Williams
Taxi Pinside Rating
This game received 438 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.917 /10
Taxi
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 8.087
Artwork: 7.601
Sounds/Music: 7.252
Other Aspects: 8.152
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.
Found 226 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 226 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 5 of 10.
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8.980/10
9 years ago
Kettering
Excellent sys 11 from Williams, they really did a good job on Taxi. Lots of fun and a great theme, music was always kind of an oddball for me but it fits the game well. A sys 11 I would absolutely consider buying one day!
9.789/10
9 years ago
Marblehead, MA
This is a close second to Whirlwind as the best System 11 game. Not unlike Whirlwind, the theme is embraced as eloquently as possible. The rule set is simple - pick up passengers and go for the jackpot - yet extremely challenging. The figure eight ramps add a symmetry to the game that works extremely well. The artwork overall is also as good as it gets - the Translite art has something shadowy and noire-esque undertones. This is Pinball at its very best.
9.221/10
9 years ago
Taxi sold me on pinball.
Sure, I had played other games before it, and even owned a few. But it's one I found on location, and I couldn't help but fall in love with it.
The rules are simple - put someone who doesn't really "get" pinball in front of a Taxi, and they'll be able to figure out what to do. Pick up the passengers, then go for the jackpot. It's straightforward, but still requires skill to consistently execute.
The theme is amusing - why would Gorbie or Dracula need a Taxi? Or Santa for that matter? The absurdity adds to the fun, the little bit of dada humor sells the theme. Take away the eclectic cast of characters, and the game would lose much of its charm.
The layout is pretty much all you'd want out of a pinball game - nice criss-cross ramps that allows you to keep the ball moving. There's some stop and go with the "Joyride" kickout, but it's not annoying.
All in all, a fun game to both learn on and to master your shots. It's one of my all time favorites, because of and in spite of its simplicity.
Sure, I had played other games before it, and even owned a few. But it's one I found on location, and I couldn't help but fall in love with it.
The rules are simple - put someone who doesn't really "get" pinball in front of a Taxi, and they'll be able to figure out what to do. Pick up the passengers, then go for the jackpot. It's straightforward, but still requires skill to consistently execute.
The theme is amusing - why would Gorbie or Dracula need a Taxi? Or Santa for that matter? The absurdity adds to the fun, the little bit of dada humor sells the theme. Take away the eclectic cast of characters, and the game would lose much of its charm.
The layout is pretty much all you'd want out of a pinball game - nice criss-cross ramps that allows you to keep the ball moving. There's some stop and go with the "Joyride" kickout, but it's not annoying.
All in all, a fun game to both learn on and to master your shots. It's one of my all time favorites, because of and in spite of its simplicity.
8.096/10
9 years ago
I always thought Taxi was just okay. Then my friend picked one up and put it in our pinball room at a buddies bar. After a few weeks of play and getting to know the rules forwards and backwards...Taxi is the only thing in my life that matters.
I have always been a fan of the System 11 rulesets, simple enough that you always know what you're supposed to do but deep enough to keep you coming back. Taxi stands out because it has the perfect amount of difficulty and balanced scoring. There is no ball save and all the shots are somewhat dangerous and challenging, but all obtainable. Things like the ramp shots give you no reward unless you can hit them consistently and even then it usually just activates a timed shot. Ball lock lets you make another skill shot, which is a true spring plunger requiring actual skill. Two ball multiball is my favorite multiball, especially when it involves a physical lock. In games with 3+ balls during multiball it's just chaos until you get down to 2 balls anyway, so this thing cuts right to the chase and gives you control from the start. Multiball activates two new challenges, both of which require precise control over each ball and reward you with a few hundred thousand points and a ringing of the bell. Other than this your only scoring benefit to having two balls on the table is that you can hit twice as many targets. Taxis multiball isn't some magical ticket to scoring millions of points like in so many WPC games.
This is all well and good, I would be happy playing Taxi until I'm dead simply based upon the aforementioned attributes. Where this machine really shines however, is in tournament play. We play this multiplayer constantly and it really is a different game when you do. If you locked a ball, you had better release it or the next player will. Sure you wanna spell cab for that multiplier, but it's also gonna raise the jackpot and if the player after you had carry passengers and just needs Santa to light it, you're only increasing his score. If you can hit the ramps consistently it's probably safer and more efficient to give airport rides until million is lit, but what if that jackpot hasn't been gotten for a while? Now the strategy changes to picking up characters and nailing that 3.2 mil jackpot before someone else does. The rarity of obtaining extra balls and the fact that the pickups reset after each drain really enhances the skill level required to score well in this game. A couple lucky pickups isn't going to get you on the scoreboard when we all start fresh with each ball. There is no one quick trick to exploit in order to rack up a huge score, both million and jackpot take several difficult shots to be executed before lighting. When our league plays people are usually wondering about while other players play, but when we played Taxi people were gathered around wringing their hands together just waiting to see who stole the ball you locked. If there's a better multiplayer game for hyper-competitive assholes like us who just want to burn their opponents to the ground and jump up and down on their ashes, I am yet to find it.
