Konami's highly anticipated action thriller...avec la sexy art. T A C T I C A L E S P I O N A G E A C T I O N %@@ @@ @@@ @@@% @@ @% %@@% @@@ @@ @@@% %@@@ @@@ %@ %@ @@@ %%% %@@ @@ @% @% %@@ @% @ %@ @% %@@ @ %@ @ %@ @ @ %@ %@ @ @% % % %@@%@@ @@@ @% @ %@ @% @ @@@ @ %@ @@@ %@% @ @ %@ %@ @ @@ % %@%@%@ @% @% @@@@ @% @%@@ @% @@@@ @ @% %@% @ @ %@ %@ @ @@ % %@ @ @ @% @% @%%@ @% @ %@ @% @%%@ @ %@ @% @ @ @ %@ %@ @ @% % %@ @ @ @@@ @% @ @ @@@ %@@% @@@ @ @ @ %@ @@@% @@@ %@@@%@ @@@ %%% ########################## S O N S O F L I B E R T Y ###################### for Playstation®2 Tactical Espionage Handbook Metal Gear Solid 2 Strategy Guide and Walkthrough Written by AdrenalineSL Version 1.88: Released February 3, 2003 The very latest versions and updates can be found at GameFAQs: http://www.gamefaqs.com _____________________________________________________________________________ This is currently [Version 1.88] of Adrenaline's Metal Gear Solid 2 Strategy Guide. If you find any errors, please report them to the author immediately! Thanks! Contact me: toiletrabbit(at)hotmail(dot)com Metal Gear Solid 2 is rated "M" for MATURE. After all, this game contains a copious amount of violence, blood, visual tutorials on how to snap someone's neck, wooly armpits and so on and so forth. Screw it. Who am I kidding? No one listens to me nowadays. * This Metal Gear Solid 2 FAQ/Walkthrough is intended for the US Release. If you own either the PAL or the Japanese version, then this guide may not fully benefit you. For this, I have accommodated a new section called "US- to-PAL Changes" as reference for both US version and PAL owners alike. PAL owners should definitely read that section before the rest of the guide. * This is not a plot synopsis. I am comfortably certain that you are *NOT* part of the MGS staff or Hideo Kojima, especially when you're e-mailing me from an AOL account. So shoo, guys. * Lastly, please do NOT send ANYMORE CONTRIBUTIONS. Corrections are welcome, though. Any "Useless Trivia" contributions will be deleted immediately. ------------------------------------- --- HOT! HOT! (Version History) --- ------------------------------------- Version 1.65 | July 31, 2002 One last update. I expect I will not touch this document again. Ever. Unless a glaring error is pointed out to me, which I will honor immediately. I spent this version cleaning up the writing in some places--mainly the basics and the walkthrough, so you may notice some changes. I want to apologize to everyone who has e-mailed me in the last 5 months before July 7, 2002 because I somehow managed to screw up my hotmail account. I stored a lot of contributions and have now lost 80% of them. I salvaged only a few e-mails. So if you've e-mailed me and I have not replied, please send me your message again. Sorry again. Thanks for reading, everyone! Version 1.6 | April 20, 2002 In this update, I've cleaned out as many errors as I could find. Also removed some false information. Many Frequently Asked Questions were added to the FAQ section. If you cannot find your answer in the walkthrough, the FAQ is bound to have your answer (I dearly hope so). In addition, some more changes were added to the US-to-PAL section. It's taken me almost a month to get this update out. And in case any of you have ignored the note at the top: do not send anymore contributions! My brain hurts. Version 1.58 | March 23, 2002 Thank you all so kindly for flooding my inbox with the same stuff. Now that that's out of the way, everything should be in tip-top shape as far as the differences between the US and PAL versions are concerned. How you say? Why, I've created a new section, of course. It's listed as "US-to-PAL Changes", found under the Appendices chapter. I've also went over certain sections of the guide and edited stuff. Ya know, like stuff. Major thanks to Manwards and a bunch of other people for this update's additions. And of course, myself, for putting up with the swarm of complaints, and putting off this update 'til now without losing my sanity. Version 1.54 | March 5, 2002 Another update of zero importance. Just wanted to clean up a few things before the European release of this game. I've re-written certain parts of the introduction to make the guide more "cheerful". For some reason, I sometimes get "hesitant" e-mails (Why is that? Do I scare you?). So, no more b****ing from me. I just have a guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach, yet no one e-mails me about it. Besides that, I've caught up on some neat contributions that were just screaming to jump in this FAQ. Now...je suis tout raplapla parce que j'ai mal dormi. So the update stops short. For those French-literate folks, excuse the infinite amount of errors in just that one sentence. Pardon-moi! Ok, I gotta stop my pathetic attempts. Version 1.52 | February 14, 2002 Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Just popped in with some other refinements-- the Extreme Boss strategies, mainly. Also, a very frequently asked question was added to the bunch. You CANNOT save Emma!!! Ok?! Whew. That's all, folks! Huhuhuhuhu. Version 1.5 | February 8, 2002 I got the chance to talk with Morph, the author of the Extreme mode FAQs, the other day. With his help, I've improved upon the Extreme mode boss strategies. He's granted me permission to use tips from his FAQ. The purpose of this update was to refine some parts of the guide, make a few corrections, polish the boss strategies and add a few more contributions. Also, I've moved the Item and Weapon section to Chapter 2 for convenience. There are still a few more contributions in my mailbag--those need to be looked into before they will be added to the FAQ. Well, it's about 1AM here, now so if there are any awkward sentences and stupid errors, blame um, that guy over there. Version 1.41 | January 22, 2002 My e-mail address is now (more) open for questions. I will answer you as long as it's not in the guide. Just finished proofreading the guide and cleaned up the remaining errors (I did my best, anyway). All contributions have finally been caught up. The guide is now more complete than ever, and unless anything else comes to light, it's unlikely that there will be any more major updates. Version 1.3 | January 20, 2002 The guide is now officially complete. Dog Tags, Secrets, Hard-Extreme Notes and Fun Stuff--they're all complete. The Boss Guide has been patented with Hard and Extreme strategies. I also gave the walkthrough a slight facelift so you could find each area section more easily. Some contributions have been looked over and added in (not all, but most). I apologize to those who have sent me something and I have not added it in. I can't afford to add every single one. I'll have the next version up and running with the remaining contribution backlog cleared out (over 80). A perusal of the guide is pending for grammar errors and such. Look forward to that shortly. I wrote a lot of the new stuff while I was half-asleep, so please excuse the many drunk errors. ^_^ Enjoy the new version! Version 1.1 | January 3, 2002 Bless the 50+ people who e-mailed me for the same BDU correction, and then adding the same note about their having been in the military. Thank you all. Although I've only credited 3 people with this because they were the first of millions to e-mail me. Anyway, finished Boss Guide, added contributions, and started Dog Tags section. Any questions? No? Good. Keep it that way! Version 1.05 | December 16, 2001 Well, a reader that e-mailed me today brought this my attention. I've just finished proofreading the entire guide. It was well worth it. I found so many mistakes, I could write a book entitled "Grammar-don'ts for Dummies". I did my absolute best to clean those out. But after staring at the screen for 2 straight hours, my brain hurts and my eyes are tired. I didn't want to add any more hours to this session by updating the guide with more info. Sorry! I PROMISE the next update will be refreshed with new stuff! Version 1.03 | December 15, 2001 What's this??!! Another update so soon?! :) As you can probably see, it's not a huge update. Just popped in and finished the Items section. Another update won't be happening for a while, so now is good. Version 1.0 | December 14, 2001 After watching Harry Potter, I had wanted to try flying on my own broomstick, but obviously that didn't go too well. So that explains the huge delay on my updates...Ok, so that wasn't a really great excuse. The long wait for Version 1.0 was well worth it. The walkthrough is now complete and several new sections have been opened and others have been completed. Check out the Table of Contents. Unfortunately, the Dog Tag section will have to wait. I'm going to go play the game over again to make new sections and hopefully, create a little plot section. Enjoy the first complete version of the guide! Version 0.5 | November 24, 2001 So the expected update was a little late. At least I've gotten further than I would have. The walkthrough will be finished in the next version for sure. That's all I've been working on, so other sections are incomplete or haven't even been created yet. Walkthrough up to defusing the 5th or 4th bomb. Who cares. Also, I've added some contributions. Others are still sitting around in the inbox. Will get to those later. Version 0.3 | November 17, 2001 "Adrenaline, you oaf!" I know, I know. Too many projects at once is insanity, but I'm here now and you can't do a thing about it! Haha! Anyway, I got a lot of stuff done, even though it may not seem like it. It took 5 hours of my life to type all this crap, so appreciate it or break yo'self. Anyway, as with all my FAQs, the first versions are always crap, so don't expect much. The walkthrough is _almost_ nonexistent. But the next update should be further than where it pathetically is now. If you see huge errors, don't send about a million rude e-mails about why I'm better off working at McDonalds or something. _____________________________________________________________________________ |_________________________________TABLE OF__________________________________| |-------------------------------------CONTENTS------------------------------| 01. Introduction 02. Chapter 1: Basics & Lists Basic Controls System Dissection Actions Items Weapons Infiltration Logic 03. Chapter 2: Walkthrough Tanker Part One Part Two Plant Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Hard-Extreme Notes 04. Chapter 3: Appendices Boss Guide Dog Tags Item Locator Weapons Locator Node Locator US-to-PAL Changes 05. Chapter 4: Secrets & Easter-Eggs Secrets Fun Stuff Campbell Gibberish Song Lyrics 06. Chapter 5: Outro Frequently Asked Questions Legal Junk Sources Credits, Plugs, and Extra Junk Contributor Credits Closing Statement _____________________________________________ -WALKTHROUGH NAVIGATION GUIDE- The walkthrough featured in this guide has been split into seven sections and I've created this little navigation guide to help direct you to your rightful place without searching through the masses of text. Please read the parts carefully and use Ctrl + F whenever necessary. * Part One: Beginning of Tanker to the Engine Room, right before entering Deck-2 area. * Part Two: From blasting the control units at the Deck-2 entrance to the end of the Tanker. * Part Three: Beginning of Plant to the end of BC Connecting Bridge (where you first met Fortune). * Part Four: Strut C, Dining Hall (where you meet Peter Stillman) to defeating Fatman. * Part Five: After Fatman's grand finale to the end of infiltrating the Shell 1 Core. * Part Six: Excursion to the Shell 1-2 Connecting Bridge and eventually to Shell 2 Core to save Emma from Vamp. * Part Seven: Starting from after the 2nd Vamp fight to the end of the game. _____________________________________________________________________________ The Gameshark codes have been removed. If you want GS codes, please visit the official Gameshark site or Gamesages.com for them. _____________________________________________________________________________ |¯¯¯¯| 0000111.92899 |¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯| 0886660000113 |¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯| ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ /// Introduction /// _______________ | LOADING... | 00000000111999666 |¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯| 983300111666 |¯¯¯¯| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation was a revolution. And afterward, anything at a mere whisper of Metal Gear was viewed with limitless enthusiasm. In some games, you pay attention to every detail. You observe it almost like you would a movie and drink in every facet. Metal Gear Solid 2 falls exactly under that, and that's what makes it so majestic. It offers countless options. Choices are what Metal Gear Solid 2 is all about. Shoot various stuff, and they shatter with astounding physics. The graphics are immaculate. There are certain things you'd pay about as much attention to as you would a pile of old socks, but it's there; it floats and mingles with the air. The plethora of hype has informed you about it. You've went as far as to just purchasing Zone of the Enders to play only the demo; but nothing can prepare you for the surge of adrenaline (no pun intended) that MGS2 takes you on this feat of design and storytelling. Everything on the screen twitches and bounces with life. The concept and the cinematic plot is enthralling. Hideo's latest installment into the series transcends the standards of revolutionary gaming. The ultimate goal for this guide is to provide a comprehensive source for the heart-stopping, stealth-based action game that is Metal Gear Solid 2. Beware! Each event written in this guide is guaranteed to have spoilers slathered all over; look for information you need, bookmark the guide, and get out! Well, I am pretty sure that with each guide/FAQ you look at, you are definitely at risk of ruining your gaming experience. I tried my best to minimize the number of spoilers. It's true that the twists involved would be better placed in a story section than being thrown at you against your will, but sometimes you can't blame me--they just slip out. In short, the intent of this powerful MGS2 guide is to help you through the game with the best possible, yet conceivably easy, methods of play. Although I pray that you would read through the entire thing before giving up. That's the entire reason I wrote this. If worse comes to worse, you may even have to figure out whatever you are having trouble with by yourself and play the game! Also, let me say that I appreciate all those who have actually perused the guide before coming to me, and those who drove me on to continue this. The writing tone may seem scornful (as said by a reader), but I assure you that this was a labor of love, and I'm eternally grateful to all the contributors of the FAQ, whom I owe many of my thanks to. And of course, I can't forget the readers--they are the ones who have helped me arrive at where I am today. If it weren't