''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 Vehicular combat may refer to: * Armored warfare, the use of armored fighting vehicles in combat ** Combat vehicle, a military vehicle designed for such combat * Vehicular combat game, a game genre focused around fighting while driving ** List of v ...

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 ...

published by

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 ...

for arcades in 1989. It is the sequel to the 1988 game ''

Chase H.Q. is a vehicular combat racing game, originally released as an arcade video game by Taito 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 named Tony Gi ...

Gameplay

Instead of the 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 ...

of the first game, the player commands a red example of the just-introduced (at the time) Nissan 300ZX Z32 T-Top

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

. Unlike the first game, the player is able to fire at offending vehicles, with some cabinets containing buttons on the steering wheel, and others having a fire button on the gearshift, along with a button to activate the nitrous boost. The game brings back protagonists Tony Gibson and Det. Raymond Broady of the first game, and their second game appearance. Broady has taken over the driver's seat this time, while Gibson, as the passenger, serves as the gunman. Also, instead of Nancy, Karen is the officer delivering reports of whom the criminal is pursuing, and what they are driving.

Ports

Conversions for Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum were released in 1991 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 ...

, developed by Glasgow's ICE Software. A conversion for the

PC Engine 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, it launched ...

(TurboGrafx-16) was released in January 1991 exclusively in Japan by Taito.

Natsume Co., Ltd. , formerly from 1987 to 2013, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. Natsume Atari is based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan and is known for developing licensed titles and mobile games. The company was founded as Natsume Co., Ltd. in 19 ...

ported it to the

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 ...

. An Amstrad plus/GX4000 version was written but never released, and only a small number of cartridges are known to exist. 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 ''Chase H.Q.'' on one disc.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Special Criminal Investigation'' on their December 1, 1989 issue as being the second most-successful upright arcade unit of the month. It went on to become Japan's third highest-grossing dedicated arcade game of 1990, below ''

Super Monaco GP is a Formula One racing simulation video game released by Sega, originally as a Sega X Board arcade game in 1989, followed by ports for multiple video game consoles and home computers in the early 1990s. It is the sequel to the 1979 arcade gam ...

'' and '' Winning Run Suzuka GP''. The arcade game was also a major hit in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom where Taito shipped 1,500 units by January 1990.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1989 video games Amiga games Amstrad CPC games Arcade video games Atari ST games Commodore 64 games ICE Software games Master System games Ocean Software games Taito arcade games Taito Z System games TurboGrafx-16 games Vehicular combat games Video games about police officers Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Hiroyuki Iwatsuki Virtual Console games ZX Spectrum games