Daytona USA 2001, known in the United States simply as Daytona USA, is a racing arcade game by Sega 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 which was released on the Sega Saturn and PC. 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. 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 / control are different from the arcade version. Though it is likely that the game 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, all of them resemble Japanese sports cars from that period. All four are numbered 41, despite being from different racing teams:
- Hornet: has a balance between grip, acceleration and maximum speed Resemble Chevrolet Lumina Nascar
- Grasshopper: has the best grip of all the cars, but the level of acceleration and maximum speed are poor Resemble Nissan Skyline GTR R34
- Falcon: a well rounded car with a high level of grip Resemble Honda NSX NA1
- Lightning: has a high level of acceleration and maximum speed but a low level of grip Resemble Mazda RX7 FD3S
There are also six unlockable cars:
- Unicorn, car number 41 Resemble Buick Riviera
- Red Cat, car number 77 Resemble Hyundai Tiburon
- Pywackett Barchetta, car number 69 Resemble Bmw Isetta
- Rule of the 9th, car number 99 Resemble Maserati 8CTF
- Javelin Resemble Jet Car
- Pywackett Barchetta Super, car number 69 Resemble BMW Isetta
Gallery[ | ]
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.