for any of those fine people, the guide wouldn't have evolved into what it has become. Uh, thanks. At some points in the walkthrough, I will heavily assume you don't need me to tell you to "walk forward" or "open the door". It's quite instinctive. While I may have been a little too strict in directions, it's your job to explore and then consult my guide for help. Well, we've gotten that out of the way; I'm sure you're sick of my prelude by now, so yeah. |¯¯¯¯| 0000111.92899 |¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯| 0886660000113 |¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯| ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ /// Chapter 1: Basics & Lists /// _______________ | LOADING... | 00000000111999666 |¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯| 983300111666 |¯¯¯¯| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ Wait a minute! Can't you find this information in the instruction manual? Hm, THAT is true. But you see, I'm merely expanding on the contents of the manual. I also generously condensed all that info into several topics. That, I believe, is more desirable than perusing an instruction booklet that's equivalent to the size of an encyclopedia. This could prove useful to: those who have lost their manual, those who have one but just can't quite understand the fundamentals, those who like my guides (ok, nobody likes them, everyone LOVES them), those who borrowed this game from Blockbuster, and probably those who have looked past the better things in life to sit down and read this. Controls: ---------- D-Pad - * Navigates character * Moves highlighter on menu screen Left Analog Stick - * Navigates character * Moves highlighter on menu screen Right Analog Stick - * Changes Camera Angles Circle Button - * Confirms selections * Punch-punch-twirling kick combo Cross Button - * Cancels selections * Press once to crouch; twice to engage in crawl position * Press while running to roll Triangle Button - * Action button (open doors, climb, etc.) Square Button - * Attack button (shoot, throw, strangle, etc.) L1 Button - * Aims L2 Button - * Opens Item inventory * Quick equip item R1 Button - * Goes into first-person view R2 Button - * Opens weapons & equipment menu START Button - * Pauses game * Help Stuff SELECT Button - * Opens Codec screen ______ ______ /__/\__\_____________________________________________________________/__/\__\ \__\/__/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\__\/__/ ___________________ | System Dissection | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Learn about the basics of Metal Gear Solid 2, and how to get started. I'll strip each segment down for easier comprehension of the game basics. _______________________________ / DIFFICULTY MODES /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Metal Gear Solid 2 features a non-exclusive option, which allows the player to select a difficulty setting that conforms to his game-playing abilities. Here's a quick breakdown. The option to choose the level of difficulty becomes available as soon as New Game is selected. The only significant difference between the modes is having less or more guards on duty. Other minor disparities include the capacity of items and the degree of handicaps. An example of a handicap is exhibited in Hard difficulty: getting discovered by a guard dictates an instant game over. It's over for you, bub. Go back to the drawing board. Huss! Boo! Get off the stage! According to the manual and my experience, you can actually switch that option on or off. It pretty much depends on your preference. I'm very verbose if you haven't already noticed. Basically, four difficulty modes will be laid out on the screen for you to choose from. These modes range from Very Easy to Hard (and Extreme). I won't go into TOO much detail, for the sake of brevity. Ok, here's the real breakdown: * Very Easy * Simple stuff. Very few guards will be patrolling the areas you will try to infiltrate. Not to mention that you have a bigger capacity for items, but you'll have the same life bar length as you would have in any mode. In the Plant Chapter, radar maps will automatically be downloaded upon entering a new area. Also, if you leave an area during Alert mode, it will be canceled upon entering a new area. * Easy * Insert words where you see fit. Easy speaks for itself. Actually, they all speak for themselves! But anyway, just a _tad_ more difficult than Very Easy. If you enter another area during Alert mode, it will be canceled immediately. * Normal * Normal is what you'd generally go for if this is your first walk through the game. The walkthrough in this FAQ will be covering the Normal mode, only because the author is an oafish idiot who can't do anything better than Normal and feels that doing a walkthrough on Easy would appear wussy. * Hard * Ho-hum. Can you say "Holy fruit salad"? Normal was already a wee bit more than I can handle, but unless you pass Hard, you ain't hardcore! I'm somewhat hard-pressed to say that I won't be able to complete this mode without some initial practice with the strangling and mangling part. Not to mention overcoming that extreme paranoia of getting caught by guards. * Extreme * Damn. That pretty much sums it up. But for the sake of acting professional, this mode will definitely induce house-breaking, cup-flying frustration that will haunt you in your sleep. Basically, item storage is minimized, the AI of guards shoots through the ceiling, damage dealt to you is much more agonizing and bosses are disgustingly tough. So it's infiltrate stealthily or be shot in the ass. _____________________________ / GAME CHAPTERS /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Metal Gear Solid 2 is composed of two "chapters". The first part of the game takes place on a Marine transport ship that's on its way down the Hudson River. Also known as the "Tanker" chapter. You play as Snake trying to infiltrate the tanker after having learned about a Metal Gear prototype being carried onboard. But things don't go as planned, as Snake helplessly watches the ship being hijacked by Russian soldiers--probably mercenaries. Anyone who has played the demo already has had a taste of this chapter. For reasons you will see as you play through the game, the second part of the game sets its course on a giant offshore facility called the Big Shell. Also known as the "Plant" chapter. The remainder of the game takes place here. You assume the role of a rookie member, who is a part of the special forces unit FOXHOUND. As a "substitute" for Solid Snake, he's been heavily trained to refine his skills through VR training. He has had no previous experience from real-life combat situations. His mission on the Big Shell will be his first. ______________________ / GAUGES /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The Life Gauge itself and how it functions is self explanatory, but let's go over what makes the Life Gauge decrease. Getting repeatedly, or even once, impaled by a barrage of bullets, running out of oxygen underwater, getting caught in the midst of an explosion, smoking, and looking at dirty posters for too long (leads to chronic deficiencies) all contribute to a gradual decrease in the character's life gauge, which is shown at the upper left corner. Wow, that was a long sentence. Anything that has to do with hazardous stuff will HURT your characters, ok? They're not invincible just 'cause they are the heroic sprites on your TV. Now, a grip gauge is something else. This gauge indicates how much longer your character can keep his grip on a ledge, rail, himself, etc. Whenever the need for a grip is ordered, the gauge will appear right below the character's health. In the beginning, it depletes like mad, but doing pull-ups will help your character strengthen his biceps, triceps, fore muscles and other muscles for a longer, lasting clutch. When the gauge exhausts itself from overuse, his grasp will loosen, and he will drop. If there is no support whatsoever within the next oh, 100 meters, to break his fall, he will die a heart-wrenching death. ________________________ / BLEEDING /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ If Snake's life is excessively being dwindled down either by physical force or by puffing on his tobacco too much and then getting shot, Snake will begin to bleed, leaving large blots of blood on the floor. If this persists, soon the floor will be mottled with dark blood stains, making it obvious to the enemy that someone has invaded their territory. To remedy this and nurse his wounds, simply lie low in one spot for a while. Eventually, the blood will clot and stop flowing. However, if Snake has no possible way to rest and let his wounds heal, use a Bandage to patch up the nasty gash. ____________________________ / COMMON COLDS /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This game is so detailed, it's possible for your character to catch the flu bug. Contracting the flu results from being drenched in the rain for too long or being exposed to coldness for an extended period. You know your character has come down with the flu when he starts to sneeze. Sneezing too often risks alerting guards in the vicinity. Alleviate his symptoms by popping a Medicine, which is a counterpart of Tylenol Cold or something. Sneezing can be caused by other things as well, like getting sprayed with a busted fire extinguisher or scattered flour. In such cases, a Medicine isn't needed. If your character has become seriously ill-stricken, the pill's effect may be negated. However, the nasal decongestant found at the very end of the game can stabilize the symptoms. It's imperative that you administer the medicine after the first sneeze, or as soon as possible. _________________________________ / READING THE RADAR /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ To be as simple as possible about understanding the radar, I will try to pound this into your brain harmlessly. Ok, the YELLOW dot is you--Snake, the man, the player. The RED dots are the locations of the guards. While the radar is handy and keeps you well-informed about the surrounding uh, people, what it doesn't do is tell you _exactly_ where they are. In many areas, there will be several levels, or floors. Each floor (depending upon what mode you're playing) could contain a guard that is making his rounds. The radar only shows you that he's there, but it's hard to determine whether he's on the same floor as you until you check. Sometimes these little things can be distinguished by their faint existence on the radar and their "cone's" gradual darkening when you approach them, but the radar isn't extremely reliable. Just keep in mind to always be alert and be weary about the guards around you. Other than the plain dots of human presence, you'll also notice a light being emitted from the dot. The light indicates the approximate range of what the guard is capable of seeing. Make sense? So, if you're outside of his field of vision, you're safe, and the guard won't notice you even if you're in his direct line of vision from afar (this is true as long as you have other obtrusions around the area and you're playing VE, Easy or Normal). However, if your character breaches his vision field, he'll catch him and go into Alert mode. Or, he'll catch a glimpse of a shadow and investigate. The wide field of the "light" also indicates the direction he is facing. The manual calls this the enemy's "cone" since it's shaped like one. But we don't need that fancy shmancy term--the "light" works just as well. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [OTHER STUFF] Submitted by Kenshiro (Ehren) I've noticed while playing the game (on Normal difficulty, at least--haven't looked into this on easier modes yet) that a guard will indeed notice you even if you're just in his line of sight up to a fair bit of distance outside the cone that represents his field of vision. While it doesn't send the game into Alert Mode, it does make the guard suspicious, and will change the field-of-view cone from blue to yellow (a status already explained in your FAQ). This holds true for sentries posted on walkways/decks above and below you -- even through they may not be able to "see" you according to the radar, line-of-sight still can present problems for Snake in these instances. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ Different colored "lights" express how vigilant the guard is. If it's blue, it's normal, and the guard is just making his routine rounds. If it's yellow, something's got his attention, and he's confused and curious. When this happens, he'll look around, and a question mark will appear above his head. Do this repeatedly and he will go to your current position and investigate if possible. If it's red, your character has been discovered! During Evasion mode or Alert Mode, the radar will not be displayed unless you have chosen a specific kind of radar screen. Once you've cleared the two modes, the radar will pop open again in Caution mode. _____________________ / CODEC /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The Codec is the communications device used by Otacon and Snake (and anyone else interacting with your character). Calls are made by inputting special sequences that reach certain people for special reasons. Each Codec code is carefully programmed to reached the recipient safely. It's specially designed to block out any outside attempts to "tap" into the line. Characters in the game will constantly contact you through nanocommunications (aka Codec), which is the basic form of "silent speech". This means that anyone trying to eavesdrop will have no luck since he can't, like, hear the conversation. Memorizing the codes isn't necessary since they will be listed in the Codec book, which you can access by pressing Down on the D-Pad. The process of saving your progress is done through the Codec device. Otacon does it for the first portion of the game, and someone else will become his substitute later. Otacon presents you a different code made strictly for saving only. As you meet more people that can help, they will provide their propriety frequency number for contact. Once you've contacted the person once, the frequency will be listed in the Codec contact book afterward. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] During a Codec conversation with anyone, press the R1 or R2 buttons to listen in on your character's thoughts. You can hear a faint dialogue in the background. They relate to what you're thinking. Often times, they are funny, especially with Pliskin and Emma. Thanks to James Anderson and Michael Overby. Clarification by Matthew. