The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
For our latest entry, we buckle up for a bumpy ride in Sega’s classic adrenaline-fueled arcade racer, Crazy Taxi.
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Developer: Hitmaker
Region(s) available: North America, Europe, Japan
Players: 1
Crazy Taxi has been around the block a few times. Originally launched in the arcades around the turn of the millennium, the fast-paced racer later showed up on Dreamcast before being ported to GameCube and PlayStation 2 in the years following Sega’s demise as a hardware manufacturer. Sequels followed, but the franchise has stumbled over a few roadblocks as of late. Still, the inaugural cash-raking classic remains very much a fan favourite among gaming aficionados, not least because it stems from a time when Sega still churned out kick-ass arcade games and pioneering hardware. Ah, the memories. Concurrently, it also serves as a stark reminder of a time when the Japanese giant was able to spread its creative wings on the back of legendary developers such as Yu Suzuki, without the messy restraints of corporate reshuffling. Indeed, how times have changed.
But enough of our nostalgic waffling. The Dreamcast may have gone to that mighty plastics factory in the sky, but its legacy forever endures for those of us who were wise enough to spare our machines the fate of ending up on some dodgy second-hand store shelf. Or if you happen to have already flogged your console (tsk tsk), there’s always the opportunity to capitalise on renewed interest via PSN and XBLA. Here, Crazy Taxi is just one of the many DC games that Sega’s pulled out of its retro-filled pockets to entrance a whole new generation. At its core, the game is about as simplistic as it gets. Hop into a cab, bolt through the city picking up punters and deliver them to their destination as quickly as possible. Along the way, however, you’re encouraged to rake in extra cash – "Craaaaazy Money" as the announcer so eloquently puts it – by performing a series of insane stunts. These bumper-busting antics can range from anything including ramming other vehicles at full pelt, rampaging through barriers or ploughing off steep hills sending you hurtling through the air.
Once you’ve reached your destination – which shouldn’t be hard given the conspicuously large on-screen arrow – you drop off your panicked passenger, who then pays you for your “services.” The crazier and faster you are, the more dough you’ll earn. Take too long however, and your customer will bail out of the cab. Those who have played the original will no doubt appreciate the presence of leaderboards for this digital re-release, offering further incentive to tenaciously chip away at your completion times to improve your overall score. Have a gander under the hood and you’ll also find a couple of extra distractions for your consumption. These include the Crazy Box Mode, which offers a heap of bite-sized mini-games to partake in where your skills as a crazy cabbie will be put to the test.
Still, long time followers will no doubt be a little miffed to learn of the alterations to the soundtrack. Back in the arcades and on the DC, Crazy Taxi boasted a stonking aural onslaught in the form of a collection of tunes from American punk rockers Bad Religion and The Offspring. However, the tracks were elbowed off the PSN/XBLA release as a result of licencing issues, and the replacement score isn’t much cop to say the least. Fortunately, the issue is easily rectified by taking advantage of the game’s custom soundtrack option. Aesthetically things also take a bit of a tumble, with iconic establishments such as KFC, Tower Records and Pizza Hut conspicuously absent due to the reasons described above. Old-timers are only likely to grumble at these glaring omissions though, as newcomers will be none the wiser. The pertinent point is, Crazy Taxi is still as furiously engaging as ever, and doesn’t skimp on the difficulty – you’ll be chiselling away at this for quite some time if you’re to send your scores hurtling through the stratosphere. The framerate’s also been kicked up a gear, too, resulting in a smooth cruise as opposed to the occasional Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-esque chugging of the PS2 port.
That’s it for another week, so be sure to join us again on Monday as we leap headfirst Inside PlayStation Network.