Crazy Taxi
Encyclopedia
Crazy Taxi is a sandbox
racing video game developed by Hitmaker (Sega AM3) and published by Sega
. It is the first game in the Crazy Taxi series. The game was first released in arcades
in 1999 and was ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. Subsequently, it was ported to the PlayStation 2
and Nintendo GameCube
by Acclaim
in 2001, and then Microsoft Windows
in 2002. The game was released on November 16, 2010 for the PlayStation Network and on November 24, 2010 for the Xbox Live Arcade
. It is featured on the Dreamcast Collection
. A port for the Zeebo
is also planned, though no release date has been set.
Reception to Crazy Taxi has been mostly positive and became one of the few Sega All Stars
. It has also earned Greatest Hits status on PlayStation 2 and Player's Choice
status on GameCube. Sega followed up on the success of Crazy Taxi by making a sequel, Crazy Taxi 2
for the Dreamcast, which included several gameplay changes. It would also be bundled with Crazy Taxi 2 in Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
, and later be bundled with other Dreamcast hits in Dreamcast Collection
. Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller was released for the Xbox on July 23, 2002, and later released as a PC title in 2004.
is added to the player's total money earned, a ratings are awarded depending on how long the player took to complete the journey. If the customer's timer runs out before the player reaches the destination the customer jumps from the taxi.
Players can select three, five or ten minute settings, or the Arcade Rules used in the original coin-op version of the game. In the three time-limited settings, play continues for the designated period of time, after which the cab automatically stops and no more points can be scored. Under Arcade Rules, the player starts with an initial time limit of one minute, which can be extended through time bonuses earned for quick deliveries. Console versions of the game also feature a mode known as Crazy Box, a set of minigame
s that feature challenges such as picking up and dropping off a number of customers within a time limit, bowling using the taxi as a ball, and popping giant balloons in a field.
The arcade version of the game includes sixty levels, and an additional "Original" stage was added for the console versions. Both levels are based in sunny coastal California
locales, with steep hills and other strong similarities to San Francisco
. The player has a choice of four drivers and their cabs, each of whom has slightly different attributes.
and Microsoft Windows
. The ratings board for South Korea revealed on June 1, 2010 that the game was rated for release on Xbox Live Arcade
. On June 10, 2010, Sega officially announced Crazy Taxi would be one of several Dreamcast titles to be released for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, and that it would be available in Fall 2010. These ports originally forced a 4:3 aspect ratio, with widescreen monitors will have blue bars on either side of the screen. In October 2010 it was announced that Crazy Taxi would feature full widescreen support. The game is a port of the Dreamcast version, but features the original arcade game's level as supplemental content. The PlayStation Network port was released November 23, 2010, while the Xbox Live Arcade version was released the following day. but also describe the arrow navigation system and pedestrian avoidance aspects that were used in Crazy Taxi.
Crazy Taxi producer Kenji Kanno noted that the time extension on gameplay was a breakaway of the current "100 yen for 3 minutes" that persisted at the time for arcade games, and rewarded players with longer playing times by performing well in the game. In addition to providing a game that could be played in short sessions, Kanno wanted a game to explore the "daily life and routine" of a taxi driver. In the development of the Dreamcast version of the original arcade game, the developers included a larger map in addition to the arcade one, as to create a feeling of "being lost" and allowing home console players to have fun "learning the town". Mini-games were developed for this version as to "let the player play longer if he improve[d] skill" by offering challenges that were both fun and educational. Over one hundred different ideas for mini-games were developed by the team but then pared down for the Crazy Box mini-game challenges for the game.
Crazy Taxi is also notable for its soundtrack featuring the bands Bad Religion
and The Offspring
, who provided all of the tracks for the arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 and GameCube ports. The PC featured an entirely new soundtrack, omitting the original bands in favor of music from Pivit
, Too Rude
, and Total Chaos
. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Crazy Taxi also exclude the original bands, providing an original soundtrack for the ports. Custom soundtracks can also be used on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 via their system firmware.
