Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition
Encyclopedia
Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition is a racing
arcade game
by Sega
, specifically designed for the Sega Saturn
. Released in 1996, it is a reworked and extended version of the original Daytona USA
, developed by Sega-AM3, the second-party developer that oversaw the mostly arcade-perfect Saturn port of Sega Rally Championship
, by using a modified version of the Sega Saturn engine of Sega Rally Championship.
This version was originally released in Europe and North America (with some modifications done in the subsequent Japanese release), and drastically reduced the popup that was prevalent in the original Sega Saturn version of Daytona USA. With the increased framerate (now a solid thirty frames per second) came a new selection of cars, two new courses and a 2-player mode. Daytona USA: CCE is compatible with the Saturn's 3D analogue control pad, in addition to the Arcade Racer steering wheel and the Virtua Stick accessories. The European release is notable as the game did not feature the "black bars" at the top and bottom of the screen that are usually associated with the majority of PAL games of the era - the box even boasts "slick new full screen graphics".
The game also sported a soundtrack by Richard Jacques
and Jun Senoue
which, while featuring remixes of the original tunes and several new ones, did not feature the original tunes themselves.
It was also separately released for the Saturn as a Netlink
-compatible title, entitled Daytona USA: CCE Netlink Edition. Although the accolade is commonly ascribed to Panzer Dragoon Saga
, this NetLink version of Daytona USA: CCE is in fact the rarest North American Sega Saturn game. It was available only through Sega's online store, and making it even more rare is its almost total lack of distinguishability from the regular version of Daytona USA: CCE: the only notable differences are the additions of a black-and-white NetLink booklet with the standard booklet and a small NetLink logo on the game disc. This edition fetches up to US $1,100 (March 2010) on eBay, in the rare instances it does pop up.
The game retained the "Dancing Jeffry" feature from the Seaside Street Galaxy from the original Daytona USA. Jeffry is actually one of the main characters from Virtua Fighter, but a statue of him was created in the course as a secondary feature. Just like the original Daytona USA, you have to press X while being in front of Jeffry to make him dance
This version has the soundtracks from both the original Daytona USA arcade game and the remixes from Championship Circuit Edition, in addition to an eight-minute-long medley of all three original track themes (called 'Daytona Medley').
It also allows players to alter the drift mechanic by choosing between slow, normal and quick in the options menu - quick allows the cars to drift more easily while slow lends them a weightier handling. It also added the ability to play at night, dusk, or morning (by holding X, Y or Z on the controller as the 'START YOUR ENGINES' screen was displayed).
Aside from these differences, it is identical to Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition.
It also has an improved draw distance and supports more memory, and features an exclusive race course: Silver Ocean Causeway. A Direct3D
patch for this version was also later released.
Daytona USA Deluxe was released as Daytona USA Evolution in Korea and Japan.
The game also features two brand new circuits:
Daytona USA Deluxe for PC also adds an exclusive sixth course:
This track features the most difficult turn in the game.
Team Hornet and their car do not appear in the game. Instead, there are a number of individual cars selectable, each named after their respective racing team:
There is 9th car called Daytona which can be unlocked either by finishing in first place on all five tracks, or via a cheat code. The Daytona car uses the body style, paint scheme and car number of the featured car in the original Daytona USA game. It is rated 5/5 in the grip, acceleration and top speed categories, however, meaning it will not handle the same as the classic car.
There are also two horses that are unlockable and playable, named Ura and Ura 2.
All of the cars have sponsor stickerers on the side that read "Sega Rally Championship" as the game was made from the same department.
Daytona USA: Circuit Edition also featured fictional specifications for the Hornet car as part of the CD case artwork. The car is 4903 mm long, 1273 mm high, and 1730 mm wide. It weighs 1600 kg, and is capable of speeds up to 329km/h. Its engine's power output is 812ps/5800rpm.
Any of the course themes can be mapped to another course through the Options menu - The King of Speed can be mapped to Dinosaur Canyon, for example.
Daytona USA: Circuit Edition also featured the original Daytona USA arcade themes, which could be mapped to courses.
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, specifically designed for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
. Released in 1996, it is a reworked and extended version of the original Daytona USA
Daytona USA (arcade game)
Daytona USA is a 1993 racing video game by Sega. Considered one of the highest grossing arcade games of all time, Daytona USA was Sega's first title to debut on the Sega Model 2 arcade board, and at the time of its 1993 introduction, was considered the most visually detailed 3D arcade racing game...
