Crazy Taxi was an adrenaline-pumping time-racing arcade game developed and published by SEGA. It first appeared in arcades in 1999, and a year later it arrived as a Dreamcast port. It was followed by versions for PlayStation 2 and GameCube (2001, under Acclaim) and for Windows in 2002. This made it SEGA's first multiplatform game after switching to a third-party model.
The concept of the game was simple: pick up a passenger and drive him to the desired location. However, to prevent it from being too simple and quickly boring, the game throws us into a fight against the timer. Each transported passenger brings new seconds and points, and the more and faster we drive - the more we earn.
From the recognizable, wacky intro, to the adrenaline-pumping punk music – the atmosphere was unforgettable.
The game clearly indicated which customers were "more profitable": a green dollar symbol indicated a more distant destination and higher profits, while a red one represented shorter routes with less profit.
The background music included hits from bands such as The Offspring i Bad Religion – exactly what we listened to as teenagers, along with MTV and the magazine OK. That's why this game carries a good dose of nostalgia and puberty flair.
Although there was only one map, it was well designed, easy to remember, and inspired by the streets of San Francisco.
There were three modes: Arcade, Original i Crazy Box. The most popular was Arcade mode – full of adrenaline, speed and loud music. Original fashion it was added for the console versions with an expanded map, but it didn't provide the same intensity of fun, although some loved it for its more relaxed approach.
The game offered us four drivers: Alex, B.D. Joe, Gena and Gus – each with a unique vehicle. In my company, everyone wanted to get their hands on Alex – the surfer look, the crazy dyed hair and the nicest car were reason enough.
There were also four special driving tricks: Crazy Dash, Crazy Stop, Crazy Drift i Limiter Cut. Customers had fun animations when entering and exiting the vehicle, and the driving physics itself was excellent. The cars leaned in the corners, and the passengers reacted to our driving style – swaying left and right, adding an extra dose of liveliness.
Crazy Taxi it was an unforgettable, unavoidable and completely addictive game that always made us beat our own high score. We spent hours and hours playing it, completely lost in time.
It was a special feeling to play it at birthday parties and get-togethers, when we passed the controller around, watched each other drive, and pressed our foot to the floor when it was time to hit the gas or brake. We literally experienced other people's rides as if they were our own.
The game also had several sequels, and was also available on Steam - until December 6, 2024, when it was removed. She appeared inside SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics i Dreamcast Classics collection. Those who bought it before it was removed kept it in their library, but new purchases could no longer be made.
It is worth noting that the sequels did not have original music due to lost licenses, which significantly affected the experience - when one of the key elements is lost, the soul of the game is lost.
Iz osobnog iskustva, igrao sam is and on a PC i na PlayStationu. Iako se kod PC versions znalo spominjati pad performansi, budimo iskreni – who je tada mjerio fps? Gameli smo jer je to bila odlična game. Nije bilo važno koliko je rezolucija – dok god je radila u 1024x768, bilo je savršeno. Danas band that was ekvivalent 4K-u.
All in all, Crazy Taxi remains one of the best arcade races of all time. And I believe that even today she would manage to gather the old team and entertain us - while the women could talk in peace over coffee. 😉
