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METAL GEAR SOLID 2
SONS OF LIBERTY
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Snake and Otacon Super-Secret Handshake Unofficial In-Depth Guide
Latest version released January 12, 2002.
By SuperGeko
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1. Table of contents.
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1. Table of contents.
2. Version history.
3. Introduction.
3.2 Disclaimer
4. Prelude to the Handshake.
5. Guide to the Handshake.
6. FAQ.
7. Credits.
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2. Version history.
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Version .001
December 28th, 2001
Played through Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for the first time. Was
surprised and delighted by the handshake that Snake and Otacon share with
mechanical accuracy. Wrote first guide to the shake. It consisted of the
phrase "Snake and Otacon handshake = really cool" scrawled on a square of
toilet paper with a dry-erase marker.
Version .172
January 1st, 2002
Picked up the old guide, and realized that it needed to be more in-depth.
Wrote underneath old message "They slap hands a lot." Resolved to get a tape
of the handshake for further documentation.
Version .475
January 3rd, 2002
Told a few people I know who have played the game about the shake. Most didn't
remember it, and I was saddened and disgusted that there was no current effort
to document such a rare and beautiful thing as the Snake and Otacon Super
Secret Handshake.
Version .532
January 6rd, 2002
Found a song from the 70s by the Undisputed Truth, Smiling Faces Sometimes,
which contains the line "Beware, beware of the handshake that hides the snake."
Duuuuuude.
Version .784
January 9th, 2002
Borrowed a friend's PlayStation 2 to record the Snake and Otacon Super Secret
Handshake to VHS for repeated playback. Promised to give the system back "in
half-an-hour." The latest save was 3 hours behind the cutscene containing the
shake. Due to skipping all of the other cutscenes, returned the system in 45
minutes.
Version .785
January 9th, 2002
Realized that the remote control to my VCR contained dead batteries. Replaced
the batteries.
Version .786
January 9th, 2002
Watched the Snake and Otacon Super Secret Handshake between 5 and 7 times,
memorizing it.
Version .986
January 10th, 2002
Demonstrated the Snake and Otacon Super Secret Handshake to 4 people who I
had talked to on January 3rd, 2002. From my explanations they assumed it was
longer.
Version .999
January 12th, 2002
Began typing up the final Snake And Otacon Super-Secret Handshake Unofficial
Guide.
Version 1.000
January 12th, 2002
Finished typing up the final Snake And Otacon Super-Secret Handshake Unofficial
In-Depth Guide.
Version 1.01 – 3.86
January 2002 to November 2002
Submitted thirty seven different versions to GameFAQs. Nope, still not up.
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Introduction.
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Hello, everyone. A great injustice has, until now, been going on ever since
the release of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Countless people who have
played the game found themselves pondering "You know, if I could choose to
watch any cutscene over and over again, in a constant loop played on the
insides of my eyelids until the images are permanently burned into my retinas
until I am driven mad and reduced to a quivering, drooling mass on the floor,
it would be that one where Snake and Otacon do that neat handshake thing." I
know, that's exactly what I was thinking as well. I was eager to learn more
about this handshake, so I perused the internet to find a suitable document
that contained the vital info regarding this ritualistic flailing of limbs.
To my dismay, no such document existed. Tears began to well up in my eyes when
I though of all of the deprived children who, in wishing to emulate this
wonderful display of emotion, had no place to turn to. It was like a Sally
Struthers commercial with a horrible new twist. I soon decided that I did not
want to live in a world like the one I envisioned, so I immediately set out to
share this spectacle to the masses in an easy-to-access online guide. A great
warmth flows over me to know that the Snake and Otacon Super Secret Handshake
can now be shared freely to the peoples of the world without having to play
though that part of the game every time they want to capture a moment of sheer
bliss.
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3.2. Disclaimer.
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This guide contains a few SPOILERS, so if you didn't know that the Ninja is
really Olga in disguise, then you probably should have stopped reading a few
lines ago.
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4. Prelude to the Handshake.
