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| Daytona USA 2001,
For Sega Dreamcast |
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| Games,
Richard Young,
02:00:00,
01 June 2001 |
Rating: F5
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“Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!” a once familiar cry heard in videogame arcades up and down the land, can now be heard in the relatively tranquil privacy of ones own home, albeit with a new PC slant of “Ladies and GentlemenÂ….”. Yes, 7 years after the definitive arcade racer, Daytona USA, was unleashed upon hoards of arcade goers, the definitive console version now hits Sega’s Dream machine.
Back in the mid nineties, console gaming was nurturing a new and enthusiastic following. Games like Tekken, WipeOut and Ridge Racer on the Sony PlayStation wowed kids and big kids alike, ensuring the consoles future success, while the best the poor old Sega Saturn had to offer were lacklustre conversions of Daytona and Virtua Fighter. Daytona in particular, despite a reasonable translation of the arcade physics, looked awful in comparison to Ridge with such an appalling draw distance, that you got the impression that a bunch of stage hands could have shifted the background scenery quicker.
Now you may be thinking that the last thing the Dreamcast needs is another racer, particularly with the like of MSR, Le Mans 24 hrs and Ferrari 355 doing the rounds. The big difference with Daytona USA 2001 is the inherited fun factor. Wacky circuits, brash gameplay and full on, bodywork wrecking crashesÂ…accompanied by a shiny, bouncy soundtrack. The only downside of the European release is the lack of any online gameplay, a standard feature of both the Japanese and US versions. Apparently, this has something to do with the prohibitive cost involved in setting up the servers just to cater for the European market. This is a real shame because the opportunity for real-time online races with opponents from around the globe would have ensured Daytona a following similar to that of the wonderful Phantasy Star Online. The cool multiplayer link was, after all, one of the arcade Daytona’s best features. For those of us with at least one friend, 2-player, split-screen racing is included.
Graphically, Daytona USA 2001 actually looks better than the original version that ran on Sega’s model 2 arcade board. Texture mapping is of a higher quality, and the car models are more detailed. The frame rate and draw distance are naturally flawless, unlike the old Saturn version. One could argue that the handling is a bit too sensitive, but this is a small price to pay for the insane foot-to-the-floor, rear wheel sliding, gear shifting antics that are synonymous with the original.
Exactly why Sega are releasing one of it’s truly classic games for the Dreamcast just as they are about to cease production of the console, is a bit of a mystery to say the least. Daytona USA 2001 is exactly the kind of title that would have turned people on to the machine when it was originally released. However, I suppose we should be grateful that we can now finally whizz past Sonic Mountain in the comfort of our own armchairs.
Published by Sega
Developed by Amusement Vision
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