Crazy Taxi is a series of racing games created by Hitmaker and released by Sega. It first appeared as an arcade game in 1999 and was later released for the Dreamcast console in 2000. It became the third most popular Dreamcast game in the United States, with over one million copies sold. The game was later released on the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and IBM PC compatibles. Follow-up versions of the game were also released for the Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation Portable systems.

In each game, players take the role of a taxi driver who earns money by quickly transporting passengers to their destinations. Players can also earn extra money by performing special moves called "crazy stunts" before time runs out. The series is known for its creative gameplay, which is simple to learn but challenging to master. It also includes advertisements inside the game and music from the bands The Offspring and Bad Religion. The main way to play the game was patented by Sega, which led to a legal case involving a similar game called The Simpsons: Road Rage. The case was resolved without going to court.

Gameplay

Crazy Taxi and its sequels are games where players try to earn the highest score by following specific rules. In these games, players control a taxi driver in a fictional city. The goal is to find passengers and take them to their destinations as quickly as possible before time runs out on a main clock. Passengers waiting for rides are shown by colored markers above the city. Red markers mean short trips, yellow markers mean medium-length trips, and green markers mean long trips. When a passenger is picked up, the player gains extra time on the main clock. A second timer also starts, showing how much time is left to reach the passenger’s destination. While a passenger is in the taxi, a large green arrow appears on the player’s on-screen display, pointing toward the destination to help guide the player.

Players can perform special moves, such as drifting, jumping, or narrowly avoiding obstacles, to earn extra money during a trip. If the passenger reaches their destination on time, the player is paid based on how far they traveled, with a possible bonus for finishing quickly. If the passenger’s timer runs out, they leave the taxi without paying, and the player must find another fare. The game continues until the main clock runs out. At that point, the player is ranked based on the total money earned.

Unlike some other arcade games, players cannot continue from where they left off in a previous game. The game has a limited number of passengers, even though many are available during play. Once a passenger is picked up, they cannot be chosen again in that game session. The gameplay has been described as "deceptively complex," meaning it seems simple but becomes challenging as players progress.

Starting with Crazy Taxi 2, players could pick up multiple passengers at once, each with their own destination. The more passengers in the taxi, the higher the bonus for performing special moves. However, the total fare is only earned after all passengers are dropped off on time. Crazy Taxi 2 also added a new move called the "Crazy Hop," allowing the taxi to jump over obstacles or reach higher areas.

The console versions of the game include mini-games that challenge players to complete specific tasks using special moves. Some mini-games test driving skills, while others are more unusual, like taxi bowling or taxi pool. Some mini-games require completing others first before they can be played.

Before starting a game, players can choose from different drivers and their cars. Each driver and car has slightly different abilities, such as speed and turning, which affect how the game is played.

Development

The original arcade game was created by Hitmaker as a different type of game compared to other games at that time. Kenji Kanno, the producer of Crazy Taxi, said that the game gave players more time to play than the usual "100 yen for 3 minutes" rule for arcade games. Players could earn longer playtime by doing well in the game. Kanno also wanted the game to show what it was like to be a taxi driver in everyday life.

When making the Dreamcast version of the original game, the developers added a bigger map than the one in the arcade game. This helped players feel like they were "lost" and allowed them to enjoy "learning the town" through gameplay. Mini-games were added to the version so players could play longer if they improved their skills. These mini-games were both fun and helpful for learning. The team created over 100 mini-game ideas but later reduced them to the "Crazy Box" challenges in the game.

The "Crazy Hop" feature in Crazy Taxi 2 was added because the development team noticed that in New York, where the landscape is flat, they needed to create 3D space by letting players drive on buildings. They added the Crazy Hop to allow players to jump between rooftops to take shortcuts.

Hitmaker tried to make an online version of Crazy Taxi called Crazy Taxi Next for the Xbox. This version would have included multiplayer modes, night and day cycles with different passengers and destinations, and updated maps from earlier games. However, these features were removed, and the project was moved to Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller, which included some ideas from the Night version.

Kenji Kanno said that the gameplay in the Crazy Taxi series has not "changed" much with each new game because the main goal is to have fun quickly in a short time. Instead of changing the game's concept, the team tried new settings to see how the idea worked. Kanno considered bringing the game to newer consoles but wanted to include multiplayer features and a time cycle that would affect passengers and the game's environment.

The cities in the Crazy Taxi games were inspired by real places like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, and Las Vegas. Some versions of the game included real businesses, such as Pizza Hut and Tower Records, as destinations for passengers. These were later replaced with generic businesses due to licensing issues.

