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Chase H.Q. Secret Police
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Graphics & Sound:
First, it IS a Game Boy Color game. You can have colors, but not an exceptional amount of detail. In that context, however, the graphics in Chase H.Q. Secret Police are pretty good. The game has a rudimentary 3D view, similar to the old school Pole Position, scaling sprites as they go off into the distance and towards the scrolling backdrop horizon. After all these years, it's amazing how easily it is to accept this as moving into the screen. I do have to mention that the speed doesn't feel as fast as it's supposed to. I found that I would check my speedometer very often to see how fast I was going. Still, it looked nice and different roads had different types of terrains and surroundings, and even had their own obstacles.
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Gameplay:
When I play a racing game, it's usually all about control. I want to have as much control as possible. The Game Boy Color doesn't offer analog control, so it makes it hard to get that control fix. Chase H.Q. makes up for this a bit by having five different cops you can use; each with their own car and abilities. One's got more firepower, one's all around average, one's faster... you get the idea. The twist is, you don't just choose one. You have to select the three you would like to use and then assign them locations on a street map. When the suspects begin to run, you have to direct your cops to intercept them. When your cop reaches a suspect, the pursuit is on! You can ram or shoot at the suspect, but everything is limited (just like in real life). Your ammunition is limited, your fuel is limited, and your turbos are limited. Turbos? Yeah - you get three turbos per car. You can use them either during a pursuit or while attempting to intercept a suspect in the map view. Be warned, though... using turbos to intercept a suspect on the map will leave you with one less turbo to use once you're IN pursuit. With some of the faster suspects, this can really hurt. This adds a bit of strategy into the mix, and helps keep Chase H.Q. interesting even without the total control console or PC racing games offer.
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Difficulty:
Chase H.Q. Secret Police is a pretty fun game. It is also a pretty hard game, at least on the later levels. You are dealing with some very fast suspects, and your control over your car is not that great, especially with hard turns. This is actually fairly realistic when you consider that you are exceeding 200 MPH. In fact, it would probably be impossible to even keep the car on the road. In any event, the game offers a challenge, without being impossible, and individual stages have decent replay value.
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Game Mechanics:
The graphics engine is simple... but then again, this is the Game Boy. Even with the 2D graphics (sprites), Chase H.Q. manages to do a nice job of portraying depth, much like the original Pole Position did. Added to the mix are cops that you can choose from that have their own advantages and weaknesses. Select cops with styles that work well with your playing style and the requirements of the individual stages. What do you end up with? You get a game that makes for a nice diversion and will cause you to put some wear and tear on your Game Boy Color - but then again, that's what it's there for, right?
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-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins |
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