Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of the Patriots is broken into two sections. In the Plant Section players control Raiden as he attempts to rescue the President and end the terrorist threat on the Big Shell. After dealing with Fatman and eliminating his bomb threat, players will need to grab an AK from Strut-F and head for the Core of Shell-1 to seek out Colonel Ames. Ames is a Secret Service Agent and would know where the President is being held, according to Mr. X.

Finding Ames in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of the Patriots is made somewhat trickier by the fact that Raiden doesn't know what he looks like. This means Raiden will need to find a way to identify him before they are able to track him down. This means doing a bit more exploring to locate a Directional Microphone, which this guide will explain in detail.

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How to Find the Directional Microphone

MGS2_Shell 1_Elevator

After entering Shell 1 Core players should keep their disguise on and their AK equipped. This will prevent Soldiers and Cameras from interfering as long as Raiden plays it cool. Move slowly and make sure not to bump into anyone while exploring the area. The main goal here is to get to the elevator at the top of the map and head down to B2. B2 contains a large computer room and a very talkative parrot, with the D Mic sitting on the left side of the computer room near the parrot. Using Raiden's disguise, players can walk over and grab the D Mic without needing to worry about the guards.

There are several Easter eggs in this room, especially involving the parrot. Firstly, players will notice a Policenauts poster on their way into the computer room. Secondly, the Parrot has a wide range of dialog that can be heard by interacting with it in different ways. Attempting to shoot the Parrot will cause it to spout similar lines to those spoken by guards when going on alert and will actually trigger an alert. It will copy lines spoken by the guards if an alert is triggered in its vicinity and will say "This Sucks!" if Raiden sprays it with the Coolant.

If Raiden points the Directional Microphone at the Parrot and presses the interact button to say "Are you Ames?" enough times, the Parrot will begin to say "Are you Ames?" occasionally alongside its other dialog.

After getting the D Mic, it's time to head for B1 and find Ames.

How to find Ames

MGS2_Directional Microphone_Ames

After heading up to floor B1 players will see a cutscene that shows how the security system here works. A retina scanner prevents access to the room where the hostages are, so players are going to need to grab a guard from behind and drag them to the scanner if they want to get through. The best way to accomplish this is by waiting for the patrolling guard to head out into the hallway, away from the other guards in the break room, and then drop the AK and grab him from behind.

It is important to not choke the guard unconscious, tranquilize them, or kill them, since this will make it impossible for them to activate the retina scanner. Instead, drag them to the scanner while they are still conscious, reapplying the choke whenever they struggle to prevent them from breaking loose. They'll get automatically KO'd after Raiden uses them to activate the scanner.

After entering the room where the hostages are, players will need to use the D Mic while the guards aren't looking at him to listen to the heartbeats of the hostages. Players are looking for a heartbeat that has a metal "chink" noise accompanying it, indicating a pacemaker. Ames pacemaker is the easiest way to find him among the hostages. Hit the action button while pointing at a hostage to ask "Are you Ames?" If it is Ames this will trigger a cutscene, otherwise it will attract the attention of the guards and players will need to re-equip their AK and move away for a little to avoid getting caught.