It's finally here - one of the most popular arcade games that Sega has right now has made the long journey from coin-op to Dreamcast. This is easily the most well-awaited conversion since Sega Rally 2 and it's set to revive the machine's fortunes even further as it's one of those games that anyone can play. As the name implies, players take on the role of a "crazy" taxi driver who dedicates their life to taking people where they want to go as quickly as possible. If that means taking a short cut through the middle of a park then so be it - you have to do whatever it takes to get your customer to their destination before they get fed up and jump out of your cab. Should they do that, you lose the potential fare and have to spend the rest of your life collecting soda cans out of the trash. You need this money, you see, to earn your way into new levels and buy upgrades for your vehicle. Mega-powerful cars are capable of tearing through streets like a hot knife through butter and even performing wild and wacky stunts. It's even cooler than it sounds.
The city environments that you race around are staggeringly huge, so it's a good thing that a helpful arrow is ever-present to direct you to the nearest awaiting customer or their destination. Sometimes you can't just follow the arrow literally and have to invent your own methods for getting from point A to point B, which gives rise to finding secret areas and shortcuts. Jumping over other cars and flipping your vehicle over buildings is a lot of fun, though it takes quite a bit of practice to perfect.
Graphically, this is a great way to showcase the Dreamcast's visual abilities. The sprawling cities are full of detail and contain real buildings - keep an eye out for your favorite fashion stores and landmarks as you travel haphazardly around. Character animation is a bit lacking but the design makes up for it, with cool looking passengers and selectable drivers. And if that wasn't enough, you can even cruise around to the sounds of The Offspring or Bad Religion. What are you waiting for, hail yourself a copy today!