When the curtain drops and the audience initially moves on, all that is left is the legacy, the memories, and a desire to relive them. In 2006, those desires came to fruition as audiences saw the return of two seminal games back in the Crazy Taxi franchise, only this time in one combined portable package, in Crazy Taxi Fare Wars.

Fare Wars combines both Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2 into one convenient package, while the compilation doesn’t pull out any neat tricks, to retroactively bring the content up to modern standards. It does go out of its way to try to preserve the quintessential Crazy Taxi experience. Whether playing Crazy Taxi 1 or 2 (Now available on a console that isn’t the Dreamcast), you still have 60 seconds on the clock (or choose to work for a set amount of time). You still have to pick up as many fares as possible, you still have to get creative with your definitions of road safety. Some of these challenges unlock key content for both games, as the majority of what both games had to offer is here.

The titular Fare Wars likely stems from the added multiplayer component that can either be played over an ad-hoc connection or by taking turns on the same console. Featuring a rather straightforward time trial, and score attack modes make way for a rather interesting dulling fare competition (that I couldn’t play, unfortunately). For those wanting the familiar single-player feeling, Fare Wars offers a complete menu of modes available. From playing the original Crazy Taxi rules, or playing a set amount of times. This is true for both games, as is the inclusion of the Crazy Pyramid, rewarding you for completing zany challenges, like trying to pop X amount of balloons in Y seconds. Both games on the disc won’t leave you starved for content.

As some time has passed since the original agreements of the first game, some content, unfortunately, couldn’t make it for this compilation, but the game does offer some fine alternatives. The game has a unique selection of turn-of-the-century punk and ska tracks, all songs that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Tony Hawk game. Fare Wars’ unique selling point is the ability to import custom tracks is a pleasant bonus, especially if you were craving to hear The Offspring one more time. Controversially, the game’s utilisation of real-world brands is a subject here. Here in Fare Wars, mostly likely to do with licensing issues, you don’t get those realistic references to Pizza Hut and the like. So if you install ad-blockers with passion, you would have one more reason to check out Fare Wars.

Providing both titles of addictive arcade action on a single disc, Fare Wars takes the crazed taxi portable, now fully realised with some more powerful hardware, as opposed to the 2.D. trickery of before. Fare Wars feels like a hit band’s compilation, with some parts omitted due to issues, but the retrospective of the first two games’ legacy is handsomely preserved. If you’ve got sixty seconds to spend in a heightened dash for cash, Fare Wars is here for you, and you cannot say fairer than that.

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