Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller is the third entry in the Crazy Taxi series, and one of the lesser-known titles in the franchise. It was originally released on Xbox in 2002 before being brought to arcades and PC, but more recently, it has been fan-recompiled for modern PC hardware. It was one of the select titles SEGA released as part of their exclusive deal with Microsoft following the Dreamcast's downfall, and it is also possibly the most unique entry.
While Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2 before it were both completely original titles, Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller follows a similar trend by adding new characters and a new location to play within, but it also includes partial remakes of the first two games within its package. This makes the third entry feel a bit more like a collection than an entirely new game, while still retaining its own identity and not serving as a replacement for what came before.
After being away from the game for roughly 20 years, I recently decided to check out the new recompiled version and see if the game held up as well in today's world as it did when it first released. Of course, one important thing to note is that the technical issues that plagued the original Xbox and PC releases are not fully present here, so they will not be mentioned in the review—though the occasional pop-in still exists. Along with the higher resolution and increased frame rate, this makes the fan recompile the true definitive way to experience the game, even though it is not official. For those who would rather play the original PC or Xbox release, it is still the same game, but it doesn’t run quite as smoothly.
Anyway, with that being said, is Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller still worth it today? Or was this one best left forgotten?
Returning to the Crazy Taxi Formula:
The Crazy Taxi gameplay is something that many fans will already be familiar with, and it is something that would go on to inspire other titles as well—including the deeply loved The Simpsons: Road Rage.
To put it simply, the game puts players in the shoes of a taxi driver as they explore the city and pick up customers. Customers can be found throughout the entire open-world map, and an icon above their heads indicates how much of a "challenge" dropping them off will be. Upon picking them up, a destination is given and a timer starts counting down; from there, players must deliver them as quickly as possible. The faster you arrive at the destination, the more money you earn. If you fail to make it there on time, the customer will jump out of the taxi and take all of their money with them.
In addition to the individual customer timer, the game itself also runs on a clock system which can be customized to an extent. The standard arcade rules begin with a low time limit, but picking up customers adds additional time—technically allowing a round to last nearly indefinitely. However, players can also select set time limits, such as the 5-minute or 10-minute rules. In these modes, customers do not add time, but you are free to explore the map and take additional time before picking someone up if needed.
Along with getting rewarded for dropping someone off quickly, the game also rewards players with additional money for driving, well, crazy! Near misses with traffic, launching yourself off of ramps, and drifting around turns are all great ways to rack up additional dough, and that goes hand in hand with the special "crazy" moves the game allows players to pull off. Building off of the previously released Crazy Taxi 2, the game allows players to freely hop into the air, but they can also combine it with the crazy dash or crazy drift to gain speed boosts and extra points. These moves also allow players to maneuver through traffic easier and arrive at places even quicker—which, once again, provides even more money.
Of course, all of this takes practice. Fans of the previous titles will quickly realize the handling and physics system of High Roller have been adjusted, but before long, everyone can start pulling off these tricks like a master. And that is where the true fun lies, which then gets to be used across three unique locations.
West Coast
The first location in Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller is a complete remake of the classic Arcade Map from the original Crazy Taxi. While the general layout is the same, retaining many of the classic customer locations, it has also been completely reimagined to account for the new gameplay mechanics introduced in Crazy Taxi 2—including the ability to hop, and group customers who require multiple drop-offs under a single time limit. These inclusions mean the city is now filled with new customers to pick up, each with their own destinations, alongside entirely new areas to explore.
Thanks to the hopping mechanic, areas that were previously blocked off by walls can now be traversed, and new sections have been added to the map to account for this. This opens up new shortcuts, such as being able to drive on the lower level of the parking garage, and many buildings now feature paths between them or even roads that wrap around behind them. That’s not even mentioning the underwater locations and the multiple smaller changes made throughout the entire city.
These additions breathe new life into a city many fans know like the back of their hand, adding plenty of new challenges along the way. While the original game featured an "Another Day" mode that altered customer placement, High Roller feels like an additional day on top of that—and it has its own Another Day mode as well. This means the classic Crazy Taxi map has four distinct variations spread across two games, giving fans a great reason to still go back to the original despite owning High Roller.
Small Apple
The second map within High Roller is the Small Apple from Crazy Taxi 2. While some elements have been adjusted for the new game, this map actually saw the fewest alterations of the two. Crazy Taxi 2 was already designed with the hop ability in mind, meaning many rooftops can still be accessed, but there is one visual alteration that stands out—the map is now set at night. This was a feature carried over from the originally planned "Crazy Taxi Next," which would eventually turn into High Roller. The original idea was to feature a full day-and-night cycle, but this didn’t come to fruition. Instead, Small Apple and the third, new location simply had their fixed time of day changed. It doesn’t impact gameplay, but it is visually appealing.
At night, players can also turn their headlights on or off, which is a nice little touch of realism. Considering the game also retains the real-world branding for locations like Pizza Hut, KFC, Levi's, and more, it helps drive home the idea that we’re taxi drivers in a fictional version of our real world. It is little touches like these that go a long way, helping Crazy Taxi stand out among the crowd of other driving games released at the time.
Glitter Oasis
The final location is Glitter Oasis, a completely new map based on Las Vegas itself. Once again taking place at night, the map is filled with neon lights and is split between the city's main strip and the surrounding desert and canyons. While the previous two locations featured the cast from the first two entries in the series, a new set of characters has been added specifically for this area. All characters have slightly different stats, so there is a bit of a learning curve when swapping between them. Fortunately, all drivers can eventually be unlocked for use in all areas, meaning the new cast is not restricted to Glitter Oasis.
As for the map itself, it is quite unique compared to what has previously been seen in the series. The city strip isn't too large, whereas the outside areas feature long stretches of open road, cliffs to fall off of, and only a handful of locations to stop at along the way. This is where tricks such as the Crazy Dash come in handy to ensure you arrive on time, but one wrong move and you will end up at the bottom of a canyon.
Typically with any new Crazy Taxi entry, it is the new locations and features that make the release worth it. While Glitter Oasis is a fun change of pace, it ends up sharing the spotlight with the revamped West Coast and the altered Small Apple. It is a little disappointing not to see a second Las Vegas-inspired map, but having three locations in general is very much appreciated.
Crazy X
Along with the standard Crazy Taxi mode, a new version of the series "mission mode" has returned as well in the form of "Crazy X."
The name of the mode comes from the shape of the stage select screen, which is in fact in an "X" shape, rather than a box or pyramid as seen in the first two titles. By completing missions, the adjacent ones become unlocked, and clearing all "levels" will unlock additional content for use in the main game. This includes new vehicles, detailed maps of each location, and the ability to use area-specific characters in other cities.
As for the missions themselves, each one is unique and puts the player's skills to the test. They require the use and mastery of all crazy driving techniques, and a strict time limit ensures you are always being pushed forward. Platforming missions require you to constantly accelerate while also hopping between platforms with pinpoint accuracy, sometimes even forcing you to drift and launch yourself off of ramps at the same time. Missions continue to get harder as you make your way to the center of the X, with the ultimate challenge awaiting at the end.
As with the previous games, the mission mode is a lot of fun, but once you complete it, the only reason to go back is to either try to beat your old scores or show off your driving skills.
Should you play it?
Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller is simply a blast! While the game didn't do much to truly push the series forward, it also didn't need to. Instead, the game doubled down on what made the first two great and gave us more of it. Sadly, there is only one new location, but the revamped West Coast and Small Apple more than make up for it. While some fans will still prefer the originals, High Roller is a solid entry in the series and well worth checking out.
VERDICT: Recommended
Reviewed on PC
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