Metal Gear Solid 2: Demo Walkthrough

Metal Gear Solid 2 ZOE Demo Disc Walkthrough V1.1
By Jake McNeill (CaspianX)
CaspianX@Hotmail.com

Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Mentality
3. The Walkthrough
    A. Aft Deck
    B. Deck-A, Crew's Quarters, Port
    C. Deck-A, Crew's Lounge, Starboard
    D. Deck-B, Crew's Quarters, Starboard
    E. Deck-C, Crew's Quarters, Port
    F. Deck-D, Crew's Quarters
    G. Deck-E, The Bridge
    H. Boss - Olga
4. Final Comments
5. Credits

1. Introduction
Hi, I'm Jake McNeill! The following is intended to be an FAQ mainly for the purpose of helping players become adept at the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo included with Zone of the Enders, written by me, with a great amount of help from Nick Des Barres (Damn him and his better-scoring-than-me-ness!). This includes general overall tactics, as well as a full-fledged walktrough to help players blast through the demo in Very Hard mode, boss fight with Olga included, in under three minutes (With as few as four shots fired overall, and no damage taken).

But there is also a second purpose for this FAQ. Wheras the first was to educate and train you to become a better MGS2 player, the latter is to help me become a better one. You see, others out there have gotten finish times in as low as a minute fifty seconds in Very Hard mode, and I am absolutely mystified as to how, as I pretty much run directly to the boss, and finish her off very quickly. Nick Des Barres has been a tremendous help in providing some insights as to how to better my score (They're all included here), but not to the extent that I see them bettering it by a full fifty seconds. So, I plea to the reader, should you find something I missed, please let me know. E-Mail me at CaspianX@Hotmail.com.

Anyways, to conclude the intro, this walkthrough is intended for those that have "mastered" the original Metal Gear Solid, and have gotten the hang of most of the new moves the demo offers (Anything really in-depth will be explained anyways), and have become familliar with the areas in the boat. Also, it should be noted that I perfer the control pad to the analog sticks, and though you can use what you want, I find the pad to be more precise (Although the analog control would offer the fastest way between two diagonal points, for those better aquainted with it). And finally, at the moment, the full walkthrough is only for the Very Hard mode, but later I might add walkthroughs for other challenge levels as well. Oh, and anyone who nitpicks my language (Like the exclusion of terms like "port", "starboard", and "bulkhead", or errant misspellings) can frickin' bite me.

2. The Mentality
Okay, I know this sounds stupid, but the best way to finding the best times in MGS2 is to train the mentality you have on the game. It helps tremendously to have played Metal Gear: VR Missions, because the best times in that game required this mentality to achieve. Basically, it can be summed up like this: The best score is almost always achieved by means that are swift, direct, and unconfrontational. To try and train you to think this way, I've decided to include examples of how I beat the game before, and what I've done since to better my time (The most important factor).

3. The Walkthrough
Quickly before going in, I should state the obvious. Don't fire off any unnecessary shots, don't dawdle, walk in straight lines, and press "X" repeatedly to skip cutscenes. Aside from that, just do as I say and you should be fine.

3A. Aft Deck
Although there are four doors to the ship's interior (Two on the left- top and bottom, and two on the right- top and bottom), the only one that works in Very Hard mode is on the lower-left. I've done this part in two different ways.

First, I ran diagonally upper-left (If the guard the next story up spots you, you're bearing too far to the right). Then up the small set of stairs, and tapped "Triangle" once to hop over the box, and again to hop over the railing behind it. After that, heading straight up to the door and tapping "Triangle" furiously to open it quickly.

While the first method is well and good (You drop behind the patrolling soldier), climbing the stairs, the boxes, and hopping the railing takes time, and you can go somewhat faster by passing the stairs completely, and hugging the wall on the right to pass the guard. Even though he's walking very close, and somewhat in your direction, he won't spot you if you get there quick enough, and you pass him the moment you can turn the corner. When you do so, walk diagonally to the door (Shortest distance between two points is a straight line, remember?).

Also, Mr. Des Barres would have me point out, you should be tapping "Triangle" furiously as you approach the area a door is in, as you can often open them before you'd think you could, and tapping it will let you start as soon as possible, cutting a second or two off your time.

