PlanetDreamcast | Games | Reviews | Crazy Taxi 2

Crazy Taxi 2 It's time to make some crazy money all over again! - Review By digitaltaco Page 2/2 Nice jump, girlfriend! The maps in Crazy Taxi 2 are really quite good. After watching a bunch of videos prior to the game's release, I was afraid that the excitement of the constant skyscraper motif seen in the game would wear off and become boring quickly. It seems, once again, that my first impressions were wrong. There is enough variety in the environments to keep them interesting. The fact that you do have to worry about a vertical element probably plays into that as well. And while I still find the San Francisco-like more pleasant to look at, I don't think you'll be disappointed by what you see here. The first city, "Around the Apple", is rather large. There are a few main areas that are separated by huge bridges. So you can bet that some of the more expensive fares will take awhile to complete. "Small Apple," is exactly the opposite. It is very compact and hence, the distance you will drive from fare to fare will usually be rather short. So whichever style of gameplay you prefer, you're being catered to in this game. My favorite thing about Crazy Taxi was the Crazy Box mode. If you remember, there were several challenges that had to be completed in a certain amount of time. And they were, in most cases, fairly difficult. It should come as no surprise, then, that I find the Crazy Pyramid mode to be the most compelling thing about Crazy Taxi 2. The challenges in the new game are very difficult. Most of them incorporate the Crazy Hop in some form and will really test your abilities as a Crazy Taxi cabbie. I love the fact that there are times while I am playing a challenge, when I can't even imagine ever being able to beat it. Then after practicing more and more, I finally conquer it. And boy, does that ever feel great. At this point, I still can't beat the last two challenges (1-1, S-1, I believe) but I'm giving it my all, and I know that I will soon be triumphant. If you like Crazy Box, you'll love Crazy Pyramid. Oh and the bonuses you'll unlock are well worth the effort you put into it. Just be prepared to spend a bit of time with this particular game mode. Oh, and that whole thumb pain thing... That applies here. The Bad Eek! Flying mimes! Look out below! I'm going to start off "The Bad" by talking about graphics. First, the graphics in Crazy Taxi 2 aren't bad. They're actually quite good. "Why are you putting this section in 'The Bad' then?" you might ask. Well, it's because there haven't really been any graphical advances over those seen in the prequel. The draw distance may be a bit better, but draw-in is still prevalent. The animation of the characters, vehicles, and basically everything else in the game, while good, is no better than it was before. Even the new drivers are fairly boring, or at least no more interesting than the old ones. The game has been in development for quite a while. And while I can understand using the same engine to cut down development time, not making any upgrades to the engine just seems lazy. And as I said before, all the menus and the HUD are pulled right from the first Crazy Taxi. And while they are practical, and easy to navigate, it would have been nice to see something new. Overall, these things don't really take away from the experience, but it would have been nice if they had upgraded. Aurally, I was not a fan of Crazy Taxi. It follows, then, that I am not a fan of the soundtrack and voices in Crazy Taxi 2. If you enjoyed the Offspring soundtrack from the first game, then you will probably still love their soundtrack in this game. Even Methods of Mayhem have added a few tracks to the game. Unfortunately, the music doesn't interest me in the slightest. But by turning the music off completely, I'm reminded just how annoying the voices in the game are. They are usually high pitched and exaggerated, which is fine for an arcade, where every machine is blaring obnoxious sounds. But at home, I'd rather something more pleasing to the ears. For the record, the sound effects are great. Tire screeching, engine sounds, and even the sound of the parking brake being pulled up when picking up and dropping of customers sound perfect, and I have no complaints about them at all. I think the biggest disappointment about Crazy Taxi 2 is what could have been. Originally, the game was to have online play. Many even thought that there might be some kind of persistent world with a tons of real life Crazy cabbies rolling around a huge city. Even smaller games of a similar fashion would have been great. But when Internet play was axed, we were left hanging. Not to mention that fact that the game offers no multiplayer at all. A few split-screen modes would have been great, and surely extended the replayability of the title. And I guess I just think that while it's a great game - and believe me, Crazy Taxi 2 is a great game - there could have been so much more. More new moves, more new courses, more mini-games and more of everything that makes the game so much fun. Maybe I'm just greedy, but that's the effect this title has on me. The Final Word Crazy Taxi 2 is a great game. It takes everything you loved about the first game and adds even more. The new courses are great, and the addition of the Crazy Hop does wonders in terms of opening up the gameplay. Unfortunately, some may find that for such a high-profile sequel, there just isn't enough new stuff to really sink your teeth into. While I don't necessarily agree with that, I could understand how that argument could be made. Overall though, I believe that fans of the first game won't be disappointed. And if for some reason you missed Crazy Taxi, there's no better time to get into the series with Crazy Taxi 2. But do remember to keep some bandages handy. Your thumbs will thank you. Developer: Hitmaker Publisher: Sega Genre: Racing Highs: Great new jump move, awesome new levels, same great gameplay that made the first game a classic Lows: No graphical updates, annoying soundtrack, may not be enough new material for some players Other: 1 player, VMU compatible (20 blocks), Jump Pack Compatible, VGA Box Compatible Final Score: (out of a possible 10) Previous Reviews Comments on this review? Mail Feedback.