The latest Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer as really got fans speculating. The trailer shows the various Metal Gear games that have taken Solid Snake to Shadows Moses. At the end of the montage of games we see footage of an MGS4 model Snake walking around an MGS4 model recreation of Shadow Moses. This intriguing footage has fans wondering just what role Shadow Moses will play in MGS4.

I know of no definitive answer as I write this post but I am willing to give my thoughts on some of the scenarios fans have come up with. Here’s my take on three of the most prevailing theories:

Theory #1: It’s just a flashback/dream sequence.
At the end of the trailer we see Snake wake up in helicopter with Otacon. Otacon asks, “Everything alright Snake?” to which Snake replies “I was having that