The Playstation 2 version of Crazy Taxi came about as the first sign of Sega's shift in priorities between its hardware and software business. But in their quick grab for cash, did Sega make a mistake by licensing out the conversion to Acclaim? Surprisingly enough, no. The team at acclaim have done an excellent job to capture what appears to be a perfect Dreamcast conversion. Although, that said, there does appear to be a slight difference in resolution, but its like comparing apples and oranges. If you like the playstation 2, you will love the graphics, but if u have a dreamcast, you will prefer the native version.

With the basic aesthetic qualities assesed, we should probably get into how this game works. At its core, the gameplay mechanics of crazy taxi are akin to those of racing simulations, as you are required to drive frantically around city in order to pick up customers and drop them off at the destinations that they specify. The object of this game is to drop off the passengers as quickly as possible. The faster you drive, the more money you make, which is surprising as most taxi drivers that I have dealt with believe that such a strategy applied to real life would force them out of the industry. This may sound simple enough, but the excellent difficulty curve will mean that even a hardcore gamer will find it impossible to call this game a pushover. But that said, once you get into the game and discover all the shortcuts, you will pulling in a level of cash that only upper echelon of drug dealers have the ability to reach.

But unlike the criminal mafia organiations, or corporations like Sony, the death of people who stand in your way doesn't occur. There is a temptation that develops as you play the game which impulsively compels to drive down pedestrians. But the game wont let you. Oh well, I guess you can't have everything, besides I suspect that TPTB in the video games industry are anxious to avoid any negative press that carmagedon inspired carnage would create. That insignificant gripe aside, Crazy Taxi is a very impressive game. And for a conversion, it rates especially well. It deserves a score of 90%.