Crazy Taxi

Crazy Taxi
PlayStation 2
Acclaim

This is a major kick. You commandeer a yellow taxi through the streets of San Francisco, picking up passengers and taking them to Bay Area landmarks. Along the way, you—of course—speed, run over pedestrians, drive through reservoirs, careen through parks and jump over buildings. The graphics are remarkable (they actually capture the sensation of driving up and down those San Francisco hills), and the dialogue is hilarious (if you don’t get your passenger to his destination in the allotted time, the passenger yells "You suck!" and leaps from the vehicle). So far, I do suck on this game, because I spend most of its playing time gawking at the graphics and laughing at what the characters are saying instead of concentrating on my driving. PlayStation 2 is ruining my life.