The Crazy Taxi series usually used hard rock and punk rock music. Early versions included songs by The Offspring and Bad Religion, but these were removed in later versions like the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Portable due to licensing problems. The Game Boy Advance version used instrumental music instead of recorded songs.

Sega was granted U.S. Patent 6,200,138 in 2001 for a "Game display method, moving direction indicating method, game apparatus and drive simulating apparatus." This patent describes an arcade cabinet similar to Sega's earlier game Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders (1997) and includes details about the arrow navigation system and pedestrian avoidance features used in Crazy Taxi.

In 2001, Electronic Arts and Fox Interactive released The Simpsons: Road Rage, a game that many reviewers said was clearly inspired by Crazy Taxi. Players controlled characters from The Simpsons and drove around Springfield, picking up passengers to deliver them to destinations. Sega sued Fox Entertainment, Electronic Arts, and Radical Games Ltd. for using the 138 patent without permission. The case, Sega of America, Inc. v. Fox Interactive, et al., was settled privately, and the amount was not made public. The 138 patent is considered one of the most important patents in video game development.

Games

The arcade version of Crazy Taxi was released in February 1999. It included a map inspired by San Francisco, which was called "Arcade" in the first console game and later renamed "West Coast" in later versions. The "Standard Version" arcade machine had a cockpit seat, steering wheel, gear shift lever (for forward and reverse gears), and brake and acceleration pedals. A smaller version called the "Naomi Cabinet Version" did not include the cockpit seat. The arcade game was one of the first to use the Sega NAOMI hardware processor, which was based on the Sega Dreamcast. This hardware was shown during Sega's exhibit at the 1999 Amusement Operators Union event in Japan.

The console version of Crazy Taxi was released for the Dreamcast on January 24, 2000. The Dreamcast and the arcade version used nearly the same hardware. Moving the game to the home console was difficult because the Dreamcast had limited memory. Sega used Crazy Taxi to demonstrate the power of the Dreamcast's graphics processor, which could keep 60 frames per second during gameplay. This version included the San Francisco-themed city (called "Original") and additional mini-games ("Crazy Box") to help players improve their driving skills. The new map was larger than the arcade version, allowing players to explore and experience the feeling of being lost. This was not possible in the arcade version, which limited movement to two dimensions.

After Sega stopped making hardware, other companies took over the Crazy Taxi franchise. Acclaim released the game for the PlayStation 2 on May 17, 2001, and for the GameCube on November 18. Activision and Strangelite later ported the game to PC in 2002. Only the PlayStation 2 version was more successful than the Dreamcast version, while others did not perform as well. The Dreamcast version could also be played through emulation on PC systems via GameTap.

Crazy Taxi 2 was released for the Dreamcast on May 28, 2001. It introduced four taxi drivers and two new maps based on New York City (called "Around Apple" and "Small Apple"). It added two gameplay features: collecting multiple passengers from one location and the "Crazy Hop," which let the taxi jump over traffic and obstacles. The "Crazy Box" mini-game from the first game was expanded into a "Crazy Pyramid" mode.

Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller was released for the Xbox on July 23, 2002, and later for PC in 2004. It reused the original arcade map and one from Crazy Taxi 2, and added a new map based on Las Vegas ("Glitter Oasis"). The game included four new characters to choose from. Players could unlock other vehicles, such as a stroller, bike, and carriage. Mini-games were arranged in a "Crazy X" format. An arcade version called "Crazy Taxi: High Roller" was created in 2003 using the same three maps as the home console version.

Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride was released for the Game Boy Advance on April 8, 2003. It was similar to the console versions, featuring San Francisco and Los Angeles-themed maps but with fewer mini-games. The game used 3D graphics for the city and streets, but the taxi, passengers, and traffic were shown as simple images to fit the Game Boy Advance's limited hardware. Richard Whittall, a designer at Graphics State, said the game was "the most technically challenging game for a handheld device" at the time.

Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars was developed by Sniper Studios with help from the original designers in Japan. It was released for the PlayStation Portable on August 7, 2007. The game combined elements from Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2 without changing the gameplay. It did not include in-game ads or the original soundtracks but allowed players to use their own music. Players could record up to a minute of gameplay and share it with friends. A multiplayer mode let players compete for fares on the same map or play time trials and "C-R-A-Z-Y" runs (a version of the game "Horse") using the same device.

