The cloaking ability that is Nova's bread and butter also has its quirks. For one, Nova is so sneaky that she can get within a couple steps of enemies without them noticing. It's one of the more liberal camouflage systems around. Enemies can see her up close while she's moving, but Nova is practically invisible when standing still. This goes for multiplayer as well. For extra fun, get real close to an enemy and hit Y for a stealth kill. A series of button icons will pop up on the screen, and the player can follow along for a nicely animated death sequence. The Achilles heel of the cloaking ability is that it goes on the blink when you take damage. Nova will de-cloak for a couple seconds after being shot. There's also a pesky robot called the Seeker that can see through cloaks and will raise an alarm if it finds Nova.
Let's talk about three of the single-player stages on display in the E3 demo. The first one I played was the Spector Complex, where the basic goal was to infiltrate "the refining core" and locate an enemy leader. What really made the level interesting were the many different approaches you could take to the goal. Don't feel like stealthily killing guards and searching their bodies for the keycard that opens the door to the next area? Then go ahead and take a shortcut there by jumping through a plate glass window! Sure, it'll sound an alert and guards will swarm the room, but that's what guns are for, right? Nova can also take control of enemy "brainsuits" in this stage, which are like huge robotic armor gear. They're capable of providing extra shields and firepower, but can't be cloaked and will go defunct after taking too much damage.
Swingin' Ape has also introduced outdoor levels to the game, such as the Countermeasure stage on planet Marsara. The opening objective is to infiltrate an enemy base just around a desert canyon, and it's a perfect example of how the developers have built in replay value and a variety of gameplay choices into each objective. A few seconds after the beginning of the stage, a patrol guard driving a vulture happens to pass by. The player can either: (a) cloak Nova and jump onto the back of the vulture, passing through the front gate unnoticed as the guard clears security, (b) cloak Nova, jump aboard the vulture and stealth kill the driver, then launch an assault on the gate, or (c) ignore the vulture entirely and attempt to infiltrate the base by climbing up the canyon adjacent to it. There's plenty of room to mix and match elements of each approach as well.
Vulture Hijack (24.72MB)
The Infestation stage is the big introduction to the Zerglings, and it's straight-out action. Don't bother cloaking too much around the Zerg, they have sensitivities to psionic powers and won't be fooled for long. Better to just open fire before they attack. In this stage, the critters have overrun a base and Nova must clean house. A developer pointed out that while the Zerglings attack in packs, their AI is set so that they don't completely overwhelm Nova. They'll charge forward, gnaw on her a little, then back up and prepare for another strike.
The Zerglings (18.25MB)
Later on, Nova will encounter Zerg-infested marines who have to be put out of their misery. Some of those brainsuit-clad zombies are pretty tough to lay down, but they're nothing compared to the minibosses: The Hydralisks, huge scorpion-looking monstrosities. The classic StarCraft baddies are back and they're some tough customers in Ghost, even able to climb ladders and open doors as they pursue. I recommend liberal use of the time slowdown psi power ability in conjunction with the flamethrower!
Infected Brainsuit (21.87MB)
The Hydralisk (7.72MB)
Fans of Metal Arms will enjoy the little touches in Ghost that bring to mind that game's wickedly zany sense of humor. Ghost has a much more serious tone overall, but there are moments of inspired comic relief. For instance, if Nova bursts into a restroom in time, she just might catch a Zergling drinking from a toilet. Unsuspecting guards often talk to each other in hilarious banter as Nova sneaks up for a stealth kill. And like in Metal Arms, there are control panels that Nova can access to take charge of seekers and other robots by remote. One such panel in the Spector Complex was stashed in a small room at the end of a hidden vent shaft. By peppering the guards with a little friendly seeker fire, Nova can soften up the opposition she'll face later on in the level, at least until they get wise and destroy the wayward droid. You have to expect some hijinks like these from a developer called Swingin' Ape, right?
StarCraft: Ghost is set for a mid-2006 release, but there's little deadline pressure from Blizzard. When asked if Blizzard was worried that the game might seem "last gen" if it came out after the Xbox 360 and PS3 were already on the market, a Swingin' Ape rep replied: "Blizzard doesn't really care about the release date. All they say is, 'Just make it good.'" Judging by this year's radically improved E3 demo, they don't need to worry.