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ _________________________________ / CAUGHT IN THE ACT /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Several things occur when you're discovered by a guard. A guard's first instinct would be to shoot your character down, then call for back-up via his radio. When he does, a special seek-and-destroy team will be deployed. These special forces are often equipped with destructive weapons and wear bullet- proof armor to deflect any shots you may endeavor. During this time, you will want to HIDE. When the teams aren't able to find your character, you'll go into Evasion mode. While in Evasion Mode, stay hidden and avoid the cavalry for the time being. If they can't find your character by the time the gauge reaches zero, Caution mode kicks in. In Caution mode, guards are in greater numbers. They will cover every inch of the vicinity and circle the perimeter. It will be very risky to make a move during this time. Just stay put. Once that mode ends, everything will return to normal, and the teams will be called back to their original positions. If your character stirs up a commotion repeatedly in the same area, the Alert Mode gauge will decrease increasingly slower, and the guards will search the area thoroughly. You'd better find a REALLY GOOD hiding spot. Guards are less likely to search lockers... /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] Whenever a guard starts to close in on your character during any playing mode (as in non-Alert and Alert mode), you can hear his heartbeat. It gets louder and beats faster (as any healthy heart would do) as the guard draws nearer. No, this isn't the AP Sensor. This only happens if your character is inside a locker during the time a sentry is nearby. Although the AP Sensor generally works the same way. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ __________________________________ / MANAGING EQUIPMENT /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Your inventory is composed of two separate compartments: items and weapons. The Items menu can be opened with L2, while the Weapons menu can be accessed with R2. Hold the buttons down to maintain control of the equipment. Then use either the Analog Stick or D-Pad to cycle across the selective items and weapons. Items or weapons of the same type (like the M9 and USP) are apportioned horizontally, but other times, they are allocated vertically. If you choose to go unarmed, select the box that reads "None". As you find more equipment, they will be added to your character's inventory. When you begin to find more of the same item, it will augment the "same box" until maximum capacity is reached. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] Want to change equipment with the press of a single button? Simply press the L2/R2 button once, and Snake changes over to the last item he's used before he had unequipped it. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ _____________________ / NODES /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ A Solition Radar system; a Node must be accessed when you enter a new area to download a map of the region. These terminals are located in various locations of the floating Big Shell plant. Without logging into these Nodes, the radar will not appear. Once you've accessed a Node, it takes you to the Options screen, which you can use to customize settings apt to your own style of gaming. In Very Easy Mode, accessing Nodes isn't necessary since the area maps will be automatically downloaded for you. _________________________ / GAME OVER /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Earning a Game Over screen is simple. Have your character rot in a barrage of bullets, jump off a high area, drown, or do anything hazardous that can kill. You will be granted with a Game Over screen upon his demise. Two choices are given: Continue and Exit. They mean what they imply. Continue lets you pick up from the _last_ area you entered. Exit takes you back to the title screen. Whew! I hope what I covered here didn't demand too much from your cerebrum. Slow down, tiger! You know the basics. Now you gotta know the right actions for the right situations. ______ ______ /__/\__\_____________________________________________________________/__/\__\ \__\/__/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\__\/__/ _________ | Actions | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Snake is fully patented with sick moves to take down bad guys, undetected. New features and abilities have been added to set off a new hobby of stuffing unconscious bodies in lockers. For later parts of the game, Raiden has the same moves as Snake, except he's a bit more...acrobatic. /\ MOVEMENT \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Where there's choking, there's basic movement. Thanks to the extremely, yet lovely sensitivity of the Dual Shock 2 (well, that really doesn't have much to do with movement. Oh well.), Snake can move as freely as a...free thing... Gently move the analog stick to the desired direction for a Snake-style strut. Violently gear the analog stick all the way to make Snake run! Neat-o! /\ CROUCH/CRAWL/ROLL \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Whoa! Three actions at once! Snake wish he could. Actually, it's the same button that commands these three actions. Press the Cross button once so Snake could crouch. While he's down there, start moving him around, and he'll start crawling! He can crawl under crevices, tables, shelves, etc. To roll, run and press Cross once to tumble across and pick Snake up for another sprint. Press Cross twice so that at the end of his roll, Snake will be in a crawling position. He can roll through a guard and knock him down. If he tries to flop down a set of stairs, Snake will bang his head up pretty badly. So bad that you'll feel sorry for him. /\ STRAFING \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Especially useful in open-ground gunfights. With a firearm appointed, hold down the L1 button to start running and shooting at the same time. Doing this allows you to move with your gun cocked. /\ CLIMB/HANG \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ While facing a rail or something similar, press the Action button (Triangle) to leap over the edge and grab onto the rail. This action is called "hanging". No, not the synonymous meaning of "lynching". This is where the Grip gauge kicks in, if you were reading about that earlier. Press the Cross button to drop back down to the ground (only if it's not a long way down or Snake will go SPLAT!). Press the Action button to climb back onto the railing. Snake can also climb over boxes and any object that is about waist height. /\ CORNER-VIEW MODE \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Lean Snake's back against the wall and side-step to the corner, then press L2 or R2 to stick his head out to look around. Press L2 to move left and R2 to move right. You could also get a clear view of what's around the corner by just standing at the corner. The camera will adjust so that you could get an idea of what's ahead (or behind). /\ JUMP-OUT SHOT \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ With a gun equipped, implement the Corner-View mode technique and press the corresponding L2/R2 button to jump-out. Then press the Square button to fire a shot at the unsuspecting guard. After the shot, Snake will spring back and flatten against the wall to avoid confrontation with the guard, if he isn't hugging the floor yet. This is a real neat trick to use when you feel uneasy about sneaking up on the guy. /\ PUNCH/THROW/KNOCK \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Unarmed fighting. Accost a guard without alerting him and press the Circle button to punch, punch and finish him off with a roundhouse kick combo! Tapping the button repeatedly will initiate the punch-jab-kick chain of attacks. There won't be other variants. Also if you do this to a guard near a rail, the finishing blow will send him flying out to a pitiful (and painful) demise. Cautiously belly up to a guard from behind, nearly touching him, and press the Circle to flip the guard over. If you stick around and try to do it again, he may elude your attempt to embrace him and call for back-up, so be careful when you do this. Sometimes doing this once can leave the guard dazed. When you feel like a sly fox, Snake can knock on the wall to make some noise that will attract the guards. This is really just to lure the guards elsewhere so Snake could move to his destination. But sometimes it could be for stupid fun. Like the deal with the model's bikini area... /\ STRANGLE/HOLD HOSTAGE/DRAG BODY \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Don't try this at home, kids. It's very unhealthy, especially for your family members. Creep behind a guard when he's not expecting it, and rapidly press the Square button to start choking him. Do it a few times over and Snake will snap his neck. Ouchie. Keep in mind, though, that your character needs to keep still to engage in a choking position. Otherwise, he will just do a chop suey and flip him over. Once Snake has gotten an enemy in his grasp using the strangling method, hold on to him and walk around. He'll drag the guard along with him. This technique enables Snake to hold his victim hostage. Any guards that come along will hesitate to shoot. Beware, if you stay in a single position for too long, the hostage will eventually try to pry himself loose by shaking wildly to loosen your grip. When this happens, press the Square button to discipline him into submission. Careful not to break his neck, though. /\ DRAG BODY/SHAKE BODY \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Mistakes happen. If you overdo it on the strangling part, the guard will die a painful death and slump to the floor. Press the Square button to pick up his body. Then start moving the Analog stick to lug him around. You can drag the body anywhere. Stuff it in lockers, hide it behind boxes, dump it in the water, etc. Be creative! It doesn't have to be a rotting corpse. As long as the body is unconscious, you are able to take it in tow with no problems. While dragging bodies around can be fun, why not check if the guards have any useful items on them? It's basically the same control pattern as dragging a body, but instead of hauling it around, pick it up and drop it. This "shakes" the body into subconsciously relinquishing some items you may or may not need. Do this a few times until an item box magically pops out of their bodies. Some guards may not have any items while others can hold cargo loads. /\ FIRST-PERSON VIEW/STRAFING \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Well, you need to get used to the fact that you should use first-person mode very often. It will help a LOT, especially in the Plant chapter. Press R1 and hold it to log into first-person view. Actions like punching can be done during FPV (First-Person View). If you access FPV in front of a high or low object, press L2 or R2 to strafe left or right. Snake won't move out, but he'll peer around the object. And if you press the L2 and R2 buttons simultaneously, Snake will stand on his tip-toes and peer overhead. Release the buttons to lie low and to avoid getting pelted by bullets. This is effective during gunfights. You will find that you will be using this ability a lot, especially in Extreme. If you ever have trouble aiming or you're not quick enough to switch between targets, you can press L1 to automatically lock-on to your target. This is especially useful in the fight against Olga. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] Hang from a rail and switch to FPV. Then press the L2 and R2 buttons together to start doing pull-ups. If you keep this up and accustom Snake's muscles to this kind of tension, they will toughen up and allow a longer lasting Grip Gauge. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ /\ HOLD UP/THREATEN \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Snake claims he isn't a terrorist, but he sure as hell can act like one with this neat trick. Sneak up to an enemy from behind with a weapon equipped (or jump in front of him) and quickly access FPV with the enemy at gunpoint. Do all this without first alerting the guard, and he will raise his hands in trepidation. Don't lower your gun or he'll draw his weapon and shoot. A radio call for back-up will follow. Also, this doesn't work if he already has his gun cocked. If you try this trick then, you will alert him instead. Going into FPV isn't required. It can also be done by holding the L1 button, which auto-aims the closest enemy. While a guard is being held up, start moving the gun's laser point to the "essential" areas (hehehe). He'll get so freaked, he'll piss in his pants and surrender some items. Obtaining dog tags can be done this way. You won't be able to ferret any items out of him if his back is facing you. Some guards can be stubborn and play hero. Try to stick 'em up with a more "destructive" gun and aim it at various body parts. /\ THE LOCKER DEALY \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Ah, yes. That thing. You have heard all about it. You know, the renowned MGS2 locker-stuffing method--just in time for Thanksgiving too (This game came out 11/14/01 for those of you reading this months, or even years from now ^^)! Go up to a locker and press the Action button to open it. Some lockers reveal ammunition for weapons or just plain items (sometimes dead bodies and lovely posters too). Snake can squeeze himself in a locker to bypass security. Step in and Snake will close the door. During Alert, Evasion or Caution mode, if you bang Snake's head on the door by pressing the sensitive R1 too viciously, the loud bang will alert the guards in the room. When a single guard cautiously inspects the locker, open it before he does. The door swings open and knocks him down. Hahaha! To stuff a body in there, simply open the locker door and haul it in. Snake is handy like that. Keep in mind that once you've crammed a sleeping guard in there, he will _not_ wake up no matter what. Want more fun with the lockers? Try punching them and beating them up. The bolts on the sides will eventually break upon excessive abuse and fall on Snake, striking him to the floor. Hilarious. If a locker door originally cannot be opened, punching it causes it to fall _into_ the locker (or out in some cases). So you won't know what's inside either way! By now, I'm sure you've all noticed those beautiful Japanese models on the posters. Snake likes them, too. That's for sure. This is for some adult fun: Lock Snake in the locker and zoom into FPV. When the camera is smacked against the poster, you can hear a smooching sound! Yep, Snake went in for the big smoocheroo. /\ TAKING PICTURES \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The Tanker mission specifically requires Snake to take pictures of a certain object. The camera can be accessed in the Item inventory screen. Once you've accessed it, Snake will not be able to move. It'll be in full FPV. Press the Circle button to zoom in, and the Cross button to zoom out; square button to snap the picture. The film strip holds 8 pictures. Once you've filled in the all the slots, you'll be forced to sacrifice the less important ones. A small arrow pointing up appears