SEGA’s really giving us unprecedented pre-release access to Crazy Taxi: World Tour, the 2027 revival of AM3’s all-time classic arcade ferry-’em-up.

Back at Gamescom I spoke to director Kenji Kanno before getting my hands on the new Germany map, while my colleague Stephen Tailby tested out the closed beta test this weekend – and likened it to a nostalgic era of PS3 multiplayer modes.

Here at the Tokyo Game Show, I was lucky enough to get another 15-minutes with the single player offering, this time testing out the new Japan location.

Playing on base PS5 hardware, I’ll reiterate that the game still feels a bit early and unpolished, although the handling is spot-on. (The most important part!)

I like this new Tokyo-inspired stage much better than its German counterpart, however. It’s divided into three districts: downtown, historical, and stadium.

The first thing I noticed is the inclusion of many localised stores, including the iconic Shibuya109 department store, as well as chains like Don Quijote, CoCo Ichibanya, and ABC Mart. (To name just a few!)

There are also nods to various iconic Tokyo landmarks in the downtown area where most of my hands-on was set. For example, Hachiko the dog is situated outside Shibuya Station like in real-life, just next to the iconic crossing.

You’ll also see lots of konbinis, although there’s no Family Mart or 7-Eleven licensing.

I think the twists and turns of downtown Japan, paired with its undulating topography make it a more challenging map than Germany; the claustrophobic, corridor-like streets also make it tricky to drift cleanly through the world.

As I reported previously, there are missions you can pick-up while off-duty in the sandbox, and one I tried had me collecting a soba noodles obsessive named Cheeseburger and ferrying deliveries around the city from his food truck.

I get the impression he’ll be a recurring character, as it sounds like he’ll be flogging pizzas in the US. (And various other regional stereotypes for the other maps.)

My biggest nitpick thus far is that SEGA’s not going all the way.

Here’s the problem: you may be in Japan (or Germany), but you’re still driving a 1960 Cadillac Eldorado listening to The Offspring.

I understand these elements are iconic, and I’m certainly not suggesting the dev should do away with them – but it doesn’t feel very international at all, does it? It kinda reminds me of a very ambitious mod, where you’re playing tried-and-trusted Crazy Taxi on an internationally themed map.

Perhaps there’s more to announce here, but when the studio confirmed it was going global with this game, I was imagining black cabs in London and Toyotas in Tokyo.

Surely we should be listening to some City Pop while drifting through the mean streets of Shibuya.

I’ll be really curious to see if SEGA is keeping things close to its chest here, or if it really is intent on bringing the West Coast to cities around the world. For me it doesn’t quite work yet.

Give me as much Bad Religion as you like in America – but all I want is a bit more variety on this supposed world tour.

How are you feeling about Crazy Taxi: World Tour’s international maps? Do you think the dev should be going a bit further with these international locations? Let me know below.