When comparing Gradius vs Daytona USA, the Slant community recommends Gradius for most people. In the question“What are the best and the most revolutionary games of all time?” Gradius is ranked 37th while Daytona USA is ranked 63rd. The most important reason people chose Gradius is:
Perhaps it’s the first arcade game having secret stages?
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Secret stages
Perhaps it’s the first arcade game having secret stages?
Pro Power-ups chosen during gameplay
The kind of power-up depends on the amount of power-up capsules collected, and the second button allows you to choose the desired one.
Pro Smooth and great looking 3D graphics for the time
Daytona USA could run consistently at 60fps which allowed for a lag-free and very fluid experience for the user. In addition, at the time it had the best 3D graphics available as it was one of the first games to texture-map it's polygons instead of using flat polygons.
Pro Ability to play multiplayer
If the arcade you were in had multiple Daytona USA machines, you could play with up to 8 players (including yourself).