A
short review for a game that needs no introduction.
Daytona
is like some kind of Sega racing game shrine. Everyone has played it,
everyone has enjoyed it. Sega know this and have released a revamp
version. Many of us maybe wondering why Daytona 2 was not released. I can
only assume that it is due to the original being more 'realistic' i.e. you
do not race around a space base.
As
with all Sega racing games we have always had to make do with racing
around mirror and reverse mirror versions to boost the lastability, well
it is the same again. Daytona USA 2001 features the original arcade
tracks, and a couple from the Saturn only Championship edition with 3
brand new tracks which keep the Daytona magic.
I
am a fan of racing games, and Daytona USA 2001 is definitely a racing
game. The feeling of racing against 39 other competitors is amazing,
something which the likes of MSR and Gran Turismo can not match. With 40
cars going around the track at the same time, you can expect that the
graphics will not look amazing. Well you are wrong…sort of. The graphics
look great, in an arcade sense, but this has always been Daytona's charm.
You
will spend most of your time in the championship section as this is where
you have to finish in a certain position to advance to the next
championship tracks. You reward at the end is a new car, which is the
fastest thing ever, but is tough to handle. All the pop up in the Saturn
version is non-existent and you can finally experience the enjoyment of
the original Daytona in your home.
Daytona
USA 2001 controls will take a lot of getting use to. First the car
only responds to the analogue stick, so you will get the
impression that the car is driving a little bit erratically. With
time you will find a good setup and this will all be forgotten. The
car setup screen is easy to navigate, it basically falls down to
tyres and transmission. Soft tyres for more grip, hard tyres for
speed. The different cars only prove to be of use in the later
tracks, the level of customisability is just right, any more would
have altered the whole game feel.
Daytona
is an arcade racer not a simulation exercise, although you can still win
racers by driving well, i.e. slowing down for corners then accelerating
out of them, most of us will be power sliding around the corners like we
are MAX power readers.
Daytona
USA 2001 has a split screen two player mode, something that was sorely
missing in the original Saturn version. In this mode you race around the
same tracks with no obvious loss of graphic quality. Finally we come to
the music, something which we all would have heard sometime. The classics
like 'Rolling Start' and Daaayyytona lets go away' are back and sounding
better than we remember them. The new track music is more ambient and
works just as well. Daytona USA 2001 is something of a Sega landmark more
so than Sega Rally, Daytona USA is the true arcade racer which is now
available looking better than the arcade on your DC.
