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PS2
The Taxi 2
- New Import, In Stock |
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NCS Game Synopsis
«©NCSX»
The original "The Taxi" game was released in the
spring of 2004 and went on to sell over 80,000
copies. NCS recalls brisk sales as allegations of
Crazy Taxi clonage were bandied about in our offices.
Two and a half years later, D3 Publisher looks to
reprise their success with a new taxi driving game
where the player shuttles passengers from point A to
point B with as little pain and damage as possible.
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 or 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.
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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 rolls around 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.
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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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This document and photos are ©NCSX 2006. All rights reserved. No
reproduction in whole or in part of this document
may be made without express written consent of
National Console Support, Inc.
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