3B. Deck-A, Crew's Quarters, Port (The area with the lockers)
Two doors in this area (Not counting the locker room), but the one on the top left is busted, so you have to work your way to the right. Don't hold down right as you enter if you use the pad, because I find that for some reason this causes you to start to the right very slowly instead of running. Instead, tap it to the right (And hold it) just before the camera switches views. Run through the halls as quickly as possible (hug the inside wall, and walk straight lines through the halways, rather than zig-zagging. While running, I disarmed my gun by tapping R2 (Makes it easier to throw soldiers, and I don't need the gun 'till the end). Avoid the locker room. It wastes time, and you won't need the stuff in there anyways. By the time you get to the sodier patrolling the hallways, he should be at the end of a long hall, facing away from you. If he turns to the right before you get to him, you took too long navigating the hallways. Shame on you. Without stopping your pace, toss him on his back from behind, and run on to the door. If done right, he won't see you, and by the time he gets up, you'll be gone. It takes longer to incapacitate him, and is riskier to punch him out.

3C. Deck-A, Crew's Lounge, Starboard (The area with the bar)
Plenty of doors in this area, but only one that leads to where you're going (Up the staircase on the right-hand side. This area presented a huge problem, as it was one of the worst eaters of time. I've changed my technique on this twice.

First time through, after the automatic cinema, I quickly went into first-person mode and shot both soldiers in the head. Though this is somewhat fast, it unnecessarily wastes ammo, and the time you save (From my second method) is negligible.

Then, I noticed something. Although I couldn't walk directly to the door on the first try, I had no problem on my second try, after being caught and continuing at the game-over screen. It was then that I realized that the automatic cinema changed the position of the soldiers. The solution to this problem seemed to me a bit quirky, but it worked. After the automatic cinema plays (The one that has Snake peeping around the corner, and seeing the soldiers), walk back out the door Snake just came through, and immediately return. Doing this will reset the position of the guards, and allow you to walk directly to the door without being spotted.

Again, after hearing from Nick, it became apparent that you can run straight to the door, but you need to be holding the direction you'll be running in as the cinema is fading back to normal, and you need to do it perfectly (Not get caught on any corners, walk too far out, etc.), as the time is extremely limited before the guard turns to where he can notice you. Again, very difficult, but you should definetly try it after you've mastered the earlier method.

3D. Deck-B, Crew's Quarters, Starboard (The room with the guard's shadow)
Again, tons of doors, but only one route that leads to the next area (The stairs on the left). Obviously, taking the low road would be a horrible detour, and really, this area is quite simple. Go up to the shadowy soldier (You know what I'm talking about), and without hesitating, walk up behind him and flip him on his back, and run to the stairs. Again, if you do this right, he won't see you, and you'll be long gone by the time he gets up. Or, you could try Nick's method to flatten him, as well. In any case, keep going without stopping afterwards, and as a gague of how well you're walking the hallways (Every second counts- cut corners when possible!), you should hear the soldier begin swearing just as you get to the top of the stairs.

Also, Nick pointed out a good way to have the cutscene waste less time. Start a roll (Press "X" while running) just before it begins, and immediately after, press "Start" to exit the cutscene. If done right, you should be moving forward the entire time the cutscene plays out, and standing by the time it fades back to normal, and you can continue to move on as normal.

3E. Deck-C, Crew's Quarters, Port (The hallway with the camera)
At first it seems like the only way to get through this room is to slide by the camera, as walking under gets you caught. However, there's an easier and faster way. Hug the top wall, and tap "X" while running right as you cross under the camera. You'll roll right underneath the camera's viewing range, and won't even have to slow down. From there, run straight to the stairs.

Also, Nick noticed that you can shave a little time walking up the stairs by rolling up them instead, so long as you're facing directly up the stairs when you start, as otherwise you'll roll right into the wall.

3F. Deck-D, Crew's Quarters (The kitchen, the camera, and the laser sensors)
Again, another room that seemed a huge time problem. If memory serves, there are three soldiers in this area. The one that walks to the right as soon as you enter, the one in the room on the left, and the one next to the laser sensors. Let me start by saying not to worry about the one next to the lasers- if you time it right, he won't bother you. That said, I knew I had to go through the room on the left, but wasn't quite sure how.

I started by toying around with the soldier in the room on the left. Immediately running to the door, I'd try luring him or shooting him, but the results of these didn't impress me. More often than not, I'd be caught by the guy that walked off to the right as he returned.

