Developer: Taito Publisher: Taito Release: 01/25/91 Genre: Racing
Chase H.Q. was an interesting spin on the “racing” genre. Technically you were still racing against the clock to catch up to your suspect. But the overall goal was not to win a race but to beat the criminals into submission. It was a simple idea yet it worked and was entertaining as hell. So how do you follow up such a success? By offering more of the same. Special Criminal Investigation adds a few touches to the formula but this is still the game you know and love. But it has issues of its own, with some marring the experience.
Detectives Tony and Raymond return to apprehend criminals by nearly killing them but that is neither here nor there. Five girls have been kidnapped by a criminal organization and it is your job to save them. There is extra pressure as one of the girls is the mayor’s daughter! It is all part of a plot to blackmail the current mayor into stepping down but you get none of that context in this version. This time around they have a few new tools play around with to assist in this goal.
For the most part the gameplay is near identical to the original. The first part of every stage is a race against time to catch up to the designated suspect. In this respect Special Criminal Investigation resembles Outrun heavily. The controls and UI are similar as well as the feel. Once you spot the criminal the police lights come on and you need to take them out before time runs out. Before you could only ram them out of commission. But now your partner can hang out the side and take shots at the suspect as well. It is slower than bashing over and over but works when traffic congestion is too much. You also have a limited number of turbo boosts per stage to either catch up or hit them at high speed for massive damage.
At first glance SCI looks like a faithful adaptation. But peek under the hood and many of the small nuances from the arcade are gone. The most critical is being able to shoot the random vehicles out of your way. It sounds sadistic but was an effective method to catch up to your target. Without it the game can be frustrating. After a few missions you received a more powerful shotgun as your default sidearm. Unfortunately you are stuck with the pistol for the entire length of the game. Traffic only comes from one direction which admittedly is a blessing. All of these changes leave the game feeling more like the first one rather than a sequel. That is not necessarily a bad thing but those that wanted the arcade experience at home will be a little disappointed.
Due to its arcade roots SCI is very difficult. With only sixty seconds to catch up to the perp and a further sixty to apprehend the game the game is a manic drive from start to finish. Even though traffic is less when it does pile up the game crosses that line from fun to frustrating. Without the shotgun some of the later levels are extremely challenging and not in a good way. Taking down the final helicopter was a harrowing experience and not one that I enjoyed. With three credits you will have to put time into this one and while I like it I do not know if I would recommend it.
While this version of Special Criminal Investigation captures the majority of the arcade’s gameplay technically it has been paired back significantly. This is clearly using the same engine as the port of Chase H.Q. as there are few advancements. There are few track side objects like buildings leaving the game feeling a bit flat. SCI did not use Sega’s super scaler technology but had a similar look. That is no longer present. Speaking of flat, the hills and jumps of the arcade are no more. The difference is notable. For its time SCI looked amazing as you passed through canyons, waterfalls, and city zones full of detail. You get little of that here. The extensive digitized speech that moved the story along (such as it is) is almost completely absent. Some of these cuts were unavoidable but I do feel this home port could have been better.
In Closing
Special Criminal Investigation is a decent game if a bit short. If you liked the first game the added mechanics are an enjoyable addition. But it not there is nothing here that will change your mind. I like Special Criminal Investigation overall but feel its brevity and high challenge is a deterrent. Your mileage may vary.
