20 Video Games That Punish You For Being Too Skilled
8. Wanted Levels - Grand Theft Auto IV
Anyone who’s played a Grand Theft Auto game knows about their wanted level system. The mechanic has been an iconic feature of the franchise ever since the first game, and it’s also one of the more famous examples of how a game can punish skilled players.
In fact, Grand Theft Auto IV might take the cake for pushing the difficulty of high wanted levels to their absolute limits.
Like in other GTA games, when you break the law in Grand Theft Auto IV, you get a star on the wanted level that causes the police to chase you. The longer you manage to fight the cops off without losing the heat, the more wanted stars you get, and with each new star, you face more dangerous opponents.
In GTA IV, the forces of law escalate from simple police officers to FIB special agents and finally the national guard. This is pretty on par with other GTA titles, but what makes this system especially punishing is that the additional stars also increase the search area of the police.
At six stars, the search area is large enough to cover two entire boroughs, making it virtually impossible to lose the cops, dooming you to eventually lose the fight and die, no matter your skills.