_______ ________ ________ _________ ___ ___ \ ___\ \ __ \ \ __ \ \______ / \ \_\ \ \ \ \ \_\ \ \ \_\ \ / / \__ __\ \ \ \ _ \_ \ __ \ / / \ \ \ \___ \ \ \ \_ \ \ \ \ / /_____ \ \ \_____\ \__\ \__\ \__\ \__\ \_______\ \__\ ________ ________ __ __ __ \__ __\ \ __ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \_\ \ \ \_\ \ \ \ \ \ \ __ \ \ _ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \\ \ \ \ \__\ \__\ \__\ \_\ \_\ \__\ -------------------------------------------------------------------> A GUIDE BY MR. BLACK (v1.3 - Final) <------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------> CONTENTS: <------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) INTRODUCTION 1a) Version History 2) BASIC CONTROLS 3) CRAZY MANOEUVRES + STUNTS 3a) Crazy Dash 3b) Crazy Back Dash 3c) Crazy Drift 3d) Crazy Back Drift 3e) The Stunts 4) CUSTOMERS + THE FARE SYSTEM 4a) Picking up a customer 4b) Driving your customer to their destination 4c) Dropping off your customer 4d) Predicting an approximate fare 4e) A Note on Tips 4f) The Fare Formula 4g) The Customers 5) THE GAME MODES + OPTIONS 5a) Arcade 5b) Original 5c) Crazy Box 5d) Options 5e) Records 5f) Save and Load 5g) Arcade Rules 5h) Game Physics 6) THE CABBIES 6a) Axel 6b) B.D. Joe 6c) Gena 6d) Gus 7) CRAZY BOX MINI-GAME GUIDE 7a) 1-1: Crazy Jump 7b) 1-2: Crazy Flag 7c) 1-3: Crazy Balloons 7d) 2-1: Crazy Drift 7e) 2-2: Crazy Turn 7f) 2-3: Crazy Bound 7g) 3-1: Crazy Rush 7h) 3-2: Crazy Jam 7i) 3-3: Crazy Pole 7j) 1-S: Crazy Bowling 7k) 2-S: Crazy Zigzag 7l) 3-S: Crazy Zigzag 2 7m) S-1: Crazy Through 7n) S-2: Crazy Parking 7o) S-3: Crazy Party 7p) S-S: Crazy Attack 8) HINTS AND TIPS 9) SECRETS 9a) The Rickshaw 9b) Another Day Mode 9c) No Arrows Mode 9d) No Destination Mark Mode 9e) Expert Mode 9f) Alternative Views 9g) "Hidden" Customers 9h) Sightseeing 10) THE END 10a) Credits 10b) Stuff for the Future 10c) Legal Stuff -------------------------------------------------------------------> 1) INTRODUCTION <------------------------------------------------------------------- The question that I'm often asked by my friends is "Why write guides for games?" The simple answer is that if I've completed a game, seen everything there is to see, and opened up all the secrets, I like to share my knowledge with others, like I've done with this guide. The thing is, I don't write guides for any old game. They have to be games that I like, and boy, do I like Crazy Taxi. Crazy Taxi is one of the best games ever made for the Dreamcast, and if not, it's DEFINITELY one of the most fun to play. The premise is simple: you pick up customers in your taxi, and take them to their destination as fast as you can. Explain this to a friend who's never played, and they'll get the impression that it must be deathly boring. It's not, as you'll soon discover. Before you read any further, I have to point something out. I am NOT a god at Crazy Taxi. I have not gotten world records on all the mini- games, nor have I gotten particularly high scores on the main game. But, I HAVE beaten every mini-game, I HAVE gotten every licence, I HAVE entered my initials into the "Rank 1" slot of both the Original and Arcade modes, and I HAVE spent ages cruising the city streets, perfecting the moves and finding out some cool stuff. So, this is NOT an expert guide to Crazy Taxi. When I get better at the game, it probably will become an expert's guide (if I ever get that good), but for now, it's most suited to beginner/intermediate players. 1a) Version History ------------------> Version 1.0 - Finished 1st draft of guide Version 1.1 - Changed the legal section a bit Version 1.2 - High scores updated Version 1.3 - High scores updated - Decided that I've finished this guide for good, and made this the Final version update. -------------------------------------------------------------------> 2) BASIC CONTROLS <------------------------------------------------------------------- Crazy Taxi's controls are simple enough to learn, but the relatively complex stunt moves will take a few hours play to master. Analogue Thumb Pad: Move the cursor (menu screens) Steer the taxi (during game play) D-Pad: Same functions as Analogue Pad A Button: Confirm choices (menu screens) Shift to reverse gear (during game play) B Button: Back up one screen (menu screens) Shift to drive gear (during game play) X Button: Destination reminder Y Button: Not used Start Button: Pause the game R Trigger: Accelerate L Trigger: Brake -------------------------------------------------------------------> 3) CRAZY MANOEUVRES + STUNTS <------------------------------------------------------------------- These stunt manoeuvres are mainly used to gain extra tips from your customers, but they can also be used to get to your destination quicker. They are also vital to your success in the mini-games. For each manoeuvre, I've quoted from the Crazy Taxi instruction manual on how you're supposed to pull it off, and then I've said how I usually do it. Also, I've shown a button sequence for each move. The key for the button abbreviations is: A: A Button B: B Button RT: Right Trigger LT: Left Trigger R: Right on the Analogue or D-pad L: Left on the Analogue or D-pad (The Start, X and Y Buttons or Up and Down on the D-pad are not used in any Crazy Manoeuvres) 3a) Crazy Dash -------------> This manoeuvre gives you a fairly large burst of speed. It can be done while moving, or while stationary. The instruction manual says: "First, release both the accelerator and the brake. Then, just after shifting into Drive, press the accelerator." Mr. Black says: "The instruction manual isn't very clear on how to pull this off. What is doesn't mention is that you should be in reverse before releasing the accelerator, changing to Drive, etc. So, when you're driving along, quickly shift into Reverse, let go the accelerator, and the press the accelerator and shift back into Drive at the same time. When you're stationary, shift into reverse, then when you want to drive off again, accelerate and shift gears simultaneously. Simplified button sequence: A, Release RT, B+RT 3b) Crazy Back Dash ------------------> The same as the Crazy Dash, but backwards. Useful if you're jammed up against a wall. The boost is not quite as great as the Crazy Dash's. The instruction manual says: "Shift quickly into reverse after executing a Crazy Dash." Mr. Black says: "Yep, that's about right. One thing to add: after you do the Crazy Back dash, you'll probably want to shift back into Drive again. This move is best performed while stationary." Simplified button sequence: A, Release RT, B+RT, A (A manoeuvre called the Limit Cut can also be performed using the Crazy Dash. Limit Cutting is performing a Crazy Dash while still getting the speed boost from another one. Put simply, Limit Cutting is repeatedly Crazy Dashing.) 