Pinside rating
This game received 374 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.851 /10
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game design: 8.063
Artwork: 7.555
Sounds/Music: 7.236
Other Aspects: 8.077
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 6 of us have rated this game.
Ranking history
An overview of this machine's ranking over the last years. Lower is better.
Rating history
An overview of this machine's rating over the last years. Higher is better.
Found 189 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 189 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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Bon Air, VA
8.400/10
35 days ago
Classic 80's! Upper playfield shots can be tricky, thus making for a challenge getting the multipliers. Great sound effects and speech, music a bit repetitive (not as bad as Comet, though). I love hitting the ramps over and over. Well balanced game!
8.126/10
68 days ago
It's not the most complex game ever, but it is still a good bit of fun with an easy to understand scoring\jackpot loop with a good mix of shots.
8.648/10
3 months ago
So overall this is just a great, simple games. I tend to like deeper games but this is by far my favorite "simple" game. The rules are just so tight and obvious and satisfying. A really surprising amount of re-playability. Whirlwind used to be my favorite from this era but I think Taxi is my favorite now.
Here are my pros and cons:
Pros:
Rules - Simple but satisfying. I thought I would not like that you reset your passengers every ball but I kind of like it. Really solid.
Shots - Great simple layout. I like the ramps and the Gorbi shot. I also like Drac. The Carry Passangers is tricky but do-able. Good variety.
Call-outs - Quality is okay but they don't get old and really help keep track of what you need to do and what is active.
Skill-shot - This is probably my favorite skill shot. It has a real press-your-luck aspect but it is tricky to master. Also, it can really matter to your score.
Cons:
- Jackpot Reset - You have to build your Jackpot back up and it can make your next game kind of pointless. There is no setting to change this but you can make it build faster.
- Scoring - The scoring is pretty unbalanced. You really need the $4m jackpot + another jackpot to get a good score. The rest is just a bonus
Art - I like the art but it is "of its era". Very bleak 1980s New York. Particularly on the back glass. Probably a love it or hate it thing.
If someone had a medium budget and wanted something with a lot of replayability, this would be a great pick.
Here are my pros and cons:
Pros:
Rules - Simple but satisfying. I thought I would not like that you reset your passengers every ball but I kind of like it. Really solid.
Shots - Great simple layout. I like the ramps and the Gorbi shot. I also like Drac. The Carry Passangers is tricky but do-able. Good variety.
Call-outs - Quality is okay but they don't get old and really help keep track of what you need to do and what is active.
Skill-shot - This is probably my favorite skill shot. It has a real press-your-luck aspect but it is tricky to master. Also, it can really matter to your score.
Cons:
- Jackpot Reset - You have to build your Jackpot back up and it can make your next game kind of pointless. There is no setting to change this but you can make it build faster.
- Scoring - The scoring is pretty unbalanced. You really need the $4m jackpot + another jackpot to get a good score. The rest is just a bonus
Art - I like the art but it is "of its era". Very bleak 1980s New York. Particularly on the back glass. Probably a love it or hate it thing.
If someone had a medium budget and wanted something with a lot of replayability, this would be a great pick.
6.464/10
3 months ago
I played a really nice condition Taxi tonight and it is a good game. It shot good, but the art and them aren't really what I'm in to. One thing I really like is how on the back glass they made a display line up with the taxi meter; nice touch.
7.273/10
4 months ago
Taxi is one of the games I've literally hundreds of at location plays on. It's classic representation of what makes the 80s era of Pinball great. The shots, ruleset, and having a few different scoring strategies make its staying power solid. The shots are varied and depending on how well the game is maintained, it can play very quick if the flippers are strong enough to make it up the steep ramps. Chaining ramps is a viable strategy. The 2 ball Multiball has a great 2 shot hurry up. Collecting the passengers and Jackpot is always exciting.
The two glaring negatives for me are A.) I do not find the theme interesting (I tend to prefer Sci-Fi themes) B.) The jackpot does not reset in between games until collected. This ruins it a slightly for competitive play
The two glaring negatives for me are A.) I do not find the theme interesting (I tend to prefer Sci-Fi themes) B.) The jackpot does not reset in between games until collected. This ruins it a slightly for competitive play
7.469/10
6 months ago
This game is a true classic. Fun and funny. Lots of shots. Great call outs. Pure system 11 goodness.
