[[caption-width-right:350:The course is really tough, so good luck!]]
Let's go away\\
(Let's go away).\\
Daytona[[EarWorm aaa~]]!"''
-->--[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKygH5bnBgs The Attract theme]]

-->--The track announcer

''Daytona USA'' is a successful 3D DrivingGame series created by Toshihiro Nagoshi and Creator/{{Sega}}'s [=AM2=] department and initially released in arcades in 1993 in Japan and 1994 for the rest of the world. The first game, probably the most well known of the franchise, found great popularity in the arcades, for its simple controls, NASCAR-like stock cars and up to eight multiplayer arcade cabinets. The original stands as the most successful arcade game in Sega's history.

The franchise consists of:
* '''''Daytona USA'' (1993/1994/1995):''' The original. Was ported to the SegaSaturn as a launch title. Was also ported to the PC, but that version was based on the Saturn version.
* '''''Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition'' (1996):''' Made as an apology for the original game's Saturn port, and was developed by the same team that brought ''VideoGame/SegaRally Championship'' to the Saturn. Added in a few new courses alongside the originals, retuned the handling to be more ''VideoGame/SegaRally''-ish, and Richard Jacques was brought in to remix the music.
* '''''Scud Race'' (1996):''' The SpiritualSequel to ''Daytona USA'', with exotic cars that competed in BPR/FIA GT Championship (Porsche 911, Ferrari [=F40=], Dodge Viper and [=McLaren=] [=F1=]) instead of NASCAR-like stock cars. Was released in North America as ''[[MarketBasedTitle Sega Super GT]]''. First racer to use Sega's Model 3 board, and it shows.
* '''''Scud Race Plus'' (1997):''' A [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]] ExpansionPack for ''Scud Race'' with a ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''-ish "Super Beginner" oval course.
* '''''Daytona USA Circuit Edition'' (1997):''' The [[MarketBasedTitle Japanese version]] of ''Daytona USA CCE'', with some improvements to the handling mechanics.
* '''''Daytona USA Deluxe'' (1997):''' The Windows PC version of ''Daytona USA CCE''. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qrlv3SrNCs Had a course unique to this version.]]
* '''''Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition Netlink'' (1997):''' Same as ''Daytona USA CCE'', but with online play and several improvements made to the Japanese Circuit Edition release. The rarest Saturn game ever made, even more rare than Panzer Dragoon Saga!
* '''''Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge'' (1998):''' The true sequel to the original. Uses a powered-up Model 3 board and a refined ''Scud Race/Sega Super GT'' handling mechanic. Totally awesome.
* '''''Daytona USA 2 Power Edition'' (1999):''' An ExpansionPack to ''Daytona USA 2''. Added in a challenge course linking the three courses together in one continuous lap, and reintroduced the car from the original Daytona, with the same handling characteristics too. Also changed the Beginner track from an oversized biodome to a more traditional NASCAR-style track.
* '''''Daytona USA 2001'' (2001):''' The last game in the series (so far), and the only one for the SegaDreamcast. Had all the courses from ''Daytona USA CCE'', with three new ones, improved draw distance, remixed music, and online play. It's developed by the same developer of TokyoXtremeRacer games.
* '''''Sega Racing Classic'' (2010):''' The original ''Daytona USA'' remade in high definition on the Ringwide board, but [[DivorcedInstallment without the Daytona license]].
* '''''Daytona USA'' (2011):''' A remake for XboxLiveArcade and [[PS3 PlayStation Network]], featuring the graphical updates from ''Sega Racing Classic'', the original music, plus online multiplayer, challenge and survival modes, and a karaoke mode.

The game features examples of these tropes:
* AllThereInTheManual: The names of USA 2's drivers are in-game, but aren't too obvious to spot. Thanks to USA 2's official soundtrack, their names are clearly heard: [[EasyModeMockery Johnny]], [[JackOfAllStats Noel]], [[HardModePerks Mitch]], and [[GuestFighter Tom Brown]].
* AwesomeButImpractical: The bonus viewpoints.
* BladderOfSteel: The games allow you to change how many laps in a given race, from the default of 8 (Beginner) / 4 (Advanced) / 2 (Expert) all the way up to, in ''Daytona USA 2'', [[SerialEscalation 500 (Beginner) / 250 (Advanced) / 125 (Expert).]]
* BossGame
* {{Bowdlerisation}}: ''SCUD Race'' was renamed to ''Sega Super GT'' in the US. "SCUD" in this context stands for "Sports Car Ultimate Drive", but it also [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scud brings back bad memories of the Cold War]].
* CallBack: The spotter in ''2'' on the Advanced course references the first game's spotter with "There's a crash coming out of turn three, watch yourself!"
