***************************** Crazy Taxi 2 FAQ By WestQuote (aka Tim Ambrogi) Version: 0.5 (6/01/01) ***************************** Unpublished work Copyright 2001 Tim Ambrogi DISCLAIMER: If you find anything I don't have, email me at ragnarokz@hotmail.com The latest version, and downloadable maps can be found at http://www.djmonkeyboy.com/taxi2/ Crazy Taxi 2 and all other characters are (c) SEGA of Japan and SEGA/Hitmaker 2001. ************* 0.0 OUTLINE: ************* 0.0 - Outline 0.1 - Versions 1.0 - General Info 1.1 - Intro 2.0 - Changes 2.1 - Jumping 2.2 - New Characters 2.3 - Simultaneous Drop-offs 3.0 - Maps 3.1 - Around Apple 3.2 - Small Apple 4.0 - Mini Games 4.1 - Crazy Pyramid 5.0 - Strategy 5.1 - Single Player Strategies 6.0 - Miscellaneous 6.1 - Internet 6.2 - Secrets/Cheats 6.3 - Soundtrack Listing 6.4 - Credits 6.5 - Closing ***************** 0.1 -- VERSIONS: ***************** Crazy Taxi 2 version 0.5 (Friday, June 1, 2001) - Added Credits - Updated Sountrack Listing (Thanks to SiberianFiend) - Updated Secrets/Cheats (Thanks to various) - Updated Pyramid Info - Added rough copy of S-S walkthrough Crazy Taxi 2 version 0.4 (Wednesday, May 30, 2001) - Added Cheats plea - Added Soundtrack Listing Plea - Finished 1-1: Tour Walkthrough - Added S-S walkthrough - Started making maps - Added my list of favorite drivers Crazy Taxi 2 version 0.3 (Wednesday, May 30, 2001) - Added New Characters - Added Single Player Strategies - Added Maps - Added Closing - Updated Simultaneous Drop-offs Crazy Taxi 2 version 0.2 (Tuesday, May 29, 2001) - Added Jumping - Added Simultaneous Drop-offs - Added Map Sections - Added Netplay plea - Went off to explore some more Crazy Taxi 2 version 0.1 (Tuesday, May 29, 2001) - Added Outline and Intro - Added Crazy Pyramid walkthrough ************** 1.1 -- INTRO: ************** Crazy Taxi 2 is very much like Crazy Taxi 1, so I recommend that for controls and basic gameplay tips, you check out a Crazy Taxi 1 FAQ. Consider this something of an 'expansion'. The major changes in Crazy Taxi 2 are jumping, the new maps, the Crazy Pyramid, multiple simultaneous dropoffs, the new characters, and the new soundtrack, all of which I'll address below. **************** 2.1 -- JUMPING: **************** Jumping is fairly straightforward. Press Y-button at any time to kick in the hydraulics and make your taxi jump into the air. Completing the crazy pyramid will teach you how to use this new feature. It can be used for reaching shortcuts, avoiding head-on collisions, and the accumulation of heavy tips. Also, pressing jump in the middle of a crazy drift will achieve the 'Drift-Hop'. Doing a Drift-Hop that hits a little short of its target platform will allow for the pseudo-bug, the 'Drift-Hop Wall-Climb'. More on that later... ********************** 2.2 - NEW CHARACTERS: ********************** WARNING: These stats are based entirely on my own experience. If you perform a series of tests and find that they are not wholly accurate, please email me at ragnarokz@hotmail.com and let me know. Slash: Speed - MED Acceleration - MED Turning - MED Weight - 69kg Height - 176cm Age - 25 Iceman: Speed - HIGH Acceleration - LOW Turning - LOW Weight - 83kg Height - 185cm Age - 28 Cinnamon: Speed - MED Acceleration - HIGH Turning - HIGH Weight - 52kg Height - 169cm Age - 18 cm Hot-D: Speed - LOW Acceleration - HIGH Turning - HIGH Weight - 48kg Height - 163cm Age - 78 As far as favorites go, here's my list, based on how well I score: #1 Iceman, #2 Hot-D, #3 Cinnamon, #4 Slash I'm interested in hearing what others have to say about their own experiences. ******************************* 2.3 -- SIMULTANEOUS DROP-OFFS: ******************************* New to Crazy Taxi 2 is the ability to pick up a group of 2-4 people at once. This does not mean you can grab one person, grab another, etc..., but rather that there are new-colored circles (all shades of BLUE) that require multiple drop-offs, much like in the old Crazy Taxi Box. In place of the dollar sign in the circle, there is a number, indicative of the number of people to be dropped off. They all have different drop-offs. You get double/triple/quadruple the tips, but if you don't get EVERYONE to their destinations in time, you'll lose the whole tab. Higher stakes, higher payoffs; One good run with 4 people can net some pretty obscene tips. DARK BLUE.....2 PEOPLE BLUE/CYAN.....3 PEOPLE LIGHT BLUE....4 PEOPLE ******************** 3.1 - AROUND APPLE: ******************** It is larger, more 'regional', and for some, harder. It's separated into 3 sections, all connected via long high-ways. I can offer you little more than a map at this point in