Daytona USA is a
racingA racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first- or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
arcade gameAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, typically installed in businesses such as restaurants, public houses, video arcades, and Family Entertainment Centers...
by
Segais a multinational video game software and hardware development company, and a home computer and console manufacturer headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan...
. Daytona USA was Sega's first title to debut on the Sega Model 2 arcade board, and at the time of its 1993 introduction, was considered the most visually detailed
3D3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
arcade racing game. Despite a lower polygon-count than its predecessor,
Virtua RacingVirtua Racing or V.R. for short, is a Formula One racing arcade game, developed by Sega-AM2 and released in October 1992. Virtua Racing was initially a proof-of-concept application for exercising a new 3D-graphics platform under development, the "Model 1". The results were so encouraging, that...
, Daytona's 3D-world was fully texture-mapped, giving it a more realistic appearance than the former.
Daytona USA is a
racingA racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first- or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
arcade gameAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, typically installed in businesses such as restaurants, public houses, video arcades, and Family Entertainment Centers...
by
Segais a multinational video game software and hardware development company, and a home computer and console manufacturer headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan...
. Daytona USA was Sega's first title to debut on the Sega Model 2 arcade board, and at the time of its 1993 introduction, was considered the most visually detailed
3D3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
arcade racing game. Despite a lower polygon-count than its predecessor,
Virtua RacingVirtua Racing or V.R. for short, is a Formula One racing arcade game, developed by Sega-AM2 and released in October 1992. Virtua Racing was initially a proof-of-concept application for exercising a new 3D-graphics platform under development, the "Model 1". The results were so encouraging, that...
, Daytona's 3D-world was fully texture-mapped, giving it a more realistic appearance than the former. In single-player mode, Daytona maintained a consistent 60fps refresh rate, even with multiple opponents on screen, surpassing the motion smoothness of the only other racing game in a comparable graphical arena, Namco's
Ridge RacerRidge Racer is a series of arcade racing games developed and published by Namco for both the arcade and various consoles.Ridge Racer uses tracks which take place in the fictional city of Ridge City. Ridge City contains varied landscapes such as cities, beaches, woods, and mountains. Ridge City is...
.
Gameplay
The player is put behind the wheel of a stock car (known as the Hornet), with the choice of three tracks as well as an
automaticAn automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
or
manual transmissionA manual transmission, or manual gearbox is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
. The player's objectives are to outrun the competing cars, and complete the race before time runs out.
Daytona USA offers multiplayer and introduced the possibility of linking four twin cabinets or eight deluxe cabinets to create an eight-player competition. Linked deluxe cabinets may also include a
cameraA video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...
pointing towards the drivers seat, linked to a
closed-circuit televisionClosed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors.It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point to point wireless links...
to show the player on a separate screen. Even though the game was released years before the
Daytona USAThe Daytona 500 Experience, formerly known as Daytona USA, is an interactive motorsports attraction located at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida...
Museum opened in Daytona Beach, the
International Speedway CorporationInternational Speedway Corporation is a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR race tracks. ISC was founded by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. in 1953 for the construction of Daytona International Speedway and in 1999 they merged with Penske Motorsports to...
had already held the
trademarkA trademark or trade mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from...
to the name "Daytona USA." Any future game would require a license to use the name Daytona USA.
In 1994 Sega released a revised version of the game which changed the difficulty of computer-controller racing opponents.
Home console versions
Daytona USA was
portedIn computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to the
Sega SaturnThe is a 32-bit video game console that was first released on November 22 1994 in Japan, May 11 1995 in North America, and July 8 1995 in Europe...
as a Western launch title in 1995, and to
WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
in 1996. The conversion had a somewhat slow
frame rateFrame rate, or frame frequency, is the measurement of the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
(around twenty frames per second, compared to the arcade version's sixty), and used 'clipping' to render only the scenery nearest the player. This failed to impress many critics and casual gamers of the time, who voiced preference for the
Sonyis a video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a full subsidiary of Sony. The company was established on November 16, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan prior to the launch of the original PlayStation video game system...
PlayStationThe PlayStation is a 32-bit fifth generation video game console released by Sony Computer Entertainment in December ....
's
Ridge RacerRidge Racer is a series of arcade racing games developed and published by Namco for both the arcade and various consoles.Ridge Racer uses tracks which take place in the fictional city of Ridge City. Ridge City contains varied landscapes such as cities, beaches, woods, and mountains. Ridge City is...
port. It is also worth noting that as a consequence of the Sega Saturn's rushed launch date, Daytona USA's development was severely rushed as a result - had the launch gone to plan, it is likely that the Saturn port would be more faithful to the arcade original, as can be seen by the vastly improved clipping in the Championship Circuit Edition.. The downloadable version of the PC version of Daytona USA had no music because it requires a CD.
