Daytona USA 2001

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Daytona USA 2001

Japanese Dreamcast cover art
Developer(s) Amusement Vision/Genki
Publisher(s) Sega/Hasbro Interactive
Platform(s) Dreamcast
Release date(s)
  • JP December 21, 2000
  • NA March 12, 2001
  • EU May 11, 2001
Genre(s) Racing game
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer

Daytona USA 2001, known in North America simply as Daytona USA, is a racing arcade game developed by Sega and Genki which is a complete revamp of Daytona USA for release on the Dreamcast platform. This version features every single course from the original Daytona USA game and the Championship Circuit Edition. Three new tracks were also specially designed for this game ('Rin Rin Rink', 'Circuit Pixie' and 'Mermaid Lake'), and all of the tracks are playable normally, in reverse, mirrored, or in reverse-mirrored mode.

The game's graphics were significantly updated from previous home installments of Daytona USA, more resembling the likes of Daytona USA 2. It was also playable online, allowing for competition between up to four players and uploading/downloading of best times and ghost car information, although the online options were removed from the PAL version. Another addition to Daytona USA 2001 was the Championship mode, where the player must place above a certain point in the overall rankings to progress, culminating in the King of Daytona Cup.

This version tends to be criticized for poor controls.[citation needed] The analog stick's default setting is extremely sensitive, but that can be corrected in the options screen (except in the Japanese version). However, the game still does not handle exactly like the original arcade version of Daytona USA even when using a racing wheel. The physics, handling, and control are different from the arcade version. Though it is likely that the game has its game mechanics derived from Shutokō Battle 2, and was designed with analog controls in mind and therefore doesn't play as easily on a joypad as the Sega Saturn versions which used a standard d-pad.

Courses

Daytona USA 2001 retains all tracks from the original Daytona USA and Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition, all of them represented by names given in the Championship Circuit Edition:

  • Three Seven Speedway: located in the gambling metropolis, Las Segas.
  • Dinosaur Canyon: taking its name from a giant dinosaur fossil, this course winds its way through a deep canyon.
  • Sea-Side Street Galaxy: the longest course of the series, starting from Starlight Bridge.
  • National Park Speedway: built in the largest amusement park in the world.
  • Desert City: course surrounding a desert oasis, with balloons coming out to greet the drivers.

The game also adds three new and exclusive circuits:

  • Circuit Pixie: oval course built in a forest once said to contain fairies.
  • Rin Rin Rink: a course built on a swamp, consisting on a series of curves and a long straightaway.
  • Mermaid Lake: a figure 8 course.

Available cars

There are four cars available from the beginning of the game. Unlike in the previous games, but like the Shutokō Battle series which also developed by Genki, six of the ten cars resemble Japanese tuner cars. The first four are numbered 41, despite being from different racing teams:

  • Hornet
  • Grasshopper
    • Base: Subaru Impreza WRX STi (GC8)
    • Performance stats: has 90/100 of grip, but 40/100 of acceleration, and 30/100 of top speed. This rally car derivation making it an excellent car for beginners, and for courses with plenty of corners such as Desert City.
    • Top speeds: Automatic transmission = 183 mph (294 km/h), manual transmission = 193 mph (309 km/h)
  • Falcon
    • Base: Mazda RX-7 (FD3S)
    • Performance stats: has 80/100 of grip, but 50/100 of acceleration, and top speed. This rotary-engined car making it another excellent car for beginners, and for courses with plenty of corners, although slightly less than for the Grasshopper as the Mazda RX-7s more focus on cornering than grip.
    • Top speeds: Automatic transmission = 193 mph (309 km/h), manual transmission = 202 mph (324 km/h)
  • Lightning
    • Base: Toyota Supra (JZA80)
    • Performance stats: has 50/100 of grip, but 80/100 of acceleration, and top speed, making it an excellent car for experts, that will have the fastest lap on circuits. Although not as fast as the Unicorn or Rule of the 9th.
    • Top speeds: Automatic transmission = 206 mph (330 km/h), manual transmission = 215 mph (345 km/h)

There are also six unlockable cars:

  • Unicorn
    • Base: Mazda Cosmo (JCESE) or Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 (EC5A)
    • Performance stats: has 35/100 of grip, but 90/100 of acceleration, and top speed, making it another excellent car for experts, that will have the fastest lap on circuits. Faster than Lightning or Rule of the 9th.
    • Top speeds: Automatic transmission = 217 mph (349 km/h), Manual transmission = 226 mph (364 km/h)
  • Red Cat
  • Pywackett Barchetta
    • Performance stats: has 85/100 of grip, but 80/100 of acceleration, and 40/100 of top speed. Making it an machine best used for courses with plenty of corners such as National Park Speedway.
  • Rule of the 9th
    • Performance stats: has 50/100 of grip, but 85/100 of acceleration, and top speed. Making it like an slightly upgraded Lightning, and is best used for experts that will have the fastest lap on circuits. With the same grip as the Lightning but slightly faster.
  • Javelin
    • Performance stats: has 20/100 of grip, but 100/100 of acceleration, and top speed. Making it an machine best used for experts, that will have the very fastest laps but only on circuits with a few corners, such as Circuit Pixie.
    • Info: unlocked after 100 hours of gameplay
    • Top speeds: Automatic transmission = 270 mph (435 km/h), manual transmission = 279 mph (450 km/h)
  • Pywackett Barchetta Super
    • Performance stats: has 100/100 of grip, but 60/100 of acceleration, and 45/100 of top speed. Making it a machine best used for courses with a very plenty of corners such as Sea-Side Street Galaxy.

Soundtrack

The Daytona USA 2001 soundtrack is a mix of remixed and original music:

  • Let's Go Away (Introduction; a shortened version of the Dinosaur Canyon course theme, remixed from the original Daytona USA theme)
  • The King Of Speed (Three Seven Speedway; a remix of the original Daytona USA theme)
  • Let's Go Away (Dinosaur Canyon; a remix of the original Daytona USA theme)
  • Sky High (Seaside Street Galaxy; a remix of the original Daytona USA theme)

The courses taken from Daytona USA: (Championship) Circuit Edition do not have their original themes; instead, new songs are used in place of Funk Fair, The Noisy Roars of Wilderness and (strangely enough) Pounding Pavement. Race to the Bass, and the Daytona USA Medley do not appear either. The new songs are not given names ingame, and with the lack of an official soundtrack CD it is assumed they are named after their respective courses.

In addition to the above themes, Daytona USA 2001 also features different remixed music for the mirror and mirror-reversed versions of the courses. Theme music from the original Daytona USA arcade machine is selected at random and used as title screen music - these songs can be found in the Sound Test from track 48 onwards.

Reception

On release, Famitsu magazine scored the game a 31 out of 40.[1]

Notes

  1. ↑ ドリームキャスト - DAYTONA USA 2001. Weekly Famitsu. No.915 Pt.2. Pg.52. 30 June 2006.

External links

Daytona USA video games
Tokyo Xtreme Racer video games
Main series
Kaido Battle series
Related
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