With a few minor changes, the PlayStation 3 re-release transfers the original Dreamcast game to the PlayStation Network. The Offspring’s music is available, as are the official licenses. We anticipated that the absence of “Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya” would significantly diminish our enjoyment of the re-release, but SEGA has actually done an excellent job bridging the audio with tracks that sound comparable. How memorable was the original music to Crazy Taxi, when we truly think about it? Although we may have like “that one Bad Religion song,” we can’t really remember the tune. The plethora of licenses held by Crazy Taxi is the other absence. Even if it’s frustrating, driving to the “Pizza Shop” is just as enjoyable as driving to the “Pizza Hut”. It is clear what is intended.
The PlayStation 3 port has been enhanced for HD screens, which is a positive. The entire image appears to have been cleaned up a little bit, and wide-screen is in (though there is a “borders” option if you’d prefer). The visuals are murky and the pop-in is horrible, so it’s obvious that the game still has a 1999 appearance to it, but it functions exactly the same on the PlayStation 3 as it did on the Dreamcast version. It’s a genuine experience.
