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 Crazy Taxi Huy Nguyen  

As an arcade cabinet, Crazy Taxi caught the attention of several gamers and non-gamers. It had the kind of appeal that would interest anybody. Not everybody had an opportunity to enjoy this ride and now Sega has made it possible for console gamers. Sega has continued its tradition of making flawless ports to its continuingly popular system. Not only have they been able to capture the kind of joy its arcade titles have provided, but somehow matched and exceeded that level for the Dreamcast. It’s not hard for Sega just to make a direct port since the graphics board is so similar, but they actually put effort into making their home titles more enjoyable. And this extra effort comes in the form of extras and bonuses.  

Crazy Taxi’s concept is quite simple. And that’s the beauty of it. It offers a quick and fun way to enjoy the game. You choose 1 of 4 unique characters with their own signature style cabbie and you’re all set. The simple premise is to pick up and drop off passengers to the several locations in the limited amount of time. To get to those locations, you absolutely have to be speed, run red lights, hit pedestrians and other vehicles, and most importantly, be a crazy driver. Picking up customers is easy. You drive within their vicinity, they get in and you drive them to their destination. Get there early and you’re rewarded with more cash. Get there late and you have your potential customer jumping out of your moving cab. Easy, right?  The locations are simply ingenious. Sega was able to include real life places such as restaurants such as KFC and Pizza Hut and popular stores such as Tower Records, Levi’s jeans store and a Fila shop. The game is based entirely on a San Francisco backdrop. It provides insane results. Everything is captured beautifully, but don’t expect pinpoint accuracy. There is only one stage, but it is huge. It’ll take you awhile to see the entire town.  

Graphics are again, perfection. The game runs at a speedy 60 fps with little to zero slowdown. Everything from the arcade is here as well. Colors are bright and vivid, brimming with personality. Characters are well rounded including a typical surfer type guy, an exotic redhead, a stereotypical black Jamaican guy, and a  fat, rugged Italian guy, which is probably the most accurate character. The city you drive in is full of life. The track is a huge sprawling metropolis, complete with hairpin turns, driving hazards, and rush hour like traffic. It’s filled with people, moving traffic, walking pedestrians, shops, and real life landmarks. It’s always a blast to drive through. Every building is amazingly detailed and it always hard to play the game without wanting to stop to check out the scenery. To put it simply, the graphics are virtually arcade perfect if not better.  

The controls are vital to the game’s simple concepts and it excels in every way. Controlling the cab has a balance of both an arcade like feel, but also very accurate. It’s not as hard as say Gran Turismo, but it makes for a very smooth ride. There’s a brake, a gas pedal, and a shift stick. It doesn’t take too long to get comfortable with the controls. The DC controller makes it a breeze to ride the cabs since the buttons are all at your fingertips. I myself own a steering wheel and prefer using that than the controller. So, take advantage if you own one. Experts will later find out that the cabs are capable of performing all kinds of neat tricks. You can take advantage of the useful turbo boosts, instant stops, and insane power slides. They’re all vital if you wish to achieve the game’s number one goal, the Crazy License, only by earning at least 20,000 in one game. To achieve this, you’ll have to utilize all those cab maneuvers to gain enough money.  

This is one of those perfect games to use as an example of how music can fit a game flawlessly. The music pumping in the background during your drive comes courtesy of popular rock bands like Offspring and Bad Religion. The music fits the game perfectly in all aspects because it captures that fast, upbeat “in the moment” type of game play. My only complaint is that the soundtrack does get old quick, but luckily Sega added an option to turn it off. Sound effects are also very entertaining. You’ll mostly hear the sound of you cab crashing into everything in sight and the screams of the pedestrians as they run for cover. It’s even more fun when you pick them up. Customers will respond to your driving with praise or criticism.  A potential customer will either yell in your face or give you a high five after you drop them off. It really adds personality to the game.  

New to the Dreamcast version are the new mini-games and the new original track made just for the DC. Crazy Box consists of insane and hilarious games you can enjoy with your cab. Each game has you running around trying to complete the goal such as knocking pins down in a game of bowling in your cab or picking  10 customers within a limited amount of time. It adds serious replay value after you’ve gotten bored of the main game. The original track is also a great alternative to the main track. It also based on a San Francisco backdrop, but is entirely different. It’s a lot more difficult since there are tons of hairpin turns and roller coaster like streets. You’ll be able to through rivers and jumping off huge ramps. The only problem is that there is occasional slowdown in this mode.  There you have it. Crazy Taxi is another game that enters the realm of gaming bliss. Sega has outdone itself and created another remarkable title. They’ve always made sure that their great arcade titles have made their translations to the DC seamless.  Lately, Sega has been able to offer the most important aspects of a game in their titles, great game play and the hottest graphics around. Let’s hope they continue to do so.

Game Faqs
Sega
1 Player
Driving
Dreamcast
 
Scoring
Graphics 9.0
Gameplay 9.5
Sound 9.0
Replay Value 8.5
9.0
 
Media