5 ★ (0)
4 ★ (1)
3 ★ (2)
2 ★ (0)
1 ★ (0)
Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller
Take your crazy style of taxi driving to the Xbox with three distinct locales in the third installment of Sega's signature taxi driving series.
Overview
Crazy Jumpin' in a familiar setting.
Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller, known in Europe simply as Crazy Taxi 3, is an over-the-top open-world taxicab driving game developed by Hitmaker (Company) and published by Sega (Company) for the Xbox (Platform) in North America and Japan on July 24, 2002.
The third installment of the Crazy Taxi (Franchise) series, and the final one from Hitmaker, Crazy Taxi 3 builds on its predecessor with a new course based on Las Vegas (Location) ("Glitter Oasis"), the inclusion of a course from each of the two previous games ("West Coast" and "Small Apple"), and a revamped mini-game mode known as "Crazy X". Each course has their own sets of cabs and cabbies, and play their own licensed soundtrack.
It later received an arcade release (using Sega's Xbox-based Chihiro hardware) in 2003 as Crazy Taxi: High Roller, and a PC (Platform) port by Strangelite (in both Japan and Europe, the latter of which published by Empire Interactive) in 2004.
Gameplay
Much of the gameplay of the game remain the same as previous installments, with players driving around the city, picking up various passengers (whose color determines their distance and difficulty) and racing to drop them off at their destinations in a short amount of time, earning points (as cash) based on the difficulty of the fare, the time it took to reach the destination, and on the player's performance (such as weaving through traffic and performing crazy maneuvers).
All of the Crazy Maneuvers from Crazy Taxi 2 return, though they are now more forgiving to pull off and show flaming tires when performed (with more tricky maneuvers shown with green flames):
- Pressing D-Gear and stepping on the gas in quick succession causes a sudden speed boost forward (Crazy Dash), and shifting from D-Gear to R-Gear before performing it causes a more effective boost (Limit Cut).
- Pressing R-Gear and stepping on the gas in quick succession causes a sudden speed boost backward (Crazy Back Dash), and hitting the brakes during this boost causes a sudden stop (Crazy Stop).
- Pressing the dedicated Crazy Hop button causes the cab to hop high into the air to clear traffic and find new shortcuts. Can be combined with a Crazy Dash (Crazy Hop Dash) for forward momentum, or with a Crazy Stop (Jump Stop) to stop on the landing.
- Shifting from D-Gear to R-Gear, then immediately back to D-Gear while turning causes a drifting turn (Crazy Drift), which can be cancelled into a Crazy Dash (Drift Cancel) or Crazy Hop (Drift Hop). Performing a Crazy Drift during a stop causes the car to pivot around (Quick Turn), while performing it while going in reverse causes a 180-degree pivot (Crazy Back Drift).
Passengers can be single riders or grouped together (with up to 4 riders), the latter of which have different destinations for each rider. Having multiple riders in the cab gives a bonus multiplier to cash earned through performance, but failing to deliver all of them on time cancels the entire ride's fare. In the arcade version, players can choose between two "Customer Modes": Single (where all customers are on their own, similar to Crazy Taxi) and Group (where customers can be bundled in groups, similar to Crazy Taxi 2). Single mode is described as "for beginners", while Group mode is described as "for experts".
Players can opt for arcade timing (Play By Normal Rules), where the player starts with a limited 50-second timer and gains bonus time by picking up passengers and delivering them quickly, or through a 3, 5, or 10 minute session (with no bonus time).
Crazy X
Crazy Bowling!
Similar to Crazy Box and Crazy Pyramid from the previous installments, Crazy X is a collection of 25 mini-games designed to make use of the game's physics and techniques. Its name comes from the game's progression map, which is in the shape of an X, and completing them unlocks bonuses (including guides to each course, new vehicles, an alternate set of passenger locations, and the ability to use any cab/cabbie in any course).
- 1-A Crazy Jump - The player has to jump over 400 meters off a ramp.
- 1-B Crazy Home-Run - Set up in a baseball diamond, a giant baseball will launch towards the player and must use the crazy hop to knock it into the stands.
- 1-C Crazy Ball - The player must hit a giant disco ball ten times before the time runs out.
- 1-D Crazy Tornado - Get to the destination while a giant tornado is tossing cars at the player to get in his or her way.
