I'm also sorry that I couldn't supply any images. Hope you are fine with that.
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Should you have a ride in the Crazy Taxi? In real life, no. Fortunately, this game is a safe alternative!
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Crazy Taxi, believe it or not, started out in the arcades. But when Sega's new white bundle of entertainment--the Dreamcast--arrived to the West, we received a port of Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast. And although it doesn't give you the experience you would have in an arcade cabinet (unless you have a Dreamcast Race Controller (that's compatible, too!)), the actual game is as close to the arcade version as you can get.
If you're not familiar with Crazy Taxi, here's the Dreamcast port for you:
There are three modes in this game, two of which were introduced in this port. The Arcade and Original modes have the same concept: drive around, pick people up and take them to their destination. Simple, right? Well, let's go into further detail.
You can select from "Play By Arcade Rules" (you have to earn time by picking people up), "Work For 3 Minutes", "Work For 5 Minutes", or "Work For 10 Minutes". After you have selected one of those, you can choose from 4 different cars and drivers: Axel, B.D. Joe, Gena, And Gus. I usually play as Gena because I feel her taxi is the fastest.
Then, you start the game with your chosen taxi and taxi driver. You can check the current control scheme in the Options menu when you start up the game, as well as change it.
Your objective is to pick up a customer and bring him/her to his/her destination. You can press X for a reminder of what your destination is and how far you are from it.
To help you find your customer's destination, there is an arrow at the top of the screen that shows you where to go. The arrow works quite well, but can screw you over sometimes, like at sharp turns and other random times.
Now, I know what you're thinking: "This game sounds pretty boring, Hud." Well, what if I told you this: hence the name "Crazy Taxi", you can drive around the open area like a crazed maniac without any cops chasing you whatsoever! And in the Original mode area, you can even drive underwater! Once, I was playing this game, and I flew off a ramp and LANDED on a CAR!
Now, this may not seem very exciting today, as you can do all of this in the GTA and Saints Row games on PS3 and XBox 360. But back then, *whew*…it was mind-blowing, and it really showed off what the Dreamcast can do!
Oh, right! I almost forgot to cover the "Crazy Box" mode, also introduced in this port. As far as I know, it is a random set of levels with random goals and concepts. The only one I've played is the one where you have to make an impressive jump off of a ramp. No matter how hard I try, I cannot make the jump. Then again, it's probably because I can't pull off any of the "Crazy Maneuvers" the manual said you could. Man, it's great that these old manuals actually have effort put into them. Now, it's just warranties and don't have a seizure.
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All in all, Crazy Taxi is a very fun game to play, and if you have the opportunity to, give it a try. Who knows, you may like it. I definitely did.
It's really fun to play, especially with your buddies. Unfortunately, none of my brothers want to play it with me.
Am I alone?
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Gameplay: 18
Controls have to take some getting used to, even when switched. But as everybody would think, bashing into other cars is always fun.
Graphics: 17
Really nice graphics that show off what Sega's little white box of joy can perform…
…though the eagle-eyed gamers will notice that the people look a bit dated and blocky.
Sound: 20
Rocking early-2000s-sounding music performed by Offspring and Bad Religion. If you like those bands, then this is the game for you!
Replay ability: 14
This game is very addicting, but when you think about it, there's not much replay value here. You can try and beat your records, but that's pretty much it.
Affordability: 19
One of the cheapest Dreamcast games out there right now. In 1999, it would be the same as any other Dreamcast game out there.
Final Score: 88/100 (or 8.8/10)
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Thanks for reading my first review! Stay tuned for more!
-Hud (hudsthinking1999)