3c) Crazy Drift --------------> A handbrake turn-type manoeuvre, this allows you to take tight corners with ease. The instruction manual says: "While moving forwards, quickly shift into Reverse and back into Drive while cutting the steering wheel to the right or left." Mr. Black says: "Again, the manual isn't being very clear here. what you need to do is start the turn, then slide your thumb over the Reverse and Drive buttons consecutively. This is a much easier way of performing the stunt. Just be careful that you don't accidentally nudge the A Button afterwards, otherwise you'll shift back in Reverse mid-drift, and that'll mess up your turn." Simplified button sequence: L/R, A, B (There is another technique involving the Crazy Drift which is not documented in the manual, but, curiously, is mentioned in the Crazy Box advice boxes - the Crazy Drift Stop. Basically, all this means is braking during a Crazy Drift, bringing your car to a halt mid-Drift.) 3d) Crazy Back Drift -------------------> This move spins your car 180 degrees, and then afterwards your car carries on in Reverse. I can't think of any situation where this move would be necessary. The instruction manual says: "While moving forwards, quickly shift into Drive and back into Reverse while cutting the steering wheel to the right or left." Mr. Black: "Bear in mind, you don't have to be moving in Reverse to do this. Just follow my instructions for executing the Crazy Drift, but this time slide your fingers from B to A." Simplified button sequence: L/R, B, A 3e) The Stunts -------------> These manoeuvres alone are not usually enough to gain tips from your punters. You have to pull them off in certain situations to get the cash. There are three different stunts that can be performed in Crazy Taxi. They are: CRAZY THROUGH: Drive very close to a car when overtaking or passing it. CRAZY DRIFT: Use the Crazy Drift manoeuvre to do a sliding turn. CRAZY JUMP: Use a ramp or similar object to get some "bodacious air". The Crazy Dash will help here, as it will make you do higher jumps. -------------------------------------------------------------------> 4) CUSTOMERS + THE FARE SYSTEM <------------------------------------------------------------------- In Crazy Taxi, your goal as a cabbie is to make as much cash as possible by picking up customers, taking them to their destinations and dropping them off as quickly as you can. The amount of money you earn depends on how quickly you drop off your customer, the distance you had to drive to get there, and how many stunts you pulled off during the trip. 4a) Picking up a customer ------------------------> Throughout the cities you play in, you will see loads of people who have spinning dollar signs above their heads. To pick up a customer, you have to bring your taxi to a halt within the customer's stop zone, the coloured circle which surrounds them. The customer should immediately get into your cab. 4b) Driving a customer to their destination ------------------------------------------> As soon as you pick up a customer, the game display will change slightly: 1) A time limit will appear above the taxi, which indicates the time you have left to drop off your customer. The longer you take, the darker the colour of the timer. To begin with, it's green, then it goes yellow, and finally red. If you don't reach the destination within the time limit, a purple "BAD" sign will appear in the middle of the screen, and your unhappy customer will jump out of the cab without paying. 2) A picture of your customer's destination and a counter showing the remaining distance to that destination will appear in the left for a short time, then disappear. (To recall these displays, press the X button.) 4) A fare counter will appear under the "total earned" counter. When you first pick up your customer, it will display the "base fare", the amount that the customer is paying you to get them to their destination. This will increase with each tip you get. 5) Finally, a green arrow showing the direction you should take to reach the destination will appear at the top of the screen. This arrow will change colour from green to red as you get closer to the destination. It is your job to get your customer to their destination before the time runs out. During this stage of play, you should try to increase your fare by gaining tips using the Crazy Maneouvre techniques. 4c) Dropping off a customer --------------------------> When you get to the customer's destination, you'll see a green outline which indicates the drop-off zone. To drop off your customer, you must stop completely within this area. When you drop him/her off you'll then be paid the amount shown in the fare counter (the base fare), plus a bonus fare which is converted from any time you have left over. You will also get a speed rating, which is determined by the colour of the timer at the time of drop-off. Here's a chart which shows the ratings and how to get them: Timer colour | Speed rating -------------|------------- GREEN| SPEEDY YELLOW| NORMAL RED| SLOW 4d) Predicting an approximate fare ---------------------------------> You can usually make an approximation of the payment you'll receive from a customer by two factors; the colour of the dollar sign above their head, and the size of their drop zone. The darker the colour of the dollar sign, the closer the destination is. Similarly, the larger the drop zone, the more difficult it will be to reach the destination is time. These charts will help you understand this: Dollar sign colour chart: | Distance to | Amount of time to | Size of Sign colour | destination | reach destination | Fare -------------|-------------|-------------------|----------- RED | VERY NEAR | SMALL | SMALL ORANGE | NEAR | QUITE SMALL |QUITE SMALL YELLOW | MEDIUM | MEDIUM | MEDIUM YELLOW-GREEN | FAR | QUITE LARGE |QUITE LARGE GREEN | VERY FAR | LARGE | LARGE Drop zone size chart: Size of Drop Zone | Difficulty of journey | Size of Fare ------------------|-----------------------|------------- LARGE| HIGH | LARGE MEDIUM| MEDIUM | MEDIUM SMALL| LOW | SMALL Both the distance and the difficulty of the journey have an impact on the size of the fare, but if you came across a customer with, say, a green dollar sign, and a small drop zone, that would indicate a long journey (large fare) but an easy journey (small fare). This would give you a medium size fare. So, if you've got a lot of time on your hands, go for the customers that have green dollar signs and large drop zones, as these will net you a lot of cash, but take up a lot of your time. As you're nearing the end of the game, go for the red dollar signers, as a last ditch attempt to scrape together one final wad of cash. 4e) A Note on Tips -----------------> Tips are shown as coins that appear next to your taxi. They can be worth either $0.25 (copper coins), $0.50 (silver coins), or $0.75 - $1.00 (gold coins). However, you can gain combos, by performing stunts consectutively without crashing into another car or a piece of non- destructible scenery (ie. buildings, walls, but not crates, phone booths, or anything else that can be moved around by your taxi). Each combo makes your tip worth more. Example: Combo 1 - $0.50 Combo 2 - $0.75 Combo 3 - $1.00 Combo 4 - $2.00 Combo 5 - $3.25 * CRASH * Your tip resets to minimum, but these tips are added together, so that 5-string combo would give you $7.50. 4f) The Fare Formula -------------------> This is a *very* brief and simplified formula for the working out of fares. There must be a lot of complex maths going on in Crazy Taxi which calculates the fares, so rather than spend ages trying to decipher that, here's the patented Mr. Black's Fare-Working-Out Formula: Total fare = Base fare + Tips + Time bonus See what I mean about simplified? It's more of a summary of this section than anything else. 4g) The Customers ----------------> There are tons of different customers to pick up in Crazy Taxi, and the instruction manual lists but a few of them. Here they are: Rachel - Currently working as a hospital volunteer, this young woman dreans of becoming a doctor someday. Typical destination(s): Hospital Cindy - This young pretty college student is a psychology major who just loves junk food! Typical destination(s): Pizza Hut/KFC Dan - A graduate student of economics, Dan is in the process of writing his thesis on the economical impact of the fashion industry on world markets. Typical destination(s): FILA Grandma J - Keep your eyes peeled for this feisty ol' lady! Those loud and colourful pyjamas on Ms. Jessica are sure hard to miss! Typical destination(s): Used car shop Biff - A baseball fanatic who never misses a game, Biff travels by helicopter to watch his favourite baseball team in action whenever they are playing away games. Typical destination(s): Baseball park/Heliport Kim - This tourist is always running from one famous landmark to another with a video camera in hand. Smile! Typical destination(s): Millenium Tower/Big Hills Park Buzz - A hard-core loving punk rocker who has a habit of appearing in the most unexpected of places! Typical destination(s): Tower Records Pierre - A hopelessly romantic young man who spends all his time and money chasing women... another day another date. Typical destination(s): Cafeteria These "typical destinations" are only rough approximations - each character will want to go to several other places too. In addition, there are several other customers for you to pick up. --------------------------------------------------------------------> 5) THE GAME MODES <------------------------------------------------------------------- There are several different game modes in Crazy Taxi, and all of them use the same 'pick up customer, drop them off, repeat' sequence of play. The only differences are the time limits. On the main menu screen, you can see six different options: ARCADE, ORIGINAL, CRAZY BOX, OPTIONS, RECORDS, and SAVE AND LOAD. 5a) Arcade ---------> Arcade mode, unsurprisingly, is set in the exact same city as the one you play in the arcades. You can choose to play for 3, 5 or 10 minutes, or to play by Arcade machine rules. You start outside the university grounds. At the end of the time limit, you are presented with a status screen showing just how damn good you did. The amount of customers you satisfied and the amount of money you earned are shown, along with the LICENCE you earned. The licence depends on how much money you earned, so I've made yet another ickle table to explain what I'm on about. Amount earned | Licence obtained ------------------|----------------- $0.00 | No licence $1 - $999 | E Class licence $1,000 - $1,999 | D Class licence $2,000 - $2,999 | C Class licence $3,000 - $3,999 | B Class licence $4,000 - $4,999 | A Class licence $5,000 - $9,999 | S Class licence $10,000 - £19,999 | Awesome licence $20,000 + | Crazy licence MY HIGH SCORES: Play by Arcade Rules - $18,600.32 Work for 3 minutes - $2,421.53 Work for 5 minutes - $4,563.12 Work for 10 minutes - $7,333.63 5b) Original -----------> Original is the same as Arcade, with the same 3, 5, or 10 minute limits, except you play in a new, Dreamcast-exclusive city. Again, you earn licences depending on how much cash you bag. MY HIGH SCORES: Play by Arcade Rules - $22,256.87 (Woohoo!) Work for 3 minutes - $2,107.82 Work for 5 minutes - $3,989.34 Work for 10 minutes - $7,025.92 5c) Crazy Box ------------> Here, you can play 9 different mini-games, with 7 secret ones to unlock. They'll be discussed in more depth in the CRAZY BOX MINI-GAME GUIDE section. You can change player files and cabbies at the top of the screen. You can also do a quick view of the selected player's high scores for each mini-game by highlighting that mini-game. Pressing either trigger while highlighting lets you view the total high score for that mini-game. 5d) Options ----------> Funnily enough, the options menu is where you can muck about with the game's options. TIME SETTING: This option changes the time limit of the 'Play by Arcade Rules' game setting of the Arcade and Original modes. TIME DIFFICULTY: This changes the amount of time that you get to drop off each customer. TRAFFIC DIFFICULTY: This changes the density of traffic in the 'Play by Arcade Rules' settings. AUDIO: Choose between monaural and stereo sound settings. MUSIC VOLUME: Adjust the volume of the funky music. SE VOLUME: Change the volume of the sound effects. CONTROLLER SETTING: Choose between two controller configurations. VIBRATION: Toggle the Vibration Pack on/off (obviously, you can only select this option if you have a Vibration Pack in Expansion Socket 2 of your controller). 