In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, players will have to make the most of their limited resources when navigating the Tanker and Big Shell. This means knowing how to make use of the game's unarmed combat to eliminate foes without wasting ammo, when possible. Snake and Raiden are both fully capable of taking down their foes without a weapon as they navigate the Tanker and Big Shell, respectively.
While snapping necks is easy in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, players hoping to non-lethally subdue their foes without falling back on something like the tranquilizer pistol might have a trickier time of it. This is especially true since choking foes into unconsciousness requires both patience and a smidge of good timing.
Metal Gear Solid Trophy List Revealed
Trophy lists for the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1. Are revealed online, including the first ever trophy list for the original MGS.
How to Choke Enemies
To Choke an enemy in Metal Gear Solid 2, players will need to be unarmed. This means tapping the weapon inventory button to unequip their current weapon. Once this is done, pressing and holding the weapon button will allow Snake/Raiden to grab an enemy in front of them. It is important to note that Snake/Raiden will only grab when stationary, so players must let go of the analog stick before pressing the weapon button if they want to grab someone. (Pressing the button while holding the stick in any direction will instead have Snake/Raiden throw the target to the ground)
Once a target is grabbed, the player can safely release and tap the weapon button 5–6 times to begin choking the target. It is important to resume holding the button down afterward to avoid releasing the target. Continuing to mash the weapon button after the sixth input risks snapping the target's neck. Once the weapon button has been pressed a few times to put the pressure on, players should hold the button down and wait for the target to struggle. When the target struggles players should release and press the button again to interrupt their struggle and continue choking them. Continue to interrupt their struggles until they fall unconscious, at which point Snake/Raiden will automatically drop the unconscious target to the ground.
Unconscious targets can eventually wake up, though dragging them to a locker and hiding them in it will prevent this from happening without actually killing them. When dealing with individual enemies that are patrolling an area the player needs to travel through, choking enemies can be an excellent way of removing them from the area without resorting to lethal means and/or wasting ammunition.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is available for PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.