Developer: Sega AM2 Publisher: Sega Released: 1995 Genre: Racing
Daytona USA in the arcades was a revolutionary title for a number of reasons. With its slick texture mapped graphics and 60 fps it was like nothing we had seen before, at home or in the arcade. It wasn’t the first 3d racing game in arcades but it was the most impressive. Alongside Virtua Fighter Daytona USA was a one-two punch that put Sega ahead of nearly everyone in terms of 3d graphics. With the Saturn on the horizon arcade ports were inevitable and many hoped for a perfect port.
In a way we are still waiting. The Saturn version of Daytona USA, although it captures most of what made the arcade game great, is a disappointment. Rushed for the system’s launch Daytona USA suffers from heavy graphical flaws that affect the gameplay as well. It is hard not to compare it to the PlayStation version of Ridge Racer. Namco did a spectacular job porting Ridge Racer to Sony’s new console which made Sega’s effort embarrassing. The gameplay is still there but damn, Daytona deserves better.
It can’t be stated enough just how insane Daytona was at release. Virtua Racing shocked gamers with its smooth gameplay thanks to its flat shaded polygons. Daytona might as well have come from another planet in comparison with its texture mapping and filtered textures. The Saturn had to make many concessions to fit on the system. The framerate has taken a huge hit. In the arcade it was a smooth 60 but on console it rarely goes above twenty. When plenty of cars are on screen it dips lower than that. It is impressive that they managed to include all forty cars on the initial track but the sacrifices to do so were not worth it.
The worst aspect of the graphics aside from the framerate is the draw distance. This was an issue throughout that entire generation and the Saturn version of Daytona is one of the worst in that respect. Most games used either fog or clever track design to hide it. Daytona has it on full display as nearly a third of the track is drawn in front of you at all times. It is disconcerting to approach a turn and see a mountain magically appear. To be fair the arcade game had its share of pop-in but nowhere near this bad. Maybe it wouldn’t be so harsh if this were not meant to be flagship title for the Saturn’s. Considering its flaws makes it that much more disappointing.
At the very least it matches the arcade in terms of content and then some. Arcade mode mimics the arcade to a tee, offering three tracks representing beginner, advanced, and expert difficulty. Each track has a different number of laps and competition. The Beginner course puts you in the middle of forty (!) competitors and gives you eight laps to come out on top. It is an excellent introduction that is simple to learn and allows you to make mistakes. Expert on the other hand assumes you have mastered the game’s handling and gives you two laps to place first among a crowd of thirty. You will spend a lot of time getting to know these three tracks as the difficulty is pretty high.
Racing games that era were notoriously skimpy on content. Daytona USA attempts to rectify that with Saturn mode. This mode offers four cars instead of the arcade’s two. Winning each race in first will unlock a further three. It also gets rid of the timer on each course, allowing you to complete races at your own pace. As was common at the time there is a mirror mode that reverses the tracks. I’ve personally never been a fan of mirroring tracks; I would prefer new courses instead. There is also a time grand prix and endurance mode, both of which reduce and double the number of laps respectively. You have to really like Daytona to get the most of these I feel. Compared to most racing games from that period Daytona has a decent amount of content but could still have used more.
The handing takes some adjustment and never feels second nature. This is mostly down to the frame rate. Steering is not as responsive as it should be and requires anticipation on the part of the player. Daytona is not a sim racer but is also not completely arcadey in its steering. You won’t power slide around corners but it is not as rigid as Gran Turismo. Until you get the hang of it you will never sniff the top five. And even when you reach that point the slightest mistake renders that lead useless. Novices will have a hard time getting into this one.
In Closing
The Saturn version of Daytona USA has its strong points. The soundtrack is exceptional and it somewhat captures the magic of the arcade game. But as a whole it is disappointing. It is still decent but there are better racing games out there.
