Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller

Overview

Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller is the third installment in the Crazy Taxi series. The game was develop by Hitmaker and publish by Sega. It was (At the time) exclusive for the Xbox, then later release for the PC, and the arcades. The game features some of the contain from the first two Crazy Taxi games and new contain is also feature.

Gameplay

What's new in Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller, is a brand new city known as Glitter Oasis; a city that is based off Las Vegas, new mini-games are introduce in a mode called "Crazy X" (Echoing the name of the platform that it was available on, the Xbox), brand new music tracks are also feature.

The game includes the two other levels from the the first two Crazy Taxi games. A redesign West Coast level from Crazy Taxi and Small Apple from Crazy Taxi 2 returns in the third installment. The cab drivers from West Coast and Small Apple returns. Some of the music tracks from the first two games also return.

The gameplay starts off with the player picking one of four cab drivers (Eight more cab driver can be optional when unlocked in the Crazy X mode), they are depend in speed and handling. The player drives around a city picks up costumers and drop them off in their desire location as fast as they can.

The player has a game clock on screen - indicating the amount of time the player has before the game is over. The time can be increase if the player does well in the game; rankings will be giving to the player once the costumer is dropped off, some of them will give extra time added to the game clock. They are four rankings in the game, "Speedy" will add five seconds to the time, "Normal" will add two seconds to the clock, and "Bad" will add no time to the game clock.

The game's overall difficulty does ramp up over time. At the beginning, the player can have his or her time up to over one-hundred or even two hundred (If skilled) seconds by picking up costumers and performing well in the game. But eventually things will get tough as traffic will increase - cars will be parked on side-walks. The amount of time that costumers gives to the player will not be enough to get to the desire location as fast as the player wants to. The game clock will slowly deteriorate from a strong one-hundred or two-hundred seconds the player once had to a measly thirty-seconds.

They are several type of costumers that will be hanging around the city. Each of them will be presented in different colors, red, orange, yellow, green, and yellow-green  - it represent the amount of distances the player has to drive to the costumer's desire location. The costumers will increase the time of the game clock, another time limit is presented on top of the cab which indicates the amount of time for the costumer. Returning from Crazy Taxi 2 is the ability to pick up two to four costumers at once, the player has to drop off two, three, or four costumers in different locations; the fare earned after dropping off a costumer is earned after when all the costumers is dropped off. The player must also be careful on how to approach a costumer, if the player gets too close, the costumer will run a couple of feet away from the cab which will cause a few seconds to be wasted, as a matter of fact, the cab driver will tell the costumer to hurry up and get in the cab.

Several "stunts" are used in the game to either help out the player in a certain situation, or increase the amount of money that will be giving when the player drops off the costumer. The tips that is giving for performing  stunts will increase by fifty-cents if the player keeps it up, but if the player gets hit by another car, the amount of tips will reset to its original amount. Back from Crazy Taxi 2 is the "Crazy Hop," it helps the player get through traffic jams or jumping gaps; money will also be giving for performing them, "Crazy Through" is perform when the player passes right next to another vehicle, and "Crazy Drift" is a drift mechanic that helps the player get through sharp corners or turn the cab 360 degrees. The "Crazy Boost" makes a return but this time the cab has the ability to shoot out flames from the back of the cab. The crazy boost will speed up the acceleration of the cab.

Crazy X

"Crazy X" is a collection of mini-games that has the player focus on all the techniques in the game. Some mini-games has the player jumping on moving platforms, hitting a giant baseball as hard as the player can, or getting through to the endzone of a football field while other cars are trying to stop you by cashing into to you. The way the mini-games are presented is in an shape of an X, hence the name Crazy X. They are twenty-five mini-games to complete, and they include the follow:

• 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.

Cities

West Coast

A redesign version of the West Coast level from the original Crazy Taxi is included. New areas have been added to the West Coast level, some of the landmarks have been design, and the ability to pick up multiple costumers is also featured.

Destinations:

• Cable car stop TOP
• Parthenon Museum
• City Library
• Cable car stop Bottom
• Wave & Beach
• West side beach
• Yacht harbor
• Cafeteria
• Pizza Hut
• Square Park
• Popcorn Mania
• FILA shop
• The Original Levi's store
• Tower Records
• Kentucky Fried Chicken
• Church
• Heliport
• R.B Station
• Baseball Stadium
• Pioz Park
• Police station
• Clock Tower's Theater
• C.T. Hospital
• Sky Bank
• Border's Paradise
• West Mall
• East Mall
• Osmous Hotel
• Crown arena
• Bus teriminal
• Look-out tower
• Fire station
• Central Tennis club
• Used car shop
• S.C.G.P. University

Glitter Oasis

The new level of Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller, Glitter Oasis is city based off Las Vegas.