5e) Records ----------> Here's where you can inspect your fabulous hi-scores and record-breaking level times and brag about them to your mates. Move the Analogue down to choose between the Arcade, Original, and Crazy Box record charts, and move it left and right to scroll through the various settings. You can also choose to view the high scores of an individual player, or the highest overall scores from all players. 5f) Save & Load --------------> Seeing as Crazy Taxi has an auto-load function, this option isn't of too much use, to be honest. However, it's possible to create and delete player files here, or modify their names. You can save a maximum of 4 player files. 5g) Arcade Rules ---------------> If you've played Crazy Taxi at the arcades, then you'll know what to expect here. You start with 50 seconds of time, and with each customer you successfully drop off, you'll get a time bonus. That means that although you have a very short time to begin with, if you do well enough, you can carry on playing for ages. The time bonus you get depends on your speed rating. Here's a chart to explain it further: Speed rating | Time bonus -------------|----------- SPEEDY| +5 secs NORMAL| +2 secs SLOW| +0 secs Also, you get a small time bonus when you pick up a customer, to accommodate his/her destination time limit. If your total time limit is less than the customer's destination limit, your total time limit will become equal to the destination time limit. Example: You pick up a customer with 5 seconds left. Her destination time limit is 15 seconds, so your time limit becomes 15 seconds too. You drop her off in 10 seconds - your total time limit is 5 again. But, because you got a 'NORMAL' speed rating (bonus +2 seconds), your total time limit becomes 7 (5+2). 5h) Game Physics ---------------> As far as I can tell, Crazy Taxi is set in a parallel universe where crashing head-on into inanimate objects has very little effect on your speed, cars are indestructible, and ordinary people can breathe and drive cars underwater. You could say that Crazy Taxi takes a few of the laws of physics and tells them where to get off. But that's good. That means you can retain your speed even after crashing head-on with a bus. That means that your taxi never claps out on you or blows up on impact with a concrete pillar. And yes, that means that you can drive underwater without too much trouble. Hooray for unrealism! -------------------------------------------------------------------> 6) THE CABBIES <------------------------------------------------------------------- In this section, the descriptions of the cabbies has been copied from the instruction manual. 6a) Axel -------> AGE: 21 SEX: Male HEIGHT: 6'0" WEIGHT: 158lbs LICENCE PLATE NUMBER: 1NOM155 = "I no miss" Meaning: "I don't make mistakes" This wild and freewheeling guy is known to have a hot and quick temper. His only reason for becoming a cab driver is that he considers being a cabbie the "coolest" profession. Axel always shows his customers a good time while driving them in his 60's era classic cab, earning himself big tips in the process. As far he is concerned, cab driving is the ultimate career. When he isn't working, Axel is usually trying to pick up women, jamming with his punk band (bass and vocals) or participating in board sports like surfing and snowboarding. That said however, Axel is a bit too freewheeling so his band members tend to come and go on a regular basis, and he can't maintain decent relationships with women. Oh well, what's a guy to do? While he isn't perfect, his open-hearted personality and cheerful nature means he kind of grows on you. His most redeeming quality is that he is especially gifted at mediating when there is trouble or fighting amongst his many friends. COMMENT: Axel is an average driver, he seems to lack the stunting skill of B.D. Joe but there isn't much difference really. Shame about the hair, though. 6b) B.D. Joe -----------> AGE: 25 SEX: Male HEIGHT: 5'9" WEIGHT: 165lbs LICENCE PLATE NUMBER: 2HOP2GO = "To hop to go" Meaning: "Always ready to get crazy" Always friendly and cheerful... that's B.D.Joe. For him, driving a cab is a line of work in which he can excel at "making people happy". Happiest when he can bring a smile to the face of customers, B.D. is a master of both driving and conversational techniques. Even when he is not driving a cab, B.D. is well known as an accomplished performance artist. He can throw together a few discarded drum cans and lids, and using a pair of drumsticks he can blow you away with his musical prowess. His rhythms sound so fine they put the supposed "professional" musicians to shame. He is often asked why he doesn't perform professionally but he just laughs brightly and says, "Making people smile is reward enough for me, besides, cabbing is too much fun to give up!" Lately B.D. Joe has taken up card tricks... why you may ask? Because by doing so he can make anyone's day, anytime, anywhere. COMMENT: Aahh... wasn't dat da wuvwiest fing oo've ever wead? Other than his obvious people-pleasing talents, I reckon B.D. is the best overall cabbie in Crazy Taxi. He just seems to be able to pull off stunts easier than anyone else, so he's the cabbie I play as the most. 6c) Gena -------> AGE: SEX: HEIGHT: WEIGHT: LICENCE PLATE NUMBER: 5EXY515 = "Sexy Sis" Meaning: "Sexually Attractive Woman" If Gena could be described in two words, without a doubt those words would be "cool & sexy". With a strong passion for cars, her reason for being a cab driver is simple, "Because I get to drive around in my car all day!" While she's not concerned with amusing her customers per se, she sure is timely. When asked if perhaps she'd be happier as a racing driver, she just laughs and replies, "But it is such a