With the current year still in it's infancy, award
time is still a long way off. However, when that time does come, be prepared to see Crazy
Taxi win more than it's fair share. A great arcade game, Crazy Taxi comes
home in perfect form and the addition of great playing extras can keep even the most jaded
gamers occupied. Crazy Taxi's best feature, believe it or not, is the overly simplistic gameplay. It requires nothing more than picking up a customer and delivering them from point A to point B. It's getting them there as fast as possible that makes the game so addictive. Taking shortcuts through malls, parks, rivers, or just down a major metropolitan street can be difficult at times, but it wouldn't be fun otherwise. The riskier your actions, the more customers shell out at the end of the ride. Pull of consecutive spectacular stunts and the cash really rolls in.
Pulling off these moves requires some patience. The addition of mini-games can help any player master these skills in no time. These are not only fun, but a great way to train a new player. Beating these will open up more games, each getting progressively more difficult. The replay value here is practically endless, making this one of the smartest purchases you can currently make for the Dreamcast.
The soundtrack is a minor irritation. While popular bands like
the Offspring have provided their services, the limited number of tracks results in
repetition every few tries in the arcade mode. The rest of the sounds are filled by
conversation, mostly one-sided in favor of the customers. Complaints are numerous,
especially if you drive poorly, much like most of us do in real life. Keep yourself out of
trouble and the compliments will begin pouring in.
Fans of the arcade will be glad to see the graphics have been translated pixel-for-pixel. There is a very minute amount of pop-up (seen only at very great distances however) that can be distracting. A little bit of slowdown also rears it's ugly head at times, but these few moments are not enough to detract from the overall experience.
Beyond these few graphical and sound issues, this game is really as close to perfect as you can get. Nothing can match the thrill of doing 100+ mph through a busy park tearing apart benches and hot dog stands. The inclusion of addictive mini-games and an extra track not included in the arcade game make it well worth a purchase. It's rare that an arcade translation is handled this well.
