Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition

Review by: Wes Pringle

OVERALL GRADE: A

Introduction

Daytona USA is considered by many to be the king of racers. In the arcades, it remains one of the top units, even though it is already a few years old. The game's stunning graphics, and realistic yet arcade like gameplay have won many fans on both sides of the Atlantic, and the Pacific.

The trouble is, that the original Saturn version fell short of many people's expectations. Though the gameplay was intact, the graphics and the frame rate left much to be desired. Specifically, the Original Daytona was grainy, had a tremendous amount of pop-up, and was quite choppy, particularly in the "behind the car view". Though Sega Rally came and offered Saturn owners a superior racer later in 1995, Saturn owners still didn't have a solid version of Sega's flag-ship racing title.

Enter Daytona Championship Circuit Edition. Sega of Japan handed the development of this title over to AM3. Using their outstanding Sega Rally engine as the base of the game, they have pulled out yet another outstanding performance.

THE GAME

Daytona is all about down and dirty stock car racing. There are no F1 or Indy cars on the track. Rather, this game is about muscle, power and shoving other cars out of the way so you have a chance to burn rubber into the finish line. There are a total of 5 tracks to choose from (to start), and 8 cars. It has been confirmed that there are hidden cars in the game (including the Original Daytona cars), and there are rumours that there is a hidden track (likely, given that Sega Rally had such a hidden track).

GRAPHICS - A

I have heard people on the usernet refer to the graphics in this game as poor. Some actually said that the pop-up in this game is worse than the original!

Well, I'm not sure what the Beta versions looked like, and I haven't seen the slightly rushed UK version - but I can tell you, that the US version is much, MUCH better than the original.

Is there pop up? Yes. A little tiny bit more than Sega Rally. I don't believe that this is due to less polygons being thrown around - rather it seems to be due to the nature of the track layout (cripes, even the arcade version has pop up). But rest assured - the pop-up is greatly reduced.

Let's consider for example Dinosaur Canyon - the "middle" track in the original Daytona. In the original, I used to downshift from 4th to 3rd gear in the tunnel, when the end of the tunnel popped into view. Doesn't work in Daytona CCE, because that end of the tunnel is always visable. The big "AM2" turn" has no pop-up whatsoever, and when you come around that turn, the huge "rock bridge" is fully in view, and indeed looks rock solid.

In terms of overall look, this game is much brighter than the original Daytona. Gone are the grainy graphics. Now, the game has that "bright, cartoony" look of Virtua Cop, or Sega Rally. Solid colours, and bright effects.

Definately, the graphics in this game are rock solid. Everything looks and feels great. And in terms of frame-rate - the game moves along at a buttery smooth 30 fps (estimate - basically it looks like Sega Rally). It doesn't matter whether you are in the cockpit, or in the behind the car view - the frame rate stays high.

CONTROL - A+

This game works with the standard pad, with the "Nights" 3D pad, and with the arcade racer. I played it a few times with the standard pad, but quickly moved over to the Nights 3D pad. By the way, the default set-up has the L and R buttons functioning as the gas and brake. Doesn't work. Move over to option C or D which puts the L and R buttons on the gear shifting. Much better.

This game is very responsive. The control certainly has a learning curve - much the same way that Sega Rally did. At first you may find yourself bouncing off the walls. Keep practicing, and make sure you have a good car for the track you are on. Once you get the hang of it - you won't want to go back. The power-slides are more realistic than ever. The sense of drift is incredible. Also, the car "shimmys" when you pull too many foreward or laterial g's. It is true that the control is very different from the original Saturn version. I don't know that I agree with those who say it is different from the arcade however. My memory is that the arcade had more sophisticated power-slides and shimmys. In any event, the control is terrific, but expect to crash a few times before you get the hang of it.

Also, try this tip. When using the Nights pad - don't just rest the pad in its center position. If you do this, the car will respond in a very jerky manner when you try to take a small turn. Rather, hold the pad down at the 6 oclock position when you want to go straight. In just a few minutes you will get used to holding the pad this way. Once you do that, you can just tweak the pad either left or right VERY easily, and keep your car absolutely straight on the road. Finally, set the handling to "Slow". This seems to make everything a little smoother, and less "jumpy".

SOUND EFFECTS - A+

The sounds are much much clearer in this version. I can actually tell that my pit boss is saying: "Take it easy on the car" when I hit something. As for the engine sounds - Now that's an engine! When you are in the cockpit, the engine does not have that "buzzing" weed-wacker sound which most games have - rather, it has a deep, throaty roar which lets you know that you are sitting on top of a lot of horsepower. The sound effects are also well represented in the crashes. When you crash in this game, you sit in the middle of this incredible graphic display. Your car flips, the track spins around, and the SMASH which you get from your speakers will make you jump. Much more impressive than the Original Daytona.

MUSIC - B

The music is fine, but it does lack the character of the original Daytona music. This is the one area which I miss from the first. Gone is the "ROLLLING STAAAAAAAAART" voice in the first track. No more "DAYYYYTOOOONAAAAAAA" or even "BLUE BLUE SKYYYYYYYY". Nope. Now you will listen to Van Halen-esq music during the selection screens, and highly stylized, modernized, metalized versions of the original songs while you are racing. I suppose most will prefer the music - there's nothing wrong with it. I just wish that they put in an option for the original music.

EXTRAS - A+

No shortage of options and extras in this game. The ghost mode which first appeared in Sega Rally is here again. Like the original, you can set the race length to Normal, Grand Prix or Endurance. A difficulty option is present, you can set your handling to fast, slow or medium, and there are all kinds of time compare options. This combined with all the hidden gems which are starting to be discovered adds up to quite a collection.

Perhaps the best extra however is the split screen mode. Notice now that I call this an extra - I say this only because frankly, unless there is a link up cable option, Daytona is a one player game. You need the full video effect to fully appreciate it. The split screen is fine, the frame rate stays high, and the graphics are ok, but the whole effect is diminished. Also, there is a fair bit of pop-up in the split screen mode (a little bit worse than the original Daytona). Net net, the split screen is a nice extra, but it doesn't make the game.

All the original Daytona "views" are present - so you can select what you want. The standard "music volume" options are also here, so you can customize your sound environment. Finally, mirror mode appears once again (hold down X,Y,Z when selecting your track).

SUMMARY

The only reason that I gave this game an "A" and not a "A+" is that not all owners of the first Daytona are going to get their money's worth from this title. 3 of the 5 tracks which are originally selectable are the same as the original version. If the graphics of the first truly don't bother you, and the extras don't excite you, you may want to give this a pass. If only Sega had put in the track editor which had been talked about. In my opinion, that would have made this title hands down the best Sega arcade translation yet. As it is, it is close, very, very, close.

Bottom line, if you don't have Daytona but love the game - get this title. If you love arcade racers - get this title. If you have Daytona, and love it so much that you're willing to pay for a better version - get this title (but be warned, it doesn't play exactly the same). This game is a smash!