ruch to race through the traffic-laden streets... I could never give this up!" When Gena isn't working in her beloved cab, she can usually be found working on it. In fact, she spends nearly all her time and money performing extensive tune-ups, maintenance, and cleaning. It's no surprise that all the money she earns goes straight back into her cab. Despite her cab fixation, many men are attracted to Gena's beauty. But she simply turns her nose up at any man who dares try to gain her affections. Clearly the object of her affection is her one and only cab! COMMENT: There doesn't seem to be any in-game distinction between Gena and Axel, other than their appearance. I very rarely play as Gena, but as soon as I find something out, I'll let you know. 6d) Gus ------> AGE: SEX: HEIGHT: 5'8" WEIGHT: 187 LICENCE PLATE NUMBER: ONLY777 = "Only 777" Meaning: "Only aim for the big jackpot" Gus is a handsome (in a melancholy sort of way) drifter who typifies the term "cool". He holds the unique distinction of being the first cabbie ever to drive in the "crazy" style. In his youth, Gus was a wild and uncontrollable hooligan, selfish to a fault, who hated to lose and had to be Number 1 at any cost. With a strong fascination for things new, Gus was naturally drawn to that one unique trend that was totally cool. Always getting into something before it became popular, back in the days when he didn't own a car he was just riding around in a normal taxi when he had a flash of inspiration that caused him to go out and buy an old junked out 1955 jalopy. Thus began the crazy taxi trend. If Gus isn't driving, he can usually be found playing cards. When the working ends he meets his poker buddies (whose members change nightly) to pass the time playing poker, blackjack, and baccarat. A benefit of his gambling is that Gus has come to understand the ways of strategy, thereby mellowing his former desire to win at all costs. Learning the why and how of losing has made Gus a better person. COMMENT; I play as Gus quite a lot, for the sole reason that I like his car! He has the heaviest car in the game, meaning that he can take crashes with a minimal loss of speed, but has slower acceleration. -------------------------------------------------------------------> 7) CRAZY BOX MINIGAME GUIDE <------------------------------------------------------------------- Here, I've given hints on how to beat each minigame, and also my personal high scores, which will undoubtedly be embarrassingly poor. 7a) 1-1: Crazy Jump ------------------> OBJECTIVE: Jump further than 150 metres off a huge ski ramp. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: No time limit. Easy, this. All you have to do is Crazy Dash right from the start, and you clear the K point easily. For a longer jump, perform more than one Crazy Dash (Limit Cut) while bombing down the ramp. MY HIGH SCORE: 352.68m 7b) 1-2: Crazy Flag ------------------> OBJECTIVE: Knock down a flag situated behind the start point. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 0'20"00 Either Crazy Back Dash a few times, or just turn around and drive straight for it and Limit Cut - this one's a cinch. MY HIGH SCORE: 0'09"70 7c) 1-3: Crazy Balloons ----------------------> OBJECTIVE: Burst 20 balloons strewn about an open field. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 0'45"00 Once you've gotten to grips with the Crazy Dash and Crazy Drift, you shouldn't find this too hard. The lone balloons should be popped by driving straight into them, but the groups of three can be burst in one go if you Crazy Drift through them. MY HIGH SCORE: 0'30"94 7d) 2-1: Crazy Drift -------------------> OBJECTIVE: Perform Crazy Drift combos in an enclosed arena. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 15 combo The premise is simple, but this arena is probably the worst possible place to perform Crazy Drifts, due to it's raised bumps. Try to drift on the flat roads round the outside and in the middle. MY HIGH SCORE: 27 combo 7e) 2-2: Crazy Turn ------------------> OBJECTIVE: Drive a customer to her destination through a track composed of hairpin turns. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 0'35"00 This mini-game can be quite frustrating, due to the fact that it's still fairly difficult to finish the course within the time limit even if you perform Crazy Drifts round every corner. Approach the corners wide, turn in, and Crazy Drift out. You may need to apply a touch or two of the brake mid-Drift. MY HIGH SCORE: 0'30"04 7f) 2-3: Crazy Bound -------------------> OBJECTIVE: Drive a customer to his destination over a series of ramps and 90 degree turns, without falling into the sea. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 0'40"00 Annoying, annoying, annoying. That about sums up this mini-game. Crazy Dash from the start, and try to Crazy Drift on each ramp to set you up for the next. Before attempting the final ramp, which is very narrow, take a moment to slow down and line yourself up. Then prepare to brake like mad to stop in the drop-off zone without falling off the edge into the briny depths. MY HIGH SCORE: 0'33"45 7g) 3-1: Crazy Rush ------------------> OBJECTIVE: Drive five customers to their destinations. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 1'10"00 This one took me a few tries... it's one of the harder mini-games. The customers are situated in the centre of a five-pointed star, with their destinations at each point, like this: D | C = Customer D - C C C - D D = Destination C C S = Your starting point / \ D S D The problem is, when you drop a customer off, you facing exactly the opposite way as the next one you need to pick up. So, solve this problem by performing a Crazy Drift Stop in the stop zone to face in the right direction. Then, Crazy Dash off again for the next customer. Simple in theory... quite tricky in practice. The hardest part is getting the car to stop inside the drop-off zone, without sliding off all over the place. MY HIGH SCORE: 1'01"85 7h) 3-2: Crazy Jam -----------------> OBJECTIVE: Drive three customers to their destinations, driving through dense traffic. