Crazy Taxi 2

"Take me to a good sequel."

''Crazy Taxi'' has returned with an east coast element in ''Crazy Taxi 2.'' If you've played the game, you understand what it's about. If not, then your job is to pick up as many customers as you can and drop them off in a certain amount of time. The higher the fee, the higher the awards get. Not only did we get a great port on the Dreamcast with the first one, but we got another city just for the home version along with the Crazy Box: a series of mini-games you can play to earn a prize or two practicing certain maneuvers. The game also featured four crazy drivers named Axel, Gena, B.D. Joe, and Gus. ''Crazy Taxi 2'' features more fun along with four new drivers named Slash, Iceman, Cinnamon, and Hot-D. What else is new? The Crazy Pyramid: a new set of mini-games where you play for many prizes like maps and other vehicles. Once you've completed the Pyramid you will have one more to finish for a big surprise. It's well worth it, mind you. There is new music from the Offspring and Methods of Mayhem and a new maneuver called the Crazy Hop that allows you to reach high places and escape traffic. Oh, I should mention that there are new customers and now you can pick up groups of customers--each one of them go to different locations.

Graphics - 09/10: The graphics haven't changed greatly since the original game; nonetheless, I still think they are very impressive even though there is slowdown at times. I especially like the details of the cities. This time there are higher levels that need to be reached with the Crazy Hop. There are no major improvements, but the graphics are still very good.

Music/Sound - 08/10: No more ''All I Want,'' but the Offspring provide some more songs for the game as well as Methods of Mayhem. The songs aren't bad, but I have yet to cope with them. The sound effects are still sharp and the voice-acting is still funny.

Gameplay - 9.5/10: Hitmaker did a very good job with ''Crazy Taxi 2.'' It truly is a worthy sequel. The game starts out with ''We're back!'' and already has new stuff to choose from. The first two modes are the Around and Small Apple modes similar to the Arcade and Original cities of ''Crazy Taxi.'' Those are the main games which you try to earn as much money as you can. You can play by the arcade (now known as Normal) rules or work for 3, 5, and 10 minutes. I would now like to point out that ''Crazy Taxi 2'' is much more difficult than the first. There is much more traffic, and the ability to tone that down as well as changing the difficulty is gone. The arrow isn't your friend anymore, either. You could follow it, and just when you think you have to turn right, you end up having to go straight. The arrow points out the fastest way to get to the destination, not how to get there. Nonetheless, the feel is definately tougher. Passengers from the ground level may want to go to a place that requires using the Crazy Hop to reach. You'll need those reaction skills for that. Not only do you have to pick up single passengers, groups of 2 to 4 will want to go to a certain destination. The catch is that each one of them wants to go somewhere different. One person might want to go to the zoo, the second to the art museum, the third to Burger King, and the fourth to a church. The arrow will not tell you where to go first. If it finds a shortcut to any place to one spot when you're going the other, you had best make a decision. Whatever's nearer, in your opinion. Perform tricks and fast moves to get there faster. Maps for the two areas are available in the Crazy Pyramid mode. The Small Apple mode of ''CT2'' is more difficult than Around Apple mode, I'd like to point out. The Crazy Pyramid mode starts out easy enough. The Crazy Jump stage requires you to land on the ground from a certain distance. Crazy Golf lets you use the Crazy Hop to hit a giant golf ball with the same distance concept--simple. Later on is where the skills are needed. You must learn things like the Crazy Drift Hop in order to deliver a passenger in good time. You will need to learn to stop and go. I think one of the biggest challenges is the Crazy Tour, the Around Apple mode that gives you six minutes to deliver around 30 passengers to their respective destinations. You will need to learn to use all your tricks and turn in the directions so that you're ready to leave off for the next stop. If you've played the first game and are good, you'll probably conquer it. Then there is the Crazy Special where you take passengers to any near destination. They don't plan on going anywhere specific. Take them where you want to. The Crazy Pyramid mode is still fun, and brings challenge. The new Replay mode allows you to record your work as you drive passengers to their destinations. I like this mode, but I think we could have used more than just one minute to record. You don't even get extra bonus time. With the exception of the Crazy Hop, the controls and the tricks are the same from ''Crazy Taxi.'' The new characters aren't as great as the ones from the first game. However, Iceman seems to be the coolest. They remind me of the cast of ''Survivor: The Austrailian Outback.'' While people appreciated the first cast (except Richard Hatch, probably), not everybody liked the second. I could be wrong, but that's how I felt about ''Survivor II.'' Iceman has the best attitude, though. Overall, more fun is found in this game. The craziness does indeed continue. This is one worthy sequel even without the two-player or internet play. There is an internet feature, however, that lets you view the ''CT2'' home page as well as scores and replays.

Replay Value - 09/10: Once again, the craziness does not stop. You'll spend quite some time with the Crazy Pyramid, the Replay mode, and the main games. It's ''Crazy Taxi,'' and that means you'll be playing for quite some time with so many modes and secrets to unlock.

Overall Factor - 09/10: A worthy sequel with lots of new stuff. Hitmaker didn't fail to bring the feel to the sequel. ''We gonna have some fun,'' as B.D. Joe puts it nicely.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/03/01, Updated 06/03/01