Together Retro: Daytona USA

[Erik_Twice]

Any way we can play together guys?

[ExedExes]

I am glad to see that I am not the only one who has trouble finishing the other courses in first place with the default cars. (I wonder if it is even possible to finish in first place with the default cars on those courses with the "default" number of laps. You have to make up a lot of ground to move from 15th place to first place...)

Thanks! I'm glad the DC version has so many entry car & lap options, if only for that reason. Dinosaur Canyon has a nasty second half with the turns after checkpoint 2 (I try for 110-120 mph on that, shifting to 2nd if necessary) and the long grassy left (135-145 mph) and the final right (150 mph is good there). And we know about Seaside Street Galaxy! A 3rd lap would have been nice, but with the PB Super, I was right behind the 1st place car. I messed up on the final turn, went a little too fast. It's slower than the Hornet, but a pretty solid car! The Falcon has more speed and a little less grip but is better on the final 5 tracks (especially National Park Speedway & Rin Rin Rink)

One thing I can credit the DC port for, I did eventually play those other 2 tracks on the arcade and did pretty well on them after the practice. It's nearly identical! Great either way you can play it.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I am glad to see that I am not the only one who has trouble finishing the other courses in first place with the default cars. (I wonder if it is even possible to finish in first place with the default cars on those courses with the "default" number of laps. You have to make up a lot of ground to move from 15th place to first place...)

Thanks! I'm glad the DC version has so many entry car & lap options, if only for that reason. Dinosaur Canyon has a nasty second half with the turns after checkpoint 2 (I try for 110-120 mph on that, shifting to 2nd if necessary) and the long grassy left (135-145 mph) and the final right (150 mph is good there). And we know about Seaside Street Galaxy! A 3rd lap would have been nice, but with the PB Super, I was right behind the 1st place car. I messed up on the final turn, went a little too fast. It's slower than the Hornet, but a pretty solid car! The Falcon has more speed and a little less grip but is better on the final 5 tracks (especially National Park Speedway & Rin Rin Rink)

One thing I can credit the DC port for, I did eventually play those other 2 tracks on the arcade and did pretty well on them after the practice. It's nearly identical! Great either way you can play it.

I agree completely. IMO, the DC version is the definitive version of the game. It looks great; it plays perfectly; and it is extremely customizable. (It is also really, really hard, and just finishing the tracks takes quite a bit of practice.)

Edit: got tire of grinding levels in DWII and decided to play some Daytona USA HD on my PS3. It took me a few tries, but I pulled a 2'18" on the 777 Speedway for first place. The HD version plays a little differently than the DC version, and it looks simultaneously better and worse (HD textures on less detailed models).

[mas]

Been waiting on the jpn import of Daytona championship edition to come in. From what I've read this is the best version for Saturn. You can change the time from dusk to dawn I think I read. here is the difference and I think it was freaking awesome to do the link up two systems mode for the arcade feel

Daytona USA: Circuit Edition (Sega Saturn) (Japan)[edit]

After the release of Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition to the Western Saturn market, a further-updated version was later released in Japan as Daytona USA: Circuit Edition.

This version has the soundtracks from both the original Daytona USA arcade game and the remixes from Championship Circuit Edition, in addition to an eight-minute-long medley of all three original track themes (called 'Daytona Medley').

It also allows players to alter the drift mechanic by choosing between slow, normal and quick in the options menu - quick allows the cars to drift more easily while slow lends them a weightier handling. It also added the ability to play at night, dusk, or morning (by holding X, Y or Z on the controller as the 'START YOUR ENGINES' screen was displayed).

The Japanese version of Daytona USA: Circuit Edition also features a link mode which allows two Sega Saturn consoles to be linked together, emulating the arcade feature.

Aside from these differences, it is identical to Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition

[Gunstar Green]

I agree completely. IMO, the DC version is the definitive version of the game. It looks great; it plays perfectly; and it is extremely customizable. (It is also really, really hard, and just finishing the tracks takes quite a bit of practice.)

I still think the 360/PS3 version is the definitive home version, but Dreamcast comes close. I do love it and it's the best if you need to have a physical copy.

[pierrot]

I was playing the initial Daytona release for the Saturn last night. I used to play it a lot when it was one of three or four games that I had for the system back in the late '90s, but I really only played the beginner track, and never placed. I also played it a few times in the arcade, but never did too well there, either.

Anyway, last night I managed to take first in the beginner track, and second in advanced. In doing so, I unlocked four extra cars. I put a fair amount of time into the expert track, but it kind of feels impossible to place on it, at least in this version of the game. The frame rate is hella terrible, and every control scheme seems to have significant downsides. I started out using my Saturn Racing Wheel, but it's a bit touchy, and I would end up skidding tremendously, just from adjusting the wheel during the races. So, I switched to the 3D Pad, which is seen as a racing wheel by the game. It's considerably more touchy than the wheel, but I was able to control it a bit better regardless, and it allowed me to place on the first two tracks. The paddle shifters on the racing wheel act as the up and down controls of the D-pad, so I couldn't map anything to the 3D Pad's triggers when in analog mode. After a bit of time spent on the expert track, I decided to just try the digital controls, hoping that I wouldn't unwittingly slide as much. It wasn't necessarily better, but also wasn't necessarily worse. I couldn't get higher than 11th place, though, regardless.

So, this version is a really terrible port. I would have liked to legitimately unlock the horses, but I fear it may not be possible without hours and hours of dedication, and a lot of luck. I'm not sure if I can call it beaten, though. I did see the credits on the beginner and advanced tracks, but I'm not sure if I feel like that's a fair criteria for this game.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Count it!

[pierrot]

Thy will be done, prfsnl.

I played a little bit of Circuit Edition, and placed 1st on the Speedway on my second race (got 3rd on the first race). This version is rather feature rich, and runs much better than the first release. It's not really the arcade game, though, and while it boasts its 30fps rate on the packaging, it still dips a bit in places. The car damage doesn't look too great, either. However, it plays much better, overall. The controller options run the gamut, with full support for the 3D Pad. The multiplayer options available are pretty stellar, considering the release date--not that they are particularly practical, aside from the split-screen mode. I think I'll probably give it a little more play in the next couple days.

[dsheinem]

What do y'all consider the criteria for "beating" this one on each respective platform (PS3/360, PC, DC, SAT, Arcade, etc.)?

[Ghegs]

Like any good arcade game, there's "beating" it but that's kind of missing the point, you can always work on improving your time attack times.