| Product: |
Crazy Taxi (DC) |
| Date: |
09.04.02 (143 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Superb Game
Disadvantages: Selection of Music
2 years ago Sega took to the game studios and converted the superb arcade version into a console classic, the Dreamcast Crazy Taxi. The game was an instant success, staying high in the charts for weeks, and now it's being released on other formats too such as PlayStation 2, Game Cube with sequels most probably appearing on all 3. It's a mint game, a one player wonder, yet the essential ingredient is driving round the city, as a taxi driver...how can that be fun?
Well it just is! Firstly, you can choose one of four taxis to cruise about in, secondly, your taxi is indestructible (allowing for complete and utter mayhem whilst driving), and thirdly, you've got a time limit to get as many customers to where they want to go as possible (meaning you have to drive like crazy!). Being a first party title, created by a Sega in house gaming development team, Hit Maker, Crazy Taxi offers the kind of style and refreshingly original gameplay that we've come to expect from the mighty (now software only) Sega. Make no mistake, you have to play this game, it's like the law...
Visually it wouldn't look out of place on the X Box, still holding its own against newly released titles thanks to fantastic use of colours and effects, an insane pace about the game and the wonderfully designed cities in which you must find your fare to make your money. There is very occasional pop-up, but nothing that hinders the gameplay or the fun that is ready to be had from this title.
The sound is also very good, although Sega's Dreamcast hasn't quite got the same performance as any of the other 3 main next generation consoles, its still audible, with appropriate engine and screeching sounds, the frequent shrilling of a desperate customer needing a 50 metre ride to KFC, and the pretty good music from The Offspring and Bad Religion, although some other music wouldn't go amiss. I think there're only 2 or 3 songs, which keep on repeating, b
ut you get used to them after a while.
The game plays brilliantly, in short stints at a time however. For the first time you play it you won't want to detach yourself from the control pad - Crazy Taxi really is something quite unique, or at least it was until Crazy Taxi 2 appeared. Learn the special skills; crazy dash, crazy drift, crazy drift stop and the rest to fully get the most out of the game. Speed around the cities to get your customer to their destination is as fast a time as possible. Each time you complete a journey you'll receive a rating from ?Speedy?, ?Average?, ?Slow? or if you don't even get there in time, your fare will jump out the cab into virtual oblivion. All jolly good fun.
There are 2 modes of play in the arcade and original cities, as well as a Crazy Box mode. Arcade and Original, offering a different city each have 4 time options: 3minute run, 5minute run, 10minute run and then 'play by arcade rules'. The latter is slightly more complicated, but the mode where you'll pick up the pro-points: Starting off with a certain clock time, which ticks down until you have a customer, it then increases by a set amount, with your aim still to get as many customers to as many destinations and as quickly as you can. You may well find that you run out of time rapidly because you can't find any fares, but then you may find yourself with double the time that you started with. For a less frantic game, choose the set time options (3, 5 &10).
Crazy Box offers various mini games, each aimed at honing your skills in order for you to progress in the main game. More mini challenges become unlocked as you complete the first stages, but be warned - they do get a lot harder as you go on and some are painstakingly difficult to complete! All great fun though, and very addictive.
Longevity - how long it'll last you. To be honest, there's no real task to complete in the main Arcade and Original cities
, the only compelling feature bringing you back to play again is the shear addictiveness that overflows in Crazy Taxi. Crazy Box will keep you coming back for more, time and again, trying to beat those scores and times, so although it's just a one player game, Crazy Taxi will last you for a good while.
An original concept, masterfully executed, Sega really do deliver the goods with Crazy Taxi, it's got all the qualities of an AAA title - you will no't be disappointed.
Thanks for Reading,
VOODOO MAN
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