It’s not rare, expensive, or highly sought after, but one of the things I like having most in my small collection is the Japanese Dreamcast release of Crazy Taxi. And while the game is still incredibly fun and additive, the best thing about it is the amazingly minimalistic packaging they chose.

Crazy Taxi was probably one of the first NAOMI games I ever played in an arcade - the first I saw was House of the Dead 2 - but I think it is the best representation of what Sega was going for with their arcade-at-home approach with the Dreamcast/NAOMI. While the NAOMI was slightly more capable than the Dreamcast, Crazy Taxi was ported to the DC relatively unscathed. I think the differences are mainly in the textures and how the game streams the open world. To the layman, the differences are imperceptible, and the game is virtually arcade perfect plus, as it adds a lot of cool new modes and little is lost by not having pedals and a steering wheel.

The other great part about this consumer version is the packaging; it’s simple, cool, bold, and risky. I remember first seeing this advertised on import sites and being impressed for some reason. I never opted for this version, as the expense of the import was greater than buying it locally, as the game was being released worldwide simultaneously.

If you look at the pictures in the gallery, you’ll notice how wonderfully yellow and simple everything is. The packaging still holds up remarkably well. The only thing I could really complain about is that the paper is so thing on the cover, that you can see the instructions underneath. Almost perfect! Oh well. Enjoy some pics and have a nice day.