right below the slides. The slot the tip points to is the film the camera will use to take the next picture. If you've already filled the camera with junk pics, you can overwrite them with new ones. Just know which ones you need and which ones you don't. /\ BOMB DISARMAMENT \/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I know, I know. You weren't trained to work under pressure at disarming bombs nor have you ever looked at all the intricate wires without fainting. That's OK. You're not required to have those skills. In the Plant, you team up with an ally to scrounge around the Big Shell to find 12 neatly planted C4 bombs ready to blow the floating facility sky high. Luckily, you only have to find six, since your comrade will scour the remaining six. Disarming the explosives isn't the scary stuff you see in movies--cutting the red wire or anything like that. Your character is equipped with a Coolant Spray to "freeze" the detonator and a special sensor used to detect fragrances emitted by the C4s. When the sensor picks up the scent, it will be shown as a blob of yellow. After getting an idea of where it is, start ransacking the area in FPV. The bombs are well hidden. You can contact your cohort for hints on where the bombs might be. When you locate an explosive, use the Coolant Spray to extinguish the device to postpone its detonation. ______ ______ /__/\__\_____________________________________________________________/__/\__\ \__\/__/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\__\/__/ _______ | Items | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Special agents need lots of items to bypass security personnel and whatever. Take James Bond, for example. He comes equipped to the bone with all kinds of neat-o gadgets to help him on his mission. In fact, YOU can get the chance to play with those devices too in 007: Agent Under Fire! So what does that have to do with the items in Metal Gear Solid 2? Absolutely nothing. I just wasted about 10 seconds of your life. Aw, shucks. No need for thanks. ___________ / AP Sensor \ \___________/ It's a sensor that detects life forms, as explained in the in- game text. I still haven't found a real use for it. It does react to nearby life forms. You could feel the rumble on the Dual Shock controller, right? That's the AP Sensor at work. Personally, I think it's pretty useless since I rely much more on the Thermal Goggles and FPV. If you like it and it works well with your style of gaming, then good for you! _________ / Bandage \ \_________/ A one-time use Bandage used to patch up those nasty wounds. Use this when the life gauge turns a ghastly orange. That indicates your character is bleeding. If you don't treat the wound, his health will wane, leading to potential death. The droplets of blood leave behind a trail of "I'm here, I'm here!" signs for the enemy. That will totally blow your cover. Of course, a Bandage should only be used as a last resort. After using a Bandage, the blood loss immediately stops at whatever life that still remains--unlike allowing your character to recuperate and clean up the wound himself. ________ / B.D.U. \ \________/ Short for Battle Dress Uniform. The uniform matches that of the soldiers in the Shell One core, making this a perfect illusion for easy infiltration. However, the disguise does not work by itself. An AKS-74u is required to complete the perfect incognito. While both disguise items are equipped, never do anything to attract attention and never un-equip the AK. You'll be drawing attention like bread mold to um, bread. Try not to run into any guards either (as in shouldering them) because Raiden has the tendency to remove his disguise when this happens. Don't know why that is, though. ____________ / Body Armor \ \____________/ A heavy, strap-on bullet-proof vest that can be worn to cut down any sustained damage by half. This item is very rare, so it's advised that it is only to be used in (very) dangerous situations. The bearer will be protected to a certain extent. Gradual deterioration results from excessive damage, which causes the Body Armor to become rather useless, then. Equip it on the item menu to put it to good use. ______ / Book \ \______/ Instead of listing it as a "XXX Magazine", Hideo wanted the game to be clean (well, sort of) and called it a Book. Books are dirty magazines filled with erotic pictures of hot ladies. They can fulfill the fantasies of any men, including the guards in the game. Not much as a throw weapon. Rather, press the Square button to open the 'zine to a random page and set it down on the floor. You won't be able to pick it back up once it's been lain on the ground. Any passing sentries who spot the alluring book will come to "inspect" it. After awhile, his cone will disappear as he browses through it and gets aroused. The purpose of the book is to act as bait to divert a guard's attention away from his duty. Their reactions are hilarious. Remember not to drink milk when attempting this. ________ / Camera \ \________/ A handheld surveillance device that captures whatever you want on film. It can hold up to 8 different photos. Any photos taken after the capacity is reached will overlap the old ones. The next photo that will be overwritten is characterized by a small arrow below the film. The camera can also be used as a binocular if you find yourself to be short of a Scope. _______________ / Cardboard Box \ \_______________/ An ordinary cardboard box your character can use to hide under. The character can move around with it. There is a special peek-hole you can use in FPV to see what's going on "outside". You'll be able to find about five different variants, all with different designs. In order to successfully deceive the enemy, you must use the same type of box that blends in with the rest of the boxes in the background. That means you can't use the cardboard container just anywhere. Say, for example, you have the (California's fresh) Oranges box: never use it among the "ZOE" labeled boxes. Otherwise, any guard that spots the inconsistency will become curious and attempt to see what's inside. As he is about to tip the parcel over, repeatedly tap Square button to end up in a choking position. ____________ / Cell Phone \ \____________/ A mobile phone that was given to Raiden by the mysterious cyborg ninja who called himself Mr. X. The Cell Phone has no significant use in the game. The cyborg ninja would sometimes contact Raiden through it to give him hints on how to exterminate sea lice infestations and extinguish fires. The Cell Phone would emit a small jingle, indicating that someone is trying to contact you. In the game, only Mr. X uses the Cell Phone as an alternate way to get a hold of you. With this revolutionized mobile phone, you receive only text messages displayed on the screen and you don't hear anything but a small beep, followed by a rumble. ____________ / Cigarettes \ \____________/ Snake's lucky charm. When bad moments roll around, feel free to give him a puff or two to soothe and "purify" his soul. While he puffs on the cig, Snake starts to jeopardize his health. At some point, his life gauge will stop depleting. When that happens, smoking won't budge his health unless you restore some of it. Also, if you let Snake give it a puff or two, it will act in the place of a Pentazemin to steady his aiming. Cigarettes can also be used to make the infrared sensors visible. Raiden also obtains these later, even though he hasn't established himself as a smoker (yet). ________________________ / Directional Microphone \ \________________________/ A special, compact amplification system in the shape of a gun. Having powerful mics installed on the front tips of the device, the Directional Microphone amplifies sound by over 100x. Powerful enough to hear a person's heart beat at least. And that's exactly what you use it for. It also allows you to overhear conversations from afar, but it covers a limited distance. When the subtext on the screen starts to shrink, move the mic around until the words dilate. It is found in the computer room of Shell One, right under the squawking parrot. __________ / Dog Tags \ \__________/ Dog Tags are military ID tags hung from a small chain that is worn around the neck. You could get one in real-life by going to army stores--10-20 bucks each. Anyway, Dog Tags play a pretty significant role in the game. They are key to unlocking secrets in the game. Dog tags can be obtained through holding up guards and coercing them to surrender it, or shaking them down. Not everyone has one, though. If you want to check, you could focus the Thermal Goggles on their neck areas or use the Digital Camera on guards you're unsure about. For more details, read the Dog tag section. _____________ / Lv PAN Card \ \_____________/ Throughout the Plant Chapter, you will be given five level security cards by supporting characters. Each Lv Card allows access to doors marked with the corresponding number to the card. Lv.1 being the lowest and Lv.5 being the highest. As you collect the Lv Cards, Raiden will have access to more weapons and items. It also enables him to move freely from Strut to Strut, Shell to Shell. Certain doors solicit high-level cards. __________ / Medicine \ \__________/ A vaccine that counteracts flu symptoms when administered to the patient. In Normal mode, your inventory can only hold one of these. They don't come in abundance, anyway. The effects of the Medicine will be negated if your character has been exposed to cold for an extended period of time. _______________ / Mine Detector \ \_______________/ As the name implies, it's a special device that can be used to detect small landmines called Claymores and bring them up on the radar as yellow dots. _________ / MO Disk \ \_________/ A virus modeled after the FOXDIE virus program. This disk was written by the child genius, Emma. The virus was intended to invade the Arsenal AI system. Only Emma knows how to use it. With it in your hands, it's practically useless. ______________________ / Night Vision Goggles \ \______________________/ Found in the flooded corridors at the bottom of the Shell 2 core. Used to radiate an eerie glow in the surrounding area, allowing the wearer to see naturally in the pitch black darkness. There's no real significant use for it in the game, but it almost completes the MGS2 item collection. ____________ / Pentazemin \ \____________/ A benzodiazepine with CNS depressant. This is a form of Diazepam (Valium) which basically acts as a depressant. Though one must be careful when taking any form of Diazepam (Valium) because of its known list of side effects, since this being a BZ is much more powerful than Diazepam (Valium). Also prescribed as an anti-anxiety. Interestingly enough, if you understood a word that was said here, kudos. It basically helps steady your character's aiming. A must-have for effective use with the PSG rifles. ________ / Ration \ \________/ A standard military meal on the go. Although it doesn't taste all that yummy, it does do you the favor of recovering your character's health. If he has this equipped, it'll automatically be used when his life drops to zero. Of course, you need to have some handy, or it won't work. _______ / Scope \ \_______/ Travel-friendly binoculars used to balance spying deeds at a long- range. Press the Circle button to zoom in and the Cross button to zoom out. There's a limit to the power of the lens. This is best used to fish for a target or a Semtex control unit. __________ / Sensor A \ \__________/ Also known as the Ion Mobility Spectrometer, which basically tracks down the scent spectrum Fatman leaves on C4 bombs as a swirling yellow-green odor on the radar. This will be an indispensable item once the bomb threat on the Big Shell presents itself, as Raiden will have a difficult time finding the bombs in each strut without it. But after the bomb threat passes, it pretty much becomes a paddle for a game of ping-pong. __________ / Sensor B \ \__________/ Named and designed by the renowned bomb expert, Peter Stillman. Sensor B replaces the outdated Sensor A and has one property Sensor A doesn't have. Sensor B can find specially designed Semtex explosives that have the ability to hide from Sensor A. This was the back-up plan he was talking about, I guess. Stillman prepared this sensor to sniff out the rough locations of odorless bombs. ________ / Shaver \ \________/ An electronic razor that is mysteriously found lying around in an offshore facility sea research dock. The item is a bonus item that augments one more sentence to a scene. Specifically, the one when Raiden and Pliskin first meet. When the two exchange items, Raiden will hand this to Snake as a token of his appreciation for his gifts. Later on, Pliskin's appearance will change. He will be more clean-shaven. So he does take your advice seriously. _________________ / Thermal Goggles \ \_________________/ Thermal Goggles have infrared waves circulating the specs. So when you strap it on to your character, the player sees everything as a red, solid blur. But you are able to see objects in the dark, or hidden objects. You can scope out Dog Tags with these. You can also use the Thermal Goggles to see invisible infrared sensors. ______ ______ /__/\__\_____________________________________________________________/__/\__\ \__\/__/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\__\/__/ _________ | Weapons | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Snake is very capable of accomplishing his missions unarmed, but a game is a game. And a game has weapons. Besides, what _is_ a tactical espionage action- based game without a few gut-splattering weapons. These weapon descriptions weren't written by a gun specialist, so if anything sounds ridiculously stupid, blame the lack of weapon knowledge. Just keep in mind that these were observed from a mere mortal's standpoint. Not some military "otaku". I won't delve into the history and all that junk, or explain the intricacies of it. I suggest reading Wavehawk's Real Weapons FAQ. ____ / M9 \ \____/ A handgun that was compressed from a Beretta M92F assault gun. It uses anesthetic bullets equipped with tranquilizers powerful enough to put an elephant to sleep. It's already fully equipped with a laser sight and silencer. The M9's gunshot isn't audible, but if the bullet hits another object, a slight noise will emanate from the percussion. How quickly the tranquilizers work depends on where you hit the sentry. For example, if it hits a guard's foot, it will take much longer for the sedatives to travel through his body than a direct shot to the head or crotch. Keep in mind that the M9 does _not_ kill. _____ / USP \ \_____/ The second handgun Snake can find during the Tanker mission. While the USP comes equipped with a laser sight, it does not have a silencer. So whatever shots ring out, they will be heard clearly by nearby sentries. This gun tends to attract guards, so don't use it unless you feel it's safe enough to. It is exceptionally powerful and