If you need a video game pick-me-up that will cure you of any ailment, then you absolutely need to watch this Crazy Taxi speedrun.
I would argue that Crazy Taxi is one of the most video games to ever video game – it is ridiculous, loud, it’s a game many people have played because they see it in an arcade and go “oh man I haven’t played Crazy Taxi forever, let’s play a couple rounds!” You just can’t go wrong with it, and for the first time in apparently a decade, the game made an appearance at the annual charity fundraising event Awesome Games Done Quick. Except, it isn’t any ordinary speedrun. No, this one has a live backing band playing a whole bunch of pop punk tracks, and it’s just as wild, fun, and silly as you’d hope from the concept.
The runner in question goes by the name Chuckles825, who is of course trying to play the game as quickly as possible, as is the case for literally every speedrun ever, but generally with Games Done Quick you’ll find some commentary to explain what they’re doing. That’s not the case here, not in the slightest, as it’s obviously a bit difficult to do when you have a live band playing. It’s a fun one to watch, because the band has to be paying attention to the game too – they’re not just playing continuously uninterrupted, they have to immediately stop as soon as a level is finished or restarted, making for a good few laughs.
Awesome Games Done Quick is all wrapped up now, raising money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation this year, this year amassing a massive $2,556,305, a huge amount that always goes to a worthwhile cause. There’s plenty of other fun runs that have been uploaded on the official Games Done Quick YouTube channel too, so if you’re in need of some time killers, you’re in luck.
Don’t forget that there’s a new, open-world, MMO Crazy Taxi game in the works too, even if that doesn’t sound quite right.