, developed by Sega-AM3, the second-party developer that oversaw the mostly arcade-perfect Saturn port of Sega Rally Championship
Sega Rally Championship
Sega Rally Championship is a 1994 arcade racing game developed by AM5 on the Sega Model 2 board. It was a year later in 1995 ported over to the Sega Saturn and PC....
, by using a modified version of the Sega Saturn engine of Sega Rally Championship.
This version was originally released in Europe and North America (with some modifications done in the subsequent Japanese release), and drastically reduced the popup that was prevalent in the original Sega Saturn version of Daytona USA. With the increased framerate (now a solid thirty frames per second) came a new selection of cars, two new courses and a 2-player mode. Daytona USA: CCE is compatible with the Saturn's 3D analogue control pad, in addition to the Arcade Racer steering wheel and the Virtua Stick accessories. The European release is notable as the game did not feature the "black bars" at the top and bottom of the screen that are usually associated with the majority of PAL games of the era - the box even boasts "slick new full screen graphics".
The game also sported a soundtrack by Richard Jacques
Richard Jacques
Richard Jacques is a British music composer. He is best known for his video game music, most notably for numerous video games created by Sega.-Early life:...
and Jun Senoue
Jun Senoue
is a video game composer and musician from Wave Master, well known for some of his contributions in many Sonic the Hedgehog games. He is also the guitarist for the band Crush 40, which also contributes to many Sonic the Hedgehog games.-Biography:...
which, while featuring remixes of the original tunes and several new ones, did not feature the original tunes themselves.
It was also separately released for the Saturn as a Netlink
Sega NetLink
Sega NetLink was an attachment for the Sega Saturn game console to provide Saturn users with internet access, a web browser, and access to email through their console. NetLink consisted of a 28.8 kbit/s modem that fits into the Sega Saturn cartridge port, although there was a cheaper version that...
-compatible title, entitled Daytona USA: CCE Netlink Edition. Although the accolade is commonly ascribed to Panzer Dragoon Saga
Panzer Dragoon Saga
is a critically acclaimed role-playing video game released exclusively for the Sega Saturn in 1998. It was the third game released in the Panzer Dragoon series , and so far remains the only game in the series that is not a rail shooter...
, this NetLink version of Daytona USA: CCE is in fact the rarest North American Sega Saturn game. It was available only through Sega's online store, and making it even more rare is its almost total lack of distinguishability from the regular version of Daytona USA: CCE: the only notable differences are the additions of a black-and-white NetLink booklet with the standard booklet and a small NetLink logo on the game disc. This edition fetches up to US $1,100 (March 2010) on eBay, in the rare instances it does pop up.
The game retained the "Dancing Jeffry" feature from the Seaside Street Galaxy from the original Daytona USA. Jeffry is actually one of the main characters from Virtua Fighter, but a statue of him was created in the course as a secondary feature. Just like the original Daytona USA, you have to press X while being in front of Jeffry to make him dance
Daytona USA: Circuit Edition (Sega Saturn) (Japan)
After the release of Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition to the Western Saturn market, a further-updated version was later released in Japan as Daytona USA: Circuit Edition.This version has the soundtracks from both the original Daytona USA arcade game and the remixes from Championship Circuit Edition, in addition to an eight-minute-long medley of all three original track themes (called 'Daytona Medley').
It also allows players to alter the drift mechanic by choosing between slow, normal and quick in the options menu - quick allows the cars to drift more easily while slow lends them a weightier handling. It also added the ability to play at night, dusk, or morning (by holding X, Y or Z on the controller as the 'START YOUR ENGINES' screen was displayed).
Aside from these differences, it is identical to Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition.
Daytona USA Deluxe (PC)
Daytona USA: Deluxe is a PC port of the Japanese Sega Saturn Daytona: Circuit Edition, being the only western appearance of this modified version of the original Championship Circuit Edition.It also has an improved draw distance and supports more memory, and features an exclusive race course: Silver Ocean Causeway. A Direct3D
Direct3D
Direct3D is part of Microsoft's DirectX application programming interface . Direct3D is available for Microsoft Windows operating systems , and for other platforms through the open source software Wine. It is the base for the graphics API on the Xbox and Xbox 360 console systems...
patch for this version was also later released.
Daytona USA Deluxe was released as Daytona USA Evolution in Korea and Japan.
Courses
This is the first version of Daytona USA to name the three tracks present in the original Daytona USA game, rather than simply using Beginner, Intermediate and Expert:- Three Seven Speedway (Beginner track, also known as 777 Speedway)
- Dinosaur Canyon (Intermediate track)
- Seaside Street Galaxy (Expert track)
The game also features two brand new circuits:
- National Park Speedway
- Desert City
Daytona USA Deluxe for PC also adds an exclusive sixth course:
- Silver Ocean Causeway
This track features the most difficult turn in the game.