- 1-E Crazy Balloons - Balloons will be place in a room and the player must pop them all before the time runs out.
- 1-F Crazy Football - The player must get to the endzone of a football field while a bunch of cars are trying to crash into to you. If the player goes off the field, the player loses.
- 1-G Crazy UFOs - The player will go up and down a hill and must hop/crash into nine UFOS before the time runs out.
- 1-H Crazy Ring - Jump through a ring of fire eight times before the time runs out.
- 1-I Crazy Poles - The player must pick up a costumer that will be standing at a pole (Hence the name Crazy Poles) and drop them off to the next destinations and pick up another costumer and drop them off before the time runs out.
- 1-J Crazy Ramps - The player must jump across big gaps with the use of the ramps that are place. The crazy hop must be carefully timed when jumping off the ramps.
- 1-K Crazy Logs - The player drives up a ramp with logs rolling down getting in the way of the player, and get to a destination before the time runs out.
- 1-L Crazy Plates - Get to the fare destination before the time runs out while using drift hop to jump on platforms.
- 2-A Crazy Hopper - Get to the fare destination by jumping on moving platforms before the time runs out.
- 2-B Crazy Rise - Platforms will be suspended in mid-air, two sets of platforms will be stack next to each other. The player must jump on one platform and do a 180 drift and jump on the next platform and get to the destination before the time runs out.
- 2-C Crazy Floor - The player must go through zigzag roads with sliding platforms place on certain sections before the time runs out.
- 2-D Crazy Canyon - The player has to drive through a narrow zigzag roads and get to the destination before the time runs out.
- 2-E Crazy Air - With the use of the drift hop, the player must go jump across several gaps and get to the destination before the time runs out.
- 2-F Crazy Bowling - The player drives through a bowling alley and has to knock down seven sets of pins - ten in each set - that are place in the corner of each path way of the bowling alley before the time runs out. The best way to do so is the use of the crazy drift.
- 2-G Crazy Turn - A more advance version of the Crazy Air mini-game.
- 2-H Crazy Infinity - The player drives through a spiral road that runs upwards and must carefully get to the top without falling off before the time runs out.
- 2-I Crazy Rush - Three costumers are needed to be drop off in their destination spot, the player must drop off each costumer in fifty-five seconds.
- 2-J Crazy Zigzag - The player has to drift hop from one platform to another to get to the destination before the time runs out.
- 3-A Crazy Attack - The player must go around the entire city of West Coast and back to the starting point before the time runs out.
- 3-B Crazy Tour - The player must drop off forty costumers in Glitter Oasis before the time runs out.
- S-S Crazy Special - Set in Small Apple, the player has thirty-five destinations to clear before the time runs out. Unlike Crazy Tour, the player doesn't drop off the costumers in a pacific order.
Courses & Cabbies
There are three courses to choose from, each with their own sets of cabs/cabbies and, for most versions of the game, their own soundtrack.
Each of the cabbies follow a set order, with an all-around guy, a guy focused on top speed, a gal focused on acceleration, and an older guy focused on handling.
West Coast
West Coast
Based on the Arcade course from the original Crazy Taxi (Game), West Coast resembles the long-winding coastal city of San Francisco (Location). While it looks very similar to the original, it has been modified to accommodate the gameplay changes made in Crazy Taxi 2.
This course is designated as 1-star difficulty in the arcade version, and features a punk rock soundtrack from The Offspring.
Cabbies
- Axel, number plate 1NOM155 ("I No Miss"), is a carefree guy whose cheerful nature can get explosive pretty quickly.
- B.D. Joe, number plate 2HOP260 ("To Hop To Go"), is a street performer known for entertaining his passengers.
- Gena (Character), number 5EXY515 ("Sexy Sis"), is a car lover who personally performs extensive tune-ups to her taxi.
- Gus (Character), number 0NLY777 ("Only 7-7-7"), is an older gambler who originated the "crazy" style of taxi driving.
Glitter Oasis
Glitter Oasis
New to the series, Glitter Oasis resembles the extravagant nighttime city of Las Vegas (Location) and its surrounding canyon roads.
This course is designated as 2-star difficulty in the arcade version, and features either a punk rock soundtrack from Citizen Bird in the Xbox version, or a retro-swing soundtrack from The Brian Setzer Orchestra in the arcade version.
