Steel Gear Strong 2: Sons of Liberty, and its follow-up expanded launch, Substance, launched on the PS2 all the way in which again within the early 2000s, dramatically increasing the gameplay techniques of Steel Gear Strong and opening the narrative as much as wild and surprising twists and turns.
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Like the primary Steel Gear Strong, Sons of Liberty has quite a few unexplained sport techniques. Some are tucked into the sport’s handbook, whereas others may be talked about throughout non-compulsory Codec calls. In the event you forgot about a few of these non-obvious mechanics or are taking part in MGS2 for the primary time, these strategies will show you how to stay sneaky and deadly.
Leaning and peeking
In Steel Gear Strong 2, you’ll enter first-person mode with R1/RB/R on PlayStation, Xbox, and Swap respectively. However through the use of R2/L2, R/L, or ZR/ZL on PlayStation, Xbox, or Swap respectively, you possibly can lean to the aspect. In the event you press each on the identical time, you’ll stand in your toes and might peer over objects.
That is very useful for a fast peek round a nook or to get higher angles, significantly throughout boss fights. Snake’s shootout with Olga is one such instance. Through the use of the set off buttons you possibly can simply get some higher angles on her.
Be aware which you can simply be noticed whereas leaning or standing in your toes, so that you’ll need to be fast while you’re looking round a nook.
Snag these canine tags!
In the event you run as much as a guard and maintain your weapon (urgent within the left thumbstick will see Snake or Raiden take goal), you’ll maintain up a guard. In the event you then stroll round to the entrance of them and level the gun at their head (or, um, crotch), they are going to perform a little shake and can hand over a canine tag.
You possibly can spot whether or not or not a guard has a canine tag by both equipping thermal goggles or searching for a shimmery impact slightly below their neck.
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Some guards, nonetheless, gained’t hand over their loot so simply. If a guard says “are you going to shoot me?” ensure you have a deadly weapon outfitted (make certain to not go unarmed when holding up a guard as they’ll instantly enter an alert standing and can name for backup), goal away from their head and hearth off a shot. It will scare them they usually’ll hand over their canine tag if they’ve one.
Additionally, you may get canine tags from choose bosses by selecting them up and placing them down after the battle.
On the finish of the sport, you possibly can unlock the next gear relying on what number of canine tags you’ve gathered:
Snake’s chapter:
46 canine tags: Bandana (grants infinite ammo)76 canine tags: Stealth camo (makes you invisible as long as you don’t bump right into a guard).
Raiden’s chapter:
73 canine tags: Infinity wig (grants Raiden infinite ammo)121 canine tags: Stealth camo170 canine tags: Wig B (allows you to hold with out shedding grip)218 canine tags: Wig A (offers you infinite O2 when underwater)
You possibly can loot knocked-out guards
Seize a knocked-out guard and put them down and also you’ll possible earn an merchandise resembling ammo, bandages, or perhaps a ration. You’ll have to do that a couple of times for it to work.
Noticed? Shoot their radios
You’ll have come throughout this one unintentionally by opening hearth on a guard who noticed you. In the event you shoot a walkie talkie with a deadly weapon, you’ll disable it, stopping the guard from simply going into alert standing.
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However you don’t must get noticed for an opportunity to disable their communications system. Guards preserve their radios on their again, so hearth off a shot immediately at their radio and also you’ll break it with out them even realizing.
Discover how interactive the world is
Steel Gear Strong 2 was notable on the time of its unique launch in 2001 for its wildly interactive world. You possibly can typically break varied objects to create noise for guards to react to. Some guards will even examine when you’ve smashed bottles, glass, or different breakable objects.
One other nice (and helpful) instance is that in Olga’s boss battle, you possibly can even shoot out the tarp she likes to cover behind by capturing the cords holding it down.
Stash unconscious guards in lockers
If you wish to put a guard to sleep for almost ceaselessly with out killing them, knock one out or put ‘em to sleep, then drag them to a locker, open it up, and conceal them in there by pulling them into the locker. As soon as sealed away, they gained’t get up to renew their patrol.
You possibly can run and gun
That is one other element that’s tucked within the handbook however not expressly spelled out to you through the sport. When you’re aiming your weapon, you possibly can maintain L1, LB, or L on PlayStation, Xbox, and Swap respectively to run whereas aiming and firing your weapon.