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 0'45'00 Takes a few goes, but is ultimately very easy. Crazy Dash from the start to boost straight through the traffic coming from your left and right, and then Crazy Drift Stop to bring your car within both your present customer's drop-off zone, and the next customer's stop zone, while facing the main road to your right. Once the second customer's in your cab, Crazy Dash down the road. It's dead straight, but jam-packed full of cars, so stick yourself in between traffic lanes and Limit Cut to the second drop-off zone. Pick up the last customer and it's a straight run to the finish. MY HIGH SCORE: 0'36"19 7i) 3-3: Crazy Pole ------------------> OBJECTIVE: Drive eight customers to their destinations, along a course composed of 90 degree turns, each with a pole in the middle of the turn. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 1'10"00 The trick here is to start a sharp Crazy Drift *just* before you hit the pole, so, in effect, you T-Bone the car onto the pole, facing the next pole. Crazy Dash after you pick each customer off, and you'll thrash the time limit, like I've done (modest to the core, me). MY HIGH SCORE: 0'44"49 7j) 1-S: Crazy Bowling ---------------------> OBJECTIVE: Knock down all seven sets of ten bowling pins along a huge bowling alley. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 0'30"00 This is tricky. To make it to the end in time with all 70 pins knocked down requires some slick driving. When you're halfway crashing through each set of pins, do a very slight Crazy Drift; this will guarantee a strike. At the sixth set, do a full 180-degree Crazy Drift, then Crazy Dash off down the long lane to your right to reach the last set. By the way, if you go through the tunnel at the end of each gutter, you'll reappear at the start of the alley, just like you would if you got a gutter ball in real bowling; your ball is returned to you. (Thanks to Harry for pointing this out) MY HIGH SCORE: 0'27"59 7k) 2-S: Crazy Zigzag --------------------> OBJECTIVE: Drive a customer to her destination along a course composed of 90 degree and hairpin turns, without falling into the sea. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 0'25"00 Aaargh! This is THE most frustrating mini-game in Crazy Taxi, and if it's your first time, it'll take you plenty of goes before you crack it. Crazy Dash from the start, and perform a Crazy Drift with a touch of brake for the first three 90-degree turns. The next two turns are absolute b*tches. You'll need to brake fairly heavily both before and during the Crazy Drift to ensure you don't fall into the drink. The final turn looks worse, but if you've done OK up to now, just do a slight slide to the right using only the brake, and drive off to the finish. One problem I had with this mini-game was finding the right place to start my Crazy Drifts on the first three turns. I found that the best way was to begin the Crazy Drift as soon as the front of your car passes the white marks on the road, just before the turn. MY HIGH SCORE: 0'23"59 7l) 3-S: Crazy Zigzag 2 ----------------------> OBJECTIVE: Drop off all 7 customers to their destinations, driving through the Crazy Zigzag course, again without falling into the sea. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 0'40"00 Thankfully, this is easier than the first Crazy Zigzag. At the start, 7 grannies board your car. You have to drop them off along your way to the finish. Unfortunately for you, their drop-off zones are tiny slivers of track at the corners of each turn. To make sure you don't zoom off the corners, apply a touch of brake as you pass the white marks on the road, then do a heavily-braked Crazy Drift to stop within the drop-off zone and face the next. Repeat six times. MY HIGH SCORE: 0'39"22 7m) S-1: Crazy Through ---------------------> OBJECTIVE: Obtain a 30+ Crazy Through combo on a traffic-laden highway. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 1'30"00 You'd think that this mini-game requires some smooth driving to dodge incoming traffic and get the Crazy Throughs. Wrong. You can cheat. Well, sort of. To obtain scores as high as my own (see below) with minimum effort, simply steer you car to the left at the very start, to position your cab between the two lanes of INCOMING traffic. Then simply nudge the accelerator repeatedly and crawl along as slow as possible, steering slightly to take the turns, but never straying from the line between the lanes. After the minute and a half is up, hey presto! A big fat combo score! MY HIGH SCORE: 115 combo 7n) S-2: Crazy Parking ---------------------> OBJECTIVE: Drive a customer to his destination, through a multi-storey car park full of both moving and stationary traffic. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 0'25"00 Not much to say here, really. Use Limit Cuts on the few straight parts and Crazy Drifts on the turns, avoid the stationary cars as best as you can, and make sure you don't overshoot the drop-off point. Simple stuff, really. MY HIGH SCORE: 0'19"04 7o) S-3: Crazy Party -------------------> OBJECTIVE: Pick up all seven customers and drive them to their destination. TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 1'40"00 This, at first, seems nigh-on impossible, especially seeing as the game doesn't give you half a clue as to what on earth you're supposed to be doing. However, it becomes a whole lot easier, once you know THE ROUTE. THE ROUTE is the set path by which you must not stray from, lest you fail the mini-game and live the rest of your life in shame. Actually, it's just the best order in which to pick up yer punters. THE ROUTE is: 1) Go slightly to the left of the ramp ahead of you, and pick up the guy standing next to the phone booths. 2) Next, pick up the guy who's on the opposite side of the ramp. 3) Double back, and head up the ramp that's behind you, the one with the bowling pins on it. Use the brake to stay on. Pick up the guy at the top of this ramp. 4) Jump off the ramp to land in the middle of the parked cars. Pick up guy number 4 here. 5) Go straight on, and drive up the ramp along the outside of the cylindrical tower. Again, use the brake to stay on. 6) Drive off the tower, in the direction of the ramp you were facing at the start. Use a Crazy Dash or two to make the jump from the ramp to the terrace ahead. Try to jump to the right. Pick up the guy who's on the right-hand side of the terrace. 