8.660/10
7 months ago
Might be my all time favorite - not quite sure why. I love the layout as it is all right there in front of you. Great late 1980's humor in the game. The fact that the passengers reset after each ball is maddening, as the ability to "save" them with one (for me) tough shot is brilliant. I know that there are deeper games out there but I really, really love Taxi. I sold a nice example a few years back and am now kicking myself. Will be re-joining the arcade as soon as I can get my hands on a nice example again.
7.760/10
10 months ago
Sydney
This has to one of the best 80’s games good playfield layout. There are 3 shots to make left Dracula pickup the ramp and Santa pickup and 3 on the right Gorbie pickup the ramp and the express lane plus the two banks of drop targets. Great call outs awesome lighting with leds fitted easy to understand game fast play definitely has that one more game factor
8.761/10
1 year ago
Awesome game.
For a game that really doesn't have any kind of gimmick going for it, it's surprising fun. It's got a good balance of flow and sharpshooting gameplay.
At the very beginning of the game, all three main shots to be made are done with the left flipper (Gorbie, pinbot, multiball). I think it would've been better to have a different passenger lit first so that both flippers have something valuable to aim for initially.
The multiball is great, and has fun shots to aim for. Whether it's the Express lanes or the crossing ramp shots.
The art is awesome, I love the detail in the playfield and the slightly creepy backglass.
The skill shot rarely works in this game and that is more of a design flaw than and up keep issue.
I've played a handful of different Taxis. When this game is up kept, it is really fun. Though it's not uncommon to find a clunker of a taxi which could ruin the game for you.
The callouts are very repetitive and get old quick.
For a game that really doesn't have any kind of gimmick going for it, it's surprising fun. It's got a good balance of flow and sharpshooting gameplay.
At the very beginning of the game, all three main shots to be made are done with the left flipper (Gorbie, pinbot, multiball). I think it would've been better to have a different passenger lit first so that both flippers have something valuable to aim for initially.
The multiball is great, and has fun shots to aim for. Whether it's the Express lanes or the crossing ramp shots.
The art is awesome, I love the detail in the playfield and the slightly creepy backglass.
The skill shot rarely works in this game and that is more of a design flaw than and up keep issue.
I've played a handful of different Taxis. When this game is up kept, it is really fun. Though it's not uncommon to find a clunker of a taxi which could ruin the game for you.
The callouts are very repetitive and get old quick.
7.589/10
1 year ago
Taxi is another fun system 11 game. The theme integration is excellent on this one, and it does a great job of forcing you to take shots around the playfield. You will either love or hate the buzzer. The 2 ball multiball is limited, but everything is simple enough and challenging enough to be fun. This is not a game that tells a story, but it is a simple, challenging, skill based game. An excellent game to build your skills on. Most of these have wear around the pops, but a hard top is now available for you perfectionists.
Edit: After 3 months owning the game, I am bumping up my score a bit due to figuring out that my flippers were weak and I needed to replace the coil sleeves. Now that the balls make it consistantly up the ramp, there are 3 main strategies to the game.
1. Collect all the passengers and collect the Jackpot.
2. Lock the ball, release the ball, lock both balls, then shoot ramps for the airport pickup.
3. Hit alternating ramps to light the millions shot.
All 3 are viable strategies, but with weak flippers you can only do #1. Great fun game to sharpen your skills on. This is my 3 year old's favorite game to "play" because he likes santa. Watching me he can also pick up on the rules. Fantastic starter pin with just enough to keep you busy.
A mylared lower playfield is common on this with heavy wear around the pops. If you are so inclined they make an excellent hardtop for this game now to bring it back to looking brand new... if you have that level of skill.
Edit: After 3 months owning the game, I am bumping up my score a bit due to figuring out that my flippers were weak and I needed to replace the coil sleeves. Now that the balls make it consistantly up the ramp, there are 3 main strategies to the game.
1. Collect all the passengers and collect the Jackpot.
2. Lock the ball, release the ball, lock both balls, then shoot ramps for the airport pickup.
3. Hit alternating ramps to light the millions shot.
All 3 are viable strategies, but with weak flippers you can only do #1. Great fun game to sharpen your skills on. This is my 3 year old's favorite game to "play" because he likes santa. Watching me he can also pick up on the rules. Fantastic starter pin with just enough to keep you busy.
A mylared lower playfield is common on this with heavy wear around the pops. If you are so inclined they make an excellent hardtop for this game now to bring it back to looking brand new... if you have that level of skill.
