Hey gang. GTM here and it’s great to be welcomed here to The Otaku Authority. I hope to entertain with my gaming knowledge and mirth. And maybe a little mayhem. (A little.)
Anyway, for my debut piece, I wanted to dive into a game that I’ve been sticking with since the glory days of the Sega Dreamcast – Crazy Taxi. Ever since its debut in arcades, this open-world racer has built an addictive reputation that few could possibly match. And now it’s coming back in spades, as Crazy Taxi: World Tour is readying to hit the road for consoles and PC next summer.
Recently, Sega hosted a Closed Network Beta Test to allow certain players to give it a test drive. And while I would’ve liked to have spent a little more time revving my wheels, I enjoyed the ride while it lasted.
The mode was online only, so I didn’t get to test any of the story components or try out pizza delivery (which looks to be a gas in itself). I did, however, get a few rounds of Pickup Race in, and it works better than expected.
Here’s how it works. In Pickup Race, you have five cabbies that race against one another on a map. This one in particular was Germany, a nice location for getting around town and maybe grabbing a few brewskis. (I kid, don’t drink and taxi.) Each cabbie is given their own passengers to pick up (instead of fighting each other for one) and given a time frame in which to deliver them. Of course, how fast you get there makes the difference, as you’re given a rating by the rider at the end. You also have precious seconds to take care of the delivery as well.
At first, it can look frantic. But after a few rounds, Pickup Race felt like second nature. It was great competing against others without too much mayhem cluttering the screen. The general rules of Crazy Taxi still apply here, and wonderfully at that. It’s also great to get opportunities to rack up additional money, through performing stunts such as drifts and jumps.
As far as the gameplay goes, Crazy Taxi: World Tour feels just like the original. It does have some contemporary touches to drifting that add a little bit of a speed boost. But, for the most part, you’re still following an arrow on-screen and handling your vehicle like a pro, trying to avoid collisions along the way. The idea of racing against others – without actually creating a competitive conundrum with confused riders – is a nice touch.
I do wish I had more time to check out the Cops ‘n’ Cabbies mode, as that sounds like a lot of fun as well. It essentially involves law enforcement trying to bust bad cab drivers, and then them trying to get out of trouble to get back in the race. I’ll get more time with that soon enough, as an open beta test is likely right around the corner.
As for looks and sounds, Sega knows what works with a game like Crazy Taxi. It looks great thus far, running at a beautiful frame rate and packing lots of detail into its Germany map. (For that matter, the Japan one, just revealed at the Tokyo Game Show, is also a real looker.) As for the sound, well, you have the Offspring’s “All I Want” (YA,YA,YA,YA,YA!) back into play, along with other great selections. The way it should be, might I add.
Crazy Taxi: World Tour still has a little time under the hood before making its grand debut next year. But thus far, the ride we’ve seen is definitely enticing, and the multiplayer aspect adds more than it subtracts. Hopefully we’ll see more modes and more personable touches to customization added.
In the meantime, hell yes, we’re excited to hop back into the cab. Crank the Offspring and we’ll see you on the road!
GTM out, see ya next time.
Check 0ut the new trailer from Tokyo Game Show 2026.
