Crazy Taxi 2

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Crazy Taxi 2
Crazy Taxi 2 cover art.
Japanese Dreamcast cover art
Developer(s)Hitmaker
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Kenji Kanno
Producer(s)Kenji Kanno
Artist(s)Takeo Iwase
SeriesCrazy Taxi
Platform(s)Dreamcast
Release
  • JP: May 13, 2001
  • NA: May 29, 2001[1]
  • EU: July 6, 2001
Genre(s)Racing, action
Mode(s)Single player

Crazy Taxi 2 (クレイジータクシー2, Kureijī Takushī 2) is a 2001 racing video game and the second installment of the Crazy Taxi series. It was originally released for the Dreamcast, and was later ported to the PSP as part of Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars in 2007. It is the last Crazy Taxi game to be released for the Dreamcast after it was discontinued on March 31, 2001.

Crazy Taxi 2 introduced several new features not found in the original, including two new cities, "Around Apple" and "Small Apple", both somewhat based on New York City. The new cities share four new drivers as default, bringing the total playable characters to eight.

Gameplay[edit]

The gameplay is very similar to the original Crazy Taxi, and centers around picking people up at destinations which are highlighted with colored rings, and dropping them off at stated destinations.

Unlike its predecessor, Crazy Taxi 2 allows the player to carry multiple passengers. The game also saw the introduction of the "Crazy Hop" feature, which allows the player to jump over certain surfaces to save time, as they ferry taxi passengers around the locations. By performing moves such as the "Crazy Hop" and the "Crazy Dash", the driver accumulates tips from their passengers, which increases the total score.

Each customer will have a different color appear above him or her with money sign according to the color. Green means long distance, yellow means mid range and red means short distance. The longer the distance, the more money the player can earn. There is a time limit when driving each customer to the destination. If the time limit expires before reaching the destination, the customer will jump out of the cab. The game has no restriction on players aside from a time limit, allowing players to drive as fast and as recklessly as they wish.

This sequel includes a modified soundtrack with rock bands The Offspring and Methods of Mayhem. The game also has some online modes in the form of a scoreboard, and replay-sharing. There are some unlockable items and maps for which players need to beat mini games to unlock.[2]

Reception[edit]

The game received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[3] Jeff Lundrigan of NextGen said, "If you liked the original—and really, who didn't?—there's just as much to like here."[14] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 35 out of 40.[8] Michael "Major Mike" Weigand of GamePro said, "CT2 had some lofty expectations to meet, but its new innovations and features aren't worth the sticker price. The game is hardly a lemon, it just can't quite make it off the test-drive rental lot."[18][b]

The game was nominated at The Electric Playground's 2001 Blister Awards for the "Dreamcast Game of the Year" award, but lost to both NFL 2K2 and NBA 2K2 (tie).[19]

Remake[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Two critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 8.5/10, and the other gave it 8/10.
  2. ^ GamePro gave the game 4.5/5 for graphics, 4/5 for sound, and two 3.5/5 scores for control and fun factor.

References[edit]

  1. ^ GameSpot staff (April 20, 2001). "New Media: Crazy Taxi 2". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on August 2, 2001. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "Crazy Taxi 2 Cheats, Codes, Unlockables". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Crazy Taxi 2". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  4. ^ Nicholls, Shawn. "Crazy Taxi 2 - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  5. ^ Edge staff (July 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2" (PDF). Edge. No. 99. Future Publishing. p. 92. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  6. ^ Sewart, Greg; Hager, Dean; Kujawa, Kraig (August 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 145. Ziff Davis. p. 111. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  7. ^ Miller, Sean (August 7, 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on May 12, 2002. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "ドリームキャスト – CRAZY TAXI 2 (クレイジータクシー2)". Famitsu. Vol. 915. Enterbrain. June 30, 2006. p. 46.
  9. ^ "Crazy Taxi 2". Game Informer. No. 99. FuncoLand. July 2001.
  10. ^ Gee, Brian (June 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2 Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (May 29, 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2 Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on July 8, 2001. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  12. ^ digitaltaco (June 4, 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2". PlanetDreamcast. GameSpy Industries. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  13. ^ Chau, Anthony (May 29, 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Lundrigan, Jeff (August 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2". NextGen. No. 80. Imagine Media. p. 83. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  15. ^ Urbanek, Andrew (June 29, 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2 (DC) Review". Extended Play. TechTV. Archived from the original on August 8, 2001. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  16. ^ Saltzman, Marc (June 11, 2001). "Road rage rules in racing games". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  17. ^ Porter, Alex (May 29, 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2". Maxim. MaximNet, Inc. Archived from the original on August 7, 2001. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  18. ^ Weigand, Michael "Major Mike" (August 2001). "Crazy Taxi 2" (PDF). GamePro. No. 155. IDG. p. 98. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  19. ^ EP staff (2002). "Blister Awards 2001 (Console Games 3)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on July 13, 2003. Retrieved April 7, 2024.

External links[edit]