Crazy Taxi Review
PROS
- The full 2000 release of Crazy Taxi for Dreamcast, right there in your hands.
- Utterly addictive Arcade gameplay; wild racing through large areas and no consequences - go nuts!
CONS
- Input delays make it difficult to feel completely comfortable with the controls; similarly, double-taps are a poor substitution for the game's original inputs.
VERDICT
Crazy Taxi for the iOS platform is a solid step back from the console and yet another step back from the Arcade release of SEGA's classic time-trial 'racer', but even despite this the madcap insanity of its gameplay shines through making it hard not to be washed away in a torrent of nostalgia.
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I feel like a powerful force is trying to show us, the lowly gamer, the stark difference between two driving-based games from 1999 and their subsequent re-release on the iOS platform. Where Re-Volt may be the subject of fond memories, its gameplay (though not its level design) was ultimately average. However, Crazy Taxi by SEGA remains just as balls-to-the-wall madcap as ever, placing you in control of an out-of-control taxi driver around a virtual homage of San Francisco.
Whether you play in the default time-earning mode or take a more relaxed approached in the fixed-time modes, your goal is to find, pick up and deposit customers at their destination as fast as possible. This comes with a few caveats though, notably 'stunts' in the form of slamming in to cars, drifting and high-flying jumps while having a passenger on board will earn you more money, so it's in your interest to take a route that's more 'interesting' than 'direct'.
In order to assist you in your journey the game equips you with a variety of tricks such as bursts of acceleration; shuddering stops; and 180 degree spins (which are ever-so useful to master). Unfortunately unlike the Arcade and Console versions, there's a bit of a problem - there's not enough buttons. Instead of being able to switch gears (forward and reverse) and accelerate or decelerate separately, these maneuvers are condensed down to only two buttons - forward and reverse.
To get around this issue the game implements a 'double tap' system for initiating boosts or drifts, however this is far from optimal as you'll need to let go of buttons you're holding down, making life challenging if you choose to tackle the special missions for their unlockable rewards. On the plus side there is a tilt based option that eliminates the issue from drifting, but boosts still remain problematic.
What's amazing is that even despite the control issues, Crazy Taxi is as fun as ever - whether you play in the smaller 'Arcade' world or the extended 'Original' one, you'll be sliding and colliding without a care in the world aside from the clock that constantly runs down. Whether underwater or sailing through the air, Crazy Taxi is a one of a kind game and definitely worth taking for a spin.
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