Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge

(UPDATED: July 24, 2011)

Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge gives an epic edge to what the original Daytona USA brought. The first game was just good clean fun. This one is almost literally a knock-down drag-out brawl. You now have a choice of different stock cars to choose from in doing battle on the track. The original brings you three courses, but in the Power Edition, you can race all three stages as one long point-to-point event. This is a Sega Model 3 game like Super GT/SCUD (Super Car Ultimate Drive) Race. Many feel that Super GT/SCUD Race and Daytona USA 2 are two of the best Sega racing games never to be ported to home consoles. This post is a look at this intense arcade racing game.

SPECIAL NOTE: This blog post is dedicated to my blogging friend, Eric. You can visit his blog at Musings of a Sega Racing Fan.

--- Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge at a Glance ---

Your Battle on the Edge takes place on three different courses. Or if you're racing the Power Edition, four. As you may know, just because Daytona is used doesn't mean Daytona is featured. And in this title, there is no Daytona International Speedway here. What you WILL get, however, are three intense courses (or four with the Power Edition) sure to get your pulses pounding.

Let me just say this before I begin. I do love the classic "Let's Go Away" song from the original Daytona USA, but "Battle on the Edge" sounds awesome! Don't believe me? Listen to this video. Time to get you excited for this game:




Since this is an arcade game, here is a look at the Attract Mode for "Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge." It's your first look at the game if you've never seen it before:

Tracks.

• Astro Waterfall Speedway (or SEGA International Speedway)
The bread and butter of stock car racing, do battle on an oval. This is no average oval, though. It is a tri-oval similar to Pocono Raceway. The turn you most need to fear is the sharp final corner leading to the Start/Finish line. A normal race around here is eight laps long.

• Joypolis 2020 Amusement Park - ADVANCED
A multitude of beautifully-detailed environments are featured as you blast your way through this theme park. It is a four-lap race under Normal conditions. You'll be hearing "I Can Do It" in the high-energy rockin' background song for this track.

• Virtua City (or New Joke City) - EXPERT
You thought Seaside Street Galaxy was tough? Try going through this New York City-style metropolis! Try surviving this street fight for two laps (normal conditions)!

• (The Power Edition Course)
Only in the Power Edition, you are racing all three courses in a special event. You begin at Joypolis 2020 Amusement Park. You then go into Virtua City and finish at the oval. The three courses are interconnected as a point-to-point race.

Cars.

NOTE: This information is mostly from Wikipedia, because I don't have too much experience playing Daytona USA 2 to professionally discuss this section.

You only raced with the #41 Hornet High-Class Racing Team in the first Daytona USA. Here, you can choose to race with different cars. And (according to Wikipedia), you are racing for the Brown family. This was the second-ever Daytona USA where you can race different cars ("Daytona USA: Circuit Championship Edition" for PC/Saturn was the other). Racing in Manual/Standard transmission gives you a little more top speed than with Automatic. I think regardless of which car you choose, your number is still #41.


• Chum's Gum Racing ("J.C. Eagle Racing Team" in Power Edition)
This is the easiest car to use. The #87 car is tuned for easy driving and handling, but with low top speed. Noel Brown is the driver of this car.

• Scorpio Plasma Racing
The yellow and red #49 car represents Scorpio Plasma and Scorpio Batteries. This is Johnny Brown's car. The car is tuned for Normal performance. Among its highlights is its better ability to drift into corners than the Easy car.

• Phantom Full Force Racing
#1 with a bullet- the #1 Phantom Full Force car takes the totally elite to master. Mitch Brown won't lend you his black/purple ride if you're not good enough to handle this car's poor handling and high speed. It is a drift-happy car. You can pull some sick drifts with this car either if you're adept, or if you're part of The Stig of Sega racing games- the Marubaku team. It is said that the car performs better in Manual/Standard transmission than in Automatic.

• Hornet High Class (only in Power Edition)
If you want some old school cool, why not give the Hornet High Class car a go? Nick Brown lends you his iconic #41 car. The old style handling of this car will surely resonate with Daytona USA veterans.

Overall Review.

To me, "Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge" delivers an intense racing experience. Your world will be blown playing this title if you are used to the action of the first game. The game has that same Sega racing charm while having a serious infusion of character. From my experiences, I've always raced the Chum's Gum car. I never got to pilot the vastly-respected Phantom Full Force car from my experience.

I personally love Super GT/SCUD Race more, but "Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge" is surely one of Sega's finest racing games. It may be a bit too epic and extreme for old-fashioned me, but the classic Sega charm is there. This game and this series honestly doesn't need NASCAR involvement to be a classic. This is its own stock car racing game that makes many others soil their underwear (including NASCAR games). While this game has never been released for home, Dreamcast owners did get to enjoy (or try to) Daytona USA 2001 instead.

Video Preview.

Here is a preview of what "Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge" has to offer. This is the Beginner track featuring the very famous Marubaku team racing the Phantom Full Force car. You may need to turn down the volume because it is a bit loud:



Cool, huh?

Bonus Video!

Per the request of Eric of "Musings of a SEGA Racing Fan," I have included a bonus video for you all to enjoy. This is also from the famous Marubaku team. "I can do it!" Have a look:



How'd you like it?

--- Sega Model 3 Games on Home Consoles... a Reality? (Bonus Section!) ---

Recent emulation of Sega Model 3 games is now starting to open the possibility of perhaps this game finally being playable at least as downloadable content. It opens the doors perhaps of this and other Sega Model 3 games to one day be playable on your fancy console or high-end PC. I think long-time fans of certain Sega racing games will have something to be proud of for over a decade and change since these respective games have been released to arcades.

They would seem long overdue for people whom have longed to play these games in their home, on their home consoles, or even as downloadable games. Could you imagine seeing "Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge" sold on PlayStation Store with some trophies to earn? For example, I could imagine "win on all four tracks using all four cars" easily as a Gold objective. Or perhaps imagine playing this game on XBOX Live for you XBOX fans. The recent advance in emulation of Sega Model 3 titles is leading to the possibility that long-time fans can finally play this arcade classic at home.

So hold out hope for perfect emulation of these titles! :)





As I had mentioned before, this blog post is dedicated to a good blogging friend, Eric of "Musings of a Sega Racing Fan." To visit his blog, go to Musings of a Sega Racing Fan. Thank you for reading!

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