Ghostly fun
Posted March 24th 2005
In the crashed Pelican area there are two Ghosts that normally come in to attack you as you advance. One is in the tunnel on the right, and one is down the hill on the left. Here's some of the fun you can have by skipping at the first bridge to rearrange these 'Pelican attack Ghosts'.
Pilot teleportation
The intended pilots will initially be on foot, but when you advance far enough (a little over halfway past the central snow mound) they blink out and rematerialize in their Ghosts, or by them if overturned. A neat bit of teleportation! If you've moved the Ghosts out into the open, you'll be able to see the pilots suddenly appear in them when triggered by your advance. How about putting them close together and being ready with a rocket launcher? As soon as the pilots appear, BOOM! That's the last time they'll be telling you "Wort Wort Wort"!
Moving them to later areas
You can also move these Ghosts into later areas, potentially giving the combat a new feel. The pilots will still teleport to them. Try moving them into the cavern for example (the underground bridge area). As you'd expect, the Elite pilots are pretty hopeless at navigating around such a tricky area, and quite often get snagged on the side of the bridge or end up plummeting into the chasm. Still, it makes for a change to see Ghosts there, and they can put up a decent fight on a good day. But perhaps the best thing is the delight of rocketing them from way up high on a pipe or whatever; particularly if they're on the bridge amongst fellow troopers. Also try putting a Ghost on top of one of the large rectangular blocks. When I did this and came back later, the Ghost was just hovering motionless over the block, making a highly amusing rocket target from ground level.
Here's another novelty. Take the Ghosts to the cavern and blow them into the chasm. When you play through later, fly down and say hi to the bemused pilots who have nowhere to go. Strangely, they seem reluctant to move their vehicles at all down there. Too murky perhaps?