 |
|
 |
 |
Daytona USA (DC)
If you have been in an arcade in
the last few years, you have not doubt played a Daytona game. The
home transition loses some of the games original muster, but the
nostalgia and fun factor remain to create a truly addictive game.
POWER SLIDE! - Erich Becker
|
|
 |
|
basic
information |
stats |
|
Published by: SEGA
Developed by: Amusement Vision
Players: 2 Simultaneous
Genre: Arcade/Racing |
ESRB: Everyone
Rumble?: Yes
Online?: Yes
GBA Link?: N/A |
In-House Review
Posted: November 18th, 2001
Rolling Start! Daytona USA is back
and better than ever as the high octane, powersliding-racing
title comes home to the Sega Dreamcast in grand fashion.
Boasting 11 vehicles, awesome new tracks, as well everything
from the classic arcade game, Daytona makes a gigantic splash in
the pool that is the Dreamcast Racers. Aside from a few minor
problems in the AI and control departments, Daytona USA is a
serious contender.
The original Daytona USA was released to arcades in 1994, and
the love for the game has never died down. Given a superior
sequel in the arcades, as well as a run on the ill-fated Sega
Saturn system, Daytona finally finds its ultimate calling on the
Sega Dreamcast.
The graphics are everything you would expect from a Daytona
game, as well as the Dreamcast. With the game’s blistering
speeds, and intense track detail, Sega somehow found a way to
keep the frame rate at 60 frames per second. As you race the
oval of the Circuit Pixie Speedway, you see the amazing detail
given to each track. Buildings are not cubic objects put in as
placeholders, they have windows, doors, balconies, and they now
have life. As you race around the track you will have
helicopters fly over your head, birds flying through the air,
and of course, other cars as the aggressive nature of the arcade
is brought home. When I say blistering speeds, I mean
blistering. The game manages to push 40 cars running 200+ MPH,
and nary a waver in frame rate. The excellent graphics only add
to a great package, as the sound effects and music return for
the arcade to get your speakers pumping.
I found the sound effects in Daytona to be more than accurate
and accommodating. Each of the cars has a different engine
sound, and in some cases different sounds when they peel out or
hit a wall. The engine sound will also change accordingly when
you are running on grass or pavement. The music in Daytona is
one of the best parts of the game. With an upbeat sound, the
music gets you in the mood for some extreme racing. From the
Dinosaur Canyon song “Daytona USA” where the singer constantly
says the name of the game over and over and over again, to the
excellent menu music that bases it’s tune off of the popular
“Rolling Start” line, the music is excellent and enjoyable.
The cars in Daytona all have their strengths and weaknesses. All
four of the classic cars are back, the Hornet (!), Grasshopper,
Falcon, and Lightning, and there are seven new cars to open up.
The easiest to open is the Pywackett Barketta, in which a
certain driver (who looks a lot like Coconut Monkey with hands)
gives a cheerful smile while driving a vehicle with only three
wheels. You can’t even say this game has no humor, because wait
till you see the graphic you get if you place first, or the way
your pit stop is handled, pure hilarity.
All of the tracks are here, and even a few new ones have been
thrown into the mix. All of the arcade tracks are present, even
those from the Circuit Edition on the Saturn, and then Sega goes
the extra mile by adding in some new tracks that almost rival
those to be found in the original versions of the game. As I
mentioned before, each track is filled with detailed objects,
and certain animated objects that give this racing game more
life than any GreaT racer from a certain other company.
While the single player game is fleshed out nicely with a fine
championship mode. The staple for the Dreamcast version is the
four player online play. Utilizing only the narrowband modem
(sorry broadband adapter owners) Daytona can connect to the
Internet and give you the chance to race with up to three other
human opponents. While the graphics detail is now where near as
sharp as that of the single player component, you shouldn’t be
looking at the scenery when playing online, watch the road! With
the minor hit in graphics quality the frame rate and sense of
speed remain constant, even with some lag problems. The problems
aren’t dramatic, but since you are using a 56k modem, you may
experience some morphing or space hopping. You yourself will not
be doing this, but the other players you are racing against will
appear to jump around on the screen at times of great traffic.
While some games may appear to be perfect, no game is without
its faults, and unfortunately the two major faults that Daytona
has, can make or break your playing experience.
The first real problem I encountered, and you will to, was the
control. Those who are used to playing this game in an arcade
cabinet with a steering wheel with be somewhat disappointed with
the analog control stick. Sure you can calibrate how sensitive
the stick is, but the cars control horribly. Even a car with 85
out of 100 grip will be sliding all over the place. Granted not
many gaming journalists have been in hairpin turns at 200 miles
per hour, but I don’t really think a car would drive like
someone waxed the wheels, and the track. Once you do get the
hang of it, steering feels like second nature, but until that
happens, the game may turn off some casual gamers who don’t have
time sit and “get the hang of it.”
The second major problem I had with Daytona USA was the
impossible AI. I’ve played games with some very hard AI (Sega GT
and Rush 2049 being two) but this is just impossible on every
track but Three-Seven Speedway. Unless you drive a perfect race,
by utilizing power slides, braking, and not hitting a single
wall, you might get first place. Key word is might. Very
unforgiving and frustrating when you place sixth on a
championship ladder that requires you get fifth to progress. The
computer-controlled drivers don’t need to break in corners, and
they instantly switch into power slides. I do agree that a game
should present a challenge, but this is a little bit on the side
of ridiculous.
While Daytona is an excellent racing game, and a classic in the
minds of many gamers (including myself), the two problems I did
find with the game, although minor, will turn off some gamers.
Again, the single player features will give you a nice way to
spend a couple of weeks (one car takes 100 hours of play to
unlock), but the main feature being pushed here is the online
player to player gameplay. Seriously consider adding this game
to your library, but be advised, prolonged exposure can result
in reckless driving, you have been warned.
-Erich Becker wishes his car had a
rolling start at 5 a.m. going to work.
|
