As much as I wanted to like the Chase H.Q. games they were a bit too simple for my tastes. “Outrun except you smash cars too” works great in the arcade but as a home release the various ports suffered from a lack of content. Taito’s Super Chase HQ has the same problem but offers a substantial number of gameplay enhancements that make a difference making this a great addition to your SNES library.
Super Chase HQ is actually a loose port of the third game in the series, Super Chase: Criminal Termination. It combines elements from that game with the features that made the series notable to create a very enjoyable but short action racing game. Rather than a series of disjointed levels the story is presented as an ongoing investigation. Your Starsky and Hutch inspired protagonists go undercover to bust up a terrorist organization. The overall cohesiveness is pretty cool for an arcade game. Of course it’s window dressing as you are still busting up each suspect’s fleeing vehicle.
The most immediate change is the first person perspective. The cockpit view is a drastic departure for the series, and one that while functional does bring a few issues. The UI is way too large compared to your narrow field of view, most likely to keep the framerate high. Because of this you have less time to react to oncoming obstacles which is detrimental in later missions. Objects have a tendency to appear suddenly rather than making a smooth transition and judging distances can be tough. If something isn’t immediately in front of you it’s hard to track such as the fleeing vehicles when they move to your left or right.
These issues are all manageable which will allow you to enjoy the many advances made to the general gameplay. The basic structure remains the same. You have a limited amount of time to catch up to a fleeing suspect at which point you gain extra time to ram their vehicle into submission. This time around your car has a life bar and is no longer indestructible. You can still wantonly crash into roadside hazards with reckless abandon however the more damage you take your windshield begins to show the wear and tear. It all comes into play with all of the new crap you have to deal with on the road.
Outrun was a clear influence which was evident when looking at its graphics and handling. The game looked too similar to Sega’s classic and the initial stage of every mission played just like it. That part of the game was fairly routine but the later games did a lot to jazz that up. Incoming traffic, wandering motorcycle gangs armed with Molotov cocktails and firearms, and barricades do a lot to make the early stage of each mission livelier. The first person view also makes it more visceral too. It might seem odd that an additional layer on top of beating the clock would be a positive. But honestly while I liked Chase HQ it was a rudimentary racing game until you needed to bash cars and somewhat boring. Throwing more stuff at you with actual stakes is what the series needed.
These changes also extend to escaping suspects. It was a bit of a chore to manage to ram them into submission. Now the bastards are no longer content to simply try to outrun you. Sometimes they’ll pop out the window and put a few bullets in your windshield. One of them even attacks with a rocket launcher if you can believe it! To keep things fair all traffic is cleared out but it still a harrowing experience taking down the bad guy, as it should be. Many of the changes I’ve listed make it sound as though the game might be punishing but it is fairly balanced. Even with only two credits it still seems fair and if you completely fail it won’t take long to try again. Most of all because the game is so fun.
If there is one area I wish Taito would have really put more work in it would be the length. The main story is still only five missions long. There is an optional sixth mission available if you can beat the game without continuing. Considering the easy difficulty it isn’t a hard goal to reach but still doesn’t extend the life of the game that much. I would hazard a guess and say most will see the end credits after about 45 minutes or so which is decent for what you’ll probably pay but the game could have been so much more with a few extra stages.
I really like the presentation here and think Taito has done an incredible job packing this with a lot of minute details that are impressive. Despite the UI occupying more space than necessary it does keep the game moving at a brisk clip with excellent animation. There are a lot of details going on in your dashboard, from the driver’s hands at the wheel to seeing your facial expressions in the rear view mirror. You’ll spend a lot of time outside the city driving through deserts, the countryside, and even the mountains, all with shifting times of day and weather. There’s even damage modeling for vehicles which you get to see up close and personal. The guitar heavy soundtrack isn’t to my tastes but I will admit the music is well composed.
In Closing
Even with its short length Super Chase HQ is worth the cheap price you’ll pay for it. Not only is it a great arcade port but a solid title in general.