* TheCameo: Franchise/{{Sonic|TheHedgehog}}'s face appears on the cliff overlooking the third turn on ''Daytona USA'''s Beginner course.
** Also, there's a statue of ''VirtuaFighter'' 's Jeffry [=McWild=] in the Expert course.
** Sonic and Tails appear on a billboard in ''Scud Race''.
** The Red and Blue Hornets are just a PaletteSwap of the normal Hornet.
** The Black and Orange Hornet cars are very sturdy, and won't slow down after crashing into a wall.
** The Green and Pink Hornets preform well off-road, but will [[FragileSpeedster instantly crash]] if they hit a wall.
** Finally, the Cyan and Yellow Hornet cars have a high top speed, but have bad control.
* {{Crossover}}: Hornet appears alongside its AM-2 brethren in ''FightersMegamix'', and as {{DLC}} in ''RidgeRacer'' for the PlayStation Vita.
** It is also now an unlockable in [[SegaSuperstars Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed]]. In flight mode, it turns into an F-14 from After Burner, and in boat mode, it turns into a Dreamcast controller. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dQWnEcAiDKE Seriously.]]
* DarkerAndEdgier: 2's soundtrack to the rest of the series. The soundtrack has a more aggressive rock theme to it, and the vocals are provided by the same person who sang the English ''BurningRangers'' theme, Dennis St. James.
--> ''"This is the race for an ace of aces\\
No open grid for rookies\\
Meter revs up to the limit\\
Beginner's luck means nothing here\\
No pain no gain"''
* {{Determinator}}: ''Every'' car and driver. These cars can take serious damage, but that won't stop them from running in the race.
* EasierThanEasy:
** ''SCUD Race Plus'''s Super Beginner course. It's set in a giant house, with your opponents being various toys.
** Circuit Pixie from ''2001'' is an standard oval track with no real challenge. For racing purists or beginners.
* EasterEgg:
** "Congratulations! You just lost your sponsors!"[[note]]In case you don't know where to find this, in either ''Daytona USA'', ''CCE'', or ''2001'', start up a race on Dinosaur Canyon (Advanced) then spin your car around. Drive towards the back of the pit lane and you'll see another road leading up to a tunnel. Drive into the tunnel and be greeted by your "surprise".[[/note]]
** Players can make the Jeffry statue in Seaside Street Galaxy do a handstand with a press of a button.
** In ''USA 2'''s beginner course, the player can press the start button and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkeT8WSxKc make the bulletin board say different things]]. Messages include "Error!", "Hello!", "Sega", and "[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Go to Hell]]".
* EasyModeMockery: ''2'''s beginner car has candy as its sponsor and ''hugging bunnies'' right on the hood! This was taken out in ''PE'', with a replacement [[BigBadassBirdOfPrey eagle]] on the hood.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: ''Sega Racing Classic'' is an old Sega racing game!
* ExpansionPack: ''Daytona USA CCE'', ''SCUD Race Plus'', ''Daytona USA 2 Power Edition''.
* ForgottenThemeTuneLyrics: The title track in the attract screen and Advanced course is swapped out in ''Sega Racing Classic'' for an instrumental version, due to not having the Daytona license.
* FragileSpeedster: The Javelin car in ''2001'' is the fastest car in the series, but is almost impossible to keep under control. As such, it's prone to crashing a lot.
* GuestFighter: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdvnJ5wct6E Hornet]] in ''Daytona USA 2 PE''. It handles and goes as fast as its original incarnation, and [[ObviousRulePatch is the only car you can do "4-1-4" shifter powersliding with]] (other cars will spin out if attempted on them).
* {{Irony}}: In ''USA 2'', Player #7's car has a green paint job. Green is often thought to be an unlucky color in racing, so mixing it with LuckySeven can be seen as ironic.
* ItsAWonderfulFailure: In ''Daytona USA 2 PE'', on ending a multiplayer race, you are shown a cutscene of your driver and pit crew reacting to your result. The cutscene gets more depressing the lower your final position is.
* JackOfAllStats: The Scorpio Plasma Batteries car in ''2''. Hornet takes this role outside the arcades.
* LethalJokeCharacter: A [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmGIqk3nzz8 Horse]], a SecretCharacter that can be selected in the SegaSaturn version of the first game. Lethal [[CaptainObvious because it doesn't take pit stops]], which allows it to just run through them. This is particularly helpful on the Beginner track (if you're in the mood to be a big fat cheater) as the pit lane doesn't run parallel to the main track like it does on other courses.
* MarathonLevel: Either extended the laps around the track, or by racing through 2's Challenge Track.
