Crazy Taxi is one of those arcade style games that will have you playing it every night of your life.
Basically a straight port of the Arcade/Dreamcast classic, this Gamecube version of Crazy Taxi gets graded not on sound, not on its graphics, not on its options, but solely on its kickass gameplay. Lets face it, ports of games are kickass as long as someone hasn't played them before (being me), and thankfully this Gamecube version is still just as fun as it was back in the day.
Features
.Exciting driving gameplay where you drive one passenger to another area under a time limit
.Earn cash as your high score
.Multiple routes, shortcuts, and opportunities to catch big air
.Crazy Box mode for some crazy missions
.Two cities to drive in
.Arcade Mode, Original Mode, and three time settings
.Four characters to choose as
.Music provided by the Offspring and Bad Religion (for better or worse)
.New voiceovers exclusive to this game
In Crazy Taxi, you must drive passengers from one area to the next in a certain time limit. If you do it quickly, you get lots of money and tips. If you do it average, you'll still get money, but not as much. If you do poorly or don't show up at all to the destination, you'll get very few money and get sand thrown in your face or insulted. That sucks, but the one liners are hilarious ("At least I tried!" "You suck Taxi driver!" "This Sucks!". The cash you earn is your high score and determines your grade at the end (S is the best while F is the worst).
Right from the start, Crazy Taxi is a fantastic pick up and play game. Driving from one area to the next is amazingly fun because you get to choose many different routes, although you can just follow the arrow and you're good to go. You can go off ramps to catch huge air and tip money, go on top of roofs, underwater, on the beach, and swerve like a madman across cars and taxis. It's awesome when you bounce off of other cars and accidentally run into passengers. It's hilarious when you tell them to get in, they do and say "You almost killed me!"
Of course, the controls are excellent. Drifting apparently sucks, but you'll barely need it because turning and stopping is easy and fun to do. Even beating your own high score adds TONS of replay value, because each is saved in THREE different time selections (3 minute, 5 minute, and 10 minute, which I recommend you do)! Never has a game made me go for my highest score as much as Crazy Taxi did. And as icing on the cake, there's even a CRAZY BOX mission mode!!! Now how much would you pay?
Speaking of which, Crazy Box Mode works great. The missions are challenging, and stunts like capturing the flag and getting air past a certain distance are satisfying to complete. There's nine different missions, and while that may seem short, completing them will take a little while to do. There's also the Arcade Mode level (I think it's San Francisco) in addition to the original level. Both are a whole lot of fun, and contain enough exploration and secrets to keep you playing till the day you die! And yes, you literally WILL play this game till you die!
Graphics
Nothing to write home about, but certainly not terrible. Moving at 60 frames per second, Crazy Taxi's engine is fast and smooth. The scenery looks decent, but there is some pop up and the characters look angular. Nothing bad, but nothing spectacular either.
Sound
"Hey Hey! Come down and play some CARAAZZY TAXI!!" That is one of most famous lines in video game history! The voices and sound effects are hilarious ("Just shut up and lets go!"), but the music is another story. It's been debated a lot over the years; some said it was great, some said it sucked. I think it's a mixed bag, really. It features six total songs from the Offspring and Bad Religion, but these songs are very short, so they're likely to get on your nerves. Don't get me wrong, I love the Offspring and Bad Religion as much as the next guy, but there should've been more bands in this game than just two, because that's annoying. Turning the volume down is a very good option for this game.
Now that you've heard all those criticisms, wipe them OFF your mind NOW!! This review is all about gameplay, and boy oh boy does this have it in spades. Crazy Taxi is one of those arcade style games that will have you playing it every night of your life. My friend Joey and my brother Jimmy love this game, and they both said it was one of the most addicting games they ever played! This is easily one of Sega's greatest games ever, if not their best (next to Sonic, of course). If you are a Gamecube owner who wants a game that delivers the goods completely, and you haven't played the arcade or Dreamcast version, Get this game. It's easy to play, difficult to master, extremely, extremely, extremely fun and addicting, and will make you go downstairs to your basement in your pajamas in the middle of the night, for "just one more game or two." Come to think of it, I STILL want to play this game after I've finished the review! It's that fantastic!
Gameplay: 10/10: Plenty of routes, shortcuts, big air, secrets, and passengers to deliver. Sega gives players the goods without being boring or frustrating.
Graphics: 7/10: Smooth and very fast framerate, but scenery is unspectacular and there is frequent pop up
Sound: 6/10: Sound effects and audio are well done, but the music will drive you crazy even if you like the Offspring and Bad Religion
Replay Value: 10/10: Try not playing this game for a minute, and see what happens. Crack can't hold a candle to this game's insane pick up and play pure arcade fun. Don't miss out on it if you already have. It doesn't get much better than this in terms of pure fun.