is a vehicular combat

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a motor racing, racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more re ...

, originally released as an

arcade video game An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-oper ...

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, Toy, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, Vending machine, vending machines, and Juk ...

in 1988. It is sometimes seen as a spiritual successor to Taito's earlier '' Full Throttle''. The player assumes the role of a

police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...

named Tony Gibson, member of the "Chase Special Investigation Department". Along with his partner, Raymond Broady, he must stop fleeing criminals in high-speed pursuits in a black

Porsche 928 The Porsche 928 is a front-engine, water-cooled grand touring car, grand touring 2+2 (car body style), 2+2 hatchback coupe manufactured and marketed by Porsche AG of Germany from 1977 to 1995 — across a single generation with an intermedia ...

. ''Chase H.Q.'' was ported to many

home computer Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a s ...

s by

Ocean Software Ocean Software Limited was a British software development company that became one of the biggest European video game developers and publishers of the 1980s and 1990s. The company was founded by David Ward and Jon Woods and was based in Manchest ...

in 1989, including versions for the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

and

Atari ST Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's Atari 8-bit computers, 8-bit computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available i ...

. Taito produced versions for the

Family Computer The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the U ...

(1989),

Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...

(1990),

Master System The is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console manufactured and developed by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series ...

(1990),

TurboGrafx-16 The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation of video game con ...

(1990),

Game Gear The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth-generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990 in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and in 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily ...

(1991), and

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

(1996). It was released for

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

in Japan in 2007 as part of '' Taito Memories II Volume 2''. The game was a commercial success, becoming Japan's highest-grossing dedicated arcade game of 1989 while also becoming a hit overseas for arcades and home systems. The game was also well received by critics. It was followed by three arcade-based sequels: ''

Special Criminal Investigation ''Special Criminal Investigation'', also known as ''S.C.I.'' for short or as ''Chase HQ II: Special Criminal Investigation'' in some home versions, is vehicular combat racing game published by Taito for arcades in 1989. It is the sequel to the ...

'' (1989), '' Super Chase: Criminal Termination'' (1992) and '' Chase H.Q. 2'' (2007). Two spin-offs were also released: ''Crime City'' (1989) and ''Quiz H.Q.'' (1990).

Gameplay

At the start of each level the player is informed who they are pursuing, a great distance away: They must apprehend the criminal before their time limit expires. The criminal's car is constantly moving away, so if the player repeatedly crashes or drives too slowly, the criminal will escape. At some points during the game the road splits, and the correct turn must be taken, otherwise it will take longer to catch the criminal. When their vehicle is reached, the time limit is extended; the vehicle must be rammed a number of times until the criminal is forced to stop, then is arrested. The game includes five levels. Both the initial time limit to reach the criminal and the time extension to ram the criminal are 60, 65, or 70 seconds. When Nancy at Chase HQ (at the start of every level) calls on the radio, the frequency is often between 144 and 148 MHz. This is actually the

2-meter band The 2-meter amateur radio band is a portion of the VHF radio spectrum that comprises frequencies stretching from 144 MHz to 148 MHz in International Telecommunication Union region (ITU) Regions 2 (North and South America plus Hawaii) a ...

of amateur or

ham radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communi ...

frequencies. Although superficially similar in technology to

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

's '' Out Run'', ''Chase HQ'' features significant technical advancements over that title in the presentation of perspective, hills and track splits. Villains (for arcade versions): :1. Ralph, the Idaho Slasher (White

Lotus Esprit The Lotus Esprit is a sports car built by Lotus Cars from 1976 to 2004 at their Hethel, England factory. It has a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Together with the Lotus Elise / Exige, it is one of Lotus' most long-lived models. Th ...

) :2. Carlos, the New York armed robber (Yellow

Lamborghini Countach The Lamborghini Countach ( ) is a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini from 1974 until 1990. It is one of the many exotic designs dev ...

) :3. Chicago pushers (Silver

Porsche 911 The Porsche 911 model series (pronounced ''Nine Eleven'' or in ) is a family of German two-door, high performance Rear-engine design, rear-engine sports cars, introduced in September 1964 by Porsche, Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. Now in it ...

) :4. L.A. kidnapper (Blue Ferrari 288 GTO) :5. Eastern Bloc Spy (Red

) The last villain's car is always listed as unidentified. If the level is completed, bonus points are as follows: if completed without continuing, 100,000 times level in play, otherwise, 10,000; plus, 5,000 per second saved for completing level. A 5,000,000-point award is collected for beating the game.

