Good, Not Great
Pros:
Very fast and great framerate. Very true to arcade versions.
Cons:
Some music tracks are annoying, very tough to get into.
The Bottom Line:
Daytona USA is good while it lasts. It is an arcade game, but the online racing is a great idea.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
Daytona USA is probably one of the hardest games that I ever got into. For some reason, an arcade racer such as this has to be complicated by technique. If you can't master powersliding, or drifting, then Daytona USA will frustrate the hell out of you. I must have played the first round of the Championship mode at least 20 times before I finally was able to progress. This is pretty annoying, at least to me. But after I finally was able to master the drifting technique (which is so much harder than in other racers, such as Ridge Racer), I was blowing through the Championship mode.
What does Daytona USA have to offer? The biggest element is the online racing mode, which unfortunatley, I was unable to try. But I do know that you can race against others online via SegaNet (which is about to leave at the end of 2002). People who like online games, and have been waiting for an online racer may be pleased with Daytona USA. Surely there will be more soon, but this is about all we have. Then there's the Championship Mode and the Single Race modes. They're fairly self explanitory.
Graphics: 8/10
Daytona USA moves very fast. It has a true sense of speed and a blazing framerate that doesn't slow down. The courses are fairly well detailed, but a tad too colorful. Compared to Gran Turismo 3, this kind of looks cartoonish. Some textures are kind of blurry, but overall it's a nice looking package.
Sound: 6/10
The game has good sound effects, but average music. It's very japaneesey. Some music tracks annoy me, such as the one for Dinasour Canyon. Turn the music off, and you'll be okay.
Control: 8/10
Fairly responsive handling, but the drifting technique is a tough one to master. Some cars will slide a little too often, but that's with some cars and not others. Check for grip!
Gameplay: 6/10
If you plan on going online with this, then you may get more out of it than I did. Daytona USA comes with standard features and really doesn't do anything to boost replay value other than the single race and online modes. If you do plan to go online, make sure SegaNet is still around. I heard Sega is terminating it at the end of this year.
Overall: 7/10
The Online component is a good idea, and this game should be ported to consoles that are going online (in fact, all 3 companies should be online by the end of 11/02). But since it's only on the Dreamcast for now, the offline elemnts are suitable for arcade racing fans, and should provide enough replay value untill your next racing obsession.