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What you are about to witness is an act of prestidigitation from, arguably,
one of the most powerful scenes from the game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of
Liberty. The events leading up to the shake are as follows: Raiden has been
escorting Emma Emmerich, Hal Emmerich's sister, to the computer terminal where
Snake and Otacon are located. Emma is the only one capable of uploading a
virus to the menacing Arsenal Gear. On the way to the terminal, Emma is
assaulted by the sinister, blood-thirsty, and really really creepy Vamp, with
Raiden and Snake guarding the girl through the eyepiece of a sniper scope. A
tough but vicious battle is fought, but in the end Vamp is forced off of Emma,
and disappears into the water. All seems to be propitious until a dark stain
begins to creep outwards along Emma's midriff. She collapses to the ground a
few feet away from Snake's location. Upon inspection, Snake finds that she
has been stabbed, and orders Raiden to make his way to their location as
quickly as possible. When he arrives, he finds Emma cradled in Otacon's arms
on the floor, and Snake standing rigid at the terminal. Raiden gives Snake
the disk, and he slips it into the computer. The virus begins to upload into
Arsenal, but the connection is cut when the virus reaches 90%. Emma meekly
and weakly asks if everything is okay, and Snake shoots Otacon a dour glance
and grimly shakes his head. Otacon looks to his sister and says "Everything
is okay." In a moment of clarity between two estranged siblings, Otacon
confesses the reason he left the family early in his life. After the
reconciliation of the two, in my opinion, is the most distressing part to the
entire emotional saga. Emma asks Otacon to call her "Emma" instead of "E.E."
Otacon, instead of complying, asks what was wrong with "E.E." Emma falls
silent, and Otacon was never able to call her Emma while she was alive. Now
faced with the final boarding call to Arsenal Gear, Raiden, Snake and Otacon
are forced to head out and complete their duties. Otacon reaches for Emma's
parrot, and it surprised and deeply moved to learn that the parrot knows the
phrase "I miss you, Hal." Snake and Otacon are about to part ways, and the
two look at each other knowing full well that they may never see one another
again. It is now that they share the most awe-inspiring handshake to ever
greet the annals of video game history. Since everyone watching is too busy
choking back tears, it is a good chance that they were not ready to experience
such a masterpiece. And lo, I give you the Guide to the Snake and Otacon
Super Secret Handshake.
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5. Guide to the Handshake.
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If you just want to revisit the steps involved in the handshake, simply skip
to the first step.
If you want to perform this handshake with a friend, you should first know
that it is done chiefly left-handed, but can be altered to suit those who are
uncomfortable without using their right.
Second, the way I tell you to hold your hand does not correspond to the
images in the game: the hands on the models for Snake and Otacon do not change
appearance during the shake. In fact, I doubt there are many times in the game
where a character in a real-time cinema moves his or her fingers at all.
The finger movements are merely my opinion of what the characters hands would
be doing during certain actions if the makers of the game decided to animate
them.
Third, you should designate one person to be Otacon and one to be Snake.
The moves are fairly similar, but you won't be able to pull it off if you both
try to be Snake. Generally, the one who initiates the shake is designated as
Snake.
Fourth, and above all, make sure your partner knows the steps before going
into the shake full steam. Someone could get hurt.
1. The person designated as Snake should say something to prompt the
beginning of the shake. It should be something recognizable from the game,
such as "Good luck rescuing those hostages," or something as little as "Hey,
Otacon." (Note: this last phrase will not work as well if the person you are
hailing is really named Otacon.)
2. Snake and Otacon give each other an open handed horizontal slap across
the palms with their left hands, just like your average, everyday "high five"
style slap. After connecting, their hands, carried by the force of the swing,
continue to move horizontally right away from one another.
3. After bringing their arms to a stop, they reverse the movement of their
arms so that their left hands begin to move in the opposite direction, still
horizontal, causing their knuckles and the back of their hands to collide
against one another. Both hands continue moving left like in step 2.
4. Snake brings his left arm up, while Otacon brings his left arm down.
They both make their hand into a fist, and Snake pushes his hand down while
Otacon pushes his up. Their fists collide directly in front of them, and they
continue to move their hands in their respective vertical directions, similar
to the end of step 2.
5. Mimicking step 3, Snake brings his hand back up while Otacon brings his
back down, and their fists once again strike between them.
6. Both parties swing their left arms out to their left side. Snake's
swing is particularly exaggerated because his arm is higher in the air at the
beginning of the step.
7. This step, while being the most difficult to explain, in the most
important step to making the shake work. To get an idea of how your hands
should connect, hold your hand in front of you like you are signaling for
someone to stop. The fingers point straight up, the thumb points straight
right, and you are looking at the back of your hand. Now, without moving your
fingers or thumb, bend your wrist so your fingers are pointing forward, or
pointing in the direction you are looking. Rotate your wrist roughly 45
degrees counter-clockwise, so your hand is diagonal rather than horizontal, but
still pointing straight forward. That is how your hands should connect. This
move has to look and feel strong, so really thrust your hand out to your
partner. Your hands should connect at the little webbing between your thumb and
the base of your index finger, and stop dead once they touch. When you try it,
you will find that it feels more natural than it seems while reading this.
