Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition

"A good racing game that doesn't quite live up to expectations."

Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition was released for the Sega Saturn in late 1996. Many wondered if it would fix the mistakes of the original ardade port.

Graphics-8/10- They are seriously improved in this game, it must be the new game engine, everthing looks better, the cars are more detailed, the textures are much cleaner, and the new tracks have tons of activity, too bad the pop-up problem is still there. Overall, they are great, everything has a cleaner look to it, especially the tracks.

Sound-7/10- The music is basically the same as in the first game, except now the lyrics have been taken out and the little touches (i.e. the announcer saying your initials) have been removed. The sound is still good, but some of the game's personality was lost.

Control-8/10 - The control is a mixed bag, you are racing in an arcade-style game, yet the cars control more like those in sim-ish games (i.e. Gran Turismo). It’s no big deal though, the control is still great, it just takes a little getting used to.

Gameplay-7/10- You get the usual Arcade Mode, the Saturn Mode was removed, a Time Attack mode is also in it. The removal of the Saturn mode is a bit of a letdown, but the two new tracks more than make up for it. The two new tracks are well designed, look great, and most importantly, they look like they belong in the game.

Presentation-10/10- Totally different than the arcade and Saturn games, menus are sleeker and have a nice layout to them, in my opinion, it’s just as good as the original.

Replay Value-9/10- The two new tracks add something new to the mix, the new cars do as well, the game may sound shallow with only 5 tracks and about 10 cars, but try to master each car on each track to increase the replay value, trust me, it’ll take awhile.

Overall-8/10- The graphics may be improved, but the sound took a small hit, as did the control, the presentation is good and the replay value is decent. Overall, great racer, not as good as the original, but still great in it's own right.

Buy or Rent?-Buy- This game is good, if you have the original, there’s no real point to buy it unless you want to try the new tracks and cars, if you can find it for under $15, buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/00, Updated 07/27/00