capable of killing. A similar gun like this can be found later, but this handgun is available only in the Tanker chapter. If you are feeling particularly evil, stun an enemy soldier, then switch to the USP and fire at his head. Then gleefully watch the blood flow out, you serial killer. _______ / Socom \ \_______/ A heavy handgun utilized for giving the drop on unwanted or just plain annoying guards. It's essentially an older model of the USP. You can actually find the suppressor to stifle the gunshot. When you do, this becomes a deadly weapon. It also has a neat little aiming trick that does no wrong. It's so insanely accurate, you could shoot _anything_ from afar if you do it right. First, notice the front and rear sights at the edge of the gun. Put any object between them and in the gap; fire and you will strike the target without fail. Other than that, shoot guards in the kneecaps to incapacitate them and destroy nosy cameras from peeking--the Socom does it all. _________ / AKS-74u \ \_________/ A favorite among the Soviet private army. An assault rifle that is used virtually everywhere. If you ever find your character in a jam, you can count on having to stand up against rapid-firing assault rifles such as these. The AK is the second item you will need to complete Raiden's disguise as an enemy personnel. Without it, the disguise will not work. A suppressor can be found for this weapon to tone the gunfire down to a minimum. It isn't as effective as the M4 against Cyphers, but it works. Press the Square button lightly to raise the gun, then apply more pressure to release a hail of bullets upon a target. ______________ / M4 Automatic \ \______________/ A versatile automatic, the M4 proves to shell out heavier firepower than the AKS-74u. It can pump out up to 30 bullets using one magazine, but the time Raiden uses to reload leaves him vulnerable to baneful assaults. But you can always cripple special forces by shooting them in the legs to halt their pursuit temporarily. The M4 takes out Cyphers more efficiently than the AK, but extra ammo for the M4 is not as abound. The M4 is also equipped with a laser sight, but it's completely useless under the daylight. When you cock the gun, press L1 so that you automatically lock onto the nearest target, then press the Square button hard to fire. _______ / PSG-1 \ \_______/ Ever played Silent Scope? Yeah, it's kinda like that, except the hefty weapon won't be held as steadily. Its main fault is its weight, making it rather unwieldy. It proves to be too cumbersome for Raiden to handle--he tends to shake a lot, so it's impossible to get a clear shot. To counteract this, pop a Pentazemin. That'll calm his nerves and stabilize the weapon immensely. When Raiden equips the PSG-1, your perspective will be of his, looking through the scope. Place the object that is to be sniped in the center cross-hairs and fire. Booya! ________ / PSG-1T \ \________/ A sniper tranquilizer gun designed directly from a standard PSG-1 sniper rifle. The only difference between the two is that the PSG- 1T fires tranquilizer bullets, which do not kill. _________ / Stinger \ \_________/ The ravaging missile launcher! Dun dun dun! Too bad Raiden obtains it late in the game. Pliskin drops this as compensation for Raiden's taking his place in a battle against Solidus Snake, while he "backs him up" from a chopper. An insanely powerful weapon (probably the most destructive in the game) with only one intent: mass destruction. The Stinger comes equipped with a built-in weak spot detector. Just aim the sucka at a target, and it will identify its most vulnerable spots. The target's weak spots are indicated by highlighted red boxes. When you fire a Stinger, it will home in on its target. Or you can press L1 to manually fire at Achilles' heel. ______ / RGB6 \ \______/ This portable hip grenade launcher fires mortar shells at enemy targets in an arc trajectory. The recoil from each shot makes Raiden pause between each grenade. And because of its prodigious size and weight, Raiden must be firmly planted in one place to shoot. When equipped, he must launch the grenade shrapnel from a first person perspective. The impact of the shrapnel is explosive and can mortally wound the surrounding targets. Press the L1 button to auto-adjust the gun to counterbalance the flying arc and press Square to fire a grenade. ________ / Nikita \ \________/ A remote guided missile launcher, the Nikita fires cute, baby missiles that are propelled by fuel. Once a baby missile is deployed, you will shift views and pilot it through twists and turns or where ever necessary. Crashing into any obstructions will detonate it. Running out of fuel will also detonate it. Don't underestimate its size 'cause it really packs a wallop of an explosion. The Nikita is crucial in saving the president. ______________________ / High Frequency Blade \ \______________________/ An awesome metallic alloy blade given to Raiden as a gift from the ninja. Although you get it late in the game, you'll still have a lot of chances to put it to practical use. Getting used to the blade is the tricky part. The movement of the blade is controlled by the Right Analog Stick. Press up for an upward slash, down for a downward slash, then left and right for side slashes. Rotate the stick for a full revolving swing that takes a few seconds to "recover" from. Press the Right Analog Stick and Raiden will thrust forward. The Square button sets the blade direction, which separates slaughtering from knocking people unconscious. The blue sword icon signifies a reverse-blade which won't kill a person. The red sword icon represents the sharp edge of the blade. Finally, press L1 to raise the blade and defend to deflect a few bullets. _______________ / Coolant Spray \ \_______________/ A portable pump that squirts a chemical substance into the air. Once the special substance disperses into the air, it becomes a kind of gel that adheres to an object and freezes it. It was given to Raiden by Stillman. The purpose of this spray is to freeze the C4 bombs planted throughout the struts on Shell One. When Raiden uses this item, he immediately goes into FPV, which means you cannot move with the Coolant Spray equipped. Press the Square button lightly to get ready, and then harder, to spatter the object with a coat of frost. Other than its crucial role as the bomb "extinguisher", it can also be used to quench fires, scatter bugs, and "smokescreen" an enemy sentry. Spray the guard in the face to induce coughing and gagging, but strangely enough, it won't be enough to render the guard unconscious! Be careful though. While the container has infinite expenditure, the spray does not last very long in one full use. Get what I mean? ______________ / Stun Grenade \ \______________/ The stun grenade creates a sudden bright light capable of momentarily incapacitating any targets standing over the grenade, or in range of the explosion. The grenade detonates within 5 seconds of its disengagement. Equip it and press the Square button to throw it. Hold the button, aim and release. If it is unsuccessful, it'll immediately alert all guards in the field. _______________ / Chaff Grenade \ \_______________/ A Chaff Grenade is an electronic jamming device. When used in a certain area, particles of foil disperse into the air and jam all communications and electronic devices for a short while. A green gauge will temporarily replace the radar showing the remaining time of its effectiveness. Using a Chaff Grenade renders mechanical devices like Cyphers useless. __________ / Grenades \ \__________/ The standard, pocket-sized military throw explosive. Press the Square button to throw the grenade. It must be out of your reach within 5 seconds or it'll devour the character's hands, and probably the arm as well. Ok, not really, but I can guarantee it'll hurt. Any guards standing in the range of its blast will instantly be killed, or otherwise be heavily damaged. This is best used in small corridors flooded with pursuing sentries. ___________ / C4 Semtex \ \___________/ Sets of Semtex explosives wired to burst when Raiden sets them by pressing Square. Once the complex bombs are set, stand back. The Circle button is the detonator. Press it when your heart desires. __________ / Claymore \ \__________/ A landmine with built-in directional sensors that can detect moving objects in their forward-facing cone. When the object or person falls into that cone, it'll explode. Claymore mines can be exposed on the radar screen by using the Mine Detector. They show up as yellow dots with given forward vision fields. __________ / Magazine \ \__________/ Magazines are empty bullet clips for handguns. When there's no more use for it in a gun, it can be used as a throw weapon. If you ask me, it's pretty ineffective, but it's great to divert a guard's attention elsewhere. For fun, you can lay one on the floor and start shooting it to see some interesting physics. ______ ______ /__/\__\_____________________________________________________________/__/\__\ \__\/__/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\__\/__/ ____________________ | Infiltration Logic | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Running into consecutive battles repeatedly defeats the whole purpose of the game--to infiltrate enemy grounds undetected. Infiltrate, by definition, means to enter gradually and without being noticed. Bravo. It's not the easiest thing to do, especially on Hard. I applaud all those who can overcome Hard or Extreme mode without throwing your PS2 out the window. I've made this section to help remind you of the common logic that goes with penetrating enemy lines...stealthily. Anymore Infiltration Logic tips are welcome. ____________________________ / DUAL SHOCK 2 /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The Dual Shock2 Controller isn't just any old controller. It has unbelievable sensitivity in its buttons. It detects how much force you apply to each button. MGS2 is the only game I know of that puts this function to work. So what does this have to do with infiltration!? Well, at some point, you'll accidentally hold something (be it an object or whatever) at gunpoint for no logical reason. Then you'll start to think that there's no way you could take it back, and proceed to release the shoot button, expending one bullet. Wait! Snake _is_ able to lower the gun again without firing. Just _slowly_ release the button. One bullet isn't much, but it might alarm a nearby guard, if any. _____________________________ / PATROL ROUTES /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Each guard strictly follows a set patrol route. He will never ever breach the borders of the route unless you do anything to make him curious enough to investigate further. It's always wise to study his "route" pattern before rushing in to fell him. Also remember that each soldier has a fixed sight and hearing range. If Snake happens to step within that range, the enemy soldier will be alerted and call for back-up. ______________________ / HIDING /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Have a thorough idea of your surroundings, and if you pass by any good hiding places, keep those in mind for future reference. The enemy AI has increased quite a bit, so hiding behind a door or something overt will get you caught! Dark places and lockers are nice, but don't let them catch you going into hiding or they'll know exactly where you are! Another type of hiding is in boxes. Use the right type. For example if you're inside a room where it's dry, you don't want to use a wet box. If you use the wrong type of box, a guard will flip it over and attack you. Same holds true for the same group of boxes. Orange with the Oranges. ZOE with the ZOEs. __________________________________ / DRYING OFF QUICKLY /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ After Snake takes refuge from the pouring rain, press the X button repeatedly to shake off the water and dry up faster. This leaves a small puddle at your current position, but after a while, Snake will no longer leave remnants of his presence. If a guard does find footprints, he'll get curious and follow them. A blood trail also works in the same way. Tend the wound before moving to any areas of tight security. ________________________________ / ENEMY QUANTITIES /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Unlike most games, where once you leave an area and then return, the enemies will have re-spawned. Metal Gear Solid 2 doesn't exhibit cheap detail like that. Enemy sentries will not return if you've properly disposed of the body (ie- killing). That's true unless you've reached a certain event. Sleeping sentinels will remain slumbering, executed ones will remain dead, and so on. However, sleeping beasts will eventually wake up from their concussion or nap after the circling stars or the Z's disappear. In short, the supply of manpower is limited. The enemy does not have an endless storehouse of enemy sentries to keep filling in the spots of missing guards. _________________________________ / TIPS FROM TOKXX79 /***/ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Grabbing alerted guards: If you try to grab an alerted guard with the Square button, he will most likely duck under your arms and then kick you on the floor and raise the alarm. Instead, jab him first with the O button, and you can grab and strangle away to your hearts content. Escaping from a gunfight: If for any reason (like lack of ammo or Rations) you have to escape a gunfight, and you have a long way to run, equip a cardboard box. Not only will it reduce the enemies aim, but also when you do get hit, you'll keep running instead of losing valuable seconds in the "shot" animation. Also, when in the box your bulk size is increased and stunning the guards by running through (or past) them becomes easier. Finally, if you equip the box in a gunfight, the sheer spectacle of this will confuse the guards, and they cannot kick you so well and will hesitate to shoot too. Avoid leaving footprints: When you're in a situation when you are wet and need to move quickly and avoid footprints, just roll literally everywhere using the X button and you won't leave any. Dodging bullets: While in First Person view mode (FPV) and in a gunfight, tap R2 and L2 quickly and alternately, to strafe and avoid bullets (watch them shoot past you Matrix-style) this method is not 100% accurate since enemy fire sprays bullets randomly in your direction. But I found it to be very useful in the first boss battle. Re-using empty magazines: You can't pick up your thrown empty magazines, but you can shoot them with your silenced weapon to flip them to make a noise. Tips and trivia submitted by Tokxx79. |¯¯¯¯| 0000111.92899 |¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯| 0886660000113 |¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯| ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ /// Chapter 2: Game Walkthrough /// _______________ | LOADING... | 00000000111999666 |¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯|-|¯¯¯¯| 983300111666 |¯¯¯¯| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [IMPORTANT NOTE] This walkthrough covers Normal mode. The walkthrough strives to help you through the game, not beat it for you. Bear in mind that this walkthrough was written under the assumption that this is your first time through the game, and you're not aiming to score a no-kill-collect-all-dog-tags completion. In response to your higher infiltration skills and modes of play, I have accommodated a small section that lists a few differences between the difficulties. I urge you to correct me if you find any wildly inaccurate information like, "Strut up to the guy in loin cloths and bash him with your purse." Please tell me if you find any errors. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ Metal Gear Solid 2 unravels the anticipation and begins on a stormy night on the George Washington Bridge. With the credits appearing on and off the screen, the player notices the brilliant light effects of the speeding cars and the gloomy weather. Soon, the player is introduced to a dark figure cloaked in a raincoat. He continues to elegantly stroll down the side of the bridge. An aura of confidence and coolness surrounds the man. As he inhales one last puff of his cigarette, he flicks it aside, into the roaring streets. Slowly, the man starts to pick up his pace. Jogging. Then he suddenly dashes, throwing off his sodden confinements and becomes a transparent matter of nothingness. Faster and faster he goes. With one quick gasp of air, he leaps off the side of the bridge with prodigious grace and deftness. Is he committing suicide? No. The player can see a loose outline of a bungee elastic uncoil as the man dives further into the waters below. After the resilient display, the figure unclips the support of the elastic and lands on the deck of a Marine tanker. The shock of the impact was more than the device could withstand. It falters and sends an electric discharge through the man's body, then quits. The man slowly gets up from his initial landing position and peers into the rainy sky for a first mission objective completed. Welcome to Metal Gear Solid 2, Solid Snake. ============================================================================= __________ | Part One | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ______ ______ /__/\__\_____________________________________________________________/__/\__\ |__ __| TANKER |__ __| \__\/__/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\__\/__/ The following sequences are rather long. This bit was where the demo started. Anyone who's played it will have no trouble navigating the ship's routes, but there are a few changes you'll immediately recognize. Although the cinemas are the same, it's better that you go through them again since some of the dialogue has been changed just slightly. In this mission, Otacon acts as your intelligence advisor, so always listen to his calls. With that said and done, let's rock. --- AFTER DECK ----------------------------------------------- You gain control of Snake for the first time on the after deck of the ship. Put aside some time to get acquainted with the controls. There is a total of three enemy soldiers patrolling this area of the deck. Two of them can be found on the upper levels; the third one secures the port side (left) on the ground level. Go to the very end of the lifeboats on the starboard side to find a [PENTAZEMIN]. There is also a [CHAFF GRENADE] behind the container on the small platform. Now, your temporary objective here is to find a way into the interior of the ship. There are many entryways into the ship, and they all drop Snake off at different sectors of the ship. It's better that you listen to my advice so that you don't miss out on anything. On the port side of the after deck is a lone guard making his rounds near the vault door Otacon showed you in the opening cinematic, if you even cared to watch. A revolving [BANDAGE] rests under the short set of stairs. Do what you will with the guard. I won't be telling you how to take care of guards from now on unless I feel that they are worth mentioning. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] Dump the body overboard! Drag an unconscious body to the lifeboats sections of the after deck. Look for a squared-in white line and the emergency gate. Haul the body towards that. Snake will open the gate and toss the guard into the raging waves. A quick way of disposing bodies without worrying about their waking up. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ There's also a [RATION] behind the inflatable rafts. As Snake approaches the water-tight door, a Call alert appears on the screen. Press SELECT to receive the call. Open this door by tapping the Triangle button to move on to the next area featured in this guide. --- DECK-A CREW'S QUARTERS -------------------------------- A single guard patrols the corridor on the far right. The locker room can be accessed through the two sliding doors. Search the lockers for a [RATION] and some [M9 BULLETS]. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [FUN WITH THE LOCKERS] In the locker room of the first level (the ship), open the upper left most locker door to unveil a pin-up poster of a lovely Japanese model. Lean against it and tap it's bikini area. It defies all laws of logic and alerts the guards outright! This actually works for both posters. Also, if you poke her titties (There, I said it!), they make an interesting "boing" sound. You must equip Snake with the M9 first. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ Open the locker that reveals the model in red lingerie. Keep it open. Ok, now alert the guards and quickly hide in another locker. The guards come in and do their usual routine to search for you. However, when the first soldier notices the Japanese model, he'll stare at it and get excited! The second soldier will follow suit. After that, they completely forget about you and look elsewhere. This can also be done with the other poster. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ Thanks to submissions by Pigeon and Cliff Harpole Open the locker door revealing the lady in the black bikini. Belly up to it and stare at it in FPV. The camera should start to move slowly up and down. Call Otacon on the Codec and watch Snake's face. Try not to soil your pants. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [LUSCIOUS MODELS: COINCIDENCE OR NOT] Submitted by Rbbsbstunt One thing about the models: It seems to me Hideo is pushing the AO rating a little bit with those lockers. If you punch the lockers, models fall face up. How coincidental full-length pictures of bikini-clad models and a character who has the ability to lie on his stomach. Like I said, maybe because I am just twisted. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ The lone guard carries another dog tag, which you can easily coax from him. Afterward, head along down the corridor, and we're done with this area. --- DECK-A CREW'S LOUNGE, STARBOARD --------------------------- Two guards keep watch in the lounge area. A third one is sleeping on his job on the other side. There are two ways to go about bypassing them. You could either skip entering the lounge and go straight into the engine room, or just take 'em out. Either way works fine. However, going through the engine room wastes time, as you'll be visiting it later on. Anyway, a [STUN GRENADE] lies at the bottom of the stairs across from Snake. The sliding door next to it is the entrance to the engine room. In the lounge area, some [M9 BULLETS] are behind the bar counter, and a [RATION] idles in the left corner. At the opposite end is another staircase leading down to another part of the engine room. But a fly-infested Russian soldier is "keeping watch" of the area. If you start to attract the flies, run as far away as possible because having a swarm of buzzing insects clinging onto Snake isn't the best way to sport his trademark gear. Also, if you've decided not to go through the engine room since you'll scale it later, the guard will be at the bottom of the stairs, as explained above. However, if you do filter through the engine room, the inept soldier will be leaning on the rail at the top of the stairs, dozing off as usual, when you arrive in the room. Afterwards, go up the central stairs in the main lounge room and head right to the next destination: Deck-B, Crew's Quarters. --- DECK-B, CREW'S QUARTERS, STARBOARD ------------------------ Two guards are on duty in this area. One south of your position; another just north of the entrance drop-off point. Both can be easily threatened for their dog tags. After reaping the Dog Tags and stunning them, head up the stairs in the left cargo hold to Deck-C. --- DECK-C, CREW'S QUARTERS, PORT ----------------------------- Immediately after entering, Snake peeks around the corner and notices a small surveillance camera on the inside wall. Looking at your radar, you may notice that the camera's vision range stretches only but a few feet from left to right. Hug the wall and start side-stepping to the other opening, walking under it. Pick up the [CHAFF GRENADE] from the locker and take the stairs up. --- DECK-D, CREW'S QUARTERS ----------------------------------- Just as Snake finishes climbing the stairs, a passing soldier from behind enters the mess hall to the left. Ignore the cafeteria for now. Find the pantry in the back and go in to forage for some food. Food, you won't find, but [M9 BULLETS] and a [CARDBOARD BOX] are its substitutes. As Snake goes to the back of the pantry, a groggy guard retreats into the room for a little shut-eye. Don't panic. He doesn't have the brains to survey the back of the room before snoozing. You have no choice but to shoot his ass. If you try to hold him up with your measly M9, he won't even blink an eye. He'll even goad you to shoot him. He's not scared of some sleep; he needs it anyway. You can threaten him only with an USP, which can be obtained later. Come back when you have it, but for now, put the stubborn bastard to sleep. Notice all the C4 charges bunched together? It seems this part is guarded by invisible infrared sensors wired directly to the C4s. They can easily be traversed by crawling under them. Scratch that plan because a guard is patrolling the rear hallway. There are two ways to go about doing this: 1) Sedating the lone guard and then crawling under the sensors, 2) Heading into the mess hall and following my advice. If you haven't taken out the guard that went into the mess hall earlier, do it now. He's a dog tag bearer. Actually, it would be easier if you re-enter the area and follow him into the mess hall. The moment Snake steps in, a camera is pointed out to you. Don't worry about it, though, since it only monitors the right bottom half of the room. There's a [RATION] sizzling behind the counter and a couple of content Marine staff are enjoying their evening meals on the table, as well. Exit the other door by flattening against the wall and slowly crossing over to the sliding door. Beware of the soldier on the other side of the door. When his back is facing you, move out and hold him up for an additional dog tag. --- DECK-E, THE BRIDGE -------------------------------------- A scene occurs upon entering the bridge. It not only features a grotesque display of the entire crew, but it also shows Snake finding the coordinates of the ship's destination. A deduction about the Metal Gear carried onboard is made by Otacon. He deduces that this Metal Gear prototype is ready for testing. That explains why the ship's course is far off any civilizations. The new model can be deployed without Naval assistance. The rest of Otacon's thoughts get cut off by a noise that emanates from outside. Snake focuses his eyes and peers out the captain's viewing cabin. And who just happens to be walking around in the rain? Why, our Russian manly lady, of course! When you regain control of the tobacco-crazy hero, pop open the door on the bottom left to head out. --- NAVIGATIONAL DECK, WING --------------------------------- Witness the awesome, ensuing cutscenes. It's a woman! It's a woman with unshaven armpits! Zesty. Looks like she has had some military training. Very impressive action sequences here. Your first boss battle commences. See Boss Guide for details. After hitting Olga with one more tranquilizer, she finally starts to feel its profound effects and slumps to the floor. She ain't kidding that she belongs on the battlefield! Snake takes her gun, the [USP], 'cause he just feels like stealing from an unconscious woman. Once you're in control again, shake the drowsy Olga for her dog tag and some [M9 BULLETS]. A [RATION] makes an effort to hide in the little niche between the stacked cargo boxes. If you need the first round of USP ammo, there's a box of them in the bridge. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] Submitted by Rbbsbstunt After the Olga battle, take out your M9 and shoot her crotch to receive a call from Otacon and to hear a lecture. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ Loop around the building to the other side. A guard pops the door open to investigate the area. Ascend the stairs and climb the ladder. At the very top, collect the [THERMAL GOGGLES]. By the time you start heading back down, the guard from earlier will be circling the pole on the deck. Continue down and step off into the crow's nest at the bottom. Get yourself cozy. Then point and aim the M9 down through the opening. Wait for the guard to pass under it and tranquilize him. If you're collecting dog tags, climb down the ladder as soon as he starts to make another round. Then follow up from behind and jump at the chance to hold him up. After he's out cold, go to the right and pick up the [WET BOX] for perfectionism. Ok, folks, the Wet Box will NOT work indoors. It's only common sense. If a guard sees it, curiosity will get the best of him--he'll lift up the box for close inspection. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USP FUN] Hey, you've gotten a weapon that can KILL! Why not test it on a few guinea pigs? The one you've just put to sleep is perfect. With the USP equipped, aim the laser at his head and release the stress on him. Blood gushes out of his head, or whichever part you wounded. Blood will splatter all over the place, unless you have turned the Blood off in the options mode. If you are in the rain, the water will wash away the blood over time. When you decide to do this devilish deed elsewhere, make sure you've secluded yourself and the jinxed victim in an area where the USP's gunshot won't be heard. