Developed by Sega-AM2/AM4 and published by Sega, Daytona USA 2001 was released in Europe on 11th May, 2001 and is a cracking conversion of the immensly popular arcade game. Candy colours, fast cars, excited voice-overs, great racing circuits, it all adds up to what Sega does best, creating near arcade experiences for your living room. Anyone with a Dreamcast probably played this title, even if they weren't a big racing fan. I definately did! I remember getting this on launch day then crowing about it on Dreamarena like most over eager gamers did back then.
Okay i'll be the first to admit that handling of the cars took a little getting used to but as there are options to tinker with the vehicles contols to suit your preferrences then it isn't like the player is stuck with a bathtub on wheels. There are 4 cars to begin with: Hornet, Grasshopper, Falcon and Lightning. And also 6 unlockable machines: Unicorn, Red Cat, Pywackett Barchetta, Rule Of The 9th, Javelin and the Paywackett Barchetta Super. Each car has different strengths and weaknesses such as better grip for the Hornet but lacking acceleration, or speed for the Lightning at the cost of handling. Personally the Grasshopper is my most driven car because for me its a decent all rounder.
One albeit very minor grumble are the decals. I wanted to splash my ride with skulls and cheesy go-fast flames but instead am limited to changing only the bodywork colour. Like I say, its not important to the overall game but it would have been nice to see bonnets and doors adorned with crazy designs. But its certainly not a game breaker.
Tracks wise there are 5 accessable from the off: Three Seven Speedway, Dinosaur Canyon, Sea Side Street Galaxy, National Park Speedway and Desert City. These were circuits from the arcade version but Dreamcast has 3 bonus ones: Circuit Pixie, Rin Rin Rink and the figure eight shaped Mermaid Lake.
Each one has their own special features and all provide enough thrills and indeed spills to satisfy everyone. Opponents AI are 'in the zone' so getting ahead of the pack (and staying there) requires steely concentration. Mistakes WILL result in you flying off the road while the rest of the drivers leave you choking in bitter dust.
Daytona USA 2001 is a fantastic racer and surely up there with the Gran Turismos of that era. And it can be picked up for anything between £4 to £8. It can go for more but I think those are more than fair prices. Fabulous Dreamcast title. 9/10
On 9th September 1999, Sega released a new console to an excited public, the now legendary Dreamcast. Many would argue the first in Next Gen visuals, and online gaming, the Dreamcast was overtaken by Playstation2 but never forgotten. To this day, a decade on, it is still a powerful force in the gaming world. This is my tribute to the console and games, where a poet becomes fanboy.
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