Crazy Taxi 2 Hands-On: Small Apple mode

In the coming weeks, we'll be taking a close look at Sega and Hitmaker's Crazy Taxi 2, the follow-up to the megasuccessful arcade-turned-Dreamcast game. Each week's update will highlight certain features, characters, and play modes native to this frantic, fast-paced driving game. This week, we'll take a look at the Small Apple mode, which is set on the game's smaller course. Small as it is, however, the cityscape is very densely populated and littered with all kinds of opportunities for the type of off-the-wall gameplay you've come to associate with Crazy Taxi.

On the Small Apple map, your starting point is in one of the city's downtown areas, near its department store, hotel, and central transit terminal--all very popular stops. Whole lines of potential fares await you at your starting point, making the setup very similar to the stages in the first Crazy Taxi. From this point, depending on your fares, your travels could take you anywhere on this map. East of the downtown area lies a sort of financial/government district, where you'll find the stock exchange and bank, along with city hall and courts of law. Directly north of this area is a sort of shopping/arts district, where most of the game's real-life, licensed locations are situated: FAO Schwartz, HMV, and the Gap, along with a stadium and opera house. In the city's center lies a large park, which is rectangular and fairly large in area. Within the park are three locations--the band shell (a small amphitheater), an art museum, and a boathouse, as well as a bunch of fares for you to pick up. Also in the center of the park is a lake that you could drive into. Most absurdly, on the floor of the lake, there are a handful of potential fares whose destinations span the entire city. In any case, east of the park is a residential-type area, complete with a high school, hospital, and post office. North of the park, along the edge of the city map, lie a university, fire and police departments, and a basketball court. Finally, on the southernmost point on the map lie both a ferry port and heliport.

In all, the Small Apple feels considerably larger than the first city from the arcade game. The city is also much more multileveled than those of the first, allowing for a good number of second-story antics. Jumping is achieved by simply hitting the Y button, and launching off ramps onto the game's many high platforms is quite simple to achieve and lets you access a whole new set of fares and destinations. The Small Apple also features a large subway system. You can actually drive into the tunnels from every stop and eventually emerge at a whole different part of the city. All's not safe down there, though, as trains will constantly roll down the tracks, colliding head-on with those unfortunate enough to drive along the wrong side.

As you'd expect, navigating the Small Apple is a bit more difficult than careering through the original's San Francisco-based city. The Small Apple's layout is much less gridlike, making a keen memory a bit more important than it was in the original game. A number of shortcuts have been incorporated into the map, fortunately, allowing you quicker access to some of the more frequented routes. The city's centrally located park, for instance, offers a variety of inroads designed to make access to the city's underlying districts more simple. Entrances to the park are located on each of the four cardinal directions, so experienced cabbies will quickly learn to exploit each. Completing some of the game's fares is simply impossible without learning the layout of the map. The group fares--most of which are four passengers deep--are simply impossible to accomplish if you rely on the help arrow alone. Unless you know the layout of the course somewhat well, you don't have much time to deliver all the passengers to their destinations. This is a good thing, however, as it rewards experienced players with the high fares and the increased bonuses associated with multiple passengers.

Sadly, this is all we can tell you about Crazy Taxi 2 at this point. In the coming weeks, however, we'll have a handful of more updates for you, so keep your eyes on this space. Until then, check out our new screenshots and movies of the Small Apple in action.