Crazy Taxi (Dreamcast) review"Crazy Taxi is one of the most interesting games I have ever played. The basic premise of the game is very interesting. The object of the game is to pick up a person at one location and drive them to the next location (their desired destination) as quickly as possible. The game is very realistic, in the fact that it is just like a regular taxi cab ride (well, sort of), considering the fact that there is actually a meter counting the money the passenger owes for the cab ride. " |
Crazy Taxi is one of the most interesting games I have ever played. The basic premise of the game is very interesting. The object of the game is to pick up a person at one location and drive them to the next location (their desired destination) as quickly as possible. The game is very realistic, in the fact that it is just like a regular taxi cab ride (well, sort of), considering the fact that there is actually a meter counting the money the passenger owes for the cab ride.
It was a very fun game, and I was disappointed that I was not going to get a chance to play it any more, because the local arcade in Florida did not own the game (and it still does not, to this day). However, while in the hospital back in January, I got the newest issue of EGM, and on the cover of it was Crazy Taxi. Sega decided to port the arcade version directly to the Sega Dreamcast! That was very good news for me, because the arcade version is one of the most fun video games I have ever played.
However, I was kind of worried about the game, as well. I did not know how Sega would port the game. Would they release a game more advanced than the arcade version, while providing the same classic fun that made the arcade version so great? Or would they mess up the game by removing some of the elements that made the original arcade version so much fun to play? It was this very question that made me decide to rent the game out before purchasing it.
So, I rented out the game, went home, and played it for a few hours. What were my impressions of it? I thought that this game was one of the most fun video games I have ever played, and it was actually more enjoyable than the already awesome arcade version, in my opinion. I really had a very fun time playing through the game. It provided the same classic fun as the arcade version, while adding new modes to make it even more enjoyable to play.
Graphically, Crazy Taxi is top notch. I thought the arcade version looked great, and the Dreamcast version looks even better, if you can believe that. Everything about the game looks great, especially the awesome background designs featured in the game. The background designs in the game were great, as they were very well varied and extremely detailed. I really liked how detailed the backgrounds were, as you could point out every little detail in the backgrounds. The taxi cab itself looks great, as do the character designs. I really liked the graphics in the game, and how smooth they were, no matter how fast you were going.
Music and sound effects in the game are very well done. Crazy Taxi will always be a legend based on its music soundtrack alone. The game has a soundtrack out available to purchase, but it is different than most video game music soundtracks because the music soundtrack of Crazy Taxi actually features real music bands. Yes, there are actual songs from actual bands featured in the background music of the game, which is simply awesome. I also liked the sound effects in the game, especially the voice acting (like the passenger screaming at the taxi cab driver after a bad trip, for instance).
Control in the game was actually one of the main things I was worried about in the game. For those of you that don’t know, I am not really that big of a fan of the design of the Sega Dreamcast controller. So, I was concerned that the controller would mess up the control in the game. Fortunately, Sega did a rather good job of making the control in the game as smooth as possible. I was pleasantly surprised about how good the control was, because I was expecting to have trouble with the control, and I did not have any problems with the control. The added bonus of being able to use the Arcade stick helps, as well.
One of the main things that I enjoyed most about the original arcade version of Crazy Taxi was the very unique game play that the game offered. It may look like the average, everyday racing game at first, but after a while you will realize that the game is much more than your average racing game. The basic object of the game is to act like a normal taxi cab driver, only without being having to worry about things like insurance, etc.
Therefore, this is one of the most unique games ever created, in my opinion. First off, you start off the game in a taxi cab, and drive around. You drive until a person asks for a ride, he hops in and states his/her destination. It is now your job to drive them to their destination as quickly as possible. This means you do not have to worry about getting into any accidents. I liked riding around the various towns, etc. It was a very fun thing to do, and this is one of the most unique and fun video games I have ever played.
When I first played the arcade version, I could not stop playing it until I had spent nearly six dollars on my arcade charge card. Therefore, I expected the same kind of replay value in the Dreamcast version that was in the arcade version. And I am pleased to say that the Dreamcast version has outstanding replay value. This is one of the most addictive video games I have ever played, and the addition of new modes and secrets just adds even more to the replay value, in my opinion.
This is not a very challenging game, but it did not get to be quite challenging in certain places. One of the most challenging aspects of the entire game was finding certain destinations. The directional keys and town map did not help me find certain destinations as easily as I would have liked, sadly. I do realize that the game is supposed to be a challenge, but I think that the game’s challenge level is increased by a ''wrong reason''.
I really did not know what to expect from the Sega Dreamcast version of an incredible arcade game, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this game. It is one of the most unique, fun, and addictive video games I have ever played, and I really had a very fun time playing through it. The game was a blast to play, as it featured great graphics, a cool music soundtrack, interesting sound effects, solid control, and addictive game play. This is one of the most enjoyable Dreamcast games I have played yet, and it is well worth a purchase.
Community review by psychopenguin (March 08, 2005)
A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page. |
More Reviews by psychopenguin [+]
|
|
If you enjoyed this Crazy Taxi review, you're encouraged to discuss it with the author and with other members of the site's community. If you don't already have an HonestGamers account, you can sign up for one in a snap. Thank you for reading!
User Help | Contact | Ethics | Sponsor Guide | Links