Escort missions have long been one of the enduring banes of the gaming public, right up there with sewer levels and tailing missions. Nobody likes having to escort a half-baked AI companion who just can't seem to help but run themselves right into both your and the enemy's lines of fire.
However, in a handful of games, there are instances that, while technically escort missions, are distinctly different. Specifically, you're the one being escorted. In these situations, either you've been overpowered or unequipped somehow and need to rely on an AI buddy to do the lion's share of combat, or you have your regular gear but are helped along by someone exponentially stronger than you.
10 Mike's Chopper Support - Resident Evil 4
While Resident Evil 4 is famous for the game-spanning escort mission of keeping Ashley out of danger, there's one instance in the game where Leon, surrounded by Ganados, receives some support he'd been waiting the whole story for: a fully-armed gunship. This gunship is piloted by Mike, a guy who we know nothing about, but whom Leon is apparently a good friend of.
Mike uses his chopper's Gatling guns and missiles to completely decimate the Ganado forces and destroy their important structures, all while you just have to do your best to stay out of his way. Shame Mike doesn't survive past that one mission, he seemed like a nice guy.
9 Roll's Support Car - Mega Man Legends
There are several instances throughout Mega Man Legends where you need to protect Roll as she inches her way forward in the repaired Support Car. These missions are rather frustrating and are only made more so by one mission where the Support Car is inexplicably invulnerable.
During this single, solitary mission, the Support Car is completely impervious to damage, allowing you to hide behind it and let it absorb shots from the numerous Bonne Family turrets and tanks taking potshots at you. If only Roll had remembered to reattach this mysterious invincible armor for the rest of the game.
8 Beast In Hollow Bastion - Kingdom Hearts
In Kingdom Hearts, when Sora, Donald, and Goofy first arrive in Hollow Bastion, they're confronted by Riku, who uses his original bond with the Kingdom Key to tear it away from Sora. Donald and Goofy, under orders to protect the Keyblade, have no choice but to leave Sora's side for Riku.
Sora can't fight the Heartless without a Keyblade, but luckily he's got the strong heart of the Beast on his side. For the first portion of Hollow Bastion, you'll need to rely on Beast's brute strength to fight off any Heartless that harass you as you make your way into the castle's entrance hall.
7 Alyx's Infinite Pistol - Half-Life 2 Episode 1
During the Lowlife chapter of Half-Life 2 Episode 1, Gordon and Alyx are stuck in a dark, subterranean tunnel. For the first half of this chapter, while Gordon still has his guns, there are very few ammo pickups to find, which is a problem since the tunnels are full of the usual gaggle of Headcrab zombies and other fun monsters.
Luckily, Alyx is armed with an infinite pistol, and all she needs to blast anything into oblivion is a little illumination. Until you can get more ammo, you need to use your flashlight to highlight targets for Alyx, so she can gun them down.
6 Liberty Prime - Fallout 3
In the climax of Fallout 3, the Brotherhood of Steel plans to storm Project Purity to wrestle control of it away from the Enclave, all so they can start circulating clean water throughout the Capital Wasteland.
To aid in this endeavor, the Brotherhood exhumes, reassembles, and reprograms one of the greatest pre-war weapons ever made: Liberty Prime, a massive mechanoid armed with a backpack full of mini-nukes and a fierce hatred of communism. All you have to do is stay behind Liberty Prime as he carves a giant hole in the Enclave's defenses in one of the most awesome sequences in all of Fallout.
5 Riju And The Thunder Helm - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
In the Gerudo Desert in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the sands are patrolled by the Divine Beast Vah Naboris. Driven haywire by Ganon's influence, Naboris strikes anyone unlucky enough to get close with bolts of powerful lightning. To get close enough to disable it without getting toasted, Link needs the aid of the Gerudo chief Riju, armed with the electric-repelling Thunder Helm.
As you surf around the sand between Naboris's legs, you need to return to Riju's aura of protection to avoid its lightning attacks, all while launching bomb arrows at its feet to stop its movement. Riju is in no danger thanks to the Thunder Helm; you're the only one at risk of being zapped.
4 Train Crawl With Zangetsu - Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night
Midway through Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Miriam discovers a mysterious train in the bowels of the castle gone out of control due to a demon in its engine. You only have five minutes to make it all the way to the end of the train's cars, and while you're by no means helpless, it's still a close shave.
Luckily, you have Zangetsu with you for this section, whose attacks deal damage in the hundreds where yours are still dealing in the tens. Just let Zangetsu clear out any particularly strong demons while you make a mad dash for the engine. It's a good thing he's on your side this time!
3 Alan And Mott's Unlikely Partnership - Alan Wake
In Episode 2 of Alan Wake, Alan goes up to Lover's Peak to confront Alice's kidnaper, Ben Mott. However, the lift crashes and Alan loses his gun, stranding him with Mott in the middle of the wilderness. It's the dead of night with the Taken bearing down on them, so they can't be picky, though Mott doesn't trust Alan enough to give him a gun.
Instead, Alan needs to make the Taken vulnerable by using flares and his flashlight, while Mott guns them down after they're exposed. Of course, this partnership is short-lived, as once they're out of danger, Mott threatens to hurt Alice if Alan doesn't turn over his manuscript, and Alan slugs him.
2 Cloud's Flashback With Sephiroth - Final Fantasy 7
When Cloud and company arrive in the town of Kalm late in Disc One of Final Fantasy 7's story, he experiences a flashback to the time he checked out the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor alongside none other than Sephiroth. At this point in time, Cloud didn't have the Mako-enhanced abilities of a SOLDIER, so he's kind of useless in a fight.
This is why, during the handful of enemy encounters you go through in this flashback, you need to rely heavily on Sephiroth to nuke the monsters along your path while Cloud just kind of stands there and tries not to die.
1 Help From The Flood - Halo 3
In the eighth level of Halo 3's campaign, Master Chief and the Arbiter need to stop the Prophet of Truth, one of the highest authorities of the Covenant, from firing off the Halo Array and destroying... well, pretty much everything. As they prepare to storm Truth's Citadel, however, they receive a surprising ally in the form of The Flood. The Gravemind requests a temporary truce, as the activation of the Halos will doom both the Flood and every other species in the galaxy.
With the Flood's help, Truth's forces are easily swept aside by a nonstop wave of Combat Forms escorting Chief and the Arbiter to their goal. Of course, the moment Truth is killed, Flood and The Gravemind immediately turn on them, but that's hardly surprising.