By Jon Scarr
SEGA has shown Crazy Taxi: World Tour multiplayer for the first time, and it already looks like there’s more going on than simply racing other drivers through the city. Pickup Race builds competition around the familiar passenger runs, while Cops 'n' Cabbies has taxi drivers trying to escape a police team.
Both modes will be playable during the Crazy Taxi: World Tour Closed Network Test from September 11–13. Applications are open through August 31 in select regions, and SEGA also plans to test cross-play.
The multiplayer trailer debuted during gamescom Opening Night Live, but SEGA has since filled in a lot more about the game through an official Crazy Taxi: World Tour Discord Q&A. That includes new details about World Tour, Classic mode, the driving controls, car upgrades, and how much freedom you’ll have to explore the city.
Pickup Race and Cops 'n' Cabbies Take Different Approaches
Pickup Race sounds closest to the Crazy Taxi most people already know. You’re still picking up passengers and rushing them to their destinations, only now you’re doing it while competing against other drivers.
That creates an interesting wrinkle because every passenger stop costs you time. You need to decide when to pull over, make the delivery, and get moving again while everyone else is doing the same thing.
Cops 'n' Cabbies heads in another direction. One team drives taxis and tries to escape, while the police team chases them down. Police vehicles have an advantage in driving performance and can attack, so the taxi side has to work together and find ways to shake them.
SEGA plans to support cross-play across platforms. That will be part of the Closed Network Test as well, giving the development team an early chance to put it through its paces before the 2027 launch.
World Tour Lets You Explore Between Missions
World Tour is the main story mode, and SEGA says it will take the series further into its world through missions and story content. That's something Crazy Taxi hasn't spent much time on in the past.
You won't always have a passenger in the back seat or a mission marker sending you somewhere either. Between jobs, you can simply drive around the city, hunt for shortcuts, and get familiar with different areas. For a game built around knowing how to get somewhere quickly, having that freedom fits Crazy Taxi nicely.
Longtime fans aren't being left behind. Classic mode recreates the basic setup of the original Crazy Taxi, putting you against the clock and challenging you to earn as much cash as possible before time runs out.
SEGA also says World Tour contains other callbacks to earlier games. The team isn't saying what those are yet, so there should still be a few things for longtime fans to spot when the game arrives.
Crazy Dash Stays While the Controls Change
The driving itself is being updated too. SEGA wants basic actions such as accelerating and braking to feel more intuitive than they did in the original game, especially for anyone coming to Crazy Taxi for the first time.
That doesn't mean the old techniques are disappearing. Crazy Dash is still part of the game, and mastering its more advanced driving is still supposed to be important.
There are new Crazy Moves as well, giving experienced drivers more techniques to learn. That's probably the balance SEGA needs to hit here. Crazy Taxi has to be easier to get into without sanding away the strange, fast driving that gave the series its personality in the first place.
Gamepads are supported, while racing-wheel support is still being explored. SEGA says it hopes to share more about wheels later, so I wouldn't count that as a confirmed feature yet.
Cars Can Be Upgraded and Familiar Drivers Are Back
World Tour also adds more to do with the taxis themselves. You can switch between cars and upgrade them depending on how you want to drive. One setup might favour speed, while another can make the car easier to handle.
Taxi customization is coming too, although SEGA isn't ready to explain exactly what you'll be able to change.
Axel also won't be driving around by himself. Gena, B.D. Joe, and Gus are confirmed to return, along with new characters. The development team says it has seen the requests for drivers from Crazy Taxi 2 and Crazy Taxi 3, but nobody else is being announced yet.
The soundtrack is bringing back some familiar music as well. The new trailer uses Bad Religion's "Ten in 2010," while "All I Want" and "Change the World" by The Offspring and "Them and Us" and "Inner Logic" by Bad Religion are also returning. SEGA says more artists will be announced later.
Crazy Taxi: World Tour is planned for 2027 on XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC, Steam, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2. It's also an XBOX Play Anywhere game.
For now, the Closed Network Test is the first chance to see how these multiplayer ideas actually come together. If you want in, applications close August 31, with Pickup Race and Cops 'n' Cabbies playable September 11–13.
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated. Please stay respectful and on topic.