You possibly can entry the Grasp Assortment’s menu choices by getting into the pause display first
The Grasp Assortment has a wildly restricted set of choices however some, like toggling between windowed mode and full-screen on PC, are very helpful. To entry this, pause the sport and press L1+R1/LB+RB/L+R on PlayStation, Xbox, and Swap respectively.
Wake guards up with coolant or by selecting them up and placing them down
Typically you need to wake a guard you simply knocked out (typically to get their canine tags, however typically it’s enjoyable to mess with them). In the event you’re far sufficient in Raiden’s chapter that you simply’ve acquired the coolant spray, simply use that on an unconscious guard’s face to wake ‘em up. In the event you don’t have it (otherwise you’re taking part in Snake’s chapter), decide guards up and put them down repeatedly and also you’ll wake them up sooner.
Rapidly unequip and re-equip a weapon to tactically reload it
Identical to within the first Steel Gear Strong, when you rapidly unequip and re-equip a weapon with the shoulder buttons, you’ll refill your journal even when you haven’t spent all your bullets.
Preserving rations outfitted can prevent from a sport over display
That is significantly helpful throughout boss fights: Identical to in MGS1, holding rations outfitted will see them robotically used when your well being drops to zero. There are professionals and cons to this method, however it may well assist while you’re preventing a difficult boss who calls for all your consideration.
Grasp Assortment: The left thumbstick toggles aiming
Time for a historical past lesson! The PS2 (and PS3) every had analog face buttons, that means that the console might detect how exhausting you have been urgent a button like sq. or triangle. MGS2 used this {hardware} quirk to mean you can simply elevate your weapon with or with out firing.
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For the reason that PS4, gaming {hardware} has chosen to turn out to be tremendous boring, and we now have inflexible, binary digital buttons. Konami has made up for this distinction by permitting you to lift and goal your weapon by urgent within the left thumbstick. In the event you goal your weapon by holding down a face button and don’t want to hearth, you can too press the left thumbstick to decrease your goal.
You are able to do pull-ups to extend your grip energy
Whereas hanging on a ledge as both Snake or Raiden, you possibly can press R1+L1/RB+LB/R+L to do a pull-up. In the event you do 100 of those, your grip energy will go up in degree, permitting you to hold for longer. Grip degree maxes out at Degree 3.
You possibly can fast-forward Codec calls
When you in all probability don’t need to skip Codec calls and cutscenes in your first playthrough of MGS2, you possibly can breeze previous them by first hitting X, A, or B on PS5, Xbox, or Swap respectively after which urgent the right-most face button (sq., X, or Y for every platform) to fast-forward via a dialog.
Toggle inverted digicam within the choices earlier than taking part in
If you wish to invert your look controls for first-person, navigate to Choices > Personal View earlier than launching the sport. You possibly can toggle this selection throughout Raiden’s chapter, however Snake’s chapter will lock you into no matter this setting is while you begin the sport.
There are completely different radar choices too
In the identical Choices display because the “View” choices, you can too toggle between “Off,” “Kind 1,” and “Kind 2.” Off is self-explanatory, however in Kind 1, you’ll nonetheless have your radar throughout “Intrusion,” which is when guards are holding a watch out however are now not in Alert or Evasion mode. Kind 2 disables the radar throughout Intrusion mode for a larger problem.
Stinger missile hack: You possibly can lock onto targets after firing a missile
This can be a enjoyable one, and really helpful for Raiden’s battle in opposition to the Harrier jet. After firing a rocket from the stinger missile launcher, you possibly can transfer the cursor to focus on an enemy. The missile will then break from its present course to hit no matter it’s locked onto. That is very useful for capturing round corners.
Don’t overlook the VR missions and Snake Tales within the Grasp Assortment!
MGS2 because it seems within the 2023 Grasp Assortment is definitely an HD model of MGS2’s expanded launch, Steel Gear Strong 2: Substance. As such, you’ll spot two choices in the principle menu: “Missions” and “Snake Tales.” The previous encompasses a huge quantity of challenges for each Snake and Raiden (together with some unique modes like an FPS tackle MGS2’s gameplay). Snake Tales are brief vignettes set on both the Massive Shell or Tanker that see Snake tackle completely different narrative sneaking challenges.
One mission even allows you to play as Snake dressed as Iriqouis Pliskin.
That wraps our record of simply missed MGS2 mechanics. Studying a few of these strategies is crucial for mastering this basic stealth sport, particularly on the tougher difficulties.
