Crazy Taxi 2

Written by Akash Suri  on May 21, 2001

Final Glimpse: No need to worry about Traffic in the big apple in one of these!

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There are few sure things in this world, but it's a pretty sure thing that if you own a Dreamcast you've played Ц if not own Ц Crazy Taxi. We've all gotten our adrenaline rushes while speeding through the streets of San Francisco, bustin' out the Crazy Drifts, and cranking up the Offspring. Ahhh, the days of yore, while our Dreamcasts were still young and copies of Sonic Adventure still smelled of cellophane. Well, Sega can't turn back time, but they can revamp a classic Dreamcast game and let us make some more УCRRRRRRRRAAAAZY MONEY!!!!.Ф

Crazy Taxi 2 is set to invade American homes in just a few short days, May 29th to be exact, and it'll bring more of the insane speed and amazing graphics we got in the original. Of course, more than a few things will be different this time around. But Sega is determined to maintain the user-friendly nature of the original. Just pick a stage, a driver, and get to playing Ц it don't get much easier than that. What? Some of you don't know the basics of Crazy Taxi? Well, I guess I can explain it for all 3 of youЕ

The gameplay in the Crazy Taxi series is exactly what the title would suggest, you're a taxi driver, and you're crazy. Drive wild through the streets (and on the sidewalks) of the city looking for unsuspecting customer, pick Сem up, and get them to their destination in the craziest manner possible. The crazier the ride, the more money you make. Simple, eh? That's the greatest part of this game, you only use 2 buttons in the entire game, and yet, it's guaranteed to be one of the best you've ever played. The magic makers over at Hitmaker really knew what they were doing with the original, and the sequel can only be better.

The biggest change for Crazy Taxi 2 (CT2) is the locale. We've moved from the hilly terrain of San Francisco over to the high-rise buildings and gridlock traffic of New York. Of course, Hitmaker has given us a way to overcome the bumper-to-bumper traffic of the Big Apple: The Crazy Hop. This new technique allows you to jump right over any obstacles which may be in your way, Hitmaker's ingenious shines once again. As in the original CT, you'll get two areas to make some dough in, УAround AppleФ and УSmall Apple.Ф Granted, these aren't the jazziest names in the world, but they're better than УArcadeФ and УOriginalФ a la CT1. Also, as in CT1 there will be a number of Уbig-nameФ stops for your customers, such as FAO Schwartz, Hardrock Cafщ, Burger King, and The GAP (among others.) You gotta love the product placement.

CT2 is changes galore, and the drivers are no exception. No doubt some will be disappointed at the departure of B.D. Joe, Gina, Axel, and Gus (all of whom are rumored to be hidden characters.) But 4 new and hip drivers have come to take their place, Slash, Cinnamon, Hot-D, and Iceman (something tells ms that the guys at Hitmaker have been hittin' the club circuit.) The new characters are just as cool, if not cooler, than their predecessors. Little info has leaked about these new drivers, but here's what we do know: Slash will be the all-around man in the game, he'll have a well balanced cab and be perfect for the CT newbies (all three of you). Iceman will be sporting a luxurious cab and please all his customers. Cinnamon will be Gina's replacement as the sexy female influence in the game. And Hot-D will take the reins from Gus as the grizzled veteran with the classic cab. Cool, eh?

The Crazy Box is baaaack! But this time it'll be under the alias УCrazy PyramidФ and sport some even wackier mini games. Including Crazy jump 2 and Crazy Golf. I'm drooling on my keyboard. Sadly, no fully functional online ode will be present in CT2. Instead we'll get online ranking similar to Sonic Adventure and Rush 2049. Hitmaker, you've stuck us with this sorry excuse for an online mode, now AT LEAST have some contests!

Notice something weird in this preview? Like no mention of multi-player mode? We've refrained to comment on that topic because, frankly, we don't know. While a 4 player mode (!!) has been rumored for some time and even confirmed once or twice, if you take a gander over at Sega's on-line store you'll see it's listed as single player (?!). Please, sweet mother of god don't let this be true. If more info is released on this subject, the throngs of GT faithful will be the first to know.

Music was an integral part of CT1 and Ct2 looks to deliver more of what we loved. Among others, Offspring is set to make a return appearance with no less than 6 songs including Americana and One fine Day. Also rocker Tommy Lee will make a cameo with 2 songs, Crash and Who the Hell Cares. Sounds like a good lineup to me, no if only there was some hidden Jet Grind Radio musicЕ.

There are a few other bits and pieces to this game, for example the racing wheel peripheral will now be supported, so you can brush off that dusty Interact Racing wheel and put it to good use. Also, a new replay mode is intact, so you can watch yourself in action and even save up to 80 seconds and upload it onto the net for the world to see. Not too shabby Hitmaker.