Retroware Arcade

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Crazy Taxi is a series of racing games developed by Hitmaker and published by Sega. It was first available as an arcade video game in 1999, then released for the Dreamcast console in 2000. It is the third best-selling Dreamcast game in the United States, selling over a million copies. The arcade version of Crazy Taxi was released in February 1999, and featured only the San Francisco-inspired map (known as “Arcade” in the first console game, and later as “West Coast” in sequels).

The original arcade game was developed by Hitmaker as a variation from then-current arcade titles. 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.

The franchise has been recognized for its innovative gameplay design which is easy to learn but difficult to master, its use of in-game advertising, and its soundtrack music provided by the bands The Offspring and Bad Religion. The core gameplay mechanic was patented by Sega, leading to at least one lawsuit over similar gameplay in The Simpsons: Road Rage, which was settled out of court.

What song do you think of when you play Crazy Taxi? Do you remember your highest score? Show us your Crazy Taxi skills at the Retroware Arcade!

(sources: https://web.archive.org/web/20070812120857/http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/162/162006p1.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20071024174209/http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/074/074863p1.html)