's getting a little long in the tooth. I love this game.

Where's my home port of Daytona 2, dammit???

[Milk]

Beack when I was 12, skill at Daytona USA had high social status. It meant you were grown up and good with cars. LOL

I owned the Saturn version. I thought it looked pretty bad, even back then, and the limited number of cars and tracks bored me quickly. I don't think it had a 2 player mode, either.

[Mattiekrome]

Dayyyytooonaaaa! By far my favorite arcade racing game ever (but not near as fun when you arent actually sitting in the car at the arcade).

[goatdan]

Daytona was one of the best racing games that I've ever played. I really enjoyed the Saturn version even with the subpar graphics, and I really enjoyed seeing 8 people race at the arcade. Too bad I was never good at it!

[AMG]

Daytona USA is to this day one of my favorite racing games. I love the soundtrack and the sense of speed!

I first got/played the game back in 97' when I got my Sega Saturn.

Speaking of which, I really do need to hook up my Saturn and have some Daytona USA fun.

[suppafly]

Great game. I love the music and the graphics.

I remember playing it online with the Dreamcast...those were good times!

[Chuplayer]

I used to play Daytona USA in the arcades all the time. I was down in Seaside Heights with a bunch of people and we played an 8 player hookup. Half way thru the race I would spin my car arround and head in the other direction, trying to aim! The other 7 players would go nuts trying to avoid me!

I love Seaside. They've always got a bunch of Daytona USA cabinets to play. Haven't been there in nearly two years, though.

My fondest memories of Daytona took place around 1995 at the Hill Lanes bowling alley in Old Bridge. I was probably 9 years old back then. I would go there every Sunday to bowl and play Daytona. Me and my dad must've played a couple hundred times. That bowling alley is no more. It was torn down and replaced by a Wal-Mart But I always loved Daytona. I play it whenever I see it, and I always win. Even when the gas pedal is broken and stuck at full throttle, I kick everybody's butt.

I first saw Daytona USA 2 in August 1998 at Funmania somewhere in New Jersey. I had seen it by accident, and I instantly went OMGWTFBBQ. I ran to that machine and practically orgasmed in my pants. Daytona 2 is the only game ever to top the first Daytona. The graphics were awesome. The gameplay was a brilliant progression from the first one. I loved the music! Winger's awesome, and they're awesome in Daytona 2. In early September 1999, at Seaside, in a dual deluxe big-screen setup, I played the game against some middle aged guy (I was 14). I beat him, and the guy practically walked away crying. It was great. I think the last time I played it was in August 2001. It was at Seaside, and they only had a single-player big screen cabinet left. I think it was even at the same arcade where I beat that middle aged guy. I knew it wasn't going to be there next time, so I saw it off with a whopping seven games! I think I shed a tear when I walked away from that game for the last time. Next time I went there, it was gone. It's a shame that it hasn't lasted like its predecessor has. Daytona 2 is the better game. I haven't seen it in nearly four years.

I got Daytona USA CCE for the Saturn in August 1999. It was a fun game, if not a faithful port. I loved the arranged music and the "Sons of Angels" and "The American Dream" songs.

I got the Daytona USA Dreamcast port the day it came out in early 2001. I played it online a lot. Ever play against a Japanese Daytona gamer? They're practically impossible to beat. I swear, over in Japan, they genetically engineer their gamers to kick American video gamer butt. I not only played against a Japanese person, but I beat him! It was a very close race, and I just barely held onto the lead. It easily could've gone either way, but I drew upon the Ernhardt in me and won! It's one of my greatest gaming accomplishments.

Daytona is one of my favorite games of all time. Daytona was to racing just like Virtua Fighter 2 was to fighting. It was a perfect blend of realism, arcade action, and pure fun.

[davidbrit2]

It's a god damned crime that Daytona 2 never got a home port. I will offer sexual favors to the exec that green-lights an XBox port.

It's also somewhat criminal that Daytona is so impossible to control with a Dreamcast controller. What would you guys recommend for actually being able to control the game?

Sega is pretty much the god of bitchin' modern arcade racers. Daytona, Daytona 2, Initial D, Outrun 2, F-Zero AX...

[InsaneDavid]

Hands down the greatest arcade racer of all time, an idea begun with games like Final Lap and more closely related - Virtua Racing.

