Crazy Taxi was one of most popular cult classic’s on the SEGA Dreamcast and it featured arcade-style driving and fast-paced gameplay. Developed by SEGA-AM3, Crazy Taxi is now landing on the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Arcade in HD glory. Does it still hold a spark in your heart, or how will you feel coming into the series for the first time? Let’s see.
Crazy Taxi
Developer: SEGA-AM3
Publisher: SEGA
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3
Genre: Arcade-Driving
Release Date: November 16, 2010 (PSN), November 24, 2010
Price: $9.99/800 :MSPoints: (PS3, Xbox 360)
[nggtags gallery=crazytaxi1]
ROAD RAGE
I usually consider myself a safe driver even when playing games. In Crazy Taxi, that concept goes straight out the window. Coming straight from the arcade, this quarter-popping classic makes you rush from getting a customer in your cab and getting them to their destination marked by a green arrow. If you hit other cars while going fast enough, they’ll tumble out of your way or fly through the air but keep in mind that hitting another car does slow you down as well. Near misses of other vehicles while driving at high speed will add more to the current fare, and it combos to earn more if you don’t hit another car in between each miss.
70MPH & 90 DEGREE TURNS? NO PROBLEM!
You shouldn’t have any trouble controlling the general direction of your cab whether you’re speeding or not. Need to do some tight S-curves or maybe some very quick 90 degree angle maneuvers? That shouldn’t be any trouble since you can turn on a dime in Crazy Taxi. At times it might even be a little too sensitive but you get used to it quick. Some locations in the game require extremely fast travel times so the precision controls are a welcome factor in the game. At times though, you will find yourself stuck with the wheels spinning – usually on grass, but sometimes on pavement. It’s a minor annoyance but when you’re racing against the clock it can hurt you.
SHORT BURSTS OF GAMEPLAY
Crazy Taxi is not the type of game you’re going to play for hours at a time. Like most arcade box titles, it’s meant for short bursts of play, but this time it doesn’t require $10 rolls of quarters. It features Arcade, Original and Crazy Box modes. Arcade and Original are nearly the same with the basic customer service gameplay and bringing people to specific destinations. Original is more forgiving in terms of time limit though, and you get a larger bonus for drop-offs and new pick-ups. The Crazy Box features various challenges with drifting, jumping , and serving numerous customers with a tight time limit. It’s sure to get a little frustrating until you learn the dated control system, but it’s quite satisfying to complete them challenges.
[nggtags gallery=crazytaxi2]
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, NO..
Okay. I never played the original, but I’ve seen videos and I’ve read about it. Back on the Dreamcast, re-enforcing the ‘crazy’ aesthetic of the game was its soundtrack including The Offspring with “All I Want” and Bad Religion with “Ten in 2010”. Unfortunately they’ve been removed, but the remaining soundtrack is still really fitting for the game and it features some popular tunes. In addition the songs, you’re sure to hear compressed audio files of customers calling you over, and let’s not forget the wonderful sounds of tires screeching on pavement as you barrel around corners and jump off hilltops.
LICENSED LOCATIONS? SORRY, NOT ANYMORE
You may remember having to drop off customers at well-known licensed establishments such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. I’m sure it’s due to ridiculous licensing fees but regardless of the reasoning, those places don’t exist in the game any longer. They’ve been replaced by fictional restaurants. I know this isn’t a big deal, but there’s something cool about spotting real-life establishments in a game… but seeing as how I never played the original, I guess I have no reason to complain. I’m shaking my head at you, money-hungry commercialized world.
YOUR SHIFT IS OVER!
While there’s not a ton of variety in Crazy Taxi, it’s crazy fun to play, and newcomers as well as nostalgic fans should enjoy the new rendition. An HD upgrade with an upbeat soundtrack and fun gameplay is more than fair for its $10 price tag. As mentioned, it’s not a game you’ll spend hours at a time playing with, but it’s definitely something to play frequently when you want some good ‘ole arcade fun!
| Rating | Description |
| 9.0 | Gameplay Fast and fun, and it still holds the extreme challenge of the arcade box! Slight response issues when accelerating from 0MPH. |
| 8.o | Graphics It's HD, but it keeps the blocky-style you saw in the arcade and on the Dreamcast. |
| 9.0 | Sound Sure, The Offspring and Bad Religion aren't there, but the included soundtrack still kicks butt and fits the theme of the game! |
| 9.0 | Final Score |
Thank you to Wendy at TriplePoint for providing the token for this review.
