Steel Gear Stable 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 Stable and opening the narrative as much as wild and surprising twists and turns.
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Like the primary Steel Gear Stable, Sons of Liberty has a variety of unexplained recreation techniques. Some are tucked into the sport’s handbook, whereas others could be talked about throughout non-obligatory Codec calls. In case you forgot about a few of these non-obvious mechanics or are taking part in MGS2 for the primary time, these strategies will assist you to stay sneaky and deadly.
Leaning and peeking
In Steel Gear Stable 2, you’ll enter first-person mode with R1/RB/R on PlayStation, Xbox, and Change respectively. However through the use of R2/L2, R/L, or ZR/ZL on PlayStation, Xbox, or Change respectively, you may lean to the facet. In case you press each on the identical time, you’ll stand in your toes and may 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. By utilizing the set off buttons you may simply get some higher angles on her.
Observe that you could simply be noticed whereas leaning or standing in your toes, so that you’ll need to be fast if you’re looking round a nook.
Snag these canine tags!
In case you run as much as a guard and maintain your weapon (urgent within the left thumbstick will see Snake or Raiden take intention), you’ll maintain up a guard. In case you then stroll round to the entrance of them and level the gun at their head (or, um, crotch), they’ll perform a little shake and can quit a canine tag.
You may 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 quit their loot so simply. If a guard says “are you going to shoot me?” ensure you have a deadly weapon geared up (ensure to not go unarmed when holding up a guard as they’ll instantly enter an alert standing and can name for backup), intention away from their head and fireplace off a shot. This can scare them they usually’ll quit 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 struggle.
On the finish of the sport, you may 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 camo
170 canine tags: Wig B (allows you to hold with out shedding grip)
218 canine tags: Wig A (provides you infinite O2 when underwater)
You may loot knocked-out guards
Seize a knocked-out guard and put them down and also you’ll possible earn an merchandise similar to 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 by accident by opening fireplace on a guard who noticed you. In case 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 should get noticed for an opportunity to disable their communications system. Guards maintain their radios on their again, so fireplace off a shot straight at their radio and also you’ll break it with out them even realizing.
Discover how interactive the world is
Steel Gear Stable 2 was notable on the time of its unique launch in 2001 for its wildly interactive world. You may usually break numerous objects to create noise for guards to react to. Some guards will even examine for those who’ve smashed bottles, glass, or different breakable objects.
One other nice (and helpful) instance is that in Olga’s boss battle, you may 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 without end 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 may run and gun
That is one other element that’s tucked within the handbook however not expressly spelled out to you throughout the recreation. When you’re aiming your weapon, you may maintain L1, LB, or L on PlayStation, Xbox, and Change respectively to run whereas aiming and firing your weapon.
You may entry the Grasp Assortment’s menu choices by coming 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 Change respectively.
Wake guards up with coolant or by selecting them up and placing them down
Generally you need to wake a guard you simply knocked out (usually to get their canine tags, however generally it’s enjoyable to mess with them). In case 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 case you don’t have it (otherwise you’re taking part in Snake’s chapter), choose guards up and put them down repeatedly and also you’ll wake them up quicker.
Shortly unequip and re-equip a weapon to tactically reload it
Identical to within the first Steel Gear Stable, for those who shortly unequip and re-equip a weapon with the shoulder buttons, you’ll refill your journal even for those who haven’t spent all your bullets.
Holding rations geared up can prevent from a recreation over display
That is significantly helpful throughout boss fights: Identical to in MGS1, preserving rations geared up will see them routinely used when your well being drops to zero. There are execs and cons to this system, however it will possibly assist if you’re combating a tough 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 may detect how arduous you have been urgent a button like sq. or triangle. MGS2 used this {hardware} quirk to permit you to simply elevate your weapon with or with out firing.
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Because the 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 intention your weapon by urgent within the left thumbstick. In case you intention your weapon by holding down a face button and don’t want to fireplace, you may as well press the left thumbstick to decrease your intention.
You are able to do pull-ups to extend your grip energy
Whereas hanging on a ledge as both Snake or Raiden, you may press R1+L1/RB+LB/R+L to do a pull-up. In case you do 100 of those, your grip energy will go up in stage, permitting you to hold for longer. Grip stage maxes out at Degree 3.
You may fast-forward Codec calls
When you most likely don’t need to skip Codec calls and cutscenes in your first playthrough of MGS2, you may breeze previous them by first hitting X, A, or B on PS5, Xbox, or Change respectively after which urgent the right-most face button (sq., X, or Y for every platform) to fast-forward via a dialog.
Toggle inverted digital camera 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 may toggle this selection throughout Raiden’s chapter, however Snake’s chapter will lock you into no matter this setting is if you begin the sport.
There are completely different radar choices too
In the identical Choices display because the “View” choices, you may as well toggle between “Off,” “Sort 1,” and “Sort 2.” Off is self-explanatory, however in Sort 1, you’ll nonetheless have your radar throughout “Intrusion,” which is when guards are preserving a watch out however are not in Alert or Evasion mode. Sort 2 disables the radar throughout Intrusion mode for a higher problem.
Stinger missile hack: You may 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 may 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 Stable 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 quick vignettes set on both the Large 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 important for mastering this basic stealth recreation, particularly on the more durable difficulties.
