[GAME REVIEW] Crazy Taxi: It's Back And It's Still Crazy

Crazy Taxi has been one of the most memorable poster games for the SEGA Dreamcast, capturing the imaginations of many a prepubescent teen who was yet to be able to get a licence. Crazy Taxi gave them the chance to drive fast, drive crazy and listen to rock while you were doing it. And now that it’s on Android, you can relive those days all on your smartphones.

There’s not much new in the game itself: the game is basically a straight remaster from the Dreamcast original and it’s subsequent remakes on other consoles and incorporates the touch interface as well as a year 2000 user interface will allow. The menus are quick and responsive though, and I haven’t yet run into any issues navigating around to start a game.

You can play Crazy Taxi 3 ways: with the touch controls, with tilt controls, or with a Bluetooth controller, like a MOGA controller. The touch controls are great, simple and extremely responsive which is what you need in this kind of frantic game. The tilt controls are a bit of a hazard as the responsiveness of the the tilt controls have been toned down to stop you snapping your wrists, but doesn’t quite give you the feel you need when you need to react lightning quick. The controller support is amazing, which I tried with my MOGA controller; swerving around with the joystick, I got no sense of lag or any delay at all and it almost felt like I was playing on a Dreamcast all over again. I do have one gripe with the controller controls which is that the brake feels less responsive than it does with the touch controls; with the touch controls, you can get your taxi to stop on a dime, but the controller will only allow you to screech to a halt a few metres past where you’d planned. Even so, I’d recommend the controller as the way to play this classic.

Fans of the original game will be happy to know that the soundtrack by The Offspring and Bad Religion is back, reminding you why you sometimes speed when rock music is on the radio. The game modes are split into Arcade, Original, 3,5 and 10 minute games which should get you sorted however you want to play the game. Personally, I’m a fan of the Arcade mode; there’s nothing quite as frantic as trying to fit in as many passengers as you can in a certain period of time, especially when you’re not looking at the time left. Of course, once your timer is up, the game will give you a score based on the number of passengers you served, how much money you earned, etc.

Fans of the old Crazy Taxi, look no further; this is the definitive version of Crazy Taxi you’ve been wishing for. It plays great, it brings back all the right memories and stays true to what it was for us all those years ago. The newer generation of gamers might complain about chunky graphics and a lack of play options, but Crazy Taxi is exactly what every nostalgic gamer wanted from a remake.