time, but I will include a list of shortcuts/tips later. For some basic shortcuts, take a look at the map, as well as the '4.1 Crazy Pyramid 1-1: Tour' walkthrough near the bottom of the document. Several useful shortcuts are available there. For a map of Around Apple, go to: http://www.djmonkeyboy.com/taxi2/ Select 'Maps'. From that page, select 'Around Apple.' ******************* 3.2 - SMALL APPLE: ******************* The second new map, 'Small Apple', is similar to Around Apple, but more spread out. Unlike the long roads connecting the three regions of Around Apple, there are no highways in Small Apple. There are, however, far more shortcuts, winding streets, ramps, etc... I find Small Apple far more entertaining to play. I can offer you little more than a map at this point in time, but I will include a list of shortcuts/tips later. For a map of Small Apple, go to: http://www.djmonkeyboy.com/taxi2/ Select 'Maps'. From that page, select 'Small Apple.' ********************* 4.1 - CRAZY PYRAMID: ********************* The pyramid is the puzzle section of the game. Every time you complete 2 adjacent puzzles in the same tier, it opens up a new puzzle to play. If you pass all the puzzles in a given tier of the pyramid, you'll be given a prize. First Row........Around Apple Map Second Row.......Small Apple Map Third Row........Bike Fourth Row.......Stroller Fifth Row........Nothing Sixth Row........Play as Original Characters For a printable map of Around Apple and Small Apple, go to http://www.djmonkeyboy.com/taxi2/ To use the maps, select the city of choice in the main menu and go to 'Map' near the bottom of the screen. To use an alternate vehicle, press L or R when selecting your character. 5-1: Jump 2 This one is easy to pass, hard to get first place in. Try jumping at the VERY end, and boosting at the VERY end. Basically, do them at the same time. Before that, build up as much speed as you can. Also, hold Y and acceleration the whole time. 5-2: Golf The trick to this is backing up before you approach. Reverse to the edge of the island, and boost forward a couple times. Then, right before the ball, press jump. You want to hit it fairly head-on, but still a little below the center. I've made 420+, an easy first place. 5-3: Hurdle Don't hit them! Just be sure to boost as soon as you land, so you loose minimal speed. 5-4: 3-Jump Backup to the wall. Then boost forwards and wait until the line to jump. The trick is cutting it as close as possible on all jumps. *Right* before you jump, boost. Also, be sure to hold Y the whole jump. After you land it, wait until the counter is almost at zero, then repeat. Remember to boost before each jump. 5-5: Balloons 2 This one is totally easy. For some of the balloons, you should do a drift, while you must jump into others. Basically, you'll easily get a good time if you plan out a good route. 4-1: Ramps This is tough to score high on, easy to pass. Don't swerve, don't jump, and be sure to boost as you hit each ramp. With that combined, you should easily pass it. Also, try to line up each jump so that you land facing the next ramp. 4-2: Road Two ways to do this one. The first, harder way, is to just drive along the road, staying near the middle. CT1 veterans should have no problem with this. The easy way, for beginners, is to use the brakes. You have plenty to of time, so just slow down a little to let cars pass you. Also, analog is useful in this level. 4-3: Turn 2 This is pretty hard, but fun to do. Do a drift turn towards the step edge, then jump. As you land, drift again. When you're lined up perpendicular to the next step, boost and jump straight into it. So the first jump is a drift jump, the next is a normal jump. Repeat that for each of the jump pairs, and you'll be fine. The easy way is to just jump a stair, let go of acceleration, and turn to do jump the next step. It involves no drift turns, if you're anxious to keep going in the pyramid. But mind you, this skill is needed in later puzzles, so you should learn it here. 4-4: Jam 2 This one's tricky to figure out how it works. There are two bridges going over the main road. The bridges each lead to two drop off points, making for all 4. So, as you come to the first bridge, turn a little to the left, and jump up onto it. Then drop off one guy at the end, ending with a 180 drift turn. That'll leave you facing towards the next one. When you've done both of the ones connected to the first bridge, descend to the main road and jump onto the next bridge and repeat. 