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CRAZY TAXI (DC)
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Publisher: SEGA.
Developer: Hitmaker. Released: February 2000. Genre: Arcade > Driving. Other versions: PS2; GC; PC. Posted 5th July 2020. By Shane Battams © 2020 |
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With the Dreamcast’s focus on high-quality arcade ports, it’s no surprise that perhaps the best version of Crazy Taxi is still the first. The concept of a taxi simulator may not seem the liveliest of ideas, but with the frantic SEGA treatment, it proves one of the most enjoyable games on the system. With accessible yet challenging gameplay, fast-paced action and a bevy of extras, it’s also a fantastic example of how to bring arcade games to the home console. There is the odd quibble, but in the grand scheme of things, they do nothing to diminish this excellent game.
Crazy Taxi sees you in the cab of one of four drivers, each with their own vehicle, and slightly different stats. Your main objective is to collect customers, and drive them to their chosen location within a time limit. If you take too long, pedestrians will just jump out of the cab, and you won’t get paid. It’s simple enough, but throw in an overall time limit and it becomes a careful balancing act. Longer journeys reward more money and time, but it can be harder to meet the customer’s expectations. Shorter journeys are less fraught, but deliver less in the way of rewards. There’s a lot of strategy involved, with route-planning, careful yet fast driving and concentration required to master Crazy Taxi’s intricacies, but as a result, it’s incredibly rewarding.
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Arcade anarchy in the comfort of your living room: Crazy Taxi brought the best from the Dreamcast
It helps that the mechanics work really well too. Driving certainly isn’t realistic, with exaggerated physics and wild handling which takes a bit of getting used to. But there’s a slick quickness here that makes it easy to play. There are a few advanced techniques too, including drifting moves, stopping manoeuvres and a fast-start by pressing the gas and gear simultaneously. The green arrow, which has become somewhat iconic in recent years, directs you to your general destination, without giving exact directions. Bonus fare is given for performing stunts such as jumps and near-misses with traffic, while reaching stops within a certain time can earn extra money, meaning risk can bring definite reward. But too many crashes can leave you running out of time, especially with plentiful traffic along the way. It’s tricky earning the absolute highest grades, but that adds incentive to repeat runs, giving Crazy Taxi longevity to spare.
Crazy Taxi remains one of the best examples of bringing an arcade game to consoles. Along with the San Francisco-esque course featured in the cabinet, an original location has been added, with extra features such as bridge jumps and water surrounding the island which, hilariously considering the open-top nature of the cabs, can be driven through. The only shame stems from the odd technical hiccup, present solely in this course. There’s a bevy of customisation options which let you personalise your run, allowing you to play with an arcade-traditional one-minute limit, as well as three, five and seven, though the last three do not result in time increases with customer pick-ups. Lastly, Crazy Box is an entirely new set of mini-games, offering light training on the aforementioned driving techniques. They run the gambit of bizarre setups, from knocking over bowling pins using drifting to dropping off a handful of elderly women on a narrow, water surrounded course. They can be breezed through quite sharpish, but they’re a welcome addition nonetheless.
Crazy Taxi remains one of the best examples of bringing an arcade game to consoles. Along with the San Francisco-esque course featured in the cabinet, an original location has been added, with extra features such as bridge jumps and water surrounding the island which, hilariously considering the open-top nature of the cabs, can be driven through. The only shame stems from the odd technical hiccup, present solely in this course. There’s a bevy of customisation options which let you personalise your run, allowing you to play with an arcade-traditional one-minute limit, as well as three, five and seven, though the last three do not result in time increases with customer pick-ups. Lastly, Crazy Box is an entirely new set of mini-games, offering light training on the aforementioned driving techniques. They run the gambit of bizarre setups, from knocking over bowling pins using drifting to dropping off a handful of elderly women on a narrow, water surrounded course. They can be breezed through quite sharpish, but they’re a welcome addition nonetheless.
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Crazy Taxi’s transition to the Dreamcast suffers little in the way of compromises. The game blisters along at a smooth 60fps, save for some spots on the original course, with tons of action going on from endless amounts of traffic to NPCs and destructible environments. It does suffer from some pop-in, and nothing is extremely detailed, but the colourful locale and fast action make this easier to forgive. The sound is also quite charming, with the energetic announcer and sporadic use of voice acting from both the cabbies and customers giving the game a personality. The music mixes tracks from Bad Religion and The Offspring, giving the game a distinct, late nineties vibe which fits perfectly with the frequent advertisements for the likes of KFC and Levis. It is a short list, meaning some may find it grating after a while, but Crazy Taxi would feel kind of naked without it (as proven by its removal from certain subsequent ports).
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Crazy Taxi mixes arcade appeal, a wild style and addictive gameplay with superb results. It is a perfect encapsulation of the Dreamcast’s strengths, bringing an arcade experience to the home console with a no-compromise philosophy. It also adds a bounty of bonuses to the coin-op, giving it greater staying power than most straightforward ports. It’s not perfect, with some minor issues and gripes, but they aren’t enough to spoil the pick-up-and-play driving. If you own a Dreamcast, it is simply a must for your collection.
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VERDICT
"It is a perfect encapsulation of the console's strengths, bringing an arcade experience to the home console with a no-compromise philosophy... If you own a Dreamcast, it is simply a must for your collection." OVERALL: 9/10 |