, Tower Records
, the FILA
sportswear store, Levi's store
or Kentucky Fried Chicken. Crazy Taxi also featured vans on the roads with the WOW! logo on the side. Each of these chains are modeled as a location in the game. This is considered one of the most prominent examples of product placement
in video gaming history. These establishments have been replaced with generic businesses in later versions due to licensing difficulties.
, respectively. The next port for the GameCube scored lower, with aggregate scores of 71.09% and 69/100. The PC port was the poorest rated of the initial ports, scoring an average of 55.67% at GameRankings. Sales for the game were generally high, with the Dreamcast version being the second largest selling Dreamcast game in the United States in , selling nearly 750,000 units, and both the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 versions selling in excess of one million units overall.
Critics generally praised the overall gameplay. An IGN
staff member said "I can't stress enough how addictive this game is." Of the Dreamcast port Game Revolution
's reviewer stated "a great arcade game became a good home game." They further noted the game's high difficulty, and added that while the game was difficult it was not frustrating. Micheal Goncalves of PALGN
added that the game was either a "love or hate" title, adding "if you love it, you will cherish the game and play it to your hearts content." Goncalves also pointed out that the game featured occasional pop up and clipping
. Reviews were split across the releases in regards to the game's soundtrack. PALGN cited Bad Religion
and The Offspring
as a high point of the game, While Game Revolution felt that the tracks were repetitive. GameSpot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann felt that the soundtrack was subjective to personal preference, stating "you'll either want to crank the volume up or turn the music all the way down." In a review for the PC version's altered soundtrack, fellow GameSpot reviewer Andrew Park felt that the new music was fitting for the game.
IGN's Hilary Goldstein called the Xbox Live Arcade release "a mad dash of fun", adding "there's almost no depth to Crazy Taxi, but that's just fine." Goldstein praised the fact that the port stayed true to the original source. However he felt that the lack of the original soundtrack "kills half the reason to pick Crazy Taxi up again." Criticism also pointed to the lack of visual updates such as higher resolution models and textures. GamePro
s Dave Rudden also lauded the fact that the port played faithfully to the original. Rudden echoed Goldstein's comments in regards to poor visuals, stating it had "ugly character models and boxy traffic cars." Robert Workman from GameZone
praised the game for sticking to its Sega roots; he stated "Crazy Taxi isn’t just a nostalgic trip, but also a wondrous stress reliever and an all-around entertaining game."
was released, followed by Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller in 2002. THQ
would publish the Graphic State Games
developed Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride
in 2003, the first and only title for the Game Boy Advance
. Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
, a compilation of Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2 was released in 2007 for the PlayStation Portable
, and is the newest title in the series.
Crazy Taxi and its sequels have also prompted several games which clone its core gameplay. The Simpsons: Road Rage was the first of these titles, released in 2001. In 2003, Sega
filed a lawsuit
against Fox Interactive, Electronic Arts, and Radical Entertainment. Sega claimed that the game was a patent infringement
of Crazy Taxi. The case, Sega of America, Inc. v. Fox Interactive, et al., was settled in private for an undisclosed amount. The poorly received Emergency Mayhem
for the Wii
utilizes the same core gameplay of the Crazy Taxi series, but adds additional elements in regards to driving emergency response vehicles
.
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
racing video game developed by Hitmaker (Sega AM3) and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. It is the first game in the Crazy Taxi series. The game was first released in arcades
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
in 1999 and was ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. Subsequently, it was ported to the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
by Acclaim
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
in 2001, and then Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in 2002. The game was released on November 16, 2010 for the PlayStation Network and on November 24, 2010 for the Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
. It is featured on the Dreamcast Collection
Dreamcast Collection
Dreamcast Collection is a video game compilation for Xbox 360 and PC. It includes four games from the Dreamcast, Sega's video game console originally released in 1998...
