Daytona USA is the arcade racer other arcade racers are measured against. Developed by Sega AM2 and released to arcades in 1994, it was the first game on the Sega Model 2 board, and it went on to become one of the highest-grossing arcade games of all time. Play it today and it is obvious why. It is fast, loud and fair, and it gives you everything it has in about three minutes.
The Hornet
You drive a stock car called the Hornet. You choose one of three tracks and automatic or manual transmission, and the goal is simple: outrun the field and finish before the clock runs out, passing checkpoints to buy more time. You start in last place against up to 39 computer-controlled cars, depending on the course. The three courses are Beginner, Advanced and Expert, and the names are honest.
Why It Was Made
The idea came from Tom Petit, president of Sega’s American arcade division, and it was inspired by the popularity of NASCAR in the United States. AM2 director Toshihiro Nagoshi became the game’s director and producer after a meeting of Sega’s regional heads to choose a game to launch the Model 2 hardware. The target was clear: beat Namco’s Ridge Racer.
The Hardware
Sega partnered with GE Aerospace on the Model 2, which rendered 3D graphics with texture filtering and texture mapping. That sounds dry. In 1994 it meant cars that looked like cars and a road that did not shimmer, and the difference between Daytona and everything before it was visible from across the arcade. The team’s work on Virtua Racing helped with lighting and camera control, and they mapped Daytona International Speedway for the real thing.
The Feel
What the specs do not capture is the handling. The Hornet slides. Learning to hold a drift through a banked turn, with 39 cars around you and the timer ticking, is the whole game, and it never stops being satisfying. The soundtrack, which critics praised alongside the graphics and gameplay, is part of the feel. Nobody who played it has forgotten the singing.
Where It Falls Short
Three tracks is three tracks. The game was built for a cabinet and a queue, and at home the shallowness shows quickly. The Sega Saturn port in 1995 could not match the arcade hardware, and the sequels and enhanced versions that followed were attempts to give the design more room than it originally had. The Expert course is also punishing enough that most players never saw its end.
The Verdict
Daytona USA has been named one of the best video games ever made more times than almost any racer, and it earned that on the strength of one car, three tracks and a set of physics that still feel right. It is the arcade in a single machine.
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