Story time. I think this was back in 2000-2003, we had a Sega saturn. We didn’t have much games, well four games or five games since one was unreadable… but yeah it was a decent time. We had Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Cop, Daytona USA, Sonic R and the unreadable sonic 3D blast ( used to work but badly scratched up now). We played the games a lot and enjoyed them for what they are until we were introduced to the PlayStation and in 2004, PlayStation 2. Second we got those consoles and games we immediately threw the Sega Saturn to the side, but I’m getting off track. This is about one particular game that I’ve played through the Saturn even though I sucked at it. I was first introduced to it by the console but I’ve always seen it on arcade places when it was somewhat still popular in the early 2000s. This is Daytona USA on the Sega Saturn. This is the first edition mind you. 

Story: N/A

There’s really not much of a story if there is any at all. It’s about racing through courses on a stock vehicle named Hornet. You race against up to 39 other vehicles to drive your way to the finish line on a time limit, which increases for every check point you pass by through the course. There’s not much else to say other than “Start your engines”

Graphics: 5

The graphics compared to the… holy these are awful! The cars look too pixelated when driving, the draw distance is horrendous, the frame rate is very pathetic. The game is so bad I really had to look up why it’s bad. Apparently it was rushed into the console due to an early launch and it suffered horrendously. Driving on the track is barely manageable and some warping is present due to the draw distance. This is a huge example of how bad a game suffers when it’s rushed to meet demands. 

A 5 out of 10 Sega. I’m sorry but what the F-

Sound: 7

The music is there, it’s there alright. One of the most memorable tracks I’ve ever listened to and I’ve been humming Daytona USA since playing the game. The only issue, it doesn’t have that “OOMPH” the arcade version gives. The sound is pretty muffled and the car noises also suffers from the sound quality. Also, you hear the vocals more than you hear the instruments of the track that’s playing and I don’t know if I’m okay with that. If Sega had a way to fix the issue it would’ve been near perfect, probably even better than the arcade version’s due to it being CD quality. Great memorable tracks ruined by an abysmal audio performance from Sega.

A 7 out of 10

Depth: 6

The game has some features… I mean it does offer the classic arcade mode. Arcade mode where you’re racing against the time and try your best to place first in one of three courses. Your only option to choose is the Hornet but you can either choose automatic or manual, each having their perks and hindrances. 

Saturn mode gives you more car options with either transmission or manuals, a time attack, mirror mode and practice mode. This can help you learn more about the tracks in the game and stray off from the arcade mode if you want more of a casual race from time. Rankings is also included in the game to view how you stack up against records from different tracks, and take on the courses to achieve new records and personal bests. 

Other than that there’s not much options on this arcade game. A decent 6 out of 10 

Addictive: 7

The game is pretty fun to play at the start and trying to beat records will keep you going for a bit. Though the port is rather rough it can be hard at times to keep focused on playing the game and either get tired of the racing or irritated by the graphics and shortcomings this game has been plagued with. Not much to say on this category so… 

A 7 out of 10 due to it still being a fun game and having different modes to play, but it’s shortcomings hindered the experience 

Difficulty: 8

The game is rather difficult since it is a port of the racing arcade. The races courses differ the difficulty by a bit and that’s welcoming. You will crash a lot and I’m saying this now, drifting is your friend but it takes trial and error. Manual is a bit more steep not just because of shifting but you have to multitask at your surrounding area for cars, turns and what am I sayin. Good luck on the turns with the horrible draw distance. It’s manageable but it’s just so terrible like Jesus.

Difficulty is an 8 out of 10

The game is was one I used to play a lot as a kid but playing it recently I realized how bad it aged. The graphics department, sound quality, everything is just… not the way I remembered. Nostalgia played a huge part and failed me. By no means I’m saying to stay away from this port since there have been newer releases along the line (Daytona for Dreamcast). It’s a fun game but it’s been plagued by a rushed released and it just feel so rough and unfinished. 

My rating : 7/10

Review rating : 6.6/10