7) The last guy is on the left-hand side of the terrace. Once all seven are in your cab, bust through the barrier at the end of the terrace, and follow the narrow path to the end. Don't fall off the path, or you'll fail. MY HIGH SCORE: 1'37"29 7p) S-S: Crazy Attack --------------------> OBJECTIVE: Drive one lap around the Arcade city (!) TIME/SCORE LIMIT: 4'00"00 Slightly overwhelming at first, but I did it on my first try, albeit with a pretty poor time. It's slightly confusing as to where to go, but, once you start playing, you'll realise that the Arcade city is surprisingly racetrack-like. Also, checkpoints will appear onscreen to show you how you're doing for time, and to keep you on track. To begin with, follow the tramway down the hill to the bottom. Turn left to drive along the beach. Drive straight through the big park, and use the multi-storey car park to help you get some air and avoid traffic. Drive through the streets, and drive up the hill where the church is. Crazy Drift off the hill before the R. B. Station to land in the car park below. Drive past the baseball stadium, and onto the highway. Follow this along to the inner city area. Go left after the police station, and drive through the city (don't go through the mall; it just wastes time) to the look-out tower. Follow the coast along and drive up the large hill. Then it's just a drive past the university gardens, back to the suburbs where you started. You ARE carrying a customer, you know, so you will have to stop on the drop-off zone to finish the race. Note that you must pass through all the checkpoints to complete the race, so no sneaky shortcutting is allowed. Additionally, when ever you see those car transporters, ramp off them to clear some traffic. MY HIGH SCORE: 3'35"02 -------------------------------------------------------------------> 8) HINTS AND TIPS <------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some pointers on how to make that extra bit of cash, in both the Arcade and Original cities: ARCADE - The highway that goes from the baseball stadium to the police station is a veritable goldmine of hard cash. Try to "grind" against the outside lanes, by jamming your car against it, then simply Crazy Dash all the way through, racking up the Crazy Throughs as you go. It's worth noting that the lower lane yields more spondoolicks, as there seems to be heavier traffic. - The hills in the suburbian area of the city are just perfect for those massive Crazy Jump combos. Crazy Dash beforehand to catch more air. - When driving to the baseball stadium from the massive grassy area where the church is, you can save some valuable time by Crazy Drifting off the hill that goes down to the R.B. Station, aiming to land in the car park. - In the Arcade city, you have the advantage of those car transporters strewn all over the place, that handily double up into mini-ramps. Use these whenever you can, as not only do you get more tips, you can also avoid traffic. - The multi-storey car park is fantastic for getting extra dough. Crazy Drift off the ramp, Crazy Through the parked cars, then Crazy Dash off the end for a big jump. ORIGINAL - Try the Used Car Shop for some superb Crazy Through-ing. Parked cars galore! - For a shortcut to the Marine Plaza, Crazy Dash up the raised bridge to clear the warehouse and land just before it. - Similarly, you can jump from the Marine Plaza to the Police Station by using the ramp-like walls surrounding it. - Like in the Arcade City, there are loads of super-steep hills knocking about, just crying out to be jumped off. Plus, you always have the highways in the inner city area. - The layout of the inner city area is such that it is actually quite difficult to navigate. Thankfully, the subway entrances can be used as ramps. Try leaping up onto the rooftop cafeteria - saves loadsa time. -------------------------------------------------------------------> 9) SECRETS <------------------------------------------------------------------- 9a) The Rickshaw ---------------> TO GET IT: 1) Clear all 16 mini-games in the Crazy Box. Press up on the d-pad in the character selection screen to ride the rickshaw (on Crazy Box scroll past Gus) 2) Before selecting your cabbie in the Arcade/Original select screen, quickly tap L+R three times. A bike bell should be heard if you did it right. WHAT IT DOES: Yes, it's possible to replace your taxi with a brand spanking new secret "car": the rickshaw. Basically, it's a bike with a big basket on the back for carrying passengers. It's much faster than the normal taxi, but for some reason it's heavier, so it can't take jumps nearly as well. I prefer the taxis, myself. 9b) Another Day Mode -------------------> TO GET IT: Tap R on the character select screen, then hold R when picking a cabbie. You'll know if you did it right if "another day" appears in green writing in the bottom-left corner of the screen. WHAT IT DOES: This "cheat" starts you off in a different part of the city, with different customer locations and destinations. If you're playing in Arcade, you'll start in much the same place as you would normally - outside the university. However, you're on the other side of the street and you're facing the other way. If in Original, you'll begin the game outside the Millenium Tower. 9c) No Arrows Mode -----------------> TO GET IT: Hold R+Start during the "now loading" screen before the character select screen. If you did it right, "no arrows" will appear in yellow in the bottom-left corner of the screen. WHAT IT DOES: Disables the destination arrow. This definitely makes the game harder, as you have to rely on memory to get the cash. 9d) No Destination Mark Mode -----------------------------> TO GET IT: Hold L+Start during the "now loading" screen before the character select screen. "No destination mark" should appear in red at the bottom-left corner of the screen if you did it correctly. WHAT IT DOES: Disables the green barriers surrounding the drop-off zones. You can still make out a green line on the floor marking the boundary, so this cheat doesn't really do all that much. 9e) Expert Mode --------------> TO GET IT: Hold L+R+Start while the "now loading" appears before the character select screen. "EXPERT" should appear in white at the bottom- left corner of the screen if you did it correctly. WHAT IT DOES: Basically, this