. A port for the Zeebo
Zeebo
Zeebo is a 3G-enabled entertainment and education system from Zeebo Inc. It not only enables users to play video games, but also connect to the Internet, communicate online and run educational applications. The Zeebo is targeted at developing markets such as BRIC and Mexico. Zeebo Inc...
is also planned, though no release date has been set.
Reception to Crazy Taxi has been mostly positive and became one of the few Sega All Stars
Sega All Stars
Sega All Stars was the name of Sega's budget series for the Dreamcast, similar to Platinum Hits, Greatest Hits, and Player's Choice, for games that have sold many copies. When a title became a Sega All Stars title, it was sold at a lower price and given reprinted labeling...
. It has also earned Greatest Hits status on PlayStation 2 and Player's Choice
Player's Choice
Nintendo Selects is a marketing label used by Nintendo to promote video games on Nintendo game consoles which have sold well; Nintendo Selects titles are sold at a lower price point than other games...
status on GameCube. Sega followed up on the success of Crazy Taxi by making a sequel, Crazy Taxi 2
Crazy Taxi 2
Crazy Taxi 2 was released solely on Dreamcast early in 2001 and is part of the Crazy Taxi series. It was ported to the PSP as part of Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars in 2007....
for the Dreamcast, which included several gameplay changes. It would also be bundled with Crazy Taxi 2 in Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars , is a PSP game, which is a port of both Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2. There is also a multiplayer aspect which was not available in the games' predecessors, where players compete against one another for customers and fare money...
, and later be bundled with other Dreamcast hits in Dreamcast Collection
Dreamcast Collection
Dreamcast Collection is a video game compilation for Xbox 360 and PC. It includes four games from the Dreamcast, Sega's video game console originally released in 1998...
. Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller was released for the Xbox on July 23, 2002, and later released as a PC title in 2004.
Gameplay
The main objective of the game is to pick up customers and take them to their chosen destination as quickly as possible. Along the way, money can be earned by performing stunts such as near misses with other vehicles. The player is directed to a destination by a large green arrow at the top of the screen. The arrow does not adjust based on obstacles, but rather points in the general direction of the destination. Once the player arrives near the destination, they must stop within a specified zone. When the destination is reached, that customer's fareFare
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger allowing him or her to make use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used.-Uses:...
is added to the player's total money earned, a ratings are awarded depending on how long the player took to complete the journey. If the customer's timer runs out before the player reaches the destination the customer jumps from the taxi.
Players can select three, five or ten minute settings, or the Arcade Rules used in the original coin-op version of the game. In the three time-limited settings, play continues for the designated period of time, after which the cab automatically stops and no more points can be scored. Under Arcade Rules, the player starts with an initial time limit of one minute, which can be extended through time bonuses earned for quick deliveries. Console versions of the game also feature a mode known as Crazy Box, a set of minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s that feature challenges such as picking up and dropping off a number of customers within a time limit, bowling using the taxi as a ball, and popping giant balloons in a field.
The arcade version of the game includes sixty levels, and an additional "Original" stage was added for the console versions. Both levels are based in sunny coastal California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
locales, with steep hills and other strong similarities to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. The player has a choice of four drivers and their cabs, each of whom has slightly different attributes.
Development and marketing
The arcade game was developed by Hitmaker as a variation from then-current arcade titles. The Crazy Taxi cabinet ran on Sega Naomi hardware. It was originally released in arcades as a sit-down machine. An upright version was later released. Over the next few years, the game would be ported to the Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. The ratings board for South Korea revealed on June 1, 2010 that the game was rated for release on Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
. On June 10, 2010, Sega officially announced Crazy Taxi would be one of several Dreamcast titles to be released for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, and that it would be available in Fall 2010. These ports originally forced a 4:3 aspect ratio, with widescreen monitors will have blue bars on either side of the screen. In October 2010 it was announced that Crazy Taxi would feature full widescreen support. The game is a port of the Dreamcast version, but features the original arcade game's level as supplemental content. The PlayStation Network port was released November 23, 2010, while the Xbox Live Arcade version was released the following day. but also describe the arrow navigation system and pedestrian avoidance aspects that were used in Crazy Taxi.