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ Head back to the bridge and backtrack to the crew's lounge, where the next step in your mission lies. But first, the areas you've previously infiltrated, and now, have to re-infiltrate, have undergone a few changes. So let's get to cracking those nuts. --- DECK-D, CREW'S QUARTERS ---------------------------------- Don't worry about running into the guard when Snake descends the stairs. The guard that was once patrolling these hallways has now switched over to the other hallway, adjacent to the one leading to the pantry. The others are posted at their usual positions. If you haven't procured their dog tags yet, now is a good time to do so. Especially the pantry guard. Crawl under the C4 sensors, but drop the soldier situated on the other side before doing so. Or just go through the mess hall and improvise with the cafeteria guard. If you're going to visit the pantry for a little snack, you'd better hide the hallway guard's body well, or the passing pantry guard will kick the sleeping sentinel awake. When that happens, it'll be rather difficult to leave the store room without catching the guard's attention first. To coerce the pantry guard into giving his dog tag, you'll need to persuade him with the USP. Don't fire it without putting the other guards to sleep, though, or the heat will be all over you. If he starts to get a little rowdy and high-almighty, quickly put him to sleep, or he'll duck out of the way and fire at you. Then a radio call for back-up will follow. --- DECK-C, CREW'S QUARTERS --------------------------------- A new guard is ordered to patrol the narrow hallways. As Snake descends the stairs, the newly positioned guard is unaware of his presence and walks under the surveillance camera. Don't attempt to take him out at this time. If he drops in front of the camera, the alarm will sound, and you will be forced in to hiding. His patrol route extends through both hallways, but he stays in place longer in the east hallway. Torture him for his dog tag and send him to dreamland afterward. If you feel like wasting a USP bullet, shoot the camera to intercept its establishment to the main force. --- DECK-B, CREW'S QUARTERS --------------------------------- Everything is the same here except Snake now begins at the western staircase. Return to the sliding door on the east hallway, and go to the lounge area. --- DECK-A, CREW'S LOUNGE ----------------------------------- A single sentry is on duty, making a beat through the main hallway. He's so set on his authoritative duties that he doesn't even notice Snake's trampling butt enter the room. Stay where the door dropped Snake off and stay low. Whip out the trusty M9. Customary stuff. But then, you may want to sneak up on him and rip the dog tag from his fleshy neck like a ravenous maniac too. Either way works fine. The guard swatting flies is slacking off, as usual. Don't enter the engine room from there because uh, I said so. You'll be missing some dog tags. That a good enough reason for ya, Weapon X? --- ENGINE ROOM, STARBOARD ---------------------------------- Snake creeps forward and notices a shadow of Raven being depicted on the wall. Look around to find a decent-sized action figure commando that'll start shooting crunch-sized caps if you shoot it with the M9. The tiny caps will litter the entire floor in a matter of time. The lockers here contain nothing interesting, except maybe a rotting skunk. Through the sliding door, a jaded guard stretches his arms and lets out a big yawn of excitement. What's cool is that he has his back facing you. He is at your disposal. There's another sentry ambling back and forth just under Snake. At the bottom of the stairs, stay there and wait until the guard turns his back toward you and then, jump out to attack. On the next floor down, notice the stationary guard around the corner. Ease down the steps and surprise him when he looks the other way. After dispatching him, drag his body to the back and grab the [M9 BULLETS] while you're at it. Head across the ramp and wrap around. Bounce up the stairs, or ignore them. Going either way winds up on the same path anyway. Freeze the sentinel in place and motion him to give up his dog tag with the "usual" routine--aiming at his head or crotch. Pure evilness! Muaha! Cross over to the adjacent rail. Notice the guard below. Shoot him in the head just for kicks, then follow the path down and up the steps. Hide in the alcove as needed. The guard stationed here will look behind him, so if his cone falls on a stupid Snake standing on the stairs, it's hide-and- seek time. ============================================================================= __________ | Part Two | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ --- ENGINE ROOM, PORT ------------------------------------------ A guard walks through the door from the other end as soon as Snake hides behind the corner. He reports his status and affirms that everything is going according to plan. Move out of sight after the guard finishes his report. Step into one of the lockers on the left side of the room and wait until the guard finishes a quick sweep of the region. He comes only if you step inside the locker. When you attempt to move toward the water-tight door, the Codec will bring up an urgent call from Otacon. He tells you that the following corridor is equipped with infrared sensors wired to catastrophic, plastic explosives called Semtex, or C4, for those Rush Hour know-it-alls. The only way to disengage them is to destroy the control boxes that maintain the sensors. Your M9's suppressed tranquilizer darts will be ineffective, but the USP will work quite well. Don't sweat the sound of the USP's shots. The loud noise of the engines will stifle the noise considerably. Add the [USP BULLETS] to maximize the USP's ammo supply. Now, this part is a trifle tricky. Listen to me or be damned! First, there are three sensor "gates" you must pass through to reach the door, which means that there are three control boxes. Each control box is designated to a certain "gate" position. If you so much as breathe on the infrared sensors, you'll bring the whole ship down to float with the fishies, dictating an instant game over. The control boxes can be identified by the green, rapid-blinking light. "Wut iz the trikky part, Adrnlurne?" Good question. The control boxes are cleverly placed so that you must have precision shooting to take them out, or you may end up blasting the explosives instead. The BEST thing to do first is to whip out that Camera, which you will use to locate the three detonators in lieu of the Scope. Two of them are lined up against the right wall, and the last one is against the left wall. You should see for yourself to know exactly where the control boxes are. The easiest one should be taken care of first, I guess. Ready? Okidoke. Position Snake on the left side of the beams so that he could clearly see the right side of the wall and everything leaning against it without any obstructions. Your still target is the control box sitting on the floor, snuggled next to some C4. Hold it! Before you shoot, notice that the USP's laser point is hard to see since the gun itself covers it. However, if you move it up and down, you can see the laser following the movement of the gunpoint. Start moving it up and down until you get a good idea of where the laserpoint is. With your gamer's intuition, adjust it so that the point lands right on the control box. Then fire. If successful, you'll hear something malfunction. If not, you'll surely know. Apply the same tactic to the remaining two. The next one is stashed up high on the right wall. Stand on the turbine, from which you had retrieved some [USP BULLETS]. Focus your view so that Snake is in line with the control box. Zoom into FPV and stand on Snake's tippy-toes (L2 + R2). This boosts Snake up and allows you to better view the control unit. The last one takes some sharp-shooting skills. You don't exactly need to be a marksman--just good enough not to risk sinking the ship. This control box is positioned behind a cylinder box, sandwiched between two wired C4 explosives on the left wall. There is a small rift, which you could shoot through to deactivate the control box. Stand on the right side, or ingress into the hallway, as close as possible to the box. Crouch and find the opportunist aim carefully, then do away with it. Congratulations! You have just disarmed all of the sensors and saved yourself a trip to the hospital for treatment on sewing your limbs back together. Even the hospital can't save you should you have failed this task. Moving on... --- DECK-2, PORT --------------------------------------------- A general announcement echoes through the empty hallways ordering all Marines to report to the ship's holds for an important speech by the Commandant in 10 minutes. No, a time limit will not be placed on you, so don't scream out in distress yet. The following areas are poorly lit because of the flickering light bulbs that will light whenever it feels like it. If Snake happens to be standing near or under a light bulb when it illuminates the area, he may be spotted by the enemy. What you can do is blast out the lights with the M9. It will make it hard for the enemy to see you. Take the [RATION] on the right if necessary and continue up the dim corridor. Skulk in the dark like a stalker until you hit alcoves, which supply useful items, like USP Bullets and Rations. Snake is not the only one that can be covered by the blanket of obscurity in the dark. Enemy sentries can also be hard to see in casual view. So equip the Thermal Goggles every now and then to check. You only have one guard to worry about here, since only one has been assigned to patrol this hallway. He shouldn't be too far from you now. Use the goggles to avoid any heart attacks from the alarming sound bit. This guard covers a fairly lengthy route. If you have listened to what I said earlier about knocking out the lights, then he won't spot you as easily. Stay in the shadows and go for the bite when he lets his guard down. At the end of the corridor is a head-banging guard styling headphones and listening to some hard rock. Deftones, maybe. ^^ Don't worry about blowing out the light bulb above him when he's around. He's too into the music to notice Snake (unless he moves in too closely). He'll also fake his status to the team on the other side of the radio. A surreptitious tag on the head with a tranquilizer is enough to dispatch him. Don't cause too much of a commotion since there's a guard ahead who's trying to get some beauty rest. --- DECK-2, STARBOARD -------------------------------------- Collect the goods--a [RATION] and several [USP BULLETS] in the annex. Snake won't get far before a cutscene takes over, which shows three fully armed Russian soldiers rush into the annex. After reporting to their superior, they begin to secure the area. The cutscene ends, leaving Snake to mangle three Russian ruffians...and any others who feel up to joining the heat. Use the boxes scattered around the battle ground as cover. Use the FPV (L2 + R2) for this fight. Don't stay in one place too long because the guards will have some grenades ready. Once you hear it clinking against the floor, leap out of the way! Dispatch them using the USP. If you run out of ammo, head to the back to find some readily available. Snake finishes the fight by eliminating the last of the squad. He goes to investigate the room behind the water-tight door. Snake enters the holds with full vigilance of his surroundings. A single Russian sentinel magically escapes his carnage and watches him from behind. As the soldier tries to seal him in, Ocelot appears behind him. Delighted, the soldier attempts to explain the situation, but gets cut off by a gunshot to the head. Looks like Ocelot has other plans in mind. Snake finds himself overlooking the audience hall, in which the Commandant is relaying his speech through a projection screen to a plethora of armed Marines. Otacon informs Snake that he must infiltrate three holds to get to the Metal Gear. He gives Snake an alternate method to transfer the photos once he has them. A time limit will be placed, and you now have seven minutes to infiltrate three holds, take pictures of Metal Gear RAY and upload them to Otacon. --- HOLD NO. 1 ---------------------------------------------- Your first goal now is to head to Hold No. 2 without bringing any attention to Snake. If he is spotted once, he gets taken into custody, earning an instant game over. A cool thing to note is that the "ending sequence" is different in each of the holds. Start by taking the two ladders down to the ground floor. Run along the back wall until you hit the projector's light. M9 the soldier on the other side before moving under the projection. Then crawl under the light. It's funny if you walk through it, though. Travel up the west wall. The ladder there leads up to a stash of [M9 BULLETS], but take the trip only if you really need them. Drop the guard and continue. Whenever Snake comes across a metal grate (white block on the floor), tip-toe across them. The clanks made by his heavy footsteps will alert the nearest Marine, setting off a huge chain reaction to the others. You could also do a roll-jump over the grates, but that's a little risky and needs perfect coordination. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [SHORTCUT BETWEEN THE HOLDS] Information passed on by Patrick Mitcheltree In Hold No. 1, after crawling under the projector, there is a black hatch on the floor, which you can open and crawl into. It will lead right to Hold No. 2. The same goes for Hold No. 2--there is another floor hatch, which leads to Hold No. 3. When you arrive in the room, you'll find yourself under the Metal Gear prototype. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ --- HOLD NO. 2 ---------------------------------------------- Don't follow the west wall from here. Crawl under the projectors and follow the east wall. The twin projectors in this room switch on and off intermittently to each of the screens. Therefore, the watchful Marines' cones will move back and forth to catch up with the projections. Now of course, you won't find them doing that in real life...It would seem silly, no? You can foresee a projection transition when the lights dim. But don't panic when the projection screen switches, the Marines have slow reaction times. They won't react until 1 1/2 seconds after the transition. Scramble for cover before they do; walk along the east wall when the coast is clear. Remember to lightly walk over any metal grates. The door to Hold No. 3 is just behind the huge block. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [MARINES ARE VOLATILE] Submitted by DRAGONMASTER118 If you press the action button while standing next to one of the projectors in Hold 2, Snake will switch the projectors, and the Marines will react instantaneously. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ --- HOLD NO. 3 --------------------------------------------- The Metal Gear prototype is suspended in this room; the actual speech is also held here. The real personage is giving his speech on the dais to a smaller group of Marines, crowded around the center of the room. Two cameramen on both sides film this important event. Everyone's attention is profoundly riveted by his powerful speech. So no one will notice an intruder snapping pictures of their pride. