Taxi Life Game Is Coming Right Up, Is It What We Asked For?

I realize we all have different preferences. I am playing Gran Turismo 7, Assetto Corsa, or Heroes of Might and Magic III these days. One of my close friends is also an avid sim-racing enthusiast. But I was shocked to learn he is just as excited about Euro Truck Simulator. I can understand this, as driving a truck is not in any way accessible to him without a license.

If I had the budget to compete in an entire season of racing (time attack, endurance, hill climb, or drifting), I'd probably cut down on my sim racing hours. That's what games are about living an otherwise unavailable life. I was pretty reluctant when I saw the latest driving trailer for Taxi Life. But more about that in a few moments. I played Crazy Taxi games for a few years growing up. And they were pretty fun, given you could go all crazy behind the steering wheel.

Imagine doing that in the real world: you'd probably lose your license on the first day. If I were ever fascinated by a Taxi-centered video game, it would have to mimic the feeling of Besson's famous French series starring Samy Naceri. But I digress. One of my colleagues wrote a story about Taxi Life in August 2022. The developer is a Polish company called Simteract, and rumors had it the game would launch in 2023.

According to the new information on PlayStation's YouTube channel, it will go live in March of this year. I wonder why a Polish company would base their game in Barcelona, Spain. It's not even the most visited city on the continent. The vehicles inside are replicas of well-known cars in the real world, emphasizing "replicas." The game is supposed to be a simulator, but the steering wheels turn without hand inputs.

Judging by the gameplay video, this won't be as exciting as the Crazy Taxi series. You'll have to adhere to traffic regulations to avoid disturbing your customers. I wonder, couldn't you become a taxi driver and do that while also earning some money? The devs mention that you can even build your own company if you want to, but I wonder how that will improve things.

If one piece of information lures me, it's that the map is a 1:1 scale replica of Barcelona with an open-world environment. That means you could be a tourist and visit the landmarks from the comfort of your home. I'd still drive with a heavy foot in between locations, as I would never dare to do that in the real world.

Once again, I'm not dismissing the idea of the game; it's just not as appealing to me as I've already racked up over half a million miles in hundreds of cars since getting my license. Oh, and one last word of caution: maybe it's a good idea not to preorder the game and wait for more reviews.

Some users complained about Simteract's former project called Train Life. They referred to it as "abandonware," although I can't 100% confirm that it's not just an intentional attack on the brand. I'll let you know what it feels like if I get a copy of the game. It's a shame it won't offer VR support in phase one, though.