Metal Gear Solid 2

Big Shell: Search for Ames Shell 1 Core

Shell 1 Core 1F

And now it's about time for you to change clothes, put on the B.D.U. uniform and equip the AKS 74 machingun, now neither cameras nor enemy soldiers recognise you as intruder.

Attention:

!! DON'T RUN INTO A SOLDIER OR YOUR DISGUISE IS USELESS !!

and

!! DON'T DO UNUSUAL THINGS LIKE A SOMERSAULT OR ROLLING AROUND !!

After you know this we can get started, right? Let's infiltrate the Shell 1 Core.

The first floor of the Shell 1 Core is a roundabout. Get to the south of the hallway. Through a door you enter into the Node room. Here you download the map for the first floor of the shell 1 core. And in here you will find a CHAFF GRENADE (on the crates), M9 AMMUNITION (in the locker in the northwest, M4 AMMUNITION (in the locked locker in the northwest), C4, a BOOK and CLAYMORE mines (all inside the locker in the south).

Through the westpart you reach the north of the roundabout and can get to the elevator. In between there is a deadend leading north with some SOCOM AMMUNITION. Call the elevator now and let the camera check you. After you passed the dresscodetest you get into the elevator of course.

Shell 1 Core B2

Down here it doesn't matter which direction you leave the elevator, you reach the computer complex either way. Enter this area from the southside and in the northeast of the computer area is the Node you need for the map of this level of the Big Shell.

After you now know your way around here you pick up the AKS 74 AMMUNITION and also the BOX 4.

With these items in your inventory you search for the small black box happily rotating on the ground in the northwest of the computer area. Take this box with you, inside is the Directional Microphone which you will need in a minute (or two).

Inside the lockers in the hallway you can also find some more items, M4 AMMUNITION & SOCOM AMMUNITION inside the lockers in the west (and on top of that some books on top of the locker, kick the locker to get these, but don't act tooooo suspicious) and M9 AMMUNITION in the locker on the eastside.

Look over the shoulder of the one soldier that switches computers all the time and have a look at what he really does.

The parrot can do a lot of fun stuff beside making you aware of the books on top of the lockers around here.

Spray the parrot with the Coolant Spray. He will complain.

Shoot the parrot with a loaded gun, he requests backup because the enemy was sighted...

And the best thing to do is to point the directional mic at the bird, press the action button and ask him if he is Ames. Repeat this a lot of times and the parrot will indeed start to remember this sentence!

Shell 1 Core B1

Get through the door to the east to find a Node in here and get the map of the B1 level of the Big Shell. Inside the locker down here is a RATION to be found.

In the southwest of the hallway, shortly before the lockers room is some M4 AMMUNITION.
In the room with the locker you should now get rid of the two guards. Start with the guard in the northwest and then knock out the other one in the northeast and both should not notice the other guard falling over.
Now you can open the locker and grab a CHAFF GRENADE and SOCOM AMMUNITION.

And now we need the last remaining soldier for the retinal scanner to finally find Ames in the Shell 1 Core, he can tell us where the President is.
Approach the last sentinel around and make sure he can't really see what you are doing as you now have to unequip each and every weapon. Without any weapon equipped you grab this poor guy from behind with

and drag him towards the waiting retinal scanner. In case he does funny things and shakes around just press

again to grab him tighter and show him who's the boss. But don't grab him too tight as you might strangle him that way and then you can't use him to bypass the retina scan anymore.
In front of the retinalscan you press

again and Raiden will stuff the guard into the retina scanner and then enter the room with the hostages through the opening door .

You can also hold up the guard from behind, when he raises his hands you unequip your weapon and grab him.
The easiest thing to do is grabbing him while he is very close to the retina scanner. Sadly this is not often the case, but fear not, you read here to find help, so you can help yourself by first tranquillizing everyone besides the last guard and then take the elevator back up and immediately afterwards ride it back down again. As soon as you step out of the elevator the soldier moves towards the retinal scanner. Voila.

And now you somehow have to find Ames within all the hostages to get more information from him. If you want to solve this by yourself make sure no soldier is close by when you use the microphone to aim at one of the hostages as they will notice when you are not showing your AKS.

When you unequip any weapon and start punching the hostages the Colonel and Rose are not happy with what you do.

One of the hostages is a woman called Jennifer. Wenn you talk to her she spreads her legs and shows you her underpanties. Wenn you examine this further the Colonel and Rose also have to tell you something.
If you manage to take a picture of her underpants (knocking her out might help...) and call the Colonel afterwards Rose joins in and is angry. The Colonel doesn't want you to throw away the picture though.

And while you are waving around your Directional Mic in here you can aim it at a toilet (not visible from within the room, but you can hear it) and listen in on the digestive problems Johnny Sasaki has...

If this takes too long for you, here is the solution where to find Ames:
Ames is the hostage in the southwest. There is one singled out hostage attached to a grate contrary to all other hostages that are tied to tablelegs. And the hostage to the right of this singled out hostage is Ames. But make sure he is really the one you are searching for, point the directional mic at him and press your action button once you are sure he is Ames.

Ames explains that the President is in the Shell 2 Core and right then Ocelot comes in for a chat with some other familiar faces. You will find out some more interesting things when listening in on that.
And Ames is a nice guy and gives you a LVL 3 security keycard before he goes forever. Then Ocelot wants to take care of you, but the Ninja again saves your ass and there you are on the run already...