Format: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Developer: Sega
I loved my Sega Dreamcast when it was first released back in 1999. That console really did die far too early. One of the things that I loved about it was the great arcade conversions that we got on the console. We got great games like House of the Dead, Soul Calibur, Hydro Thunder and many more. We had been getting arcade conversions for years, but the Sega Dreamcast did them pretty much perfectly. One of my personal favourites was Crazy Taxi. The fact I can now play Crazy Taxi on my phone just blows my mind.
When Crazy Taxi was first released in the arcades back in 1999 and then on the Dreamcast in 2000. This game looked amazing. Games on the Dreamcast just looked so much smoother than what the Playstation and Nintendo 64 could offer. Well Crazy Taxi on the iOS looks just like the Sega Dreamcast version. Not only does it look the same, but the frame rate is also just as good. But this is the problem. To someone like me this is awesome, but the sad fact is Crazy Taxi while not a horrible looking game. Has started to show its age and really the game is the better part of 15 years old so it would be crazy to not think it would look a little rough around the edges. So I am not sure if this will put some younger gamers off.
As far as the game play goes Crazy Taxi is all about fun. If you are looking for a realistic racing game then you have come to the wrong place. In the arcade mode you pick from a selection of cabs and hit the streets. You have one minute to make as much money as possible. You do this by picking people up and taking them to their destination. Each successful drop off will earn you some cash and a little extra time as well. It is very simple, but just so much fun to play.
As well as the classic arcade mode there are a few different missions in a mode called Crazy Box mode. This is pretty cool as it does add some extra stuff to the game. Some of the missions that you will be required to do include things like seeing how far you can jump, weaving through traffic and some others as well. These do add a good distraction to the arcade mode.
As far as the controls go Sega have tried to keep things as simple as possible. So you only have four things to get to grips with. Accelerate, reverse, left and right. These are the only things that clutter up the screen. It makes for a simple control scheme that anyone can pick up and play. But there are some other more advanced things you can do as well such as getting a speed boost and power sliding. Learning these skills is vital to rake in some big money.
The control I will say is not perfect. If you are just driving along and do not need to make any precise movements then the controls are never an issue. And in Arcade Mode I never had that many problems. But in the Crazy Box mode sometimes you do need that little bit of finesse which the controls simply cannot give you.
Overall though despite having the odd control issue and not being the prettiest game in the world. There is still something just so addictive about Crazy Taxi after all these years. I know some of you may be put off by the five bucks price tag, but I think that it’s a pretty sweet deal. There is no in app purchases just a one off payment for some classic arcade fun.