Could Crazy Taxi make a comeback?

[Programmed_For_Damage]

So I was driving to work today and 'All I Want' by The Offspring came on the radio and my knuckles instinctively tightened on the steering wheel as the memories of Crazy Taxi came flooding back. From playing it on the stand-up arcade cabinet to playing it on my Dreamcast, I loved the speed, the crashes and the soundtrack. It got me thinking, could another Crazy Taxi game work with this generation; or are we over the 'take person from point A to point B as fast as possible' simple style mechanic?
Let's face it, the series steadily declined after Crazy Taxi 2 but was that because they didn't bring anything new to the table or did we start demanding more as gamers than fifteen minute bursts of intense entertainment? Sure the Crazy Pyramid was fun, but it wasn't the meat and potatoes of the game. The fact that Daytona is being resurrected in this HD age is giving me hope that maybe Crazy Taxi might be on the comeback trail and hopefully not just in make-over form on XBLA (Are you listening Sega?).

So what do you guys and gals think? Would you be interested in playing a new Crazy Taxi game? What could be done to improve it for this generation; taxis that behave and handle differently; insane short-cuts; the ability to customize or "pimp out" your taxi with the money you earn; different soundtrack music for each driver; the ability to plow through the windows of the shops you are supposed to drop the passenger off at?

 

[Valkyira]

I think the days of arcade racing games like Crazy Taxi are over. It would be nice but it wouldn't exactly rock the world. It mainly belongs in an arcade where you can use the steering wheels.

 

[Galaxy613]

I think the days of arcade racing games like Crazy Taxi are over. It would be nice but it wouldn't exactly rock the world. It mainly belongs in an arcade where you can use the steering wheels.

Totally disagreed. Some of my favorite times over at my friends house was taking turns in crazy taxi. It was like GTA for kids.

 

[Go Fighting In The War Room]

Crazy Taxi, was one of the highlights of my Dreamcast.

If it does make a comeback, I'll be the first one in line for a new Crazy Taxi.

 

[Lyri]

I loved that game, seriously.
I could play it for hours, it was simple & fun. Something games are kinda forgetting these days.

 

[TelHybrid]

A downloadable one for services like Live Arcade and PSN and Steam could be good. Whether it be a brand new one, or a re-release of the originals.

I don't see it as being complex enough to warrant the need for a DVD or blu-ray as a genre, I mean jeez... it was 2 levels on the original. It would need a complete overhaul and lots of new features for that.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I loved that game, seriously.
I could play it for hours, it was simple & fun. Something games are kinda forgetting these days.

I found that too, which came as quite a surprise. I didn't take you too many play throughs to learn the map and figure out where certain people wanted to go, but it still didn't get old.

 

[The Random One]

It'd be difficult, because Crazy Taxi resembles the sandbox genre, and sandbox-like games are popping up all around the place nowadays. But I'd like to see it.

 

[Chancie]

That game was so much fun! x3 But...I think it's time is done, sadly. If they did make a new one, it'd probably be overlooked and ignored.

 

[mad benji89]

Aww havent thought about that game in agers ust to have crazy taxi 2 on the dream cast it was a simple game like you said going too a to b but thats one of the reason's why i loved that game. i dont know if they could be a full on release but it could become a xbox live download or be able to download on the ps3 network.

This thread has mad me bring back some happy memories now xD

 

[scotth266]

I want to see Crazy Taxi make a return. Also, I would like for there to be lightgun games released on non-Wii systems.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I want to see Crazy Taxi make a return. Also, I would like for there to be lightgun games released on non-Wii systems.

Now we're talking! Virtua Cop 3 never made it to a console and Confidential Mission I think was coming to the Dreamcast but never did.

 

[scotth266]

I want to see Crazy Taxi make a return. Also, I would like for there to be lightgun games released on non-Wii systems.

Now we're talking! Virtua Cop 3 never made it to a console and Confidential Mission I think was coming to the Dreamcast but never did.

I just wanna play more House of The Dead. Everything else is a secondary concern.

 

[CptPanda29]

Before everyone starts playing my nostalga is better than yours I'm gonna have to say that no *big with money to make it good* publisher will ever back a potentially awesome new Crazy Taxi, GT and Forza have made racing games into driving games and since everyone is so hung up on realism now the genre is officially stuck in the same rut that sport games have been in forever. Now Need For Speed's done it it's never going back.

Another genre dies and next to noone will ever notice.

 

[Magnatek]

Oh, why not? I want to make some CRAZY MONEY! Well either that, or Rage in the Streets (get it?).

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Oh, why not? I want to make some CRAZY MONEY! Well either that, or Rage in the Streets (get it?).

Given that Streets of Rage 2 is my favorite game of all time I hold out hope. But Spikeout kinda failed so part of my dream died with it.

 

[Nova5]

No. Open world games generally have a "Taxi" mode, which is pretty much a re-tread of Crazy Taxi without the Offspring blaring. Y'know, like GTA 3, VC, SA, and IV. And Saints Row 1 and 2. And Driver 4... And... Yeah, we'll leave it at that. It's dead because it would no longer constitute a complete game.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

No. Open world games generally have a "Taxi" mode, which is pretty much a re-tread of Crazy Taxi without the Offspring blaring. Y'know, like GTA 3, VC, SA, and IV. And Saints Row 1 and 2. And Driver 4... And... Yeah, we'll leave it at that. It's dead because it would no longer constitute a complete game.

Very true. Maybe at best it is something that is suited for XBLA.
The strange thing is I hated those taxi missions in Saints Row and GTA. Probably because they broke the flow of the things that I actually bought the game for.

 

[SithLibrarian]

Heh, the first thing that came to my mind when I saw "Crazy Taxi" in the thread title was the Offspring song.

GiantBomb.com spent a week doing Quick Looks for Dreamcast games and seeing Crazy Taxi again made me realize how archaic that game is by today's standards. Like Nova5 suggested, because of games like Grand Theft Auto, centering a full priced game on just one thing you can do in any other open world game doesn't make much sense. Come to think of it, it didn't make much sense to release it on console, since it was one of those arcade games designed to eat up quarters.

 

[Deleted]

The point was to see how far your could go, it was a money eating game, so not it wouldn't work on console.