Overall:
Theme - Good integration I guess, who really cares.
Artwork - Weird.
Sound - "You give to me ride!"
Rules - The best in pinball.
Playfield Layout - I honestly wouldn't change a thing.
Toys - A real live steel bell in the cabinet that lets the entire neighborhood know you just stole an opponents ball. Plus a lit up topper that looks like they ripped it off an actual cab.
I have always been a fan of the System 11 rulesets, simple enough that you always know what you're supposed to do but deep enough to keep you coming back. Taxi stands out because it has the perfect amount of difficulty and balanced scoring. There is no ball save and all the shots are somewhat dangerous and challenging, but all obtainable. Things like the ramp shots give you no reward unless you can hit them consistently and even then it usually just activates a timed shot. Ball lock lets you make another skill shot, which is a true spring plunger requiring actual skill. Two ball multiball is my favorite multiball, especially when it involves a physical lock. In games with 3+ balls during multiball it's just chaos until you get down to 2 balls anyway, so this thing cuts right to the chase and gives you control from the start. Multiball activates two new challenges, both of which require precise control over each ball and reward you with a few hundred thousand points and a ringing of the bell. Other than this your only scoring benefit to having two balls on the table is that you can hit twice as many targets. Taxis multiball isn't some magical ticket to scoring millions of points like in so many WPC games.
This is all well and good, I would be happy playing Taxi until I'm dead simply based upon the aforementioned attributes. Where this machine really shines however, is in tournament play. We play this multiplayer constantly and it really is a different game when you do. If you locked a ball, you had better release it or the next player will. Sure you wanna spell cab for that multiplier, but it's also gonna raise the jackpot and if the player after you had carry passengers and just needs Santa to light it, you're only increasing his score. If you can hit the ramps consistently it's probably safer and more efficient to give airport rides until million is lit, but what if that jackpot hasn't been gotten for a while? Now the strategy changes to picking up characters and nailing that 3.2 mil jackpot before someone else does. The rarity of obtaining extra balls and the fact that the pickups reset after each drain really enhances the skill level required to score well in this game. A couple lucky pickups isn't going to get you on the scoreboard when we all start fresh with each ball. There is no one quick trick to exploit in order to rack up a huge score, both million and jackpot take several difficult shots to be executed before lighting. When our league plays people are usually wondering about while other players play, but when we played Taxi people were gathered around wringing their hands together just waiting to see who stole the ball you locked. If there's a better multiplayer game for hyper-competitive assholes like us who just want to burn their opponents to the ground and jump up and down on their ashes, I am yet to find it.
Overall:
Theme - Good integration I guess, who really cares.
Artwork - Weird.
Sound - "You give to me ride!"
Rules - The best in pinball.
Playfield Layout - I honestly wouldn't change a thing.
Toys - A real live steel bell in the cabinet that lets the entire neighborhood know you just stole an opponents ball. Plus a lit up topper that looks like they ripped it off an actual cab.
9.440/10
9 years ago
One of the best pins i've ever played. Cool theme and ingenious layout. Simple rules with diffucult shots. A must have in my collection.
8.900/10
9 years ago
Very difficult game to play. Used to play "Taxi" at a local doughnut shop when I was in college. I'm going to the best pinball museum in the United States later this month (better than Las Vegas!) and I will play "Taxi" there!
7.083/10
9 years ago
One of the best System 11 pins out there since it's so much fun to play. The cross ramps and pickups bring in the amateurs but it takes real skill to master this one.
8.900/10
9 years ago
Top 3 System 11 for me! Love the theme, the sounds, and the game play. Keeps me coming back for more plays. While I am currently borrowing one, I certainly hope to own this title some day.
9.560/10
9 years ago
The best system 11b game, period.
Easy to learn, hard to master.
I'm never selling mine.
Easy to learn, hard to master.
I'm never selling mine.
Grimmenstein
8.559/10
9 years ago
Excellent playability. That's what I call it. Some games drain the ball quicker than others. This game gives you your money's worth.
8.825/10
9 years ago
Mikkeli
Taxi has a simple ruleset, but it's quite challenging game where you need to master every shot. Especially lowest Pinbot drop targets are quite difficult to shoot. It's very satisfying to get a jackpot, a million shot or even both express lanes on multiball. Very balanced scoring and a very fun game.
9.676/10
9 years ago
This game is very underrated, I played this game for hours when I first got it and still play it a bunch. The Horn bell is amazing and you can hear it all over the house when it goes off. the game is very challenging and plays extremely fast compared to my other pinball machines. I would recommend having this in your collection or at least one Williams title from this era.
8.505/10
10 years ago
Yo Taxi, one of the family favorites. Easy to play, great for friendly competitions. Simple rule set but fast and fun. I liked Taxi so much I bought a Diner to go with it. Love the artwork / theme, speaks to simpler times. Not much in terms of gadgets but gotta love the bell.
7.558/10
10 years ago
This is a classic pin that I will play anytime I have the chance. It's one that I have always enjoyed, and eventually want in my lineup.
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