Daytona USA is compatible with the Arcade Racer steering wheel accessory. It is also compatible with the 3D analog control pad (when switched into analog mode) and the Saturn will detect it as the Arcade Racer steering wheel.
Another port of Daytona USA was planned for the
Sega 32XThe Sega 32X , codenamed Project Mars, is an add-on for the Sega Mega Drive video game console by Sega.In Japan, it was distributed under the name Sega Super 32X. In North America, its name was the Sega Genesis 32X...
, but that idea was quickly
scrapped.
Available cars
The racing team featured in the Daytona USA arcade game and Saturn port is called Team Hornet. Although the team is never explicitly mentioned in the games, their car features an easily-recognisable hornet logo stamped on the front of the car.
In the arcade and Sega Saturn versions of Daytona USA, the Hornet car is numbered 41. However, on linked arcade machines, players 1-8 will have cars numbered similarly in multi-player mode for easy identification mid-race.
- The colours of Team Hornet's two selectable cars — automatic or manual transmission — consist of red and blue (automatic), or yellow, red, and black (manual). The cars with manual transmission have a slightly higher top speed than the cars with automatic transmission, a difference of over 10km/h (315km/h compared to the manual's 325km/h). The depiction of the Hornet car in the original game resembles both a Chevrolet Beretta
The Chevrolet Beretta is a front wheel drive coupé produced by General Motors from 1987 through 1996. It was built in Wilmington, Delaware and Linden, New Jersey along with its GM L platform mates, the Chevrolet Corsica and the Canada-only Pontiac Tempest sedan.-History:The Beretta was designed in...
and a first generation Chevrolet LuminaThe Chevrolet Lumina sedan , coupe and minivan were first introduced in 1989 for the 1990 model year as a new range of vehicles from the Chevrolet brand of General Motors to replace both the Chevrolet Celebrity sedan, and the Monte Carlo coupe. The Lumina was an answer from General Motors to the...
, although the former was never entered in NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
.
- In the Sega Saturn version of Daytona USA, available cars include the AT and MT original Hornet, but also the first two multiplayer color schemes (Red and Blue, on arcades respectively numbered 1 and 2). As unlockables are the 6 other cars, who were on the arcade machine car numbers from 3 to 8 respectively: Yellow, Green, Black, Pink, Cyan and Orange. These can be accessed either by placing in first place on both 777 Speedway and Dinosaur Canyon on Normal difficulty, or pressing Down-Right on the D-pad, left trigger (L), right trigger (R), C, and Y buttons on the Saturn gamepad at the title screen. The cars are coloured differently according to their abilities:
- Black (automatic) and Orange (manual) cars will not slow down when hitting walls.
- Green (automatic) and Pink (manual) cars will crash after hitting a wall, but perform well on grass.
- Light Blue (automatic) and Light Yellow (manual) cars have a high top speed, but have difficulty gripping the track.
- There are also two unlockable horses, the UMAs (each either manual or automatic) to race as. The first horse can be obtained by placing first on all three courses on Normal difficulty; the second is unlocked by placing first on 777 Speedway on Normal difficulty in Endurance mode (i.e. 80 laps as opposed to the standard 8).
Soundtrack
Daytona USA's soundtrack was composed by
Takenobu Mitsuyoshiis a Japanese composer of video game music. He has composed music for various games produced by Sega, including Virtua Fighter 2 and Shenmue. He was also the voice actor of Bill in Sega-AM2's 1992 fighting arcade game, Burning Rival.-Biography:...
and is as follows:
- Let's Go Away (Attract/Advertise mode; a shortened version of the Dinosaur Canyon course theme)
- The King Of Speed (Three Seven Speedway; alternatively known as 'The King of Speed (ROLLING START), or simply 'ROLLING START')
- Pounding Pavement (Three Seven Speedway; accessed in the arcade version by holding the VR4 button during the 'GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES')
- Let's Go Away (Dinosaur Canyon)
- Sky High (Seaside Street Galaxy; also known as 'Blue, Blue Skies')
These names come from the
Daytona USA B-Univ original soundtrack CD - in the Saturn port of Daytona USA, the Sound Test screen also displays names for the various themes.
If you remain on the track beyond the length of the CD soundtrack (for the Saturn port) - for example, whilst in Endurance mode - the next track on the CD plays.
For the arcade version, Sega synethyzed the songs with a Yamaha sound chip, including the drums and Mitsuyoshi's voice. For the Saturn version, they replayed the songs with the real instruments and re-sung all the songs.