It's time to get craaaaaaaaaaaazy with Crazy Taxi! The 2000 Hitmaker game still lives in all of our hearts. Any game player can find themselves playing this game for hours on end, and there are good reasons for that.
Graphics: 9.5/10
As a Dreamcast game, it has beautiful graphics and runs very smoothly except for in two spots where traffic in the game is insane. The drivers look very nice and the cars are also well done. The other cars in traffic are detailed, but seem to flip a little easier than I thought (With the exception of the trailors, semis, and buses). Except for how sometimes you go a little too fast and go through the customer when you go to pick them up. Some of the greatest graphics.
Control: 8/10
As with any game that involves driving, control is very important. Now, navigating the streets of San Francisco at high speeds does lower control, but not by much. The cars turn very tightly, and sometimes overly steered. If you're in a spot when there is an oncoming truck on its way, you can swerve quickly to avoid it. The brakes are also very tight and, coupled with reversing, can stop on a dime. Special things like the Crazy Dash and the Crazy Drift are also fun additions to the game to make it more fast and furious. The only complaint I have with the control is when you sometimes try to accelerate and the car spins its wheels for a couple of seconds. Well, that and accelerating in grass is slow, but that's common sense.
Sound: 8.5/10
Well, the music of Crazy Taxi is composed from two different bands: The Offspring and Bad Religion. I must sya, it really suits Crazy Taxi and all its glory. They are really to keep the energy going, and while the tunes repeat themselves after a while, you'll still love them, as I did and still do. The SFX are typical for a game involving cars, it has all the screeches, crashing, and skidding sounds. The people get kind of annoying when you nearly hit them, and they scream in your ear when you hit something, but that's kind of understandable.. uh... I guess? The cabbies also have sort of a badass attitude to them and they kind of tell the customers off when they're rude. Well the music and the screeches etc. make this an awesome sounding game.
Story: N/A
No story to Crazy Taxi, you could make it a family thing and make up plots, but that's as far as you're getting. You're just a cabbie trying to get the most money in the fastest amount of time. Apparently there are no policemen in Crazy Taxi, so there are no rules. You choose from four cabbies: Axel, B.D. Joe, Gena, or Gus. Axel is your average cabbie, good all around. B.D. has the acceleration and braking for you. Gena... kinda sucks, she doesn't really have anything going for her. Gus drives a friggin' tank and is the fastest one of the bunch.
Challenge: 5/10
There's not much of a challenge to Crazy Taxi, you just go as fast as you can to a place and get money. The only challenge is the traffic and the problem of the freaking arrow, which seems to have a mind of its own. And it sometimes changes its mind when taking customers to their destinations. The objects on the side of the road are also problems, as they slow your car down if you hit them. There are also two different maps to choose from. You can go with the version in the arcade, or the one made exclusively for the Dreamcast. You can also choose from being out on the road for three, five, or ten minutes. There's the normal mode in which you have 70 seconds and everytime you would deliver a customer to their destination, you may get a time bonus for being fast. That's how you get the crazy amounts of money.
Fun: 10/10
Crazy Taxi is awesome when it comes to fun. You find yourself playing it for hours after a while, trying to get the most money. I think it's just the fun of going really fast and knocking over cars. It sometimes gets frustrating when that big semi won't get out of your way for anything. Speeding down the famous hills of San Francisco is also lots of fun as you jump over cars.
Basically, it's like taking a joyride. I found myself playing to beat my record in Normal Mode over and over again. It is truly an addictive game and is a must have for any Dreamcast owner
Overall: 9.5/10
