After reading a review about Crazy Taxi by one of the SegaNet Staff Members, maybe I'd better share my thoughts about the Taxi Cabbie Simulator that will freak a lot of real-life taxi drivers out at the arcade and the Dreamcast.

AM2 has always been the king of Sega Racing Games. You name 'em. Daytona USA, Virtua Racing, and Super GT. They created some acceptable racing games throughout the years mainly because of the gameplay and the multiple View Change Buttons. However, it becomes apparent that two of Sega's AM Departments have been competing for the "finest Sega Racing Game Creator there is".

Such case would be Crazy Taxi. The task fell to the Taxi Cab concept, where you try to complete as many Taxi Cab Fares within a short amount of time.

Crazy Taxi is different from other racing games as far as gameplay and controls are concerned. You drive the Taxi like you would in Real Life: You either reverse the direction of the car or just drive forward. The movements of the Taxi is responsive, and turning hard won't cause an understeer in the car, much of the reason why people have been dreading most of Sega's Racing Games. Even you go full speed, the controls are excellent.

As with much of Toshihiro Nagoshi's racing products, the gas pedal and brakes have potentiometers which monitor how far you press them. Remember the higher the pressure, the more gas/brakes you will apply.

But what sets Crazy Taxi apart from the common Sega Racing Game is that you need to pick up a customer and drop a customer up (to complete a Cab Fare) to places such as a Harbor, a Fila Department Shop, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, a Baseball Stadium, and Tower Records just to name a few of the many destinations you will be required to stop at throughout the game. Your key enemy in the game is the clock, which will pressure you continuously to complete a record amount of Cabbie Fares within a short amount of time. Also, to make things worse, the customers have their own time limit depending on the distance from the pick-up point to the Destination Point.

Crazy Taxi is a demanding game because the Time Limit won't give you much time for error and you do have to find ways to get the customer to the destination area within the shortest possible time. You have to figure out the best driving pattern to get from start to destination. Even that means driving through sidewalks, using a Parking Lot to avoid a time-costly chicane, jumping from one grade to another, or the like. You obey road rules in real life, do you? This is not the case in Crazy Taxi as the clock requires you to perform driving stunts that you should never try in a real Taxi Cab for the best possible peformance and the shortest possible route from Pick-Up to Destination (and for a record-breaking amount of successful Customers in one game).

The Sound Effects are fluid from the Cab's tire squeal to the Customer's remarks such as "HEY, WATCH IT!!!". The Alternative Music BGM may be the recipe to much of Crazy Taxi's impressive sound. Several American Bands have dedicated their voices and their albums to create a Generation X, Alternative Music Environment.

The Animation is fluid and smooth, with only minimal slowdown in between the graphics. The Polygons are minimal, and the special effects are highly detailed in their full grace.

Crazy Taxi is a fun game because the time limit forces you to perform stunts that you would never do in other racing games or in real life. Even though the game can be highly-challenging (mainly because you're pushed to complete as many fares within the time limit, which is the roots to the challenge and replay value of the game), it's well worth the $1.00 or so at your local arcade. Since Crazy Taxi runs under the affordable but as powerful as the Model 3 Step 2 Naomi System, it isn't restricted to high-end arcades like GameWorks, Jillian's, and Dave & Buster's. Crazy Taxi is definitely an event of Comic Relief for many players who have been dreading Sega Racing Games in the past. And BTW don't try any stunts that you will try in Crazy Taxi in a real Cab or you could get fired instantly.

Graphics: 9/10 (Some slowdown in some cases, but the animation is still fluid)

Sound: 9/10 (Enjoy the Alternative Music during Gameplay)

Challenge: 10/10 (You're pushed to complete a record-breaking amount of fares in a short amount of time and you need to perform stunts that you shouldn't do in a real taxi cab to cut the amount of time required to drop Passengers from one place to another)

Fun Factor: 10/10 (This could be the Sega Racing Game that could spell relief for many who has been dreading Sega's Understeer Roots and favor plenty of accidents in Racing Games)

Replay Value: 9/10 (You choose your own outcome and you have to figure a lot of things out to shave off time from one fare to another)
- Mark Kim