Crazy Taxi XBLA Review

This would have been a lot of fun!

Crazy Taxi is a game meant to be played in small spurts. This is understandable as Crazy Taxi was originally an arcade fixture, and a very popular one at that. In that situation it's popularity is understandable, with it's frantic gameplay and a time limit that bares down on you incessantly, you want to do the best you can and squeeze the most game out of your dollar. It's only when you have unlimited access you realise that after playing it a couple of times there's not really much else on offer.

Crazy Taxi is a one trick pony, and if you have nostalgic memories about your time with it then one trick will be all Crazy Taxi needs. As someone who didn't really have any arcades around where I grew up, that lone trick fell flat after a while. Personally I don't see any fun in battling for high-scores and as such Crazy Taxi may not necessarily be the game for me, but on a certain level I did have quite a bit of brainless fun driving around the two maps for a while.

Overview

Axel, Gena, Gus & B.D. Joe

You play as one of four drivers who tear around a city trying to bring as many people to their destination as possible. Upon first glance the game is really simple but high-score success involves a handful of more advanced techniques involving gear shifts and break/accelerator timing. If you tried any of these techniques in a real car you'd literally blow your gearbox clear out the bottom of your ride. If you one of our four protagonists however your taxi only has to last a maximum of around 10 minutes anyway so go for it!

There's some slight strategy in fare selection with the different passengers having different coloured halos around them depending on how far they want to go. Every fare is a stone cold adrenaline junkie with no regard for their own safety, with them all offering you extra tips for narrowly missing cars and flying off huge jumps. When your destination is in sight, slap your cab into reverse and break at the same time for maximum stopping power, or just slam into the nearest wall and collect your fare before hunting down a new passenger and doing it all again. Whatever your fares end up totaling is your score when the time is up and you also get a license rank based on how well you did.

Hurry up and get in, can't you see my timer is running down!

Rational
The above two paragraphs explain the entirety of the main game. There are three different modes to play in, two of which are the same except that they take place on different maps. This offers a slight challenge as you learn the city over again but just like any good cabbie you'll get the city down soon enough, find the shortcuts that work for you and just go about your business again. The third option offers up something new in the form of a series of short challenges or mini-game style missions that require you to do all manner of things.

Crazy Drifting for Strikes

These challenges can be really difficult and require almost perfect control over the more advanced driving techniques that the main game doesn't every really require. In fact I had completed the entirety of both the other modes, collecting all available achievements without even knowing that there were any advanced techniques to use. As I worked my way through the challenges I slowly mastered the Crazy Drift, Boost and Brake, while these save time it seemed like the amount in most cases was almost negligible.

Some of the challenges wanted you to use certain techniques to make it through but I found I had an easier time and managed a few without the use of the technique they were trying to show. The later challenges however are very difficult and push the use of these techniques to the limit of your control. I only managed to finish a couple with milliseconds to spare. These challenges offer some variety to an otherwise basic game but they are mostly short lived and no where near as much fun as the previous two modes.

50 cents for risking both our lives? Seems legit.

Summary
Crazy Taxi is fun to play in short spurts. While charging through it all in one sitting like me may be the most efficient you'll be done with the game in one afternoon. All the achievements are easily attainable with only a couple of the harder challenge related ones providing some decent resistance. I would have to only recommend this game to people seeking spurts of fun, maybe pass and play while hanging out. If you're looking for something to just sit down and play by yourself, and you have no nostalgic attachment to the brand, you'll find yourself looking for something else after half an hour.

Passenger and pedestrian safety is out #1 priority!