Not content with merely racing, Chase H.Q. gave players a mission: catch criminals and wreck their cars. Taito’s arcade hit combined the speed of OutRun with the satisfaction of vehicular justice. The countdown timer created urgency, the criminal chases provided drama, and ramming expensive sports cars to scrap delivered cathartic destruction.
Fast facts
- Developer: Taito.
- Genre: Racing/action hybrid.
- Protagonist: Detectives Tony Gibson and Raymond Broady.
- Vehicle: Black Porsche 928.
Gameplay structure
| Phase |
Objective |
| Chase |
Reach criminal within time |
| Ram |
Damage criminal’s car |
| Arrest |
Criminal surrenders |
| Next stage |
New target, new car |
Criminal targets
| Stage |
Criminal |
Vehicle |
| 1 |
Ralph, Idaho slasher |
White sports car |
| 2 |
Carlos |
Red sports car |
| 3 onwards |
Escalating threats |
Various |
Turbo system
| Mechanic |
Effect |
| Turbo boost |
Limited speed bursts |
| Strategic use |
Save for ramming phase |
| Replenishment |
Between stages |
Home conversions
| Platform |
Quality |
Notes |
| PC Engine |
Excellent |
Near-arcade |
| Amiga |
Good |
Solid port |
| C64 |
Ambitious |
Ocean conversion |
The Spectrum version
Ocean’s Spectrum conversion is the one the period press treated as the
benchmark, and the scores are close to unanimous — unusual for an arcade
licence, and the sharpest possible contrast with what Out Run got two years
earlier.
| Magazine |
Score |
Issue |
| C&VG |
97% |
January 1990 |
| Sinclair User |
96% |
January 1990 |
| CRASH |
95% |
December 1989 |
| Your Sinclair |
94% |
February 1990 |
| The Games Machine |
91% |
December 1989 |
| ACE |
868/1000 |
February 1990 |
CRASH’s individual marks sit between 87% and 95%, so the 95% is not one
enthusiast dragging up an average. Your Sinclair returned to it twice more,
scoring it 93% in November 1990 and again in January 1992 — a licence that
survived its own novelty.
Series entries
| Title |
Year |
| Chase H.Q. |
1988 |
| Chase H.Q. II |
1989 |
| Super Chase |
1992 |
See also