Crazy Taxi producer Kenji Kanno noted that the time extension on gameplay was a breakaway of the current "100 yen for 3 minutes" that persisted at the time for arcade games, and rewarded players with longer playing times by performing well in the game. In addition to providing a game that could be played in short sessions, Kanno wanted a game to explore the "daily life and routine" of a taxi driver. In the development of the Dreamcast version of the original arcade game, the developers included a larger map in addition to the arcade one, as to create a feeling of "being lost" and allowing home console players to have fun "learning the town". Mini-games were developed for this version as to "let the player play longer if he improve
Crazy Taxi is also notable for its soundtrack featuring the bands Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
and The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
, who provided all of the tracks for the arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 and GameCube ports. The PC featured an entirely new soundtrack, omitting the original bands in favor of music from Pivit
Pivit
Pivit was an American punk rock band hailing from Poway and Cardiff, California, formed in late 1994 by original drummer Mark McLemore, lead singer Chris Moore, and guitarist Eric Sisson in San Diego County, California. In 1995, they recorded their first demo entitled Find the Fuzz...
, Too Rude
Too Rude
Too Rude is a Reggae Punk from Hermosa Beach, California. Too Rude was created by the Vocalist Dogboy and the Bass Guitarist Lazy Dread. They released their debut Too Rude July 4, 2000 on Suburban Noize Records.-Biography:...
, and Total Chaos
Total Chaos
Total Chaos is an American street punk band from Pomona Valley, California, formed in 1989. Lead vocalist Rob Chaos is also co-owner of SOS Records with Ezzat Soliman, owner of the Showcase Theater, having released albums by classic Punk and Oi! bands like The Exploited, Vice Squad, Sham 69,...
. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Crazy Taxi also exclude the original bands, providing an original soundtrack for the ports. Custom soundtracks can also be used on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 via their system firmware.
In-game advertising
As well as generic destinations such as the city's police station, rail terminal and lookout point, passengers may also request to be taken to Pizza HutPizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
, Tower Records
Tower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
, the FILA
Fila (company)
Fila is one of the world's largest sportswear manufacturing companies. Founded in 1911 in Italy, Fila has been owned and operated from South Korea since a takeover in 2007. Headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon, Fila now has offices in 11 countries worldwide....
sportswear store, Levi's store
Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Franconia, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business...
or Kentucky Fried Chicken. Crazy Taxi also featured vans on the roads with the WOW! logo on the side. Each of these chains are modeled as a location in the game. This is considered one of the most prominent examples of product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
in video gaming history. These establishments have been replaced with generic businesses in later versions due to licensing difficulties.
Reception
Most versions of Crazy Taxi were generally well received by critics. The Dreamcast version of Crazy Taxi was critically acclaimed, averaging 90.27% at video game aggregate site GameRankings based on 36 reviews. Subsequent ports of the game have suffered a trend of declining average scores. The PlayStation 2 port averaged 79.07% at GameRankings and 80/100 at MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, respectively. The next port for the GameCube scored lower, with aggregate scores of 71.09% and 69/100. The PC port was the poorest rated of the initial ports, scoring an average of 55.67% at GameRankings. Sales for the game were generally high, with the Dreamcast version being the second largest selling Dreamcast game in the United States in , selling nearly 750,000 units, and both the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 versions selling in excess of one million units overall.