Destinations:

• The bus terminal
• The motel
• The gift shop
• City's Restaurant
• The church
• Lost Lagoon
• Galaxy
• Valhalla
• Sweets Sweets
• Niagara
• Pax Romana
• Rapa Nui
• Let's Groove
• The Outlet Mall
• North Station
• Rock's Restaurant
• Rock's Picnic Area
• ROck's Autocamp Site
• Elephant Rock
• Rock's View
• Rock's Visitor Center
• The North Gate
• The South Gate
• The Tackle Shop
• Lake's Beach
• Lake's Camp Site
• Lake Marina
• The Pleasure Boat Stop
• The Dam
• Dam's Visitor Center
• The Rafting Point
• Canyon's Picnic Site
• The Lodge
• Canyon's Visitor Center
• South Station
• Canyon's Heliport
• The Hospital
• Canyon's Restaurant
• Canyon's Campground
• Canyon's Overlook

Small Apple

Returning from Crazy Taxi 2 is the Small Apple level, which now takes place during the night. Small Apple is based off of New York, changes haven't been made other than the time it takes place, unlike the West Coast level.

Destinations:

• The Bookstore
• The Flower Shop
• The Gourmet Store
• The Karate Dojo
• The Jazz Club
• Burger King
• The University
• The Art Museum
• The Band Shell
• The Boathouse
• The Disco Club
• The Nightclub
• The Bowling Alley
• The Church
• GAP
• Hard Rock Cafe
• HMV
• FAO Schwarz
• The Opera House
• The Hotel
• Central Terminal
• The Jeweler's Shop
• The Tempura Restaurant
• The Chinese Restaurant
• The Department Store
• The Clock Tower
• The Music Hall
• The Stadium
• The TV Station
• Crazy Times
• The Theater
• The Movie House
• The Heliport
• Ferry Port
• The Bus Terminal

Characters

Name: Angel
Sex: Male
Age: 18
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 149.9 lbs
Blood Type: B
Number Plate: 602FUN

"Angel is only eighteen. He generally relies on his instincts, which can often can get him into trouble because he doesn't think about the consequences of his actions."

"His motto in life is "You only live life once, so enjoy it." Whenever he isn't enjoying life, he spents his time thinking about what he can do to enjoy it. This makes him a very positive person, but perhaps also a little too self-focused."

"Since he only thinks of enjoying life to its fullest, he does some rather crazy things. His friends may sometimes get a call from him at 3:00am in the morning, asking if they want to go party, or go swim in the ocean. Despite his crazy antics, Angel's friends find it hard to hate him, because whenever he wants to have fun, he at least always consider his friends."

"One of his friends once asked why he works as a taxi driver. His response was, "It's a fun way to make a buck. And if I'm not happy, then hey, I'm in a car, so I can go find some fun."

"Angel's driving technique is superb, and he truly enjoys the thrill of driving, making his job an essential part of his life."

Name: Bixbite
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 163.1 lbs
Blood Type: AB
Number Plate: 60500N

"Here's a guy who's truly fascinated with speed."

"His biggest thrill is trying to see how fast he can go. It's when he's pushing himself and his car to the limit that he feels alive."

"Honestly, most people who bump into him think he's quite ordinary. "Hey, that guy seems a bit unfriendly," or "that guy seems to have a lot on his mind" is the impression people get when they try to strike a conversation with him. In truth, he's just storing his up energy for the next speed thrill."

"Although he's a taxi driver, Bixbite once had the opportunity to go into racing. When he was 20 years old, he had 10 sponsors trying to scout him due to his insane skills. He realized then, that he could be successful, but that it would cost him his privacy. He often debated whether or not he should go into racing until one day, his circult buddies talked about 'Crazy Driven' in the West Coast."

"That's when Bixbite decided to become a taxi driver. The thrill of pushing the limit, being able to do things you couldn't do on the race track, and making money. Now that was exciting."

Name: Mrs. Venus
Sex: Female 
Age: 48
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 205 lbs
Blood Type: O
Number Plate: 4750N5

"Mrs. Venus is a funky mother who supports seven kids and a husband."

