‘I saw taxis as magical things’: Sega’s pop-punk classic Crazy Taxi at 25

Despite its early detractors at Sega, the legendary driving game was released to great success and millions of sales

Kenji Kanno, director of Sega's legendary driving game Crazy Taxi, remembers the exact moment he knew the game had made a seismic impression. I was going to Las Vegas for promotional work," he says. I got into the taxi and the driver drove me very fast, arriving at my destination quickly. At the end, he laughed and said: I am the real Crazy Taxi!' It was a strange experience."

Initially released in arcades, the zany, pop-punk drive-em'-up celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. Crazy Taxi was an addictive coin-swallowing thrill ride, the game's eccentric cabbies continually yelling Ready to have some fun?" and Time to make some crazy money!" in the faces of perturbed-looking normies who simply wish to be chauffeured over to Pizza Hut. Driving green-haired Axel's yellow 1960 Cadillac Eldorado so fast that its front bumper smashed into sunny San Francisco's concrete hills was a memorable experience for all who played. (The Ford Mustang-driving Gena was my mum's character of choice.)