3-1: Rush 2 This map is like a cross, when seen from above. You start off pointing at one of the ends of the cross. This one you start off facing, call it 'NORTH' and the rest based on cardinal directions (SOUTH, EAST, WEST). The trick, aside from jumping like Morpheus from building to building, is to drop people off in this order: N, S, W, E. The reason for this order is that one wastes a lot of time in turning, so we only turn in the middle once, instead of if we went clockwise, which would result in 3 turns in the middle. Also, at each drop off, end in a 180 drift. 3-2: Drop This one is a beast to get first in. Basically, you need to drift a 180 off each step, and land facing the way the red arrows are pointing. As you land, boost, and you should be fine. Repeat this for each jump. 3-3: Stairs This is pretty easy. Use analog stick, and just jump from stair to stair. Don't jump into the stairs from the side, though; jump as soon as the stair is reachable. If the diagram is the stair, jump so you pass over the asterisks. *IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII *IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII START IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Also, it's possible to line yourself up so that all you need to do is jump, avoiding the nasty prospect of turning on every single stair. 2-1: Zig Zag 3 This is easy when you can get the drift-hop wall-climb to work consistently. The way I did it was to wait very late to start my drift turn. Just at the last moment before hitting the stair, I drift-hopped parallel to it, hitting a little low. Because of this, I got sparks as I slid up the extra half-foot to the top of the stair. I landed on the next step facing the right way, with no excess drift. If you boost as soon as you land on the top, you'll also have a good deal of speed. Good luck mastering this, because I think it's necessary to get a good time. Think of it as a drift-hop to the next stair that hits *just* a little short. If you do it with classic drift-hops, just be sure to boost when you land, and *not* to hold Y the whole time as you jump. 2-2: Arches This is deceptively difficult, but if you use analog and follow these tips, it should come easily. 1. Straighten out before each jump. 2. Some can be cleared without jumping. 3. When aiming for a landing spot on the next arch, aim for the lane closest to the arch you're jumping from. 4. Start braking well before the end, it's a killer drop. 1-1: Tour There are some basic choices and shortcuts you need to follow to get through this. 1. At the bridge, take the right lane. The left lane is harder to dodge in, and the middle lane is just slower. 2. At the BK, do a 180 drift so you end up facing backwards. 3. Go to B-Ball courts and end facing the way you came. 4. After the art museum, the arrow will point backwards. Ignore it and go right around the next corner. 5. Be as direct as possible in getting to the botanical garden, and crash into the wall of it, to the right of the staircase leading up into it. You should hit here at about 5:00 left on the clock. 6. The station and the next stop should be easy enough, just follow the arrow and don't crash. 7. This is one of the crucial shortcuts in the game. Jump up at the turn, and drift off the roof facing right. As you land, boost forward. 8. The next stop is easy. Try to end up at the university in a 180 drift stop no later than 4:00 left on the clock. 9. Here's another great shortcut, to the depot. This one is hard though. Instead of following the arrow, you need to head left on the road that leads to the jewelers shop. On the left you'll see a chain fence. As soon as you pass it, drift so you face left, and boost off the road. You should land in the depot. Pull a 180 stop and boost out of there, up the road to the zoo. 10. You should get the zoo no later than 3:10 left on the clock. 11. Land on the right side of the police station and continue up to the fire station, landing in a 180 drift at the fire station. 12. Double back to the Police station and cut over the sidewalks, to the post office. 13. After the hospital, there's a useful shortcut through the fenced-off corner. You'll see it, just cut through, and you'll avoid the populated hairpin turn. 14. There really aren't many more shortcuts left, just follow the arrow from stop to stop until you get to the GAP. 15. At the GAP, it tells you to go back the way you came. However, if you go the way the road would take you, you'll find a roof shortcut that you can jump up to. At the end of the roof shortcut, jump, or you'll hit a bus. Land facing right at the Hardrock Cafe. 16. Follow the arrows to the rest of the stops, bashing into the phone booths to kill speed quick. 