Crazy Taxi (Sega)

Crazy Taxi was first released in arcades in 1999, and brought to the Dreamcast in 2000, by games developer Hitmaker and published by Sega. The game was simple, pick a driver (young punk Axel, sassy Gena, old dude Gus or the totally cool BD Joe), then head out onto the streets to pick up passengers and drop them off at their desired locations. And these passengers didn't mind how many times you threw the cab around (in fact they gave bonuses) as long as the bumps weren't too rough and they arrived on time.
For a 'pick up and play' game this was hard to beat, and with its colourful, vibrant graphics, it instantly brought quality arcade gaming into the home. The cityscape was a mixture of downtown Los Angeles, with those ever popular hills in San Francisco thrown in for good measure (and crazier stunt opportunities). The inclusion of real life stores/eateries Tower records, KFC and Pizza Hut was also a nice touch, giving a wink to realism whilst the cars dynamics were anything but real and kept everything in balance.
For me, and many others, Crazy Taxi was the shot in the arm that console gaming needed, it really is this good. It has a few cool extras to keep on giving the player more. The one downside is the soundtrack which is very repetative because of the few songs on offer, and those offered are only by The Offspring. Thankfully those can be switched off.
So a truly wonderful title which stands out making other games look dreary beside it on the shelf. Crazy Taxi is pure arcade gaming bliss and can be returned to again and again whenever a quick arcade blast needs to be fulfilled. Just remember to bring your own music.