Wanted Level in GTA 2

Overview

GTA2 was the first GTA with six wanted levels, which, with only minimal changes appeared in all modern GTA's. Idea was great - As in GTA1 there was only minor difference between first and last, fourth wanted level now the player can easily run away when only one police head is present, and almost unable to survive level sixth. This changed slightly in Vice City and San Andreas, where army is not so dangerous as in GTA2 and GTA3, but will always remain as dangerous as this can be.

Wanted level, same as in GTA1, is displayed and measured as "heads", but now the player can also see them shaking when police knows the player's location whether trying to evade them or not.

Wanted Levels

• One head - This is displayed when the player commits a "minor" (in terms of GTA) crime - such as shooting/running over some few pedestrians, attacking a cop or exploding a car. One police car is send in our last known location, eg. they are checking wrecked car or place of a murder. If they won't find us they will drive away and our wanted level disappears. Maximum of one cop car chasing us, cops are running slower than us.

• Two heads - Very similar to one head, but won't disappear, despite by hiding in some alleys. Now cops can use maximum of 2 cop cars to chase the player and will either shoot or arrest the player on sight. To reach this level destroy more cars, kill 2 cops, or few more pedestrians.

• Three heads - First "serious" wanted level. Now cops will form road blocks with armored cops armed with pistols, normal cops will run now with full speed and be little more bulletproof. They will deliberately force the player off the road and will either kill him or arrest him. To reach this level, neutralize as many cops or pedestrains as you can.

• Four heads - Now additional to 2 cop cars we will be chased by heavy armored SWAT Van with four SWAT troops in it. They are armed with pistols, but they also wear full armor. Their objective is to kill or arrest. Only one of them will try to pull you out from car, rest of them will keep shooting at your car. Their van seems to be as fast as cop cars, but only when it is driven by a computer, when player is driving it it's maximum speed is very low. This is first level at which you should worry when not having a vehicle.

• Five heads - It's FBI turn! SWAT and regular cop cars disappear from streets, only sometimes walking cop can be found. FBI is using black Eddy's with hidden emergency light inside called "Special Agent Car". As normal Eddy this car is little armored - when not damaged too much it can survive an explosion. Every FBI car is driven by two Agents - one with Shotgun, and one with Silenced S-UZI Machine Gun, both wearing body vests. They also form road blocks with agents armed with silenced machine guns. FBI agents from roadblocks will also try to pull you out of the car and then will kill you. Only way to get arrested with five heads of wanted level is to find a cop walking on pavement - this may be useful when we have "get out of jail free card".

• Six heads - Formal - Army is occupying whole town. Informal - The town is now a warzone!!! Peds and normal cars disappear and instead of them the player encounters soldiers armed with UZI shooting at the player, and all kind of army vehicles driving on roads. This include Tanks, Pacifiers, Armed Land Roamers and Land Roamers. Luckily tanks and armed Jeep's won't chase or shoot at the player, only Land Roamers are driven by armored soldiers and they will do whatever it takes to take down the player, as arresting them won't do, not even sports cars to make any escapes as a single touch from the tank and the sports car is history, as well as the player inside. There are also road blocks made from tanks. The tanks will shoot at the player, and it is a death toll that the player will encounter the roadblock and has one chance to escape before being killed by squadron of tanks. It is very difficult to decrease wanted level now - army vehicles cannot be resprayed, and as almost no civilian cars are present on roads (sometimes one car is generated with "Land Roamer" - it's game bug), so the player is in a mad dash for a search for parked vehicles and drive as faast as he can to get to the respray shop, or for Cop Bribes (in GTA2 they remove all wanted level and are very rare). Clearing wanted star levels with six police heads is completely impossible as the player is forced to ride in a highway of hell with armies pursuing him.

Getting rid of police

• Max Paynt respray shops - Here the player can respray car to immediately lose any wanted level the player receives. Remember that public service cars cannot be resprayed (Taxi's are OK) as well as gang cars. This is also a reference to a character from the action movie Max Payne.

• Hiding - Works only with one head wanted level. Hiding for a while will make cops cancel their chase and then completely removing wanted level. Having more than one police heads will oly cause them to freeze and not dissapear, despite having to hide in a secluded area.

• Cop Bribes - Green, round "Dollar" pickup which cancels any crime the player commits, even without wanted level - This means when you will even steal a car and then step on this pickup, you will collect it.

• Completing a mission - When you finish any mission the police heads will be cleared, just as long as the player won't do anything wrong.