17. When you get to the hotel, do a 90-degree slide, so you're facing the main road when you drop off. 18. On the last drop, City Hall, you need to jump over the divider, to the road that is running parallel to the road that led to the Hotel. 19. Follow that road to the last drop-off point. 19. Move fast and pray you're good enough to make it. It's damn hard, so don't give up. The order of stops: 1 Burger King 2 B-Ball Court 3 Art Museum 4 Botantic Garden 5 Station 6 Church 7 Factory 8 University 9 Supermarket 10 Depot 11 Zoo 12 Police station 13 Fire station 14 Post office 15 Hospital 16 Stadium 17 Jewelers Shop 18 Stock Exchange 19 Department store 20 HMV 21 FAO Schwarz 22 Gap 23 Hardrock Cafe 24 Courthouse 25 Bank 27 Public Library 28 High School 29 Hotel 30 City Hall S-S: Special This is the final pyramid puzzle, to my knowledge. It's similar to Tour, in that there are many (33 in this case) drop-offs to do. However, this time it's in Small Apple, and you can do them in any order. I haven't worked through this one yet, but it seems to be plenty of time if you know your way around. I recommend studying the map. I'll make a map soon that shows what order to do the stops in. I don't have much time to work on this walkthrough right now, so for now I'll post what contributor *Neale Hemrajani* has to say about beating the level: ------------------------------------------ Hey dude this is the order o finish S-S:- art museum clock tower law court ferry port helipor bus terminal bank stock exchange city hall stadium opera house hmv foa schwarz boathouse band shell gap hard rock cafe university burger king basketball court fire station police station post office hospital karate doji high school supermarket church hotel central terminal tempura restaurant public library department store look for jumping shortcup in stock exchange to city hall, and opera house to hmv. and i assume you use limit cuts and crazy drift too. ------------------------------------------ ********************************* 5.1 -- SINGLE PLAYER STRATEGIES: ********************************* I haven't compiled strategies yet. Generally, though, you'll want to mix up long and short fares. On long fares, limit tricks and go for speed. If you do some long runs fast enough, you'll not only get the 5 second bonus, but also whatever time you have leftover. If you have any strategies, submit them and I'll post them here in future versions. ***************** 6.1 -- INTERNET: ***************** I've been given word that the 'Internet' button in the game just takes you to a webpage that holds top scores and such. This is a great disappointment, but I suppose that's how it goes. Can anyone email me and give me confirmation and further information about this? (Thanks to Matt Pace) *********************** 6.2 -- SECRETS/CHEATS: *********************** #1: Secret Drivers Complete Crazy Box S-S to play as the original (Crazy Taxi 1) characters. (Thanks to Neale Hemrajani) #2: Pyramid Prizes If you pass all the puzzles in a given tier of the pyramid, you'll be given a prize. First Row........Around Apple Map Second Row.......Small Apple Map Third Row........Bike Fourth Row.......Stroller Fifth Row........Nothing Sixth Row........Play as Original Characters #3: Third Controller If you plug in the third controller, pressing the L button mid-game will make the arrow show the absolute location of the next stop. #4: THIS SPACE FOR SALE Please send any and all secrets/cheats to ragnarokz@hotmail.com *************************** 6.3 -- SOUNDTRACK LISTING: *************************** Methods of Mayhem "Crash" Written by Tommy Lee Copyright 1999 EMI April Music Inc. & Methods of Mayhem Music "Who The Hell Cares" Written by Tim Murray, Tommy Lee & Calvin Broadus Copyright 1999 EMI April Music Inc., Mr. Onsum Othashitz Inc., Methods of Mayhem Music & My Own Chit Music The Offspring "Americana" "No Brakes" "Walla Walla" "Come out Swinging" "One Fine Day" All performed by The Offspring, courtesy of Columbia Records (Thanks to SiberianFiend for the transcription!) **************** 6.4 -- CREDITS: **************** Writer: Westquote (Tim Ambrogi) Contributors: Neale Hemrajani SiberianFiend Matt Pace Whitney G GundamEx **************** 6.5 -- CLOSING: **************** My 'to-do' list: - Make Map 1 (Around Apple with Pickups, Dropoffs, and 'Tour' route) - Make Map 2 (Small Apple with Pickups, Dropoffs, and 'Special' route) - Write S-S Walkthrough - Test characters further - Confirm function of the Internet button - Have readers send me secrets and cheats ^_^ Email contributions, complaints, questions, and additions to *** ragnarokz@hotmail.com *** That's all for now. Drive crazy. ^_^ --Westquote (aka Tim Ambrogi)