Critics generally praised the overall gameplay. An IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
staff member said "I can't stress enough how addictive this game is." Of the Dreamcast port Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
's reviewer stated "a great arcade game became a good home game." They further noted the game's high difficulty, and added that while the game was difficult it was not frustrating. Micheal Goncalves of PALGN
PALGN
The PAL Gaming Network is an Australian based video game news and reviews website that focuses on the videogame industry and culture in PAL territories, particularly Australia and the UK. It was launched in 2003 by a group of PAL forum members on the IGN message boards who were disenfranchised by...
added that the game was either a "love or hate" title, adding "if you love it, you will cherish the game and play it to your hearts content." Goncalves also pointed out that the game featured occasional pop up and clipping
Draw distance
Draw distance is a computer graphics term, defined as the maximum distance of objects in a three dimensional scene that are drawn by the rendering engine. Polygons that lie behind the draw distance won't be drawn to the screen....
. Reviews were split across the releases in regards to the game's soundtrack. PALGN cited Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
and The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
as a high point of the game, While Game Revolution felt that the tracks were repetitive. GameSpot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann felt that the soundtrack was subjective to personal preference, stating "you'll either want to crank the volume up or turn the music all the way down." In a review for the PC version's altered soundtrack, fellow GameSpot reviewer Andrew Park felt that the new music was fitting for the game.
IGN's Hilary Goldstein called the Xbox Live Arcade release "a mad dash of fun", adding "there's almost no depth to Crazy Taxi, but that's just fine." Goldstein praised the fact that the port stayed true to the original source. However he felt that the lack of the original soundtrack "kills half the reason to pick Crazy Taxi up again." Criticism also pointed to the lack of visual updates such as higher resolution models and textures. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
s Dave Rudden also lauded the fact that the port played faithfully to the original. Rudden echoed Goldstein's comments in regards to poor visuals, stating it had "ugly character models and boxy traffic cars." Robert Workman from GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
praised the game for sticking to its Sega roots; he stated "Crazy Taxi isn’t just a nostalgic trip, but also a wondrous stress reliever and an all-around entertaining game."
Legacy
Crazy Taxis success prompted Sega to produce multiple sequels. In 2001, Crazy Taxi 2Crazy Taxi 2
Crazy Taxi 2 was released solely on Dreamcast early in 2001 and is part of the Crazy Taxi series. It was ported to the PSP as part of Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars in 2007....
was released, followed by Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller in 2002. THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
would publish the Graphic State Games
Graphic State Games
Graphic state games are a now defunct software house located in Warwickshire, UK.The firm specilised on games for portable devices like the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance but also worked on a number of PlayStation/PlayStation 2, GameCube and PC game projects....
developed Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride
Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride
Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride is the Game Boy Advance version of Crazy Taxi . It was developed by Graphic State Games and published by THQ. The game features two cities and nine mini games in the Crazy Box mode. The four cabbies found in the original are also in this game....
in 2003, the first and only title for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars , is a PSP game, which is a port of both Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2. There is also a multiplayer aspect which was not available in the games' predecessors, where players compete against one another for customers and fare money...
, a compilation of Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2 was released in 2007 for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, and is the newest title in the series.
Crazy Taxi and its sequels have also prompted several games which clone its core gameplay. The Simpsons: Road Rage was the first of these titles, released in 2001. In 2003, Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against Fox Interactive, Electronic Arts, and Radical Entertainment. Sega claimed that the game was a patent infringement
Patent infringement
Patent infringement is the commission of a prohibited act with respect to a patented invention without permission from the patent holder. Permission may typically be granted in the form of a license. The definition of patent infringement may vary by jurisdiction, but it typically includes using or...
of Crazy Taxi. The case, Sega of America, Inc. v. Fox Interactive, et al., was settled in private for an undisclosed amount. The poorly received Emergency Mayhem
Emergency Mayhem
Emergency Mayhem is a video game available for the Wii developed and released by Codemasters.-History:Emergency Mayhem was first announced for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo, published and developed by Acclaim. However, the game was canceled when Acclaim filed...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
utilizes the same core gameplay of the Crazy Taxi series, but adds additional elements in regards to driving emergency response vehicles
Fly-car
An ambulance emergency response vehicle is a vehicle operated by an emergency medical service to respond to medical emergencies either in addition to, or in place of, an ambulance capable of transporting patients....
.