"To say Mrs. Venus is cheerful is a understatement. She loves being happy, and loves making other people happy. She's the breadwinner of the family, and the only thing she loves as much as her family is her job."

"Her job as a taxi driver allows her to meet all sorts of people. She feels that it is her job to not only get people to their destination, but to make them feel good about themselves. There doesn't seem to be anyone who gets in depressed, who doesn't feel at least a little better once they've been with Mrs. Venus."

"Her love for driving came from her father.Who was a stunt driver. It was because of him that she acquired her mad driving skills. Her favorite quote is, "It's my destiny to become the best taxi driver, and to do that, I need make everyone happy."

"We think there's no one better suited to making everyone happy than Mrs. Venus."

Name: Zax
Sex: Male
Age: 36
Height: 6'3"
Weight:315.3 lbs
Blood Type: B
Number Plates: 260MAD

"Zax radiates an aura of toughness that he wears with his pride. His only love in life is his car. Along with his rough demeanor is an attitude that he never makes any mistakes, and that he's always right. If you tell him that he's wrong, he'll probably get in your face."

"He loves driving his vehicle 24 hours a day, and that's the reason why he works as a taxi driver. He maintains his car by himself and he is actually renowned for his hydraulic techniques. Lots of guys have visited him in hoes of learning from him, but he usually gets impatient and kicks them out before they learn anything."

"Only once in his life Zax actually been kind. When an elderly man who poured out his heart to him asked to learn his techniques in hydraulics, he consented. That was the first and last time he ever taught anyone his prized techniques."

Name: Axel
Sex: Male
Age: 21
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 158.7 lbs
Number Plate: 1NOM155

"A footloose, fancy-free, kinda guy, there's nothing that can stop Axel when he gets mad."

"When he was ten years old, he experienced his first taxi ride. The driver came in full throttle before braking right in front of him. After he hoped in the taxi, it did a jack rabbit start and kept burning rubber, even when it wasn't on the road. After the taxi had jumped jump the top of a trailer, it took a few minutes for him to realize that he'd arrived at his destination. After he was dropped off, the taxi took off immediately, but Axel was still in awe. It was at that moment that he realized that being a cabby was cool! Now he drives a 1960 model cruisemobile and entertains his passengers as a taxi driver."

"When he isn't driving, he likes to go surfing, snow boarding, playing in a band as a bassist and vocal backup as well as girl hunting. Due to his explosive nature, bands usually kick him out, and girls dump him."

"Still, he is refreshingly frank, and he's generally a cheerful kind of guy. The only problem is that he enjoys picking a fight without any reasons."

Name: B.D Joe
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 149.9 lbs
Blood Type: O
Number Plates: 2HOP260

"A born performer, and cheery kind of guy, that's B.D Joe."

"As a cabby, he entertains people in his own way." He loves to entertain his passengers with both his driving and narrative skills. Besides being a talented taxi driver, he's a great street performer. Just give him a garbage can lid and an old drum, and he can create a great rhythms. He's often asked why he doesn't perform professionally. He usually just laughs off the compliments and says, "making people smile is rewarding enough for me, and sides, cabbing is too much fun to give up!"

"Recently he's been seen trying to learn card tricks."

Name: Gena
Sex: Female
Age: 23
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 114.6 lbs
Blood Type: AB
Number Plates: 5EXY515

"The words "cool" and "sexy" describe Gena to a "T." A born car lover, she loves to cruise around in a car all day. She really doesn't care if her passengers enjoys her driving or not. She loves going fast, and shows great talent. When ask why she doesn't try racing, she replied, "I love the unexpected. You can't get that with racing. But you can get the unexpected when you're in my profession."

"When Gena isn't driving her car, she's working on it. In fact, she spends nearly all her time and money performing extensive tune-ups. While many men have try to pursue her, she feels she doesn't have time for them, and leaves them in the dust."

Name: Gus
Sex: Male
Age: 42
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 187.3 lbs
Blood Type: B
Number Plate: ONLY777

"The originator of the "Crazy" taxi style, he maintains a cool composure."

"In his youth, Gus was a wild and uncontrollable hooligan, selfish to a fault. He hated to lose and always and had to be #1 at any cost. With a strong fascination for all things new, Gus was naturally drawn to unique trends. It was when he was riding in a normal taxi that he had a flash of inspiration and bought an old junked out 1955 jalopy. And thus began the crazy taxi trend. Recently, Gus can be found playing cards. When the work day ends, he meets with his poker buddies (Whose members change nightly) to play poker, black-jack, and baccarot. One nice thing Gus took from gambling was learning that he didn't have to always win. In this respect, Gus had become a better person."

