Game review: Taxi Chaos 2 (Xbox Series X)

I'm not sure what the first taxi game ever was, but the one that most people know about is Sega's Crazy Taxi. I remember having fond memories of playing Crazy Taxi at the arcades, and the addition of The Offspring as the game's soundtrack was an added bonus. 

The one thing that made Crazy Taxi so addictive is that the premise is so simple. You have to pick up passengers and then drop them off at their desired location in a specific amount of time. If you take too long, then it's game over. 

While we still have to wait for Sega's Crazy Taxi reboot to come out, fans of taxi driving can now play a new, unrelated game instead. This is because another developer has stepped in and recently released a new video game called Taxi Chaos 2. 

The game is set in the fictional city of San Valeda, and players assume the role of an aging taxi driver by the name of Vinny. Any Uncharted fans will light up because Vinny looks exactly like Nathan Drake's mentor, Sully. 

Unlike Crazy Taxi, Taxi Chaos actually has a storyline that puts Vinny up against a changing world. This is because in San Valeda, the taxi business has changed for the worse because the city is overrun by AI-powered taxis called 'TaxiBots'. 

These 'TaxiBots' are ruthless because they steal passengers from Vinny, and they're very hostile too. If the 'TaxiBots' miss out on a fare, they will ram Vinny off the road and ruin his traditional human-powered taxi business. 

Luckily for Vinny, he has a smart sidekick named Cleo, and she knows all about the ruthless nature of 'TaxiBots'. Cleo is Vinny's key to fighting back because not only does she supply him with new taxis to drive, but she can also upgrade his taxi with James Bond-like gadgets. 

One of the first upgrades Vinny will have is a turbo boost for this taxi. The turbo boost allows his taxi to jump really high, much like KITT does in the old Knight Rider TV series from the '80s. 

The turbo boost is really helpful because the city of San Valeda is usually a literal mess. The roads will sometimes be blocked by barricades, rockslides, and even open bridges where you might crash into the sea!

To fight back against the many 'TaxiBots' that are chasing Vinny at all times, Cleo can equip his taxi with different weapons. The first weapon I managed to acquire in the game was the Sonic Blast. This emits a shockwave that can push away annoying 'TaxiBots' out of Vinny's way. 

Another weapon disables 'TaxiBots' with an electronic burst. One of the more useful gadgets I came across, though, was the Aqua Wheels. This temporarily allows Vinny to drive on water when they have been activated. This is one of the best ways to finally outrun the annoying 'TaxiBots'. 

To break the monotony of the gameplay, Taxi Chaos 2 diversifies the type of customers that you have to drive. Some customers have huge cargo like wagons, and this directly affects the game's physics when you drive. Other times, you may have to drive a passenger a very long way, but you will have a short time limit to get there.

Another way the game feels slightly varied is that there are numerous different types of taxis that you can drive and unlock. My favourite taxi to drive was the sporty-looking one because it was fast and easy to drive around in. 

The one taxi I hated driving the most was the big one. This one felt utterly useless because it couldn't even make the jump on bridges, so I constantly fell into the water thanks to its super slow speed. It was also useless at jumping over barricades. 

Despite trying to diversify the gameplay, the missions can get repetitive after a short while because there's no real variety. All you are really doing is driving and taking passengers around the city. 

I don't even think the game is as fun as Crazy Taxi because Taxi Chaos 2 doesn't have any licensed music, and the annoying obstacles that are littered around the city make the majority of the gameplay feel frustrating. 

Even though the gameplay is repetitive, I do like the game's visual presentation. The city is nice and colourful, and it looks like a Fortnite sometimes. Not to mention, the city isn't very large, so it's not barren or empty like an open-world game made by Ubisoft. 

Overall, Taxi Chaos 2 may have annoying gameplay and repetitive missions, but the game fills the void for those still waiting for the new Crazy Taxi title to come out. It's worth playing for those wanting to play something that doesn't take itself too seriously. 

Verdict: 7.0/10