Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition

Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition, or Daytona USA: Circuit Edition in Japan, is a racing game by Sega, specifically designed for the Sega Saturn. Released in 1996, it is a reworked and extended version of the original Daytona USA, and was developed by Sega AM3, the same team that oversaw the Saturn port of Sega Rally Championship,[3] by using a modified version of the Sega Saturn engine of Sega Rally Championship.[4]

Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition
European Saturn cover art
Developer(s)Sega AM3
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Ryuichi Hattori
Producer(s)Noriyoshi Oba
Artist(s)Shiro Kinemura
Composer(s)
Platform(s)Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseSaturn
  • PAL: November 14, 1996[1]
  • NA: November 21, 1996
  • JP: January 24, 1997
  • NA: February 16, 1998 (Netlink Edition)
Windows
  • PAL: October 1997
  • NA: October 21, 1997[2]
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

This version was originally released in Europe and North America, with some modifications done in the subsequent Japanese release. Improvements over the original Sega Saturn version of Daytona USA include a drastic reduction in popup, increased framerate (now a consistent thirty frames per second), a new selection of cars, two new courses, a 2-player mode, compatibility with the Saturn's 3D analogue control pad and Arcade Racer steering wheel, and a ghost mode.[3] The European release does not feature the "black bars" at the top and bottom of the screen that are present in the majority of PAL games of the era[5] - the box boasts "slick new full screen graphics".

It was also separately released in North America for the Saturn as a Netlink-compatible title, entitled Daytona USA: CCE Netlink Edition.[6]

Gameplay

This is the first version of Daytona USA to name the three tracks present in the original game, rather than using Beginner, Advanced, and Expert.[5] The tracks are "Three Seven Speedway" (beginner track), "Dinosaur Canyon" (advanced track) and "Seaside Street Galaxy" (expert track). The game also features two brand new circuits, "National Park Speedway" and "Desert City".[4] Daytona USA Deluxe for PC also adds a sixth course, "Silver Ocean Causeway".

Team Hornet and their car do not appear in the game.[7] Instead, there are a number of individual cars selectable, each named after their respective racing team.[5]

Development

After finishing the Saturn version of Sega Rally Championship, Sega AM3 were planning to do a Saturn conversion of Indy 500, but due to fan demand they undertook Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition instead. Work on the game began in March 1996.[4]

In response to numerous fan complaints that the original Daytona USA soundtrack was inappropriate for a racing game, Sega Europe's in-house composer, Richard Jacques, was tasked with remixing the original songs, along with musicians from both Sega Japan and Sega America.[4]

The game retained the "Dancing Jeffry" feature from the Seaside Street Galaxy from the original Daytona USA. Jeffry is one of the main characters from Virtua Fighter; a statue of him was created in the course as a secondary feature.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack by Richard Jacques and Jun Senoue, while featuring remixes of the original tunes and several new ones, does not feature the original tunes themselves except in the Japanese version of the game.

Release

Due to heavy consumer demand for the game in Europe, Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition was released there first, with North American and Japanese versions following some months later - a reverse of the usual pattern.[8]

Reception

Reviewing the Saturn version in GameSpot, Tom Ham called Championship Circuit Edition "a very impressive sequel that greatly improves upon the original." He particularly praised the two-player mode, high frame rate, near absence of pop up, and dramatic crash sequences.[10] Rich Leadbetter of Sega Saturn Magazine was also impressed with the graphical features, but strongly objected to the fact that the cars do not handle the same as they did in the arcade and Saturn versions of Daytona USA. He found the music uneven and the two-player mode plagued by clipping on the three original tracks, and concluded, "Take away the Daytona baggage and essentially you have a different racing game that is very enjoyable to play, looks absolutely fantastic, has five ace tracks, two-player capabilities and loads of lastability. ... It's just a shame that the genius gameplay that made Saturn Daytona USA so great (despite its graphical frailties) isn't here in any way, shape or form."[11] GamePro's Johnny Ballgame judged it "a solid sequel" and a strong racer in absolute terms, but concluded that Saturn owners should instead get Andretti Racing, since the Saturn version was being released in stores at the same time and has a much larger number of tracks.[12]

References
  1. Leadbetter, Rich; Maslolwicz, Mark (December 1996). "Q&A". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 14. Emap International Limited. p. 36.
  2. Staff (October 21, 1997). "Now Shipping". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on February 18, 1998. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
    Now Shipping: "Sega's Daytona USA Deluxe, which includes Force Feedback support..."
  3. "In the Studio". Next Generation. No. 22. Imagine Media. October 1996. p. 19.
  4. "Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 12. Emap International Limited. October 1996. pp. 12–14.
  5. Leadbetter, Rich (December 1996). "Daytona Rally Deluxe". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 14. Emap International Limited. pp. 56–63.
  6. Scary Larry (August 1997). "NetLink: The Saturn Savior?". GamePro. No. 107. IDG. pp. 22–23.
  7. "Daytona, Daytona - So Good they Made it Twice!". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 13. Emap International Limited. November 1996. pp. 60–63.
  8. Nutter, Lee; Leadbetter, Rich (September 1997). "A Virtually Perfect Mag". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 23. Emap International Limited. pp. 36–37. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  9. "Legacy Review Archives". Game Informer. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  10. Ham, Tom (December 1, 1996). "Daytona Championship Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  11. Leadbetter, Rich (December 1996). "Review: Daytona Championship Circuit Edition". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 14. Emap International Limited. pp. 68–69.
  12. "Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition". GamePro. No. 101. IDG. February 1997. p. 90.
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