Ports and related releases

Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

released versions of the game for the

Commodore Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-bit or 16/32-bit processo ...

and

in December 1989.''

The Games Machine ''The Games Machine'' was a video game magazine that was published from 1987 until 1990 in the United Kingdom by Newsfield, which also published '' CRASH'', ''Zzap!64'', '' Amtix!'' and other magazines. History ''The Games Machine'' ran head ...

''
issue 25
(December 1989), pages 76-77 The

version was released in February 1990 only in Spain, roughly one month later after the launch of the rest of Ocean's versions in that market.'' Micromanía'', issue 21, second period (February 1990)
page 55
/ref> Taito produced ports (known as ''Taito Chase H.Q.'') for the

(1989),

(1990/1991),

(1990),

(1990) and

(1991). In 1992, it was released on the

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...

as ''Chase H.Q. II'' (known as ''Super H.Q.'' in Japan), with some minor changes, including alternative player vehicles. In December 1990, the game was included on the ''Wheels Of Fire'' compilation, which also featured '' Hard Drivin'', '' Power Drift'' and '' Turbo OutRun'' on the Commodore 64. In June 1991, the game was released on the ''Power Up'' compilation, which also featured also on the C64 ''

Altered Beast ''Altered Beast'' is a 1988 beat 'em up video game developed and published by Sega for arcades. The game is set in Ancient Greece and follows a player character chosen by Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena from the demonic ruler of the under ...

'', ''

Turrican ''Turrican'' is a 1990 video game developed by Manfred Trenz. It was developed for the Commodore 64 by Rainbow Arts, and was Video game port, ported to other systems later. In addition to concept design and character creation, Trenz programmed ' ...

'', '' Rainbow Islands'' and '' X-Out''. In 1991, the game was released for the

FM Towns The is a Japanese personal computer built by Fujitsu from 1989 to 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with IBM PC compatibles. In 1993, the FM Towns ...

. In 1993, Taito released ''Super Chase H.Q.'' (known in Japan as ''Super H.Q. Criminal Chaser'') for the Super NES. Unlike other home versions, it is played in first person perspective and is based upon ''Super Chase: Criminal Termination'' rather than the original ''Chase H.Q.'' Gameplay is modeled on the original with some aspects of ''S.C.I.'' incorporated. A PAL version of ''Super Chase H.Q.'' was released exclusively in Australia in 1993 by

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...

(Nintendo's ANZ distributor until 1994) and re-released by Nintendo Australia thereafter. There is also a ''Super Chase H.Q.'' for the

, which was released exclusively in North America, in 1994. The game is similar to the Game Boy's ''Taito Chase H.Q.'' (1991). In 1996, Taito released an emulation of the arcade original for the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...

in Japan, bundled together with ''Special Criminal Investigation'' on one disc. In 2000, '' Chase H.Q. Secret Police'' was released for the

Game Boy Color The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...

. In July 2008, the TurboGrafx-16 version of the game was re-released on the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...

. A spin-off was released in 1989 titled ''Crime City''. The game play deviates from the traditional third-person driving and is instead a side scrolling type shooter.

Reception

Commercial

Upon release in arcades, ' listed ''Chase H.Q.'' on their 15 November 1988 issue as being the second most-successful upright

arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...

of the month in Japan. It went on to become Japan's highest-grossing dedicated arcade game of 1989. In the United Kingdom, it was a hit in the arcades, becoming the top coin-on arcade game at one point. The home computer conversions topped the UK sales chart in Christmas 1989. The ZX Spectrum version of the game was later number 2 on the UK sales charts in early 1990, behind '' Rainbow Islands''.

Critical

The arcade game was well received by critics. ''

Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...

'' gave it a positive review, stating "at last" a "racing game with something more to do than just whizzing around a track to beat the course time". They concluded that it is "fast and challenging with great graphics" and "good clear sound effects" and is "definitely a winner". '' ACE'' said that the "'' Out Run'' theme keeps being expanded and presented in different ways" like '' Power Drift'' but considered ''Chase HQ'' better than the former. They concluded that the game's driving and violence is "a winning coin-up combination". '' Crash'' said it "is a great game" and "the ultimate arcade version of cops-and-robbers movies". According to ''Arcade History'', it "was arguably the first sprite-scaled racer since" ''Out Run'' "to truly capture the gaming public's imagination". The home computer conversions were also mostly well received by critics. The 16-bit Amiga and Atari ST versions received positive reviews, while the 8-bit ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC conversions received high review scores and are generally recognised as the most accurate and most playable of the Ocean Software home computer releases. All three of the ZX Spectrum magazines awarded it 94% or above, praising the speed of the game and the originality. ''Crash'' gave the game 95%, while ''

Sinclair User The ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was pub ...