8. Hold this position for a little while. Nothing longer than a second or
two, though. It is simply supposed to last a bit longer than the earlier
steps.
9. Bring your hands down about a foot, while simultaneous "locking your
grip." This is similar to a traditional handshake, but instead of wrapping
your fingers around the area between the base of your partner's pinkie and the
wrist, you wrap your fingers around the area between the base of your partner's
thumb and the wrist. Hold this for a bit longer than you held step 7-8.
10. And, finally, we draw into the hug. The next few actions should all be
done simultaneously. Snake should initiate it by pushing his left hand out to
the right, forcing Otacon's hand around Snake's right side. You don't need to
lead Otacon's hand around your side; a small shove in the right direction will
start Otacon's hand around if he knows what to do. Otacon, at the prompt of
being pushed, puts his left arm around Snake's torso. He quickly brings his
right arm up to mimic what his left hand is doing, and he grasps Snake with
both hands at the same time. While this is happening, Snake needs to quickly
bring his left arm back out to his side before Otacon can pinch it between
them. Snake also reaches his right arm up and out and puts it over Otacon's
shoulder, hugging his back. Snake's right arm should follow a very short time
after his left, but wrap around Otacon's right shoulder a little lower than the
left one did.
11. Hold the hug for as long as you deem necessary. When Both parties let
go, Snake has the choice of leaving his palms on Otacon's shoulders for a bit
with his arms outstretched, or simply ending the shake by putting his arms back
at his sides.
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6. FAQ.
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Q. Where is the handshake in the game?
A. Although section 4 covers this question a bit, I will try to clarify.
After your boss fight with Vamp, you travel down the corridors to the room
where Emma is located. You bring her back to where you entered the flooded
area of the plant, and progression along a basically set path will take you
outside the plant and onto the oil fence. You will remember this section of
the game from having to protect Emma from guards, cyphers, and claymore mines
while looking through an infrared filter. After you snipe Vamp off of the
fence, you have to run from your area to the core where Snake took Emma. Then
the series of cutscenes will begin. The handshake comes after the trio leaves
the computer room and goes into the hallway. Hal will slam his head against
the elevator door in grief, and Snake will try to alleviate Otacon's distress.
The handshake starts right then. If you see the Ninja, or you wake up in
Arsenal Gear, you have gone too far.
Q. Why is this handshake so great?
A. It is very symbolic. Snake and Otacon have spent the time they have
know each other under a great deal of stress. They try to build a friendship
all the while with the knowledge that they could be split up for good at any
moment during one of Snake's escapades. When Snake and Otacon reached the
point where the likelihood of them seeing each other again was slim to nil, they
could no longer hold in their emotions and made a gesture that showed one
another what they feel. Plus, it all boils down to how danged cool it looks.
Q. So, does this mean that Snake and Otacon are gay?
A. By no means. The hug is simply a form of mutual respect between two
good friends. I'm sure if your best friend could be killed in the next few
minutes you'd give him or her more than a "s'long, sucker."
Q. The handshake really isn't all as great as you say it is.
A. That is not a question.
Q. How come the handshake is not really as great as you say it is?
A. You take that back.
Q. No.
A. The handshake is powerful, emotional, aesthetically pleasing, and very
surprising to the viewer. A crowd pleaser all the way.
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6. Credits.
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Special thanks to:
aljskfd2 at aol.com for letting me borrow his PlayStation 2, Metal Gear
Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, space on his memory card, etc.
hornpipe2 at hotmail.com and nafkert at aol.com for convincing me that this
guide would be a good idea to write.
Konami CEJ for making a game of such standards as to be able to write
such a guide.
The people who run/submit to GameFAQs.com, in their tireless efforts
to make sure that you won't forget the white page before going to see
Atrus.
This FAQ Copyrighted 2002 by Brent Smith. This guide can only be
presented on the GameFAQs servers and places that receive expressed written
consent from either GameFAQs or myself. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is
a registered trademark of Konami and Konami Computer Entertainment Japan. So
there.
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"Beware of the handshake that hides the snake."