Hands-On With Crazy Taxi: World Tour Leaves Longtime Fans Concerned

Sega recently announced Crazy Taxi: World Tour, bringing back the classic arcade racing franchise with a time-attack style focused on picking up and dropping off passengers. Following its reveal trailer, the game faced discussion regarding its conceptual use of generative AI. During a hands-on demo at Gamescom, players explored a map themed after German cities, which will be one of five cities featured in the full release.

The traditional gameplay loop remains intact, allowing players to initiate passenger pickups by stopping near them. In addition to standard fares, World Tour introduces various side quests and challenges. These include driving around with a stack of pizzas in the back seat and launching an adrenaline junkie into the air by driving off a ledge at high speed before braking. Performance in these challenges is graded with a star rating.

Despite these additions, criticism has been directed at the driving mechanics and visual presentation. The handling feels tighter than the original game, which takes away some of the appeal, and the drifting lacks energy. Visually, the game has been described as lacking identity and carrying a cheap quality that fails to capture the cartoonish charm of Sega's classic catalog. While returning elements include the original Offspring songs, real-life brands like Puma, and character Axel, the overall presentation has left some longtime players hesitant about the upcoming release.