My first experence with Daytona USA was at everyone's favorite bay area arcade (thats stood the test of time) Golfland! From the time of its release it was hard to not find at least three of the two player units linked together (for six players) and many arcades had the eight player set up with four of the two player units networked. From then to this day, an arcade really isn't an arcade unless it has at least one Daytona USA machine.

What was really cool about Daytona USA was the world it created, with all the fake sponsors on all the cars, banners around the circuits, etc. It was just like a cool alternate reality that this racing game blasted through. Instead of a car being just another drone (except in multiplayer link modes) they were ALL individually numbered and had different graphical appearances to each of them.

Also Daytona USA is the one game that is just as fun today as it was the first time you sat down to play it. ANYONE can sit down and enjoy a race, experenced, beginner, or anywhere in between. Anything can happen, anyone can win, that's what makes the game so fun.

When Daytona USA was released on the Dreamcast it was like Sega had finally listened to my one request - a loving tribute to one of the greatest games ever developed, surpassing even the visuals of the aging (but still a blast to play) Model 2 hardware. The arcade tracks, circuit edition tracks, as well as more - new cars, online play = MY PSO.

For many years I'd spend many a summer day in Santa Cruz sitting at the big four player networked hydraulic seat Daytona USA units. Haven't been out there since 2003 but I suppose they're still there. You can sit there and play different people all day, have fun in each race, meet a lot of cool people, and just have a good time. Daytona USA is the game that makes gaming a social experence in my opinion.


...seat three, Santa Cruz 2003, riding the inside line of turn one at 777 Speedway in yet another heated race. (player 1 to my right, player 2 following behind me)

I thought it was fun, but it reminded me once again why I don't do well in racers--I just don't have the powers of concentration to be perfect (in the required way) for the extended periods of time that racing games demand.

See, even if you lose you still have an entertaining time. The more you play the better you get, if you realize it or not.

I was down in Seaside Heights with a bunch of people and we played an 8 player hookup. Half way thru the race I would spin my car arround and head in the other direction, trying to aim! The other 7 players would go nuts trying to avoid me!

You'd be removed from the arcades where I played once you did it a few times.

Where's my home port of Daytona 2, dammit???

...one word: Winger. SEGA WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!

I was really good at it, but that third track was really hard. ... Well, you know how those hard turns are.

Seaside Street Galaxy is all about throttle pressure.

I remember playing it online with the Dreamcast...those were good times!

Indeed they were, although I got way too many disconects which would ALWAYS count against your world rating. Just the same I played every night from 1am - 4am with the same group of people - next best thing to being in an arcade since we were pretty tight knit.

It's also somewhat criminal that Daytona is so impossible to control with a Dreamcast controller. What would you guys recommend for actually being able to control the game?

Practice, the controls will come around and smooth out. The thing with the Dreamcast control that takes awhile to get used to isn't the steering control, it's being smooth with the accelerator and brake which takes some time to get used to. After you get that down you'll be flying around the tracks.

HORNET HIGH_CLASS, Since 1994

[davidbrit2]

It's also somewhat criminal that Daytona is so impossible to control with a Dreamcast controller. What would you guys recommend for actually being able to control the game?

Practice, the controls will come around and smooth out. The thing with the Dreamcast control that takes awhile to get used to isn't the steering control, it's being smooth with the accelerator and brake which takes some time to get used to. After you get that down you'll be flying around the tracks.

Believe me, I've tried. Heh. The problem is that the steering control is just WAY too sensitive near the first couple degrees of stick tilting. You just tap it a tiny bit and the car goes flying to the side. Outrun 2 is pretty sensitive like that with an XBox controller, but still not nearly as jumpy. Maybe I just need a good wheel.

[mosesshirai]

I used to run an Arcade(Picadilly Circus) at the Ridgedale mall in Minnesota. We had a two player set-up of Daytona. I used to set it to the 100-lap race(I believe it was a hundred, correct me if I am wrong) and let my regulars go at it for like a half hour. These two guys in their 40's used to come in and beg for a chance to do it. It was hilarious. They would be all sweaty and exhausted after the race. I even had to replace a chair after someone got all aggro and broke the slide adjuster underneath it. Man, I miss the smell of photo chemicals and cheap ticket-toys.