Crazy Taxi: City Rush Should be the Next Great Crazy Taxi Game – But it Won’t Be

I’ve been a big fan of the Crazy Taxi series since the release of the first title on the Sega Dreamcast, and I still get excited if I hear a rumor that a new game is en route. But, despite the fact that I’ve been playing the original quite a bit on my NVIDIA SHIELD, I somehow overlooked the fact that there is a new Crazy Taxi en route. After looking at it, though, it’s clear that this is not a “real” Crazy Taxi. It’s been… mobilized.

In the launch trailer, Sega touts the game as being free – but we all know what that means. It’s the worst turn a beloved series can take. “Free” is almost never free when a big publisher is behind it. This is going to be Crazy Taxi with in-app purchases. It could be that I get proven wrong, and I hope that’ll be the case, but let’s face it: This isn’t uncommon. Most games that top the charts on mobile platforms are “free” – but enough about that, I’ve ranted enough before.

While IAPs are not great, the real problem is when established game series are affected. Even Age of Empires… of all series, is heading to F2P mobiledom.

Taking in-app purchases out of the picture, it’s still clear that this upcoming Crazy Taxi, called City Rush, is not being developed for actual fans of the series. Look no further than this gameplay video:

This is Crazy Taxi to the extent that you play as a crazed driver trying to bring someone to their destination fast. Outside of that, the graphics are nothing like what fans would expect – they’ve obviously been tuned to a certain mobile aesthetic. Then we have the fact that there are added delays when picking up a driver. Want to know that the dude you’re picking up hates his life? Don’t worry – the game has got you covered. 

Even all of that, I might be able to handle – and that’s a big “might”. What seals the deal that this is not going to be one of the great Crazy Taxi titles is that it’s on rails. Really – a game that’s all about driving sporadically down a road, hinges you to a lane. Ugh.

For those reading this who are not familiar with Crazy Taxi, take a look at this gameplay video to get a feel for why many fans might be upset (skip to the 2-minute mark):

Dammit, Sega.

If something like this happens to Jet Set Radio, I might just short-circuit.