Daytona USA – Xbox 360

One of my favourite driving games of all time has to be Daytona USA.  It was released in the arcades in 1994, and it was around that time that games started using 3D polygons.  The first games using 3D weren’t all that detailed, but they were still very cool.  The graphics in Daytona USA really stood out to me, because of it’s use of textures on it’s polygons.  It was later released for the Sega Saturn, and PC.  The PC version is the version I had, and it was a fun game.  I remember I used to play the road courses a lot, so I had them memorized.  I would take that knowledge to the two player arcade version where I could win races against whoever was sitting next to me.  The Sega Dreamcast version had some control issues, but was absolutely awesome.  I no longer have the Dreamcast or PC versions, so when I was ecstatic when I first heard that Sega was releasing it for the Xbox Live Arcade.

Daytona USA for the Xbox 360 is mostly a straight up port from the arcade version.  This means you only get three tracks, and one car.  That’s a little disappointing, since I was hoping for the extra tracks that the PC and Dreamcast versions had.    This does have it’s own extras however.  Besides the usual arcade mode in which you have to reach the next checkpoint before time runs out, you also have a challenge mode in which you have to do objectives such as passing three cars in a certain length of time.  There is also a survival mode in which you’re scored on far you can drive.  The trick though is that you”re given rapidly wearing tires, and a very small time limit.  You can earn extra time in this mode by drifting, going through a turn without braking, and accelerating without steering.  There is also a time trial mode.  In all of these modes you can change the default arcade race distance to twice the length or 10 times the length.  In the longer races you’ll have to pit when your tires wear out.  Finally there is a karaoke mode in which you plug a microphone into your Xbox, and try to sing along to the game’s soundtrack.  And no I’m not making that last one up.

The graphics in this game are cartoony like the arcade version, but they are upgraded to high definition.  They look really really sharp, and colourful.  The draw distance appears to be infinite, and the game runs silky smooth.  The reason there is a karaoke mode in this game is because of the cheesy lyrics in the game’s soundtrack.  This music will mostly be appreciated by long time Daytona USA fans.  There is also a remixed soundtrack that you can access through the options.  Out of all of the home versions of Daytona USA that I’ve played, this one has the best car handling, so there isn’t as much of a learning curve as there is on the other versions.  Overall Daytona USA on the Xbox 360 is awesome.  While I don’t think I like it as much as the Dreamcast version, the sharp graphics, and different game play modes set it apart from that version.  I would recommend that all arcade racing fans get this game, but I’ve noticed that it’s no longer on Xbox Live Marketplace.  Apparently Sega didn’t renew their Daytona license.  If Sega, or somebody else ever picks up the Daytona license and decides to release it again, then I’ll recommend getting it.  In the meantime, go check out the Dreamcast version, and if you ever see the arcade version, then immediately stop what you’re doing, and go play it.