'' awarded it 96%. On the other hand, the 8-bit Commodore 64 conversion received a generally negative reception. The Master System conversion was well received by critics. ''Computer and Video Games'' said the "gameplay is as exciting as it was in the arcades" and "the high-speed thrills of this conversion" makes this game worth to look at it.

Accolades

At Japan's 1989 , the arcade version was nominated for Hit Game of the Year, for which it was voted 10th place.'' Gamest'', ''The Best Game 2: Gamest Mook Vol. 112'', pages 6-26 According to an Ocean Software advert in 1989, the arcade version was voted Arcade Game of the Year. At the 1989/1990

Golden Joystick Award The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be vote ...

s, the 8-bit home computer versions were awarded Best 8-Bit Coin-Op Conversion and Best 8-Bit Soundtrack. The Spectrum version also topped ''Computer and Video Games'' "The Best Games of '89" list (along with '' Super Mario Bros. 2''). The Spectrum version was voted number 1 in the '' Your Sinclair'' poll of Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time in 1993.

Records

Brian Kuh from Weirs Beach, New Hampshire holds the official arcade world record with a score of 3,596,680 points achieved on 1 June 2006 at Funspot Family Fun Center, Weirs Beach, New Hampshire. Robert Gray from

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the hi ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

holds the official

MAME MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to emulate the hardware of arcade games, video game consoles, old computers and other systems in software on modern personal computers and ...

world record with a score of 11,490,280 points achieved on 13 June 2010.

Legacy

''Chase H.Q.'' was successful enough to earn two arcade-based sequels - the widely released ''

'' released in 1989 and the extremely rare ''Super Chase: Criminal Termination'' released in 1992. It also earned two spin-offs - the run and gun ''Crime City'', and the

quiz A quiz is a form of mind sport in which people attempt to answer questions correctly on one or several topics. Quizzes can be used as a brief Educational assessment, assessment in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abil ...

game ''Quiz H.Q.''. ''

'' expands on the original with the addition of guns - the passenger can rise out of the

T-top A T-top (UK: T-bar) is an automobile roof with a removable panel on each side of a rigid bar running from the center of one structural bar between Pillar (car), pillars to the center of the next structural bar. The panels of a traditional T-to ...

of his Nissan 300ZX Z32 and shoot at oncoming targets. To take advantage of this, enemies are placed throughout the level and will attempt to shoot at or ram the player as they attempt to pursue the main criminal. Deviating from the relatively realistic tracks on offer in the original, the sequel features pursuits through waterfalls and unfinished sections of elevated highway. '' Super Chase: Criminal Termination'' was the third arcade release in the ''Chase H.Q.'' series, released in 1992. The 1997

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

game '' Ray Tracers'', developed and released by Taito, has been described as "more or less a follow up" to the game, with "only a few differences" such as a different speed-boost system and a greater variety of targets. In February 2006, ''Chase H.Q.: Nancy Yori Kinkyuu Renraku'' (''Chase H.Q. - An Urgent Call From Nancy'') was presented at the Arcade Operator's Union (AOU) trade show in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. It was shown again at AOU 2007. The game was released as ''Chase H.Q. 2'' in December 2007. Saint Etienne recorded a demo dance track called "Chase HQ" that was inspired by ''Chase H.Q.'' It includes samples of the "Oh man!" and "Punch the pedal!" exclamations from the game action. The track was released as a bonus track on the 2009 Deluxe reissue of the band's 1991 album, '' Foxbase Alpha''. ''Chase HQ''s gameplay, which involved ramming the enemy car while avoiding oncoming traffic, has been cited as a precursor to the gameplay of later titles such as '' Driver'' and '' Burnout''.

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Arcade History Database entry

Xleague.TV/TGWTG Video Retrospective feature of the ''Chase H.Q.'' series

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100527213231/http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=22 Twin Galaxies Official MAME World Record {{Authority control 1988 video games Arcade video games Amiga games Amstrad CPC games Atari ST games Commodore 64 games Crash Smash! award winners FM Towns games Game Boy Color games Game Boy games Game Gear games Golden Joystick Award winners Master System games MSX games Ocean Software games Racing video games X68000 games Single-player video games Square Enix franchises Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Taito arcade games Taito Z System games TurboGrafx-16 games Virtual Console games Video games about police officers Video games scored by David Whittaker Video games scored by Yasuhisa Watanabe ZX Spectrum games Video games developed in Japan