Crazy Taxi 2

"Come and take a ride wit me!"

Crazy Taxi 2: Big Apple Style
''Practice makes perfect'', those three simple words sum up the whole of Crazy Taxi 2. The game is filled with frustration, adventure and pure bliss when achieving the goal you have sought after for so many goes of failure.
This is my overall opinion on this game alone, keeping in mind it was the sequel to the much acclaimed Crazy Taxi, and whether people who owned and enjoyed the original should dish out more cash for CT2.

Ride With me baby!
The gameplay elements of Crazy Taxi 2 are really not much change on its predecessor . An alternative to the crazy box system from the first game has been added, crazy pyramid as its name. It consists of many challenges which will test your commitment and temper levels to the fullest. But when achieving the goal of getting the highest score in Crazy Golf or finally completing the awfully hard Crazy Zigzag, all the frustration flies out the window knowing you have finally made the cut.

I'll take you through some of the new mini-games, describing them best I can, also adding my high scores to give you something to aim for:

Crazy Golf
Attack the ball and make it fly at least 100 yards!
This is my personal favourite as it was a nice introduction to the cool new move, crazy hop. There's always room for improvement in this mini-game, making me always come back to it.
My score: 411.82 yards

Crazy Stairs
Get your fair to the destination without falling off the track!
The hardest, most frustrating task in crazy Taxi 2. This mini-game threatened my sanity and my DC controller to boot. I can honestly say I hate this with all my heart, it just takes patience and practice (of course the actual skill before hand helps), and you'll finally pull it off.

The Crazy zigzag is back, along with Crazy Jump and a few others to suit the Crazy hop skill. If them two newbies take your fancy then add that to your pro list.
Two new cities have been added to give avid followers from the first game new exploration, and to ensure boredom doesn't creep up on the gamer too quickly, they are absolutely huge! Big Apple is the first of the 2, many famous sites from New York have been added in this area for a more comfortable feel.
Getting to know your way around will be the toughest part, but the trusty green arrow is still there to guide you through the city.
The one downside to Crazy Taxi 2 is the games lasting appeal. I completed this game in one day, not to say I won't come back to it, but after a couple of weeks you will inevitably get bored.
I think the gameplay is fantastic and the two new cities make for a completely new feel. The downside is of course the length, which if you’re an expert like me, it won't last too long.

8.0/10

Music
The tunes are fantastic and really get you in the mood for some crazy driving! Offspring are still numero uno in rock and forever will be as long as they keep producing this top-grade stuff.
More of the same from Crazy Taxi, only this time round they actually kept me persevering through some of the Pyramid challenges.
The feeling you get when racing through NY at speeds well over the crazy factor, trying to run over poor civilians is a class in itself.
I usually don't give music a grade because its not a big factor in a game. But when it comes to driving, good music is one step further to the ultimate racer.

8.5/10

Graphics
Another strong point of the game. The graphic's engine from the first game is still there, only looking a little more jazzed up with the new surroundings. Why change an already perfect graphics engine anyway? Well done to the developers on this part. Its almost like a Football team, why change the players round when the formation used is perfectly fine already.
Graphics are brilliant and that’s all there is to it.

9/10

Control
The controls are still there. Same as usual with some new moves added to keep the interest flowing. More noticeable is the crazy hop feature which allows for some humorous moments in the game.
Same as the graphics engine, kept the same and simply brilliant.
The learning curve is quite easy too, letting newbies get into this game quickly and veterans to easily pick it up from before.

9/10

To buy or not to buy?
This is a major factor. If you do end up completing this game within a day, maybe you'll be reluctant on actually buying it. But the fact is you'll come back to it time and time again and play for maybe only ten minutes, or up to 3 hours, again like myself.
I think this game is definitely worth buying, if not for the pure nostalgia of owning it, than just for the great fun elements it gives you.
I craved for this game, now I've got it I'm not disappointed, a must buy!

This has to be the most fun I've had in ages, I love this lil' gem to bits and I can't understand why! All it is, is picking up customers in a cool city, driving at crazy speeds, and having the time of your life in doing so.
I have only owned it for 2 days, completed it I have, but I won't get bored for quite some time. Get it now or you'll die a horrible death.
While your outside go see the Mummy returns too, that’s one cool movie!

8.5/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/03/01, Updated 06/03/01