Watch Out! Crazy Taxi on the Loose!

Crazy Taxi is one huge riot! I personally can't believe how good and unbelievably fun it is. This game has it all! Usually I am not a fan of racing games because they get old very quick, but this game puts new meaning to "racing." There is no pressure to beat anyone to any finish line; just pressure to please the customer. This game originally came out on arcade, but Sega has put it and much more into this game!

Gameplay
The basis of the game is that you are a San Francisco cabbie and you are trying to get each customer to their destination the quickest way possible; even if that means running people down and smashing into cars and buildings! Your main goal is to rack up as much money in fares as possible. You can earn tips by racing through street without hitting other cars, getting airborne with a ramp's help, and doing "Crazy Maneuvers." These are normally dangerous driving moves that you pull off to shave time off in getting to the destination. The game is rather funny as well. If you watch someone drive, often times it is very reckless. The comments the passengers make are funny, but the same phrase are repeated to many times.

Modes
By capturing the arcade version, Sega has made two main different modes: Arcade and Original. In each of these, you have the following choices to play: Arcade version where you start with a set amount of time, and must earn more by getting to destinations fast. The others are 3, 5, and 10 minute allotted times where you drive around for that many minutes and can't earn more time. Very unfortunately, there is no multiplayer on this game. There is, however, a mode called "Crazy Box." Here, you may practice and perfect your taxi driving skills with tough challenges. You have certain goals to obtain. You can switch off turns with a friend to see who can do the best. This is as close as this game gets to multiplayer. The game has a Records feature as well. This will keep your best performances in all arcade, original, and Crazy Box modes.

Graphics/Soundtrack
These graphics are great! The 3D world is very nicely drawn. The San Francisco city is gigantic. Every time you play, you find a new route you have never seen before. The animation is done very well. The camera follows you smoothly, except every once in awhile, under heavy crash scenes, the game slows down a little bit. This is pretty annoying, but is a minor set back. The soundtrack fits in perfectly with this game. It is hard rock, and features Bad Religion and the Offspring. The fast hard tempos fit finely in with your fast impulsive driving. These songs are also repeated to many times.

Overall
This game is not only very fun to play, but also very fun(ny) to watch. It has a very high replay value because you always know you can do better when your game ends. Mastering the Crazy Maneuvers will take some time, so playing the Crazy Box will be helpful and fun as well. This game is very nicely thought out and made. Crazy Taxi has very a very fun and entertaining plot(if you want to call it that) to it. This game is very addicting. Everyone can enjoy this game; even non-gamers. I feel this game gives racing games a whole new perspective; not racing other competitors, but yourself.