Show me the Scummy! GTA 4 Police Chase Ratings

We’ve all been there, jumping out of our seats as our virtual counterpart drops his final grenade into the crowded showdown that is the conclusion of a Grand Theft Auto 4 police chase. Your fifteen-minute cross-city extravaganza led you over highways, roads, alleys and sidewalks. You broke for no one, smashing both thugs and grandmothers with an equal lack of discretion. City damages were estimated to be upwards of 38-trillion dollars, and the entire police force, SWAT team and Army loathe you for taking the lives of hundreds of their comrades. You wreaked havoc amongst the thousands of digital citizens in Liberty City, and all you have to show for your charade is a hefty bill from the hospital. Isn’t it time you received some infamous recognition?

Don’t get me wrong; GTA 4 is an incredible achievement in video game culture. It is graphically beautiful, has the depth of an ocean and a story worthy of an Oscar, so don’t get the impression that I think this game really “needs” anything more than it already offers. I’m merely here to present an idea that could add a few miles of depth to the already voluminous gameplay.

I’m not a game designer, so I’m not really keen to the amount of work it takes to make what I consider a “subtle” adjustment; but what I present is that each player receive some sort of rating after each police chase. Was your chase reminiscent of a white Bronco, or were you just a screaming 15-year old girl running away from home in daddy’s car?

The truth is I’d like to know; the ratings could have names (much like the addiction levels) or numbers that correspond to the type of actions that occurred during the chase. If you shoot down four helicopters and eliminate six swat units all while spanning the map in multiple vehicles, your rating should be pretty damn high. If you stole an old lady’s purse and tripped into the police station, well, your rating should suck.

These scores could then be posted onto a leaderboard via Xbox LIVE or the Playstation Network. This feature could really add a lot to the game in respect to those players who simply cheat to get the weapons and look to cause madness around Liberty City. Sure, they do it now for no reason, but wouldn’t a little incentive bring a lot more fun to the game?

In lieu of all this fuss over chase ratings I also came to discover that an instant replay would also be a feature welcomed with open arms. We’ve all flipped and barrel-rolled our Comet over a building and landed seamlessly into the street while we shot the helicopter pilot out of the window with our Uzi. (What, you haven’t done this yet?) Inevitably, your friend was always looking the other way when this happened, and it would be nice to have the option to view a replay of what transpired. Mind you, it’s just a thought.

So I hope Rockstar Games is reading this article because I am sick and tired of having world-class police chases with nothing to show for it. Please! Someone show me the scummy!