Available cars
The racing team featured in the Daytona USA arcade game and Saturn port is called Team Hornet. Although the team is never explicitly mentioned in the games, their car features an easily-recognisable hornet logo stamped on the front of the car. From Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition and onwards, however, Team Hornet's available garage was reduced to one playable car alongside other racing teams' cars.Team Hornet and their car do not appear in the game. Instead, there are a number of individual cars selectable, each named after their respective racing team:
- Hornet
' (Normal, car number 19) - The Hornet car has a grip rating of 3/5, an acceleration rating of 3/5, and a top speed rating of 2/5, making it an ideal all-rounder. - Gallop (Normal, car number 27) - The Gallop car has identical statistics to the Hornet car, making it another all-rounder, ideal for two-player races.
- Max (Beginner, car number 2) - The Max car has a grip rating of 5/5, an acceleration rating of 5/5, but a top speed of 1/5. This makes it an ideal car for a course with plenty of corners, such as Dinosaur Canyon. It also has the ability to run well on grass and sand ares.
- Phoenix (Expert, car number 8) - The Phoenix car has a grip rating of 1/5, but is rated 5/5 for its acceleration and top speed capabilities.
- Oriole (Expert, car number 16) - The Oriole car is a toned-down version of the Phoenix car, with a grip rating of 2/5, and an acceleration & top speed rating of 4/5.
- Magic (Expert, car number 33) - The Magic car has a grip rating of 3/5, an acceleration rating of 2/5, and a top speed rating of 3/5, maing it the ideal cross between the Hornet car and the Oriole car.
- Wolf (Beginner, car number 41) - This car has a grip rating of 4/5, an acceleration rating of 5/5, but a top speed of 1/5, making this car an excellent choice for those new to the game.
- Balance (Normal, car number 99) - The Balance car has a grip rating of 5, an acceleration rating of 1/5, and a top speed rating of 4/5. This car performs well on long, straight courses such as Seaside Street Galaxy or National Park Speedway.
There is 9th car called Daytona which can be unlocked either by finishing in first place on all five tracks, or via a cheat code. The Daytona car uses the body style, paint scheme and car number of the featured car in the original Daytona USA game. It is rated 5/5 in the grip, acceleration and top speed categories, however, meaning it will not handle the same as the classic car.
There are also two horses that are unlockable and playable, named Ura and Ura 2.
All of the cars have sponsor stickerers on the side that read "Sega Rally Championship" as the game was made from the same department.
Daytona USA: Circuit Edition also featured fictional specifications for the Hornet car as part of the CD case artwork. The car is 4903 mm long, 1273 mm high, and 1730 mm wide. It weighs 1600 kg, and is capable of speeds up to 329km/h. Its engine's power output is 812ps/5800rpm.
Soundtrack
Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition's (1996) main soundtrack is as follows:- Sons of Angels - "Intro theme" Composed by Jun Senoue(guitar) and with Eric Martin(vocals).
- The King Of Speed - Course: "Three Seven Speedway" a remix performed by Richar Jacques of the original Daytona USA theme composed by Kouichi Namiki(guitar) and Takenobu Mitsuyoshi(keyboards, vocals).
- Pounding Pavement - Course: "Desert City" a remix performed Jun Senoue of the original Daytona USA theme composed by Kouichi Namiki(guitar) and Takenobu Mitsuyoshi(keyboards, vocals).
- Let's Go Away - Course: "Dinosaur Canyon" a remix performed by Jun Senoue of the original Daytona USA theme composed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi.
- Sky High - Course: "Seaside Street Galaxy" a remix of the original Daytona USA theme composed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi.
- The Noisy Roars of Wilderness - "Ending theme" Course: "National Park Speedway".
- Race to the Bass - "Exclusive theme" removed of Daytona USA CCE composed by Richard Jacques.
- The American Dream - "Replay & Intro Theme" composed by Jun Senoue(guitar) and with Eric Martin(vocals).
- Daytona USA Medley - "Japanese Circuit Edition and PC version only".
- Funk Fair - "Exclusive theme" composed by Richard Jacques.
- Gentlemen Start Your Engines - "Main Menu and Options theme" composed by Tomonori Sawada.
Any of the course themes can be mapped to another course through the Options menu - The King of Speed can be mapped to Dinosaur Canyon, for example.
Daytona USA: Circuit Edition also featured the original Daytona USA arcade themes, which could be mapped to courses.