Cabbies
- Angel, number plate 602FUN ("Go 2 Fun"), is a young guy who does crazy antics for fun.
- Bixbite, number plate 605OON ("Go Soon"), is a slim guy who is fascinated with speed, deciding to become a taxi driver instead of a professional racer.
- Mrs. Venus, number plate 475ONS ("For Seven Sons"), is a mother of a large family and their breadwinner, whose love of driving came from her stunt-driving father and love of the job comes from helping people feel better.
- Zax, number plate 260MAD ("To Go Mad"), is a large and impatient guy who maintains his taxi regularly, becoming renowned for his hydraulic techniques.
Small Apple
Small Apple
Based on the course of the same name from Crazy Taxi 2 (Game), Small Apple resembles the busy metropolis of New York City (Location). Like Glimmer Oasis, this course is now set at nighttime.
In the Arcade version, this is designated as 3-star difficulty and features a punk rock soundtrack from Bad Religion.
Cabbies
- Slash, number plate 1N01 ("I No. 1") is a volatile guy whose nihilistic cool can swing out of control in an instant.
- Iceman, number plate 1A01 ('I Am Only 1") is a quirky guy who doesn't talk much, only to explode when given a complaint.
- Cinnamon, number plate 4U21 ("For You Too") is a young gal whose optimism and forgetfulness sometimes gets her in trouble.
- Hot-D, number plate 2G01 ("To Go") is an old guy nearing his 80's and a former stunt driver whose lip service rivals his driving prowess.
Soundtrack
Xbox and Arcade Versions
The original soundtrack combines songs from both the series' previous installments, along with a variety of new tracks. Unlike previous installments, the game makes use of course-specific soundtracks based on the artist (which can be swapped between in the Options menu).
The game's main menu theme, as well as the Name Entry theme in the arcade version, is "Special Delivery" by The Offspring.
West Coast
- The Offspring - All I Want
- The Offspring - No Brakes
- The Offspring - Want You Bad
The course uses two songs from Bad Religion outside of the gameplay: "Hear It" for the character selection and "Inner Logic" for the ending.
Glimmer Oasis
- Citizen Bird - Boom Boom Boogie
- Citizen Bird - King of the Line
- Citizen Bird - Raw Power Angel
The arcade version uses a separate gameplay soundtrack:
- The Brian Setzer Orchestra - The House is Rockin'
- The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Hoodoo Voodoo Doll
- The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Switchblade 327
Regardless of the version, the course uses two songs from Brian Setzer '68 Comeback Special outside of the gameplay: "Ignition!" for the character selection and "Hot Rod Girl" for the ending credits.
Small Apple
- Bad Religion - Punk Rock Song
- Bad Religion - Empty Causes
- Bad Religion - Ten in 2010
The course uses two songs from Methods of Mayhem outside of the gameplay: "Who the Hell Cares" for the character selection and "Crash" for the ending credits.
PC Version
Like the PC version of the first Crazy Taxi, all of this version's licensed soundtrack was replaced with a new one, with no course-based soundtrack.
- 13 Cats - Jungle Man Robot Girl
- Dunamus - Ordinary (Instrumental)
- Pivit - Fingercuffs
- Pivit - CyberChrist
- Pivit - Middle Children
- Pivit - Redo
- Psychotic Youth - Keeps You Running
- SX-10 - Pity
- The Briggs - Face Off
- The Kings of Nuthin' - La Chupacabra
- The Kings of Nuthin' - Drive All Night
- The Kings of Nuthin' - Where Do We Go?
- Total Chaos - Let it Roll
- Total Chaos - What You Gonna Do
Development
The was originally announced as "Crazy Taxi Next", and was planned to have both online multiplayer and a day/night cycle (both of which were dropped).
Similar Games
Super Taxi Driver (Game)
Super Taxi Driver is a racing game where the player acts as a taxi driver, delivering customers to their destinations as quickly as possible, released in 2000. It is a clone of Crazy Taxi.
- Name
- Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller
- Release Date
- July 24, 2002
- Platform
- PC (Platform)
Arcade (Platform)
Xbox (Platform) - Developer
- Publisher
- Genre
- Driving/Racing (Genre)
- Theme
- Comedy (Theme)
- Franchise
- Crazy Taxi (Franchise)