Crazy Taxi is a open world racing video game developed by Hitmaker (Sega AM3) and published by Sega. It is the first game in the Crazy Taxi
series. The game was first released in arcades in 1999 and was ported
to the Dreamcast in 2000. Subsequently, it was ported to the PlayStation
2 and Nintendo GameCube by Acclaim in 2001, and then Microsoft Windows
in 2002. The game was released on November 16, 2010 for the PlayStation
Network and on November 24, 2010 for the Xbox Live Arcade. It is
featured on the Dreamcast Collection. A port for the Zeebo is also planned, though no release date has been set.
Reception to Crazy Taxi has been mostly positive and it became
one of the few Sega All Stars. It has also earned Greatest Hits status
on PlayStation 2 and Player's Choice status on GameCube. Sega followed
up on the success of Crazy Taxi by making a sequel, Crazy Taxi 2 for the Dreamcast, which included several gameplay changes. It would also be bundled with Crazy Taxi 2 in Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars, and later be bundled with other Dreamcast hits in Dreamcast Collection. Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller was released for the Xbox on July 23, 2002, and later released as a PC title in 2004.
The main objective of the game is to pick up customers and take them to
their chosen destination as quickly as possible. Along the way, money
can be earned by performing stunts such as near misses with other
vehicles. The player is directed to a destination by a large green arrow
at the top of the screen. The arrow does not adjust based on
obstacles, but rather points in the general direction of the
destination. Once the player arrives near the destination, they must
stop within a specified zone. When the destination is reached, that
customer's fare is added to the player's total money earned. Ratings
are then awarded depending on how long the player took to complete the journey. If the customer's timer runs out before the player reaches the destination the customer jumps from the taxi.
Players can select three, five or ten minute settings, or the Arcade Rules used in the original coin-op version of the game.
In the three time-limited settings, play continues for the designated
period of time, after which the cab automatically stops and no more
points can be scored. Under Arcade Rules, the player starts with an
initial time limit of one minute, which can be extended through time
bonuses earned for quick deliveries. Console versions of the game also
feature a mode known as Crazy Box, a set of minigames that feature
challenges such as picking up and dropping off a number of customers
within a time limit, bowling using the taxi as a ball, and popping
giant balloons in a field.
