Product Description
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In Crazy Taxi, you play a cabbie in an accurate yet comic
version of San Francisco. As you might expect from such a game,
your job is to identify possible customers in the crowd (known as
"fares"), pick them up and get them to their destination as soon
as possible. That's the Taxi part. The Crazy part is that traffic
laws, pedestrian safety and property damage are all negotiable.
Simply put, the game rewards offensive--rather than
defensive--driving, and that's what makes it so compulsively fun.
Also, unlike most race games, there are no traditional boundaries
or predetermined tracks for you to follow. The game allows you to
follow your own best way... even if that means driving over
fences or under water.
.co.uk Review
-------------
The arcade version of Crazy Taxi was a massive hit, with its
high speed driving and pounding soundtrack. Creators, Sega,
ported it over to the Dreamcast where it sold by the bucket-load,
and now it's available for the PS2, the Xbox and the GameCube.
And it's superb. The of the game is simple. Drive a
ludicrously fast taxi and make oodles of cash as quickly as
possible--easy!
Choosing from one of four drivers, each with their own skill
set, the player needs to locate and pick up potential passengers,
all of whom are identified by the appearance of a coloured dollar
symbol above their head. From that point on it's a race against
time through crowded streets to get the passenger to their
destination while picking up y tips for speed on the way.
Tips can be increased through the execution of stupidly dangerous
stunts and the cunning use of the shortcuts and back alleys the
game offers.
There are three major modes of play, offering the cityscape of
the arcade original, a world created especially for the console
versions of the game and the oddly named Crazy Box mode, which
sets a number of challenges ranging from high speed ski-jumps to
water balloon popping--an interesting, if slightly unusual
addition.
Graphically, Crazy Taxi is a treat. Big, bold vehicles fairly
rocket around the streets of the sprawling city, which has
environments ranging from shopping malls to freeways and beaches.
Everything shifts along at a fairly steady 60fps and the only
gripe is the pop-up at long distance, which is irritating but
doesn't ultimately affect gameplay. Sound is excellent, with some
thumping skate-punk tunes provided by The Offspring (
/exec/obidos/artist-search/Offspring/${0} ) and friends plus
comedy backchat from the cab drivers and their passengers.
Prolonged play may take the edge off this hilarity, but only time
will tell.
What's sadly missing is any kind of multi-player facility. Crazy
Taxi is strictly single player. This isn't really an issue
(especially after closing time when the living room's packed with
prospective Travis Bickles all patiently waiting a turn), but the
ability for a two-player vs mode would have been the icing on the
cake.
This game certainly isn't a Gran Turismo or a Formula 1 2002.
There's not even a hint of simulation and the real world never
gets a look-in. Instead, this is pure, blissful arcade
entertainment. --Chris Russell
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Manufacturer's Description
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Crazy Taxi is a mad race against the clock--and the traffic. As
any of four fearless cabbies, players are driven by a single
goal: to rack up the mega-bucks in fares and tips before their
shift ends. Drivers pick up passengers and take them to their
destination by any way possible. It's a comic cab opera of
collisions and decisions where courtesy takes a back seat to
coin.
See more ( javascript:void(0) )
- Based on the smash hit driving game for the Dreamcast.
- Drive a taxi and deliver fares around town for cash points.
- Game is set in an accurate, yet comic, version of San Francisco.
- Feel free to ignore traffic laws, pedestrian safety, and property damage.
- Follow your own best way with no predetermined track or traditional boundaries.