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Daytona USA 2; one of the best arcade racers of all time and the era where Sega could NOT lose

VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
It's hard to believe that 2023 Sega (exists, sometimes releases good games on other people's hardware) and the 90's Sega are the same company...because one is a name most people know and the other was the most dominant developer of arcade games ever to grace our childhoods. It's been a big fall from grace for Sega that's for sure!

Sega has made a ton of arcade racing games but nothing quite plays like Daytona USA 2. It takes the formula from the original game, expands on it in ever conceivable way and harnesses the power of the Sega Model 3 arcade board...which during it's run in arcades was SO MUCH MORE powerful than home console hardware at the times it basically felt like "playing the future". That's how far Model 3 ran away from the competition hardware wise and why the game still looks incredible in 2023 compared to viewing it through the lens of the 90s.

The handling, the courses, the graphics, the music...all 10/10 amazing. If you forced me to decide at knife point whether Daytona USA 2, Scud Race or OutRun 2 was the best game...you'd probably have to stab me because I genuinely don't think I could decide.

But GAF...what is the best Sega racing game of all time? And what in your opinion is the best arcade racing game of all time from any developer? I'd love to hear the opinions!

 
AJUMP23

AJUMP23

Gold Member
This is a great game. I don't know what their best racing game is, but I always liked the playing them in the arcade.
 
U n i o n 0015

U n i o n 0015

Member
I like Daytona 2 but man is it hard as hell. I was playing it on Supermodel 3 and have the cabinet set to Very Easy. Still got my ass whooped. Beautiful game to look at.
 
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kanjobazooie

kanjobazooie

Mouse Ball Fetishist
Ridge Racer!

I6p5g7e.png
 
RoboFu

RoboFu

One of the green rats
Yeah the problem was they couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that gamers wanted more from home games. 3 tracks a few cars just didn’t cut it. Those same games wouldn’t cut it today even with modern graphics unless they added alot more content.
 
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nkarafo

nkarafo

Member
Ah, this game.

Otherwise known as "Daytona 2: Witness the full potential of the Model 3 board".

This is above and beyond what the Naomi or the DC can do. Maybe the Naomi 2 could handle it if they tried hard enough. And i would not expect a perfect home port on anything less powerful than the og XBOX.
 
U

UnNamed

Banned
Why da fuck Sega changed the Dome in the original with a more realistic design in the Power Edition.

IMHO the best Sega racing game is Sonic Racing Transformed, then Scud Race, third Virtua Racing, fourth Daytona 2. Among 2Ds, I would say Outrunners.
 
Scotty W

Scotty W

Gold Member
RoboFu said:
Yeah the problem was they couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that gamers wanted more from home games. 3 tracks a few cars just didn’t cut it. Those same games wouldn’t cut it today even with modern graphics unless they added alot more content.
Click to expand...
Very much a “Brawndo’s for what plants crave” mindset at Sega.

Ps, I love Brawndo btw, great for getting your electrolytes back up after a workout.
 
Team Andromeda

Team Andromeda

Member
VGEsoterica said:
I never liked Daytona USA 2 that much. For me the best racing game of all time is OutRun

That’s a surprising opinion but everyone gets to have an opinion so :)
Click to expand...
I thought it was a huge letdown after the original, even the music was a let down. I never liked Scud Racer either .OutRun 2 and Sega Rally 2 are awesome sequels mind
 
RetroAV

RetroAV

Member
I enjoy pretty much all of Sega's racers, but it's the difficulty of trying to get 1st place on every track in the Daytona games that gives me an adrenaline rush that just keeps me coming back for more! 🤗
 
Space Runaway

Space Runaway

Member
I was always a little disappointed this never found it's way home in a collection or some manner. We did get the tracks in Outrun 2 but they were missing all the effects and you could only play them in stapled together fashion. Oh well.
 
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U n i o n 0015

U n i o n 0015

Member
Might as well take a moment to remind everyone of 90s Arcade Racer, a game which never got released once publisher Nicalis got their hands on it:

It's been "coming soon" for like 5 years now lol:

'90s Super GP

www.nicalis.com www.nicalis.com
 
SegaManAU

SegaManAU

Gold Member
The original Daytona USA is the best arcade racing game and one of my favourite games of all time. It's so good that I had to buy the arcade machine for at home!