9.059/10
1 year ago
I honestly don’t know if a better game exists. Yes there are deeper games, yes there are games with more mechs, yes there are better themes... but there is something magical about Taxi. The rules are simple, pick up 5 passengers, hit the jackpot... lock 1 ball, hit the express lanes, hit ramps. But for whatever reason this game brings people back over and over. I had a 6 game collection with some other gems, but this is the game people line up to play.
Music is so good, campy and fun. Call out are funny and relevant. Layout is fan perfection, every shot feels perfect. The passengers resetting on each ball make the difficulty nice for more experienced players.
Music is so good, campy and fun. Call out are funny and relevant. Layout is fan perfection, every shot feels perfect. The passengers resetting on each ball make the difficulty nice for more experienced players.
8.442/10
1 year ago
Ottawa, ON
Taxi! Loved in in the 90's and still in 2020. great shots, easy to follow. great fun
8.976/10
1 year ago
Taxi is a game that belongs up in the ranks of Whirlwind and Earthshaker. Great music, great theme, a layout that always keeps you on your toes, and forces the player to make their way around the playfield--giving every shot a reason to exist. There's no reason to spam the same shot over and over, which was a common flaw in many games of this era (looking at you, Police Force and Earthshaker).
I love the small details in the game, like the crossover ramp bonus, and the way the bonus countdown music changes depending on how large your bonus is. Playfield artwork is... Ok. Python's detail work is great, there's just a lot of stale looking gray, and many of the playfields have aged rather poorly, but the gameplay, rules, and music more than make up for the deficiency.
I love the small details in the game, like the crossover ramp bonus, and the way the bonus countdown music changes depending on how large your bonus is. Playfield artwork is... Ok. Python's detail work is great, there's just a lot of stale looking gray, and many of the playfields have aged rather poorly, but the gameplay, rules, and music more than make up for the deficiency.
8.278/10
1 year ago
The two standout features for me on Taxi are making ramp combo shots and the callouts. There is just something outstanding about making multiple ramps to achieve the millions shot. Who doesn't want to hear Pinbot or Gordie (or Marylin!) trying to hail a cab -- even though it can get repetitive there are enough characters to create variation. Hey!
I do like the ball launch from Drac's kickout as well. Add in the trolley bell and multi-ball, you can have fun for hours with plenty of variety.
Artwork is a touch cartoonish for my tastes, but overall I would not let that stop me from enjoying this game.
I do like the ball launch from Drac's kickout as well. Add in the trolley bell and multi-ball, you can have fun for hours with plenty of variety.
Artwork is a touch cartoonish for my tastes, but overall I would not let that stop me from enjoying this game.
9.123/10
2 years ago
easy to understand rules that are difficult enough to make you play over and over, great classic art work.
Unknown City
7.762/10
2 years ago
I really wish I could have played Taxi on a better maintained and faster machine, but all in all everything worked just the Dracula pickup coil took a bit to launch instead of launching immediately.
This game is all about flow, and if you get into the groove good things can happen. But, I also say, you're going to want to make sure you learn the rules. Because, otherwise you're not going to get any points. The game is stingy and forces you to do things in a particular order.
With that being said, once you learn the rules you're going to have a fun time. Its a tough, but fair, and challenging game. Its a nice crazy/silly/funny theme. Love the backglass. It's got humor and sex appeal, which is always nice. I like how the playfield is basically a road or highway. And you have stations where you pick up your passengers. Has a cool skill shot. Two different things you can shoot for. Either 100k or 25 k and that rewards you with a passenger.
Each ball you have to start over with the passengers, unless you get the carry over passenger bonus hit, then you start the next ball with the same amount as the prior ball.
Just a fun and fast paced game. No ball save, so you can go from good game to bad in a matter of seconds.
This game is all about flow, and if you get into the groove good things can happen. But, I also say, you're going to want to make sure you learn the rules. Because, otherwise you're not going to get any points. The game is stingy and forces you to do things in a particular order.
With that being said, once you learn the rules you're going to have a fun time. Its a tough, but fair, and challenging game. Its a nice crazy/silly/funny theme. Love the backglass. It's got humor and sex appeal, which is always nice. I like how the playfield is basically a road or highway. And you have stations where you pick up your passengers. Has a cool skill shot. Two different things you can shoot for. Either 100k or 25 k and that rewards you with a passenger.
Each ball you have to start over with the passengers, unless you get the carry over passenger bonus hit, then you start the next ball with the same amount as the prior ball.
Just a fun and fast paced game. No ball save, so you can go from good game to bad in a matter of seconds.
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