** Upon ending a multiplayer race in ''Daytona USA'', your car is shown attempting to do an about-turn, ending with a skid-stop, on the track. Only the winner does it flawlessly; other racers will fail to some degree, with their failure increasing in severity the lower down in rank they are.
* TheMountainsOfIllinois: There are no mountains in the entire ''state'' of Florida and a large portion of Daytona Beach (the part with an actual beach, though not the speedway) has water on '''3''' sides, but the game prominently features them in skybox.
* MythologyGag: The expert course in ''USA 2'' has roadsigns that mention places from past games.
* NintendoHard: One of the more difficult arcade racing games. Many players have difficulty with the third turn of the ''beginner courses'', and the [[TimedMission strict time limit]] ensures that only sufficiently-skilled players will finish.
* PaletteSwap:
** The opponent cars, but to be fair it is based on NASCAR.
** Manual transmission cars have a different paint job than their automatic counterparts.
** The different 'Hornets' you can unlock in Daytona USA's SegaSaturn port are this. And there's eight.
* PurposefullyOverpowered: The Daytona car in ''Deluxe'', which had maxed stats. You can take it for a spin if you get first place on every track.
* {{Retraux}}
** ''Sega Racing Classic'' takes the "Classic" portion of the title literally. Aside from an improved draw distance and a true 16:9 widescreen resolution, it looks ''exactly'' like the original ''Daytona USA''.
** The PlayStation3 port of the game comes with an 8-Bit XMB theme.
** The Hornet Classic in ''USA 2'' has a more "retro" look.
* RubberBandAI: A staple "feature" of most arcade racing games, of course.
* SceneryPorn: Multiple courses, such as the nature-themed Beginner course in the original ''Daytona USA 2''. It was sadly replaced with a generic NASCAR-style course in ''Power Edition''. The Beginner theme still remained 'musical porn' though.
* SecretCharacter:
** A Horse in the Saturn games.. See LethalJokeCharacter. In the original game, there are four horses, two for each transmission. White horses are manual, brown ones are automatic and there are versions that race by themselves and versions that race with a baby colt behind them. ''CCE'' also has two horses (brown and white again) that can be "driven" in either transmission.
** Several cars in 2001 are hidden, like the Unicorn and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygu_vjAJohE Javelin]]. See a few of them being viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=G3LmdFRKmGU#t=110s here]]. ''Deluxe'' also had a special car called "Daytona", which was shaped like the original Hornet.
** The Hornet Classic is hidden within ''Battle of the Edge'', but it plays nothing like its original or ''Power Edition'' counterparts.
** In addition to the standard four cars available, the [[EasierThanEasy Super Beginner]] course in ''Scud Race Plus'' allows the player to choose between a cat, a tank with a head (that can shoot shells), a bus filled with the developers, and a rocket car [[spoiler:by holding down the Start button while selecting a normal car]].
* SelfImposedChallenge: The hidden "Maniac Mode" in the Saturn version makes the opponents faster and more aggressive.
* ShownTheirWork: The Hornet Classic in ''Daytona USA 2: Power Edition'' controls exactly like and has the same red-blue AT/red-yellow MT paintjob as the Hornet in the original game. It even has the same rolling start on the Beginner course.
* SoundtrackDissonance: Keeping in the spirit of the first game, Mitsuyoshi versions of 2's soundtrack exist. They can even be raced too. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOilrTNmzX0 All]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRIQK4FEGkc three]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFJPw_RM960 songs]]. Now try racing seriously with him singing in such a goofy way.
* StalkedByTheBell: In the original game, the timer starts beeping when it counts down to 5 and beeps ''faster'' when it counts down to 3. In both versions of ''Daytona USA 2'', the timer turns orange and starts beeping when it counts down to 9, then turns red and beeps faster when it counts down to 5. All these are also accompanied by a notification from your crew chief.
-->''*beep-beep-beep-beep* *beep-beep-beep-beep* '''*[[MostAnnoyingSound BEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBE-]]*''' *[[GameOver engine revs down]]*''
* UpdatedRerelease:
** ''Sega Racing Classic'' to the original ''Daytona''. [[http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3176738 See it here in all of its glory.]]
** ''Power Edition'' was this to ''Battle on the Edge'' as well.
* UrbanLegendOfZelda: Unlocking the Red Cat in ''2001''. The rumor that gets around most is having to run the play time past 20 hours or win one online race. This troper can attest that the former is rubbish (at least in the US version) and the latter might be a tad difficult with the Dreamcast's online servers [[LostForever long dead.]]
* YouAllLookFamiliar: The purple #00 and #99 cars in the original.
** It is a coincidence that both ''Daytona USA 2001'' and the TokyoXtremeRacer games are developed by Genki.
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