NEWS / IPHONE Crazy Taxi for iOS devices out now

After the recent announcement by Sega that the cult classic Crazy Taxi would be making its way to iOS devices, Unleash The Phones has reported that the iOS version of the game is out. The port is said to be a ‘perfect’ port of the Dreamcast version of the game, and  hence will having the same features, game modes, minigames and soundtrack. An added feature is that the game allows players to create their own soundtracks by using the music stored on their iOS devices. The game is available for purchase on the App Store for $4.99 (roughly Rs 260) and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad running iOS version 4.3 or higher.

Sega had earlier released a trailer to announce the iOS port of Crazy Taxi. The trailer doesn’t give much information about the game except that it will feature at least one song from the original version of the game on the PlayStation 2, Sega Dreamcast, and on arcade machines. The trailer also tells us the devices that the game will be available for – iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch – and the release window for the game, which is this month.

Crazy Taxi is violently making its way to iOS devices this month

Crazy Taxi was originally released in 1999 for arcade machines back when those things were famous. The game was then ported on to Dreamcast in 2000 and PC in 2002. The game focuses on four 'extreme' cab drivers – Axel, BD Joe, Gena and Gus – each having his or her own special car and attributes, which gave the game a unique replay value in trying to get the highest scores with all four characters. The main aim of the game is to pick up random pedestrians looking for a taxi ride, and find the most exhilarating and insane route to their destination within the time limit. Insane routes meaning it didn’t matter if you went off-road, through a mall, through a picnic or even underwater. All this is done for tips, which add to your high score.

This is another in a series of re-releases of classic games by Sega, the most recent being the HD re-release of Jet Set Radio on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Jet Set Radio is set in a dystopian world where street gangs are comprised of kids wearing ‘nitrium-powered’ roller blades, which allow them to achieve great amounts of speed. The main aim of the game is to take over the city by spray-painting graffiti on certain spots all over the city to ward off the other gangs, while at the same time surviving increasing escalating police action against you. Police initially starts off with trying to arrest you by themselves, but eventually, the SWAT teams are called in, along with tanks and attack choppers.

Sega has been trying to get its older intellectual property (IP) back into the limelight and this seems to be the latest attempt to do so. Last year, the company had released its latest attempt at making its brand mascot – Sonic the hedgehog – relevant again with the release of Sonic Generations. The game was met by much acclaim by critics as a return to form for the blue hedgehog after a string of unfortunate games.