Crazy Taxi: City Rush was announced by Sega in March 2014 as a free-to-play mobile game for iOS and Android. It was a mission-based runner game similar to Temple Run, where players could not control the taxi's speed but could use touch controls to avoid obstacles.

Crazy Taxi Tycoon, previously called Crazy Taxi Gazillionaire, was a mobile game developed by Demiurge Studios and released in 2017 for iOS and Android. It was a top-down business management game where players ran a taxi business and competed against a ridesharing company called Prestige Mega Corp. The game was removed from app stores in April 2020, and its servers shut down the next month.

During The Game Awards 2023, Sega released a trailer for a new Crazy Taxi game. It is the first major release since 2002's Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller. The game is described as a large-scale, open-world, multiplayer driving game built using the Unreal Engine. Series producer Kenji Kanno called it a "massively multiplayer driving game."

Reception

The original Dreamcast version of Crazy Taxi was one of the most popular games for the console. In 2000, it was the second best-selling Dreamcast game in the United States, selling nearly 750,000 copies. It later became the third best-selling Dreamcast game in the United States, with over a million units sold. The game was praised for its similarity to the arcade version, and some reviewers believed it made the controls and stunts easier to perform. However, the game had issues with "pop-up," which occurred because the game could not render faraway objects clearly, and the frame rate dropped when many cars appeared on the screen. Reviewers also pointed out the lack of depth compared to the arcade version, some problems with the destination arrow, and the in-game announcer's poor imitation of "Wolfman Jack."

Crazy Taxi 2 received positive reviews, as new features expanded the gameplay from the original game. Some reviewers thought more significant changes could have been made in the sequel. However, Crazy Taxi 3 was criticized by reviewers because it lacked new gameplay elements despite adding new maps. IGN noted in its review that "the creative energy that first inspired the Taxi series has greatly decreased."

The versions of the original game on the PS2 and GameCube platforms were not as well received as the Dreamcast version. Both had more "pop-up" and worse controls than the Dreamcast version, even though they included the same gameplay features. The port of Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride to the Game Boy Advance had serious graphic problems. IGN stated, "it's very clear the hardware was never designed to handle so much." Both PC versions of Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 3 also had graphic issues.

The PSP versions of Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars were better received than other ports. Reviews praised the multiplayer additions and the option to add a custom soundtrack, which IGN noted should be a standard feature in many PSP games. However, reviewers also mentioned some graphical glitches, long loading times, and the absence of the original soundtracks. Opinions on the controls were mixed, with some praising the control scheme on the PSP and others finding it stiff and inconsistent. GameSpot noted that the gameplay in Crazy Taxi does not compare well to more recent racing games on other platforms.

A Crazy Taxi segment appears in the "Sega Carnival" track of Sonic Riders, including a hidden shortcut where players can receive a ride from taxi driver Axel. A Crazy Taxi extreme gear can also be unlocked in the game. There is a minigame based on Crazy Taxi in the EyeToy game, Sega Superstars, where players move and shout to summon a taxi driver. B.D. Joe, who has appeared in most games in the series, is a playable character in the cross-series racing game, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. Sumo Digital's Steve "S0L" Lycett needed approval from SEGA AM3 to include B.D. Joe in the game. B.D. Joe also appeared in the sequel, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

Beyond video games

Sega has tried to expand the Crazy Taxi franchise beyond video games, with some successes and some failures.

In addition to video arcade games, Sega Enterprises, Inc. (USA) created a Crazy Taxi-themed redemption game in 2003. Players rolled coins or tokens down a sloped surface past a moving taxi model in the center of the playing field to hit one of eight targets (representing passengers) at the far end. Each passenger target was worth different points, and the game operator determined how many tickets players could win. The game included music and sounds from the original video games.

There were two attempts to make a movie based on the Crazy Taxi franchise. In 2001, Goodman-Rosen Productions obtained the movie rights, with Richard Donner set to direct. Donner said he enjoyed playing Crazy Taxi and believed the movie could be a popular summer film. Jane Thompson, director of licensing for Sega of America, stated the movie would include related merchandise, such as T-shirts and toys. However, this project stalled because of a lack of clear story ideas, as reported by Movie Insider. After this deal ended, Mindfire Entertainment acquired the movie rights in 2002, with a planned release in mid-2003. No further updates about the film have been shared since then.

In 2003, Sega signed a contract with DSI Toys to produce a remote-controlled car in their "GearHead" line based on Crazy Taxi. However, DSI Toys filed for bankruptcy later that year. Sega later created the production company Stories International and partnered with Evan Cholfin to develop film and TV projects based on the Crazy Taxi games.