Gaming Target - GameCube: Crazy Taxi

Written by Kyle Williams on January 21, 2002

Full Review: ...all over again.

The fact that Sega is developing games for consoles they would have competed against is invariably cool. Original games like Super Monkey Ball show that Sega can still be creative, the marquee titles like Sonic Adventure 2 have people salivating, and the Sega Sports series is giving Electronic Arts something to worry about. Overall, the Sega-as-a-third-party situation is turning out great for the gaming industry. With that said, it is unfortunate that this port of Crazy Taxi seems to be so uninspired.

Don't get me wrong, Crazy Taxi is as much fun now as it was when it was released in the arcade more than two years ago. And when it was released on the Dreamcast in 2000. And when it was released on the PS2 last fall. Do you understand the point that I'm trying to make? We have seen this game three times before and this iteration is identical to the other home versions.

On the upside, everything that has made the previous incarnations of Crazy Taxi a blast to play is still in the game. Dodging into and out of traffic has a sense of urgency to it and the game's driving engine encourages you to use the exaggerated physics to your advantage and be a little bit reckless. The soundtrack still has a good kick to it, even though it is feeling a bit recycled (changing the jukebox would have been an almost effortless way to breathe new life into this game) and the visuals are bright and bold with some very charismatic character and cab designs.

Sega did help give the home versions of Crazy a little more depth than the original arcade version by expanding on the play modes. In addition to playing by the arcade rules you can cruise the town for three, five or ten minutes and pick up as many fares as possible. You also have the "Crazy Box" in which you can use your cab to try and perform all manner of challenges. Even with these modes, what keeps you coming back to Crazy Taxi is the almost forgotten quest for the high score. There is no true end to this game but there is the perpetual quest to get a better license or a fatter wallet. However, what this port really needed is either a new city to cruise or randomly generated fares and destination. Oh well, it is still a lot of fun.