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Videogame
Source : Sega Dreamcast |
Crazy
Taxi 2 |
| Graphics |
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9.4 |
| Sounds |
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8.7 |
| Replay |
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9.0 |
| Gameplay |
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8.6 |
| Overall |
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9.0 |
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Review
by miffo |
Crazy Taxi 2 came up on me sooner than I would have
expected, yet I chose not to go out and buy the game. Why? I'm not sure but after playing
it extensively I can say that I will not be buying it for a while. They did more than just
rehash it, but I still feel like I'm playing the same game only in a different city, which
I don't even like as much as the first one! Diehard fans will love it, and most of us will
still enjoy it for a while, but the game is showing its age even in its new form.
It's time to make some CRAZY MONEY!
The goal of Crazy Taxi is simple: make money and make a lot of it. This hasn't changed in
CT2 of course, so fans will know right where to start. Using the L and R triggers to make
your taxi go, you set it out search of a customer. Find someone and then you're off to
their destination. They'll tell you to go to one of various locations throughout New York
such as Burger King or the church. The fare racks up pretty high plus you get additional
cash from doing certain tricks. You have a time limit and you earn a few seconds each time
you successfully deliver someone...if you run out of time it's game over for you! There
are also some modes that give you a limited amount of time such as 5 or 10 minutes and you
work as much as you can for that time.
The biggest addition to CT2 control wise is the fact that you can now perform a Crazy Hop
by hitting Y. This makes your cab jump up in the air which is a must when avoided New
York's rush hour traffic as well as a neccessary way to navigate your way through town. If
you see an overpass you can now hop on it to switch courses! Another new feature is the
ability to pick up multiple costumers which each have their own destination. It's always
fun having four cheerleaders ride with you!
It gets pretty crazy...
And if you haven't already guessed, you're based in New York this time around which is a
whole new park to tackle. Unfortunately the Big Apple is too gray for me, and I preferred
the beaches of San Fransisco. After being used to getting at least a Class S license each
time, I was shocked to get Ds and Es in Crazy Taxi 2! Having to re-master and re-learn the
city is a big plus as far as reply value goes, but I just don't like the areas as much
this time around. The cities seem harder to navigate and it doesn't appear that much time
was spent into designing them when compared to CT1.
It looks just like the first game, but that's not a bad thing.
Back in early 2000 I was counting down the days to Crazy Taxi's release. In fact, when it
finally came in the mail I got a free pair a fuzzy dice with it...woohoo! Yeah, the game
was fun, but the jaw-drop factor is what got me hooked-the graphics were incredible! Of
course, that was back in the day...even now the graphics are nicer than most Dreamcast
games. Now we have Crazy Taxi 2 which uses the same engine and gives us the same effects!
Actually the visuals have been touched up a bit as there is a better draw distance with
less pop up, which is a good thing because some parts of the town can stretch on for quite
a while!
You get to choose from four new cars and drivers this time, but none of them appeal to me.
Some of them may look cooler, but the problem lies in their attitude, not the looks. For
example, B.D. Joe in Crazy Taxi had the ''shut up and move your butt'' attitude that put
the Crazy in Crazy Taxi. All the other characters had at least some interesting things
about them as well, but the characters in the second game are too calm and boring—far
from crazy.
Offspring and Methods of Mayhem play in the background this time, and as annoying as the
music of Crazy Taxi got, I still like it better than the new songs. I like a few of the
new tunes, but it just doesn't fit the style of the game as well and it's not something
I'd tap my feet too. So far Hitmaker has taken the good things out of Crazy Taxi and
replaced them with mediocre things for Crazy Taxi 2.
No multiplayer, no online play, so what else is there?
Outside of the option to connect to the website, which has become a standard in Dreamcast
games, there is the Crazy Pyramid. This is a series of minigames that get progressively
harder as you work your way up the ''pyramid''. Once you make it to the top, you should
consider yourself a Crazy Taxi king because it is quite a feat! I was able to beat about
80% of it without running into a real challenge, but it quickly became as hard as staying
awake all night (which is what I happened to be doing.)
I can say that you will be able to beat the majority of the Crazy Pyramid in a day, so all
that's left is to play the normal game. You can save and watch old replays or try to go
through Crazy Pyramid again, but the heart of this game is in an arcade form, so playing
through for a new high score is your ultimate goal. What's your best record?
-Bottom Line-
It's fun. The simple, addicting controls combined with the joy of just driving your own
taxi makes it worth buying. Fans of the original Crazy Taxi may be a tad disappointed, but
it's still a decent game. If you're unsure about it, rent it...just keep in mind that
Crazy Taxi 1 is only $20 and I still like the first one better. |
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