--- title: "Crazy Taxi Is Coming Back After 21 Years, and It Has a Lot to Live Up To" description: "The original Crazy Taxi was a masterpiece of addictive game design. Can the new one recreate those sparks?" date: "2023-12-08" modified: "2023-12-08" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/crazy-taxi-is-coming-back-and-it-has-a-lot-to-live-up-to" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "Video Games" --- # Crazy Taxi Is Coming Back After 21 Years, and It Has a Lot to Live Up To ![]() *\Sega\* Just before 8 p.m. Eastern last night, I received several texts from different people about the same subject. Loosely summarized, they all pretty much read "holy shit Adam, did you see what Sega just did?" I had *not* seen what [Sega]() just did, because rather than watching The Game Awards, I was streaming *House, M.D.* on Peacock while devouring Chicken Tikka Masala from my favorite local Indian joint. (Yes, I lead a truly charmed life.) Anyway, had I been tuning in, all that delicious curry would've spilled out my mouth as Sega announced not one, not two, but *five* ambitious-looking games, all based on its classic IP. And one of them, *The Drive* audience will be most interested to know, was a new *Crazy Taxi*. This is a big deal, but not totally a surprise. *[Bloomberg]()* reported in April of 2022 that Sega was working on a new *Jet Set Radio* and *Crazy Taxi* to "chase *Fortnite* riches," a nauseating proposition, as part of its new "Super Game" initiative. We don't exactly know what a "Super Game" is yet because nobody's had a chance to play one, but reading between the lines, it sure seems like a game, possibly of the free-to-play variety, with ample streams of monetization. https://youtu.be/0VHYLJR9pNg?si=vGIo3ElcTKbUtlMk&t=72 *This trailer's been timestamped to the part where the new *Crazy Taxi* first appears.* I don't know how Sega plans to realize that vision in the context of *Crazy Taxi*, a game historically about risking life and limb, as well as those of your passenger and all other motorists in your vicinity, to complete fares as quickly as possible in the allotted time limit—preferably to a soundtrack of The Offspring and Bad Religion. I'm not saying there's not a way for Sega to do it, just that I hope in the process, the elegant simplicity and addictiveness of *Crazy Taxi's* gameplay isn't lost. See, *Crazy Taxi* is sort of like the *Tetris* of driving games, in that it couldn't be more content-light, but every playthrough is different, and each time a run ends, it's extremely difficult for me to pull myself away from starting another. The objective is simple and the cabs themselves easy to drive, but the variety of techniques at the player's disposal to maximize their fares give the game an exceptionally high skill ceiling. It's easy to jump in but hard to master, the calling card of every great credit guzzler. ![]() *Key art for the original *Crazy Taxi*, which actually looked about this good on Dreamcast, albeit not quite so sharp. Sega* As I study [what little footage of the work-in-progress new entry Sega's released](), I'm anticipating how that gameplay might be made a little more complex. In one clip, we can see cop cars chasing down our lawless cabbies, while in another we can see multicolored flames emanating from one of the taxis as it drifts, evoking how boost is built in *Mario Kart*. It's also clear that there are multiple taxis on the move in some of the footage, which makes sense, because it'd be hard to deliver a multiplayer "Super Game" if players couldn't fight each other wheel-to-wheel for business. I understand modern games need an abundance of gameplay mechanics and systems to keep players' attention today, and that's why *Fortnite* makes you build a house during every gunfight. I don't *agree* with it, necessarily, but it is what it is. Let's just hope these additions don't chip away at the core of what's made *Crazy Taxi*, and its sequels to a lesser extent, stand the test of time. ![]() *Axel's cab looks good, and I like that it still has the "1NOM155" license plate. Everything else, a little sparse.* It's encouraging to see at least three of the four cabbies from the original entry—Axel, Gina, and B.D. Joe—returning for the reboot, with up-to-date models of their iconic rides. Gus was always my main, though, so I hope he's not far behind. While the game itself still clearly has a ways to go in terms of development, and the environments appear to have a bit of that "[hire this man]()" energy of seeing anything retro dumped into Unreal Engine 5, the self-reflections on Axel's cab, visible in the tailfins and the chrome bumper, look positively glorious. They have me salivating at [what a proper new *Daytona*]() or *Sega Rally* could look like, with state-of-the-art graphical techniques. (*[Daytona Championship USA]()* doesn't count—we don't talk about that one.) Hopefully that's a topic we can return to in earnest next time Sega resurrects some more oldies. Another question is what team Sega has tasked with resurrecting *Crazy Taxi*. The company's two most prominent studios concentrate on *Sonic* and the *Like a Dragon/Yakuza* series. Now it's publishing five titles, similarly ambitious in scope. For what it's worth, Sega COO Shuji Utsumi told the *[Washington Post]()* that *Jet Set Radio's* original creators are involved with that game's modern reinvention, and hopefully, the same is true for *Crazy Taxi*. Guess we'll have to wait and see. It's been 21 years since *High Roller*—what's a couple more? *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()