It’s not just the cabinet that brings back the classic Daytona feel. It’s a feature that does little to affect the main game, but is there to help keep track of the race progress and build up rivalries. The cabinets also feature cameras situated above each screen, with face-recognition which centres the camera on the driver’s beautiful features and displays the live-action footage in another screen above – so spectators can see more of what is going on.Īdditionally, as drivers close in on their competitors during a race, or a new driver takes the lead, a line appears above nearby rivals, leading to a box on the side of the screen – the boxes showing the live faces of the competitors in the race. Linked together in a row of eight cabinets, Daytona Championship USA is due to have 8-player races, although the build at the show could only support up to four racers at a time.

no motion or game-controlled movement), the typical accelerate and brake pedals, the classic 4-button view change, up/down manual gear shift (for those who want to feel like professional racers) and, of course, a steering wheel with feedback. The cabinet setup is virtually identical to the original Daytona – an adjustable seat that is fixed (i.e. The game was very playable, but was missing some features and needed some gameplay tweaks done to it – which SEGA is aware of and I’ll get onto in a bit.Īs a result, this won’t be a full review of the game, rather a hands-on preview. The build shown at the EAG expo wasn’t the final one, SEGA hopes for the game to finished by March/April 2017 – the one I got my hands on was, I’m told by SEGA, about 75% complete. So, because it’s more of a remake, they haven’t named it Daytona 3 – although that won’t stop the Internet from calling it that! I was told by a SEGA rep that the game isn’t officially known as ‘ Daytona 3’, because it’s not an entirely brand new game in the series – it’s a reimagining of the classic Daytona, with some added tracks and additional features. In fact, regarding the name – I should get this out of the way quickly – it might disappoint some gamers out there to hear that this is not Daytona 3. This week is the EAG expo 2017, held in London’s Excel Exhibition Centre, and for SEGA Nerds everywhere it is something of an extra exciting event this year – because SEGA Amusements Europe is showcasing the return of Daytona USA, with Daytona 3, or rather ‘ Daytona Championship USA’ as it’s officially titled.

Daytona championship usa