Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Daytona USA (PS3 and XBOX 360)

John B. Marine | 1/09/2013 09:21:00 PM | |
Daytona USA for the PlayStation 3 and the XBOX 360 is much different from the Daytona USA I blogged about a long time ago. This version is an arcade-perfect rendition of the 1994 arcade racing classic. This game is nostalgia for veterans and a new experience for newcomers. You can enjoy this title on your PS3 by buying it from the PlayStation Store, or you XBOX 360 gamers can buy this game from the XBOX Live Marketplace. For the first time ever on John's Blog Space, I review an online-exclusive game.

As I usually do, I dedicate my SEGA racing game posts to my friend Eric of "Musings of a Sega Racing Fan." Visit his blog at www.phantomfullforce.com.

NOTE: Even though I make mention of PlayStation Store, this game is also available for XBOX 360 via the XBOX Marketplace.





--- Daytona USA (PS3 Version) ---

If you have never played Daytona USA or know anything about it, let me give you a brief introduction.

Daytona USA is a racing game created by SEGA's AM2 Department. This Model 2 racing game was revolutionary for its time in its 1994 release. This racing game featured textured 3D graphics. The game ran beautifully and smoothly in arcades at an amazing 60 frames per second. While this game features the namesake of the Daytona International Speedway, the actual speedway itself is not featured. In fact, there has NEVER been any real-world race tracks featured in the history of this franchise- including the Daytona International Speedway. What makes SEGA's Daytona USA so fun is that it makes stock car racing so cool.

You have the privilege of racing for the #41 Hornet High-Class team. You may choose either an Automatic or Manual/Standard version of the #41 car. The Manual/Standard offers a little higher top speed. Three tracks are offered for you to race on- an oval (the bread and butter of stock car racing), a technical road course weaving around a canyon, and a challenging street course that utilizes city streets and country roads.

Daytona USA found its way onto the PlayStation Store and the XBOX Live Marketplace on October 25, 2011. This version is not like the home version found on the Sega Saturn or for Windows. Instead, this version for the PS3/XBOX 360 is an arcade-perfect version that has been tuned and modified to allow gamers to take on unique challenges. You can even listen to arranged music. But if you ask me, most of the arranged music can't hold a candle to the original songs. I'm surprised Sega didn't just add some of the arranged songs from "Daytona USA 2001" from the Dreamcast. There is even support for racing wheels for this game. So if you REALLY want to bring the arcade-to-home experience to this game, you can do just that.


Modes.

• Try any of the Challenges to test your racing and driving skills. Completing one challenge opens up more challenges until you eventually complete all challenges for each course. Each track has 10 challenges, so you will be performing 30 challenges total. If you don't know how to perform certain challenges, you can watch a demonstration video showing you what you have to do.

• If you (in my opinion) get bored and want to hear some music, try the Karaoke mode. Don't worry- you don't need to have a microphone or press any specific buttons. The game basically just shows you the lyrics to the four main songs in Daytona USA. You may choose between running the race or letting the game run on Autopilot.

• You can run Time Trials to go for the fastest time. You can upload your times online and compare them against your friends' times or against the world.

• The Survival mode is interesting- you earn points and time based on performing daring maneuvers and passing cars. As time wears on, so does the grip of your car. Your job is to try to maintain control of your car while also passing cars, drifting, knocking over cones, etc. How long can you last?



--- Daytona USA (PS3 Version) Review ---

Sega has done a great job porting over the classic arcade version of Daytona USA and making it available to PS3 and XBOX 360 players. The cars and other sounds are MUCH better in this game compared to the home version of Daytona USA for the Sega Saturn and Windows. The extra challenges help add a good bit of replay value. It runs so beautifully that you swear you're at the arcades playing this game rather than sitting down playing it on your PS3 or XBOX 360. If you love the classic Daytona USA and have a PS3 or an XBOX 360, you need to buy this from the PlayStation Store (or the XBOX Live Marketplace) and play the heck out of it. This game features Trophies/Accomplishments for you to collect. And as a fun fact, this is the very first PS3 game of any kind that I cleared all Trophy objectives for. There is no Platinum trophy, but you can still accomplish 100%.

I can't think of many negatives for this game. Maybe I would have liked being able to try out various other cars like in the Windows/Saturn version of Daytona USA. I may even would have liked some bonus material about the history of the franchise, artwork, more music, etc. And for fun, I even want to race as a horse like in the Windows/Saturn version. :)

It is a must-buy if you're a fan of Daytona USA. It is also a must-buy if you want to experience one of the most iconic and most important (in terms of racing game history) racing game franchises ever.


Video Preview.

Here is a preview of the game you read all about:


^ Daytona USA - Gameplay (PS3)


That is only a small sample of what you can expect when you get this online-exclusive game.





You know, one other thing I hope for is maybe to see "Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge" become available in arcade-perfect trim for consoles. I can already imagine racing the Hornet car or the Phantom Full Force car around those tracks in that game. I REALLY hope Sega Super GT/SCUD Race becomes available for consoles. I'd play the heck out of that game on my PS3. I can already imagine racing Beginner-Night in the McLaren F1 GTR while "Flight in the Dark" fills my ears with song. A boy can only dream...

If you want to read my review of the Saturn/PC version of Daytona USA, visit this post: "Daytona USA (PC Version)" (John's Blog Space).

Thank you for reading!

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