''Crazy Taxi 2'' is a 2001
racing video game
Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...
and the second installment of the
''Crazy Taxi'' series. It was originally released for the
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...
, It was later ported to the
PSP as part of ''
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars'' in 2007. It is the last ''Crazy Taxi'' game to be released for the Dreamcast after it was discontinued on March 31, 2001.
''Crazy Taxi 2'' introduced several new features not found in the original, including two new cities, "Around Apple" and "Small Apple", both somewhat based on
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The new cities share four new drivers as default, bringing the total playable characters to eight.
Gameplay
The gameplay is very similar to the original ''
Crazy Taxi
''Crazy Taxi'' is a series of racing video games that was developed by Hitmaker and published by Sega. The first game appeared in arcades in 1999 and was very successful, prompting Sega to port the arcade version to their Dreamcast console ...
'', and centers around picking people up at destinations which are highlighted with colored rings, and dropping them off at stated destinations.
Unlike its predecessor, ''Crazy Taxi 2'' allows the player to carry multiple passengers. The game also saw the introduction of the "Crazy Hop" feature, which allows the player to jump over certain surfaces to save time, as they ferry taxi passengers around the locations. By performing moves such as the "Crazy Hop" and the "Crazy Dash", the driver accumulates tips from their passengers, which increases the total score.
Each customer will have a different color appear above him or her with money sign according to the color. Green means long distance, yellow means mid range and red means short distance. The longer the distance, the more money the player can earn. There is a time limit when driving each customer to the destination. If the time limit expires before reaching the destination, the customer will jump out of the cab. The game has no restriction on players aside from a time limit, allowing players to drive as fast and as recklessly as they wish.
This sequel includes a modified soundtrack with rock bands
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guit ...
and
Methods of Mayhem
Methods of Mayhem is an American rap rock band formed in 1999 by Tommy Lee, who had temporarily quit his position as Mötley Crüe's drummer.
History
Lee formed Methods of Mayhem on the eve of his divorce from Pamela Anderson. The band's self- ...
. The game also has ''some'' online modes in the form of a scoreboard, and replay-sharing.
There are some unlockable items and maps for which players need to beat mini games to unlock.
Reception
Jeff Lundrigan reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for ''
Next Generation'', rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "if you liked the original – and really, who didn't? – there's just as much to like here".
The game received "favorable" reviews according to video game
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.
Remake
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2001 video games
Dreamcast games
Dreamcast-only games
Sega-AM3 games
Video games developed in Japan
Crazy Taxi
Video games about taxis
Video games set in New York City
Single-player video games