The overall aim of the game is to reach a point where the cabbie is earning a total of JPY1,000,000 per diem while under the wing of a grimacing boss/dispatcher. By earning oodles of cash, taxi cabs may be upgraded with performance enhancements such as speed boosters, a satellite navigation system, and improved cornering ability in addition to other upgrades. A tricked-out cab is conducive to getting passengers to their destinations quicker and lends to improved comfort for the ridership. Some passengers need to get to their destinations quickly while others are less pressed for speed but still demand a certain level of professionalism. Still other passengers may get carsick easily if your handling is less than optimal. Weather also plays a part in the game where the elements look to deter the passage of a cab through the canyons of the metropolis.
JAN Code: 4527823994089
Region Lock-out
Please note Japanese Playstation 2 games will not boot on USA or European PS2 consoles due to the inherent region-lockout on Playstation 2 game discs.
NCS Game Notes
» Tamsoft developed the game for D3P
» The taxi cab is the squat type with a "CAB" sign mounted on top of it. After picking up a passenger, he'll say "Konnichiwa" and give curt instructions on where he wants to go. Once he's seated, it's time to follow the arrow on the top of the cab's hood which points the way to the destination. You can usually tell the goal is near by spotting the red barriers around it and the big rotating "GOAL" marquee on top. Brake the cab when the goal is reached and the passenger will thank you and gingerly hop off while paying for the ride.
» The controls are good and the scenery flows by in speedy motion without any clumsy draw-in or distance shaping. In that respect, it's well done and we were pleasantly surprised with the execution and quality of the game.
» The sound of the cab's engine is monotonous when rolling on an even pace but it downshifts when braking and goes into a higher whine when accelerating.
» It's possible to go against the flow of traffic without being pursued by police but you'll just have to watch the other cars that'll honk at your foolhardy performance.
» At the start of the game, the camera glides over a city and swivels down train tracks, avenues, and highways before resting on the gruff face of your boss who sits with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He's not sleeping but rather talking and giving instructions. Once you leave the garage, control is handed over to the player.
Controls
TRIANGLE.............Go in reverse
SQURE..................Brake
CROSS..................Accelerate
L1-TRIGGER..........Camera change
R2-TRIGGER..........Toggle map view on/off
» The streets are pretty barren at the outset and there's sparse foot traffic. What you will encounter from time to time are potential passengers waiting on street corners. Once they get in, they'll yelp and complain at every bump and crash that your cab suffers. If a person is walking on the street, they won't get into your cab. After getting out of your cab, everyone bows and thanks you for the trip.
» The longer the trip, the more you earn but it's not advisable to take circuitous routes since the fastest you bring a passenger to his/her destination will earn a score multiplier. For example, bring a patron to his port quickly and you'll earn the fare plus a 3X multiplier. The key to earning big bucks is fast and direct service.
» Pedestrians are indestructible. We crashed into a girl wearing a red dress and all she did was bounce off of the cab and yell before resuming her stroll down a deserted street.
» We tried to make the taxi drift but the brakes are too effective in their stopping power. All we could manage was a half-assed slide before the brakes shut it down cold.
» The easiest fare was a salaryman who had us drive him 1/4 of a block for Y680 and a 3X bonus. Easy money. Some passengers will have you make an interim stop so they can pick something up before their final destination.
» If you cut in front of cars on the street or highway, they'll honk you.
» When rolling around the streets, there's no urgent time limit and you can flout any semblance of salesmanship on your shift which goes from 8AM to 1PM. You can drive around lazily if you wish but there's a time limit once a passenger gets in your cab and you have a certain amount of time to get him/her/them to their destinations.
» All in all, another pleasing Taxi-themed game with well executed game play and solid fundamentals. Since this may be an ongoing D3P franchise, we're looking forward to "The Taxi 3" which should incorporate exotic cities and sights such as Cairo, Egypt. Or something like that. Easy comparisons to Crazy Taxi may be made but unlike that Sega game, the pace is less frenetic and the game as such is more enjoyable in that respect where exploration is possible under the loose constraints of the 5-hour daily shift.
» After your shift is over, you'll return to the garage were the boss sits. In the diagnostics section of the garage, you'll be able to view your area coverage in KM, day by day earnings performance on a bar chart, hour by hour performance also on a bar chart, passengers carried, total earnings, and other helpful information to gauge your performance. Data may be saved to memory card for resumption later.
From the publisher
Fulfil the various requirements of passengers, reach the sales target
As the driver of a taxi, you have to deliver your passengers to their destinations safely. There are many types of passengers in the town you live - passengers who are rushing for time, passengers who want to go shopping, passengers who get car sick easily, passengers who are looking for people, drunk passengers and others. Faced with situations of all sorts, can you meet different requirements and reach the sales target of one million?
Points of Recommendation
Target of one million in sales!
Professional taxi drivers are definitely proud of their livelihood. Besides achieving the day’s sales target, one can modify the taxi at the workshop to improve driving efficiency. Also improve the taxi’s performance by outfitting equipment like new steering wheel, accelerator and satellite navigation system, so as to provide the passengers with even better service. But if the sales target is not met, the old man at the company will be annoyed at you.
All new game system and various game locales added
With the addition of the weather system for this product, the player has to outfit the taxi appropriately according to the weather. With the wireless client system, one can also know where there are customers and whether to accept the jobs. But if one cannot reach the pickup point in time, the customer will no longer wait and just walk away. The various game locales include places like the hot springs locale, the dock and the new town. If you do not want to memorise the whole map, you can install the satellite navigation system.
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