Then, I tried adjusting my timing to fit the soldier in the room on the left's "schedule". Running immediately to the door, I counted to three, and ran into the room, and by this time, he soldier was walking downwards and not facing the door. I'd tap "X" once (ONLY once!) to get out of the automatic cinema, run behind the soldier, toss him on his back, and run out the bottom door (The camera doesn't see this far) and up the stairs (And again, you can "X"-roll up them to save a little time). This worked, but was inneficient in quite a few areas. The three seconds I wasted, the time it took to cross the room to meet the soldier, the time flipping him over, and the time it took to walk back. It may not seem like much to you, but remember that seconds count. Remember, I said that most often, the best ways are direct, fast, and unconfrontational. Here's what I ended up doing:

As soon as you climb the stairs, run into the door *immediately*, and press "X" once to get rid of the automatic cinema. Don't stop for a second. Quickly run directly down (Before the first table), and turn right at the door, and walk up the stairs. Meantime, while you're doing this, all hell is breaking loose around you. The soldier in the room sees you enter (You'll hear him gasp), but is too far away to be alarmed (And in turn cause a Game Over). AND you'll be brushing right up next to the camera's area of view. Despite these, if you run through the room as quickly as possible, neither of these should become an issue. Fast, direct, and unconfrontational.

3F. Deck-E, The Bridge
Straightforward. After the cinemas, run directly to the door on the left (Going down first, before the table, rather than after), and tap triangle as quickly as possible, while running, to open the door.

4F. Boss- Olga
Remember how I said you can get through the demo using only four shots? Here's where you need 'em. So long as she's hit in the head with each shot, it only takes four shots to bring Olga down. This said, it seems like a monumental task. Olga is a damn fine shot, and more often than not will peg you once or twice in the time it takes you to aim and hit her. Going through battle with her requires either lots of time, or the loss of a lot of bullets and blood... or does it?

You see, there's a "Safe spot" of sorts that Olga is a sucker for. You can shoot at her, but she never shoots you- she just lobbs grenades. Walk Snake up right up dead center where the extra ammo box is, and quickly whip out your gun and go to first-person mode. Olga will change positions to hide behind the lower-right corner of the tarp-covered box. She'll pop up breifly, hide, pop up again VERY breifly, hide, throw a grenade, and pop up again. Nick pointed out that the first time you shoot her, you can get her as soon as possible (You may be able to hit her before her first "speech". If so, you can get a quick hit in after the speech, too), but after that, you have to wait for her "!" to dissapear before she's succeptable again. If you can hit her before she throws the grenade, you'll save some time (Getting hit will trigger her duck-duck-throw grenade cylce to re-start, so she may never get the chance to throw one at all if you're good). If and when she does throw one, quickly run to the lower-left to avoid the explosion, then run into the smoke to get back ASAP.

Depending on how good you are at hitting her as early as possible, she may not even be able to get through her whole "I'm a part of the unit" routine (Although the first time she blabs on about it mid-battle is unavoidable). If you let her go too far with it, she'll waste more and more of your time yakking on, and if you stray from the "Safe spot" too often, or take too long, she'll shoot the tarp, after which you'll be forced to waste a bullet to send it flying so she'll go back to her grenade-tossing spot. Save yourself this waste of time and ammo by taking her down as soon as possible (If you're good, you might be able to hit her in the head as she walks by to get to the pillar on the left for one of her yak sessions). Nick also claims he thinks it's possible to take Olga down directly, without using the safe spot, but good luck (It's tough enough using the safe spot)

4. Final Comments
Doing all this, I managed to cut my time down to 2 minutes, 40 seconds. Again, there are people out there that managed to find a full 50 seconds more somewhere, and I've no idea where (Though Nick's suggestions seem to head in the right direction). Please let me know (CaspianX@Hotmail.com) if you find a way to shave off any more time. Anyways, enjoy the walkthrough, and happy scoring!

Also, thanks go out to Alex Annis, whose suggestions helped me mold this walkthrough into something better than it was, and certainly more presentable. Without him, I wouldn't have had the chance to compare notes with Mr. Des Barres, whom has given me quite a few ideas on how to cut my time shorter (Though nothing so drastic as fifty seconds). Also, without him, I would've never gotten this onto The GIA (Who I also thank).

Oh, that brings me to another issue. This walkthrough is sole property of me, and is not to appear, in any shape or form, anywhere but The GIA, without my sole and direct permission. I didn't hand this over to GameFAQs for a reason, folks. Although I might eventually spread this to other places, for the moment, it stays... right... here.