cheat combines the two above cheats into one. No arrows OR destination marks. Hard? That's why it's an *expert* mode. 9f) Alternative Views --------------------> TO GET IT: Plug in another controller into port 3. During the game, press Start on that controller. WHAT IT DOES: After you press Start on the controller in port 3, you can use the A, B, X, and Y buttons on that controller to alter the camera view. Here's what each button does: B Button: Shifts camera to a 1st-person "cockpit" view. X Button: Press five times to make a speedometer appear. Y Button: Shifts camera to a dramatic version, which pans and follows your car to give a more action-orientated view. If you don't know what I mean, watch the video that comes after the title screen. A Button: Resets the camera back to it's normal, 3rd-person view. 9g) "Hidden" Customers -------------------> There are several customers in Crazy Taxi that are in hard to reach or otherwise obscure locations. They are quite fun to track down, and they more often than not grant you a bit more cash than a regular customer would. Although I'm sure that there's many, many more, here's a list of the ones that I've found. ARCADE - Drive down to the beach at the bottom of the hill with the tramway on it. There are several people underwater, standing on the submerged rocks. They even have snorkels on! - Go to the multi-storey car park. After you go up the ramp, turn right and drive along to the very end, keeping to left wall. At the end, slowly drop off and you'll land on a roof. From here, you can see Grandma J standing on a veranda. Pick her up; she wants to go from here, all the way to the Police Station in the inner city area 2km away! Her base fare is a huge $975.08! You can *easily* make over $1,100 from just this one customer! ORIGINAL - In various points under the water in the docks area, you can find a snorkel-wearing Buzz, who will usually want to go to Tower Records. - Approach the triple-carriageway Spaghetti Junction-like highway from the inner city area. Take either the left or right route and follow it. When it forks, take a right. Just after the fork you can fall off and land on the roof of a building. Buzz is here, waiting to be picked up. - Ramp up the raised bridge in the docks area to land on top of the warehouse. Hellooooo, Grandma J. - From the Landing Pier, go right, left at the police station, then take the first right. Drive along until you see a flight of steps on your left. Go up them to reach a rooftop eatery area. Surprise, surprise! There's another customer up here! 9h) Sightseeing --------------> As well as hidden customers, there are tons of neat things to see in Crazy Taxi. Conforming to an almost Pilotwings-esque level of attention to detail, it'll be a long while before any of us see everything that there is to see in Crazy Taxi. ARCADE - In the sea by the beach, not only are there people snorkelling, but there is also an orca (killer whale) swimming about! (Thanks to Harry for finding that) - In the Police Station, you can see policemen through the wire fence - and get this! They're TAPPING THEIR FEET! JOY! - You know the Tennis Court? Use the 1st-person cheat to get a better view, then watch a tennis match! (Thanks to Harry for noticing this) - True to form, there is a significant increase in helicopter activity around the Heliport. - Look for the fountain just outside the Bus Terminal; it looks pretty damn groovy. - If you haven't done already, drive through the mall. Trust me, it's fun! ORIGINAL - The waterside area outside the police station can be followed for quite a distance, leading to a rather picturesque cliffy/beachy/watery place. - Just take a look at that Millenium Tower. Huge! Same goes for the Big Hills Park's ferris wheel. - If you drive underwater near the Lighthouse, you can see a section of the harbour wall that has fallen into disrepair. Nothing too eye-pleasing, but gives a few hours of frustrating entertainment as you try to bash through it, and later realise that you can't. - Tootle along the train tracks between stations, and before long you'll be ploughed into by a train. Yippee! GENERAL - Did you know that there are other Crazy Taxi drivers in the city? Keep your eyes open! On more than one occasion have I seen have I seen yellow cabs career through the streets, pulling off drift turns and unsuccessfully trying to take ramps. - Is it just me, or do the red cars and blue transit vans on this game look suspiciously like the ones from House of the Dead 2? -------------------------------------------------------------------> 10) THE END <------------------------------------------------------------------- 10a) Credits -----------> Credits go to: Harry "Shut Up" Clarkson (my ickle bruvver), for finding several neat things, and inspiring me to put in the "Sightseeing" section Sega, for making such a great game The Offspring and Bad Religion, for making the great music for this game; without them, the game wouldn't be quite as good. 10b) Stuff for the Future ------------------------> I don't plan on adding too much to this guide (of course, in future version, high scores etc. will be updated, along with a version history), but there are some things that maybe YOU could help me with: The brand names of the cabbies' cars Any hidden customers you've found Any sightseeing stuff you've found Rest assured, you will be credited in full. E-mail me at: aggisander@altavista.co.uk 10c) Legal Stuff ---------------> First, the copyrights: Crazy Taxi is a registered trademark or trademark of Sega Enterprises,Ltd. Sega and Dreamcast are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Ltd. This guide is copyright Alexander Hugh Clarkson, 2000. Now then. The ground rules: 1) You CANNOT post or link to this guide unless you are one of the sites shown in number 3) below. I'm not accepting requests for this guide anymore. 2) I will not accept spamming (ESPECIALLY chain letters). Spamming will be taken up with your e-mail provider. Although I'm not a particular fan of it, hate mail is fine - they can't do you for that. 3) The only sites that will ever have my permission to host this guide are: www.gamefaqs.com www.vgstrategies.about.com So, if you see it anywhere else, tell me, dammit! That about covers it. Thankyou and goodnight. by Mr. Black