Name: Slash
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 152.1 lbs
Blood Type: AB
Number Plate: 1N01

"He has a bilateral character who is nihilistically cool and mad. That's slash. He's usually cool. Someone who doesn't know him well may say that, "He is just a rude young man." However the guy who knows him well says that, "He is always kind and takes care of his friends so he is considered a leader." That sounds like he is always with his friends, however the fact is that they are afraid of him because he can easily get out of control. Nobody can stop him when he is mad. Everyone around him becomes an enemy, and anyone who approaches him when he is angry must either be a brave soul or be a complete idiot. Most people in town know that he will do a really great job and make the passengers feeling great with his Crazy driving if nobody gets on his nerves, therefore, he is one of the most popular Crazy drivers in town. In spite of his character, many people are taking his Taxi because of his first class driving technique. You want to know why he became a Taxi driver, don't you? Nobody has the guts to ask him about it. Many people guess that he became a taxi driver on a mere whim."

Name: Iceman
Sex: Male
Age: 28
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 183 lbs
Blood Type: B
Number Plate: 1A01

"An incy look, and an hint of madness, that's Iceman."

"He always keeps things curt. He doesn't talk much, and his answer are brief, even when given compliments. It just seems like he doesn't show any interest in anything."

"However, if he's given a complaint, he gets rather ticked. His attitude is that he an do anything, and that if there's a mistake, it must have been an unusual coincidence that caused it. Given his rather quirky personality, it's hard to imagine how he became a taxi driver. It all started when he picked up an elderly hitchhiker had gave him a lift. With his crazy driving and the hicthhikers pointers, he made an impression. The next day, his car was yellow. And that's how he became a taxi driver. Oh, and he lives a fairly comfortable life with his pet dog BB (Boxer)."

Name: Cinnamon
Sex: Female
Age: 18
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 114.6 lbs
Blood Type: O
Number Plate: 4U21

"A sharp dresser and optimistic person, that's Cinnamon."

"She believes in positive thinking and is a veritable optimist. The only problem with this is that her positive thinking isn't always a good thing. For example, is she gets into a bad situation, instead of thinking about how to imporve for the future, she just thinks that she was fine, and that it was the fault of others that caused the problem, not herself, when it, possibly could have been."

"She's also very forgetful, which makes her seem a little dim-witted. But because of her honest and serious attitude, her friends are always there for her."

"She gets very happy when she gets compliments. Earning praise is her "joy in life." The reaon she chose this job was to meet people and entertain them. She pushes her driving skills to the limit to do so, but sometimes that winds her up into a lot of trouble."

Name: Hot-D
Sex: Male
Age: 78
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 105.8 lbs
Blood Type: B
Number Plate: 2G01

"The ultimate optimist, he's extremely healthy for his age. That's Hot-D."

"His number one priority is earning money. His second priority is getting a thrill. It was a easy decision for him to choose this job. Before, he was a stunt driver. When he was in West Coast for a stunt shooting, he saw the technique of a taxi driver. It impressed him, so he took a ride to his hotel. It was during this ride that he got the idea of being able to earn lots of money if he took the crazy drivin' idea to the east. When he arrived back to his hometown, he immediately painted his cruisemoble. He thought the drivers from the west lacked lip services, so he went out of his way to entertain his passengers. Often times though, he focuses too much on lip service and not enough on his driving services. Still, he thinks lip service is important because, even if he screws up driving, using lip service, he might still turn a tip."

Soundtrack

Bad Religion:

• "Punk Rock Song"
• "Empty Causes"
• "Hear it"
• "Inner Logic"
• "Ten in Twenty-ten"

The Offspring:

•   "Special Delivery"
• "All I Want"
• "Want you Bad"

• 

  "No Brakes"

Citizen Bird:

• "BOOM BOOM BOOGIE"
• "King of the Line"
• "RAW POWER ANGEL"

Methods of Mayhem:

• "Who The Hell Cares"
• "Crash"

Crazy Taxi Next

During the development, the third Crazy Taxi game was known as Crazy Taxi Next. It originally intended to have online modes, multiplayer and a day/night cycle for each of the levels. Those features are were dropped and the game became what it is now.