It isn't very often that a game is so unique and different that it spawns an entire new genre, but that is exactly what Crazy Taxi did. With it's off the wall racing and innovative gameplay, Crazy Taxi is the template from which numerous clones would be cast. It is often said that nothing ever beats the original, and in this case I am inclined to agree.
Aesthetics:
Remember that small bundle of goodness called the Dreamcast? If you do then you know what to expect from Crazy Taxi on the GameCube. Since this title is nothing more than a port of the Sega original, things haven't changed much if any at all. Polygon count remains moderate, and texture work is clean and crisp if nothing else. Crazy Taxi won't win any awards for visuals that is for sure, but everything is still conveyed as it should be. Which to be perfectly honest is all that is all that really matters. Bottom line: It could be better, but it's a port so who cares.
Sound:
The music aspect of this game can be summed up in one question. Do you like The Offspring? If the answer is yes, then you'll love the music. If the answer is no... Well at least you can turn it off.
On the other hand the sound effects and voices are clear and don't show any signs of heavy compression. (Which frankly, I'm still not used to.) Each character has a distinct personality that is conveyed in their voices, and the customers that ride in the cab express themselves vocally as well. Although I will never understand and actually look down upon the fact that every single passenger will say, "DAMN!" when they are upset. Even a nice little old lady will blurt out mild obscenities when her ride doesn’t go as expected. Now, some might see this as funny, and 'mature' but I certainly do not. I curse like a sailor myself, but in my opinion this is just a blatant attempt to corral older gamers into thinking this title is cool... or something.
Control:
There are two control schemes to choose from in Crazy Taxi, and both work well within the structure of the title. Acceleration and turning are responsive, and those crazy taxi’s can stop exactly on a dime. Also, there isn't a hint of sluggishness or delay when driving your taxi through hell and back, which in this type of game is exactly what you need.
Gameplay:
Crazy Taxi is like no other game on the market. Well, it was before the legions of clones were made anyway. Take your normal average racing game, add obstacles such as people, buildings, and terrain, toss in a time limit, sprinkle in some unrealistic physics, and add a dash of story. Then stir, and bake for 20 minutes and voila! You’ve got a mishmash of a game that manages to please for about as long as it took to bake.
Now don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game at first. There are four different drivers and taxis that you can choose from, and the initial rush of running your fare to his/her destination is exhilarating in the beginning. After a while though, despite the many tricks you can perform to add speed, the simple act of faring a group of loudmouthed annoying passengers every which way gets rather repetitive, not to mention aggravating.
As with most things I suppose it is a matter of taste, but Crazy Taxi doesn't seem to have much replay value, and the fact that so many different games were made on this simple theme is mind boggling to me.
Multiplayer:
Multiplayer? We don't need no stinking multiplayer!
OVERALL:
At its core, Crazy Taxi is an arcade game and nothing more. Fast repetitive game play that begs you to pop in another quarter until you get bored and move on. As fun as it initially is, it remains shallow, and home console gamers have come to expect things that hold far more depth than this.
The Lowdown on  Crazy Taxi
| Aesthetics: Average |
Control: Above Average |
| Gameplay: Average |
Multiplayer: |
| Sound: Average |
Innovation: 4/6 |
| Lasting Appeal: 1/6 |
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Overall: Average!
"An Average Game"
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Crazy Taxi
