I’m really excited for Crazy Taxi: World Tour – I genuinely am!

It’s been one of my most wanted games for years, after I scratched up the surface of my original Dreamcast disc from playing it so damn much.

But in the aftermath of the dev’s AI admissions, I did just want to quickly write about how much of a downgrade the art direction is.

I already felt protagonist Axel’s redesign felt a little flat, but now it’s introduced Gena I’m even more concerned.

Here she is:

And here’s how she looked in the original game:

Now aside from the fact I’m comparing a polygonal model to concept art here, I feel like all the attitude is gone – and not just because she was wearing fewer clothes in the 90s.

There’s just something about her original design that screams badittude: the stance, the exposed midriff, the claw-like nails, the angled eyes.

The new Gena looks like a Life Is Strange NPC, and that’s the last thing I want from my Crazy Taxi.

Now, at the end of the day, you’re going to spend the bulk of this game staring at the butt of your car, so does it really matter? Probably not.

But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly concerned about the art direction of this game – it just looks too tame! It needs more kerrr-azy! Who’s with me?

[source x.com]