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The Bottom Line
With it's irreverent sense of humor, slick graphics, and addictive gameplay, Crazy Taxi garnered a cult following in arcades nationwide when it made its debut last year. Many have been eagerly awaiting the Dreamcast version in the hopes of an arcade perfect conversion, and all but the most anal-retentive Crazy Taxi purists won't be disappointed. In addition to the virtually flawless graphics, the inclusion of a fun training mode, called the Crazy Box Mode, an Arcade Mode, an Original Mode, a catchy sound track, and great control make Crazy Taxi one of the best games released for the Dreamcast thusfar. Although the excessive amount of repetitiveness and the lack of a two-player mode does hurt the game's replay value, the sheer fun involved in each and every game in addition to the aforementioned qualities make it a title well worth the $49.99 retail price.
A Closer Look
Crazy Taxi truly is a game unlike any other. It defies categorization in any currently existing genres. While many aspects of Crazy Taxi bear similarity to lots of other games, the totality of its aspects make it a game unto itself. That fact, combined with all the previously mentioned things it has going for it, is likely why it's had as much appeal to as many people as it's ended up having. Fortunately for Dreamcast owners, Sega has delivered a conversion that's not only as good as its arcade brethren, but in a multitude of respects is in fact better.
Graphically, Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast is so close to the arcade version as to be nearly indistinguishable. Granted, there are few differences, but about the only one that becomes evident after a moderate amount of scrutiny are the ground textures. Although almost as good as the arcade version's, the Dreamcast version's ground textures aren't quite arcade perfect. Nevertheless, when this is put into perspective it really is extremely insignificant. Everything from the taxis you drive, to the pedestrians you pick up, to the traffic, streets, storefronts, signposts, and the like are recreated perfectly. As most have come to expect, there aren't any blurred textures to be found, even when you're pressed directly against an object, be it a wall or other such obstruction. The collision detection is nearly perfect, with the only notable exception being the occasional bush found along the sidewalk. These bushes are large enough that they'd definitely impede most any vehicle's progress. Again though, this is an extremely minor point and as such shouldn't be of any concern to most gamers.
As for the sound effects and music, both are absolutely top-notch. Everything from the screeching of your cab's tires, the screams of terrified pedestrians, the constant jabbering of your passengers, your cabbie's responses to his or her passengers utterances, and the various sounds made when you collide with an object among other things are recreated perfectly. In fact, depending on what kind of speakers you've got set up along with your TV, the sound effects may sound even better than they do in the arcade. The soundtrack is provided by well-known alternative band The Offspring, and the speedy, guitar-centric music they provide is a perfect fit for Crazy Taxi's wild, fast-paced gameplay.
Speaking of gameplay, it is, simply put, straightforward yet addictive. It's only when you take the many intricacies into account that things get a tad bit complicated. You assume the role of one of four cabbies, and your job is, of course, to pick up customers and take them where they want to go. Finding customers is a breeze because they're pretty much everywhere. You know a fare when you see one because he or she will be surrounded by a colored circle and will also have a dollar sign above his or her head. The circles vary in size and are either green, yellow, yellow-green, orange, or red. The larger the circle size, a.k.a. the stop zone, the nearer that customer's destination is going to be. Red circles are the largest followed by orange, yellow, yellow-green, and green. As soon as a customer gets into your cab a number will appear over his or her head and immediately begin to count down. If you get that customer to his or her destination before that counter reaches zero you'll be paid the agreed upon fare. Depending on how much time is remaining after you've dropped your customer off, you'll be awarded bonus seconds that get added to the game clock, which is constantly counting down. Furthermore, by happenstance, all of the customers you pick up love to come face to face with oncoming traffic at high speed. If you can successfully maneuver through traffic without any major collisions your passenger will give you tips. The tip amount depends on how close a call you have.
Additionally, a bevy of moves are at your disposal, and each move is extremely useful in certain circumstances. The Crazy Box Mode, which is just a training mode with a series of different mini-games, teaches you to perform all the different moves at your disposal. You learn to perform the Crazy Dash, Crazy Drift, Crazy Back Dash, and Crazy Drift Stop among other moves. Some of these mini-games are incredibly difficult to complete given the minuscule amount of time you're given. Nevertheless, each mini-game can be completed with enough practice, so the Crazy Box Mode ends up being challenging without being too challenging. In addition to the Crazy Box Mode are the Arcade and Original modes. The Arcade Mode is just that, the Arcade Mode. If you want to play the Arcade version this is, of course, the mode you'll want to select. You can either play by the Arcade Rules or you can opt to work for three, five, or ten minutes. If you choose anything other than Arcade Rules you won't be able to obtain time bonuses for early customer drop-offs. The Original Mode is identical in every respect except that the stage on which you drive is different for each mode. The Arcade Mode's stage is obviously modeled after San Francisco, but the Original Mode's stage's inspiration is far more uncertain.
Control-wise, the Dreamcast pad's analog stick is perfect for steering. Although diehard fans of the Arcade version may want to get themselves a wheel to make the experience of playing at home mimic the experience of playing in the arcade as closely as possible, most people will likely be content with their stock Dreamcast controller. Maneuvering each cab is a cinch, and after a few short minutes most everyone will be driving like a veteran maniac. If you've got a Jump Pack handy you can pop it into the rear VMU slot of your Dreamcast controller and feel every collision, landing, and bump in the road.
When all is said and done, Crazy Taxi scores big. It's only two major drawbacks are the lack of a two-player mode and the repetitive gameplay, but in light of all it has going for it, these two faults really don't amount to all that much. It's a lot of fun to play the game alone or to take turn with friends, and this is something that can't be said of a whole lot of games these days. If you're a fan of the Arcade version, getting the Dreamcast version is a no-brainer. However, those who haven't played the Arcade classic and who may be a bit hesitant about plunking down $49.99 plus tax should definitely rent the game at the very least, if not simply dispense with their apprehension and just get the game. It's a fantastic title that's loads of fun, and it deserves to be in every self respecting Dreamcast owner's library.
Graphics:
+About as close to Arcade perfect as you can get
+Vibrant and colorful
+Real life establishments, like KFC, are rendered perfectly in the game
-Minor and infrequent collision detection problems
Sound:
+Speedy, guitar driven soundtrack by The Offspring fits the pace of the game to a tee
+Sound effects come across crisply and cleanly and sound just as you'd expect them to
Gameplay:
+Easy to learn control scheme
+Every cab handles beautifully
+Myriad of maneuvers to learn that help in lots of situations
+Ingenious circle size:distance system makes deciding which customer to pick up intuitive eventually
Replay Value:
+Three different modes
+Challenging enough to keep you coming back, yet not hard enough to really get you frustrated
+Four different cabbies with four different cars, each of which handles a bit differently
-Picking up customers and dropping them off can get a bit monotonous
-No two-player mode
Overall:
Graphics: A+
Sound: A
Gameplay: A+
Replay Value: A-
Overall: A
Disclosure: Core purchased this title for review directly from retail.
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