Daytona USA

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
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JaySevenZero
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Daytona USA

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can leave your thoughts regarding Daytona USA for possible inclusion in the podcast when it's recorded.
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: 331: Daytona USA

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

One of the reasons games centres and arcades still exist in Japan today is because they create experiences that are either impossible, or just plain to expensive to replicate at home. Sure, you can emulate the ones and zeros very accurately in the software, and you can even challenge other players, either sitting next to you with a controller, or online. But the atmosphere of the arcade, the noise, the smells and the general sense of self-consciousness that comes from climbing into very attention-seeking machines is missing.

Let's quickly get this out of the way: if you like Daytona USA, and haven't downloaded it yet, get on XBLA or PSN or whatever, because it's fantastic emulation, and it's ridiculously affordable. And if you haven't played it, download it anyway for the same reasons. And if you hate Daytona, download it and hate it at home!

But, when the opportunity arises, and you come across a large congregation of Daytona machines in the wild, hop in. If you're with your friends, you will have a blast. And if you are own you're own, you will be too busy enjoying the game to care what strangers think of you.

The fact of the matter is, as of 2018, I can still find Daytona USA machines pretty easily in Australia, a country where arcades died a long time ago. I can't imagine that these are affordable machines to maintain either, but clearly there must be enough people pumping money in to justify hanging onto them. It's an inclusive experience, as you will see parents and kids both jumping in an crashing around the track. Or later at night with the boys after a few drinks, climbing in and demonstrating why you shouldn't drink and drive in real life.

Games like Daytona USA still make arcades and game centres unique and fun places to be. Sure, playing it in the comfort of your own home is great, and you can really dissect and study strategies, but it's best enjoyed when your out and about, so get out of the house and track your nearest cabinet!
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Flabyo
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Re: 331: Daytona USA

Post by Flabyo »

If you don’t get more than one person giving the three word review of DAAAAY-TONE-AAHHHH I’ll be mighty surprised,
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Sinclair Gregstrum
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Re: 331: Daytona USA

Post by Sinclair Gregstrum »

While I played the original Daytona USA many times in the arcades over the years, I’ve also spent many hours with the various Saturn versions and the subsequent Dreamcast remaster, so my views and history with it are a bit of mishmash of all sorts of versions and time periods.

When thinking about Daytona I find it easiest to start with another game altogether – Sega Rally. Compared to its contemporary arcade racing brother (released around a year later), Daytona felt slightly awkward and obtuse. Sega Rally was instant – the car went exactly where you pointed it. Power slides were simple to pull off and easy to control. It felt like you vs the track. Daytona on the other hand felt as much about you vs the car as anything else. It seemed to want to fight you, resisting your attempts to get round what to the eye looked like a fairly straightforward, sweeping corner. It was just never as much fun. Until it clicked. I can’t really remember when it clicked, or how it clicked, or even what version I was playing. But click it did, and what had felt like a wrestling match with a frustratingly unresponsive lump of metal became a joyous ballet of power slides that was as satisfying as almost anything I’d ever played. Even the music, which had previously seemed like a grating cacophony of J-Rock, synergised with the newly grasped gameplay to become a glorious and essential part of the experience.

You also can’t talk about Daytona without at least briefly discussing the different versions. The arcade original is obviously awesome but hard to find these days. The XBLA version is great and by the letter of the law the best home conversion, but with the game being so linked to a particular time in my life and the platforms associated with it, it just loses a bit of magic on modern hardware for me. ‘2001’ on the Dreamcast is also a great experience in its own right, but this is where I get a bit Daytona hipster – for me I Iove the Japan-only Circuit Edition on the Saturn. It’s the third and final version of the game released on that platform, correcting a lot of the errors of the previous Championship Circuit Edition released in the West by restoring the original handling model, improving the graphics including better framerate and longer draw distance, and bringing back the original arcade soundtrack as an option. You can even select what time of day you want to race! The OG Saturn release is also a perfectly playable and enjoyable experience that feels like true Daytona, as long as you can get over the rough looks and shoddy framerate!

In conclusion Daytona USA is probably the most arcadey arcade racer ever. It’s one of the most Sega-y Sega games ever. If you love those two things then it will probably become an ever present part of your gaming life for as long as you play video games, just as it has for me. If you don’t like those two things you’ll play it for 5 minutes, think “this handling’s shit” and never come back. That would be a great shame but it really is that kind of game, so if you’ve not played it then give it a whirl and you might be about to discover you favourite arcade racer of all time! Or at least your second favourite after Sega Rally anyway…
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: 331: Daytona USA

Post by Magical_Isopod »

I personally don't have much experience with this particular game, but as a child of the 90s, I remember it as a mainstay of noisy arcades, where one could gamble tens of dollars on meaningless tickets. You were never going to have enough tickets for that N64, Isopod. Why did you even try? Anyway - I have many strong memories of the grand ol' Daytona 8-player parking lot, usually kept safely behind a velvet rope with a group of older kids waiting in line to play it. I was always much more interested in the likes of Raiden II, The Simpsons Arcade, Area 51, and that game where you can smash crocodiles with a foam mallet - and honestly, I don't think I've ever played Daytona. But upon a recent visit to an arcade in Vaughan, Ontario with a friend of mine, we came across one of those massive 8-car Daytona cabinets - and all eight seats were full of drivers, in 2018 no less. This game is still beloved, it has its audience, and I think that's simply wonderful.

Three Word Review:
90s Arcade Mainstay
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