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] Submitted by Zurra and confirmation by Ruffin Bailey Scott Dolph, the Marine Commander, bears the same name as Konami's translator. I wonder if he's black... ^_^ Anyway, Scott Dolph is also among some missing classmates in a 1983 graduating class, and has his name in the Universal Soldier credits. Hmm... I'd go on about that one, but if you haven't beat the game already, dare I? ----- Just in case anyone was really wondering and you haven't already been emailed a zillion times about it, here's a link to his picture: http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/btg_mgs2/p10_screen03.html /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [ROCK YOUR BOXERZ] Submitted by James Anderson On the first screen in the bit where you have to photo RAY (the first time through the game) there is one soldier wearing no trousers. If you go up to the platform on the left you can get a good photo of him. When you upload this picture Otacon cracks up and tells you how cool it is: "This rules!" etc. Since he says something about "any classic moments" there may be other pictures he will comment on. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ Thanks to Patrick Carroll and Matthew The Marines are actually in their boxers the second time through the game, the timer has nothing to do with the trigger, but there are some interesting things about the timer and the marines: In Hold 3, the Commandant may say, "Man, this has been going on for a long while, let's rest for a bit, at ease." At this point, the timer will STOP, and the guards will start looking in different directions. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ There are two Marine guards posted on both sides of the room. The one on the right is secretly dozing off; he isn't trying too hard to hide his boredom. The other one is actually doing his job and well-aware of his surroundings. In the position which you regained control of Snake is perfect for the Front- Right angle pose Otacon wants of RAY. Whip out the camera and snap a picture. Don't zoom in too much; Otacon wants the whole enchilada. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] Be sure to have several replicates of the angle Otacon wants, just in case he trashes ones he doesn't like and sends Snake back to get more. Also, after capturing a picture, Snake may say things like "Good" and "Alright". This means that your photo will procure the best responses from Otacon. When he doesn't compliment your photo, you've got a problem. Overlap the picture and take it again. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ To get the Front Angle of RAY, work around the cameraman's podium next to you and stand behind the throng of patriotic Marines. There's a line that bisects the room on the floor. Stand on the line and take a picture of the smiling RAY for a perfect Front Angle. Moving on to the next shot: Front-left. Go around the left podium and stand in the middle between the back wall and the tall cargo. Whip out the camera and zoom out as much as you can. Try to fit most of RAY's body into the picture. It doesn't matter if the overhang is blocking the head somewhat. He will accept it if it's not focused too much on one particular spot. The final shot involves capturing the MARINE insignia, which is painted on the sides of RAY. Crawl behind the posted Marine soldier on the left side of the room and get closer. From the side, look up and search up and down for the insignia, which is the text Marine vertically painted white. Take a picture of the whole thing. It must be of clear quality or Otacon will send you back! /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [TIP] Submitted by John Meheski If you take the shortcut through the holds and come up on the right side of RAY before going down the pole, look at RAY and pan up to see another MARINES insignia. Otacon will accept a photo from this angle as well. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ After acquiring all these shots requested by Otacon, you must take them to the device he pointed out to you in an earlier cutscene. This machine will transfer your pictures to Otacon's sprite for viewing. During the last 1 or 2 minutes of his speech, the Commandant will yell, "Intruder to the left!" and "Intruder to the right!" Stay composed and don't panic. He's only drilling his men should this sorta thing happen. But if you do happen to land right in the spot where all their eyes focalize on you, well...you have one helluva lucky rabbit's foot, or something. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] If time runs out and the 7 minutes are up, everyone in the room will not suddenly turn their heads at once and spot you. Instead, the Commandant will go on and crack a few jokes just 'cause he's a verbose fella. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ To get to the other side of the room, run through the underpass where the Commandant stands above you. The audience is much too captivated to notice Snake's bulging head, so take the chance now. Take care of the guard on the other end if you haven't already to avoid any conflicts. Then head down and press the Action button to patch into the system. Once they're successfully sent, Otacon will critique them. If they're nice in the eyes of super Otacon, good job, you've completed the mission. And you've just completed the first half of the game. The story...takes an interesting turn here. Watch the insanely long cinemas that ensue. Don't skip them. They explain much of the plot, as does any other cutscene. Sit through it; I don't feel like giving a synopsis here. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [OTACON FUN] Thanks to Chad Kunsman, Matthew, and Adam Hulse. If you take a picture of the first Asian bikini girl with the camera and it ends up being uploaded to Otacon, he will comment on it and say "This isn't a picture of Metal Gear, but.....I think I'll be keeping this one anyways." Otacon Questions your Sexuality: - Take a picture of the Raven Doll - Take a picture of a "Manly" Poster (There are a couple) Otacon blushes, and makes a back-up... - Take a picture of Olga's crotch - Take a picture of a "Girly" Poster You could also take a picture of the Commandant while he gives his speech. What I did was take a zoomed-in picture of him while he was facing forward. He paces around so you have to time it right. You do it while you are in the Front-Ray position. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ ______ ______ /__/\__\_____________________________________________________________/__/\__\ |__ __| PLANT |__ __| \__\/__/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\__\/__/ The Big Shell they mentioned is an offshore decontamination facility built off the coast of the New York Hudson Bay to prevent ecological disaster due to the spilling of crude oil from the tanker two years ago. The Metal Gear on the U.S.S. Discovery had been retrieved by the notorious Ocelot, who caused the sinking of the ship in the first place. Now, a new mission is placed. Exactly six hours ago, intelligence say that a radical anti-terrorist group known as "Dead Cell" invaded the Big Shell and took over the compound. The president, James Johnson, who was on tour around the floating facility, quickly became involved in their insidious plan as a hostage. The group solicits 30 billion dollars from the government as ransom, or they will not guarantee his safety. If the demand is not met, the terrorists plan to demolish the Big Shell with the explosives planted around the focal points of the massive facility. If this happens, the explosion will release toxins into the water, resulting in an overload of hazardous dioxins that will ruin the ecosystem and turn the bay into a virulent goop for centuries. SEAL Team 10 has been called into operation to rescue the President. A solo effort from special forces unit FOXHOUND carries out a covert operation to infiltrate the Big Shell. The operative encroaches the Big Shell via the Deep Sea Research dock. Enter, Raiden. ============================================================================= ____________ | Part Three | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ You now play as a rookie operative from the reformed FORXHOUND. Ever since Snake left to form PHILANTHROPY with Otacon, FOXHOUND found a replacement for the legendary hero of Shadow Moses and honed him to refine his skills. Having went through 300 missions in VR training, he has had no real combat experience. The infiltration of the Big Shell will be his first. His name, Raiden. He will be your lovely game companion for the rest of the game. Live with it. Because of Raiden's lack of extensive knowledge about the real thing, Colonel Campbell will be his field expert through the Codec, calling him frequently to fill him in on appropriate actions. Most of the time, he can give useful information, but other times, it'll be like sitting through a late tutorial. Many of the things he'll go over will be stuff you already know about. Wait a minute! What happened to Snake?! They say he went down with the tanker two years ago (Why, Snake?! Why?!). Also, before we begin, the layout and terminology of the Big Shell is simple. The Big Shell is essentially comprised of two main cores: Shell One and Shell Two. Each shell core is compounded of 6 other hexagonal shapes called Struts. To move to each Strut, you must cross connecting bridges. But we will get to that later. Ok, let's begin. --- STRUT A, DEEP SEA DOCK ----------------------------------- Raiden emerges from the water and immediately radios the Colonel for mission status. Raiden paddles over to the ladder and hauls himself out of the water. For a redeeming note to many people, Raiden's actions and the corresponding buttons are the same as when you controlled Snake. Don't worry. Raiden is capable of imitating Snake's moves, except he has his own style. It's an age thing. From where you begin after getting out of the water, go around the pool to the right side, next to a gas canister. Dive into the water and listen to the Colonel's swimming lessons, if you don't know them already. A pair of [THERMAL GOGGLES] lies under the diving spot. It's difficult to see, but it's there. Get your feet wet some more and become acquainted with the underwater controls now. Head to the spot with the open ventilation filter and scuttling bugs, and hop over the railing. You should be hanging from it. Shimmy over to the bulky diving suits on the right; then climb up and grab the [SHAVER]. The Shaver isn't anything special you could use, but it will change things very, very slightly--the change is hardly noticeable. Marvel at the lovely cockroach and lice infestations on the walls and floors. Take a deep breath and climb into the small wind shaft. Make a right and go all the way, ignoring other intersections, since they lead nowhere. Crawl out and pick up the [RATION]. Another [RATION] is stored in the middle locker at the top. If you stay in places where the voracious sea lice are clustered, one may invade your Ration inventory and start feeding on it. When this happens, just hold L2 to open the item inventory and wiggle the left analog stick. The louse should fling out of your inventory in a really cutesy sort of way. If you don't get rid of it, it will eventually consume your entire food source. As Raiden turns the wheel on the vault door, you can hear an ongoing struggle on the other side of the door. The door swings open and Raiden ducks out of sight just in time to find a fallen Russian sentry regaining consciousness. Raiden uses his knowledge of firearms to identify his enemies' weapon artillery. Sick. Go on through the short corridor and into the next area. The masked rookie enters the room and finds the floor littered with soldiers, blacked-out on the ground. The elevator starts to go up, and just as it does, we catch a glimpse of Snake--Solid Snake! Weird! Raiden contacts the Colonel in the wake of this discovery. During this time, he introduces special terminals called Nodes. More about them in the Basics section of this guide, or you could listen to his rambling. Simply put, it works like Snake's radar from the Tanker, except it's much more of a hassle. ***Note: If you're aiming to keep your Alert count to a minimum, you can drag the unconscious bodies of the fallen guards back to the entrance point and stuff them in the lockers. Of course, they will return to the elevator room. They just take longer, giving you ample time to depart to the rooftop before they even figure out what had happened. Head to the Node on the otherside of the room and log in. Enter your codename and whatever information that applies. Afterwards, it takes you to the Option screen in which you can customize any settings to accommodate your new companion. After being drilled mercilessly by the Colonel again, the elevator button blinks, indicating that the elevator is on its way down. By the time Raiden runs past the guards, they will have started to resuscitate. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [WEIRD STUFF] Jack and Rose?? What is this? A remake of Titanic?! Kojima, what in the blue hell are you thinking!?! Nothing really interesting. Move along, folks. /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ Hide behind the scattered boxes on the right side, in the back. The guards never check there or the center alcove. Stay there until the guard closer to Raiden turns away, then scramble for the alcove. By now, the elevator should have finished its trip down. Take the chance to dash for it and ditch the guards without alerting them. On the elevator ride up, Raiden takes off his cumbersome mask and reveals his face (not that it's really hideous or anything). The Colonel and he have a little chit-chat about Solid Snake and the formation of the Big Shell. After the conversation, Raiden steps off the elevator and finds himself on the roof of Strut A on Shell One. --- STRUT A, PUMP FACILITY ----------------------------------- From now on, press START to bring up the map to locate where you are on the Big Shell. The Strut highlighted in orange is the current Strut you're on. Anyway, start by collecting the goods: a [CHAFF GRENADE] in the right cage and a [BANDAGE] stacked with the crates. There are some M9 Bullets in the back, but they are currently unusable. Look for a gash in the left set of fences and climb under it. The Colonel contacts you about it, but ignore him. He's getting really annoying, yes? By the time Raiden wiggles loose from the clawing wires of the fence, Colonel Campbell radios Raiden and informs him of SEAL's infiltration through Strut B (Dammit! Leave us alone!). /!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/!\!/ [USELESS TRIVIA] Careful! The bird crap by the outside railings is slippery. Run th