Lots of other good games come out around that time too! Sega Rally, Ridge Racer, Daytona USA 2, Scud Race - it was a golden time for arcade gaming.

 
Naked Lunch

Naked Lunch

Member
Poppyseed said:
Is there any way to play this at home? I’ve wanted to for yeeeeeears.
Click to expand...
Some of the Daytona 2 tracks are in the original Outrun 2 release (not Coast 2 Coast) exclusive to the original Xbox only.
It mixes with tracks from Scud Race too.
OG Outrun 2 is technically backwards compatible with a 360 but the BC is really bad - unplayable even.

Daytona 1 and 2 are some of the best the gaming medium in general has to offer. Those games are that good.
 
RAIDEN1

RAIDEN1

Member
It is a mystery to this day why Sega decided to never and probably NEVER WILL release a port of this game....Daytona 1 is all well and good, but its not as if Daytona 2 dragged the name in the dirt......Daytona 3 meanwhile is a shadow of former glory days....(As Bruce Springsteen once sang...)
 
U n i o n 0015

U n i o n 0015

Member
Wulfer

Wulfer

Member
kanjobazooie said:
Ridge Racer!

I6p5g7e.png
Click to expand...
Really Daytona USA and Ridge Racer never belonged in the same sentence. Daytona USA was always legions ahead of RR in single and multi-play. Ridge Racer never really matched up to Daytona. Had Daytona USA had a perfect port on Saturn we might be talking about Sega Consoles instead of Sony consoles. Daytona commanded that much respect back in the Arcades. Even the Dreamcast port of Daytona wasn't perfect. Sony however, was smart and got a almost perfect port of RR and Tekken and history was forever changed/made.
 
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Scotty W

Scotty W

Gold Member
Wulfer said:
Really Daytona USA and Ridge Racer never belonged in the same sentence. Daytona USA was always legions ahead of RR in single and multi-play. Ridge Racer never really matched up to Daytona. Had Daytona USA had a perfect port on Saturn we might me talking about Sega Consoles instead of Sony consoles. Daytona commanded that much respect back in the Arcades. Even the Dreamcast port of Daytona wasn't perfect. Sony however, was smart and got a almost perfect port of RR and Tekken and history was forever changed/made.
Click to expand...
Not only that, but they messed up the rerelease on Saturn as well. According to wikipedia, there was a 32x port in development at one point.

So instead of a single great conversion, we got 2 inferior ones. Imagine what they could have ported instead.
 
VeganElduderino

VeganElduderino

Member
U n i o n 0015 said:
I'm not understanding. You need both supermodel.exe and Super Model 3 UI.exe. They are separate things that you need to put together. The UI .exe gives you a front end to manipulate the emulator instead of having to use command line. This is some info on Super Model 3 UI: https://www.supermodel3.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1636
Click to expand...
you were right , i dint know we had to merge them , anyway i got it to work , it just weird that daytona 2 wont work it says network board not present
 
VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
VeganElduderino said:
you were right , i dint know we had to merge them , anyway i got it to work , it just weird that daytona 2 wont work it says network board not present
Click to expand...
Go into the test menu and set the cabinets ID as “single”. It’s looking for a second instance like a connected vs cabinet.

Set it to single and it should boot in game. That just tells the “machine” to stop looking for a networked instance of a second cab
 
VeganElduderino

VeganElduderino

Member
VGEsoterica said:
Go into the test menu and set the cabinets ID as “single”. It’s looking for a second instance like a connected vs cabinet.

Set it to single and it should boot in game. That just tells the “machine” to stop looking for a networked instance of a second cab
Click to expand...
my problem here is i cant access it because the screen changes too fast , it blinks 2 times then shows cancelled network board not present , any other way to access it ?
 
D

DragoonWalker

Member
Fully agree OP. No arcade racer since has looked AND handled as awesome as the holy trinity of Sega arcade games Daytona 2, SCUD, and Outrun 2.
RetroAV said:
Hotshot Racing is also fantastic if you enjoy 90's Sega racing!
Click to expand...

I second the other person who said this is mediocre. Track design, graphics, handling, just don't measure up. It is certainly a labor of love, but only highlights the gulf of talent between a hobbyist and the pros at Sega during their peak.

On the other hand Inertial Drift is a pretty good stand in for PS1 era Ridge Racer.
 
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