Even though the early 90s saw a rise in popularity for home gaming systems, the best and brightest could still be found only at the arcades. With the most advanced 3-D graphics available in arcades at the time, Daytona USA left the competition whimpering by the roadside.

The game cabinet had all the basics of other racing games, namely a four-speed transmission, gas and brake pedals, steering wheel and a comfy driver's seat. Daytona USA went a step further though, offering realistic tracks and background graphics and  multiple viewpoints to choose from for the optimum driving perspective.

The rules of the game weren't based on flights of fancy about flipping and skidding in a spectacular, but completely implausible, fashion. The stock cars in the race obeyed the laws of physics (of this particular universe) and special feedback sensors let the driver experience every bump and curve of the road. If you turned suicidal and decided to ram into as many cars as possible, boy, the game let you feel the repercussions.

Players didn't have to pit  their driving skills against computer-controlled vehicles alone. Each Daytona USA unit came with two driving seats because the buddies who race together, stay together. There was even the option of connecting four units via fiber optics that allowed eight human drivers to race towards that checkered flag. Entire families could work out their aggressions with Daytona USA. An upgraded version released by Sega a few years later could accommodate 16 players on one track.

Gamers loved the look and feel of Daytona USA and flocked to the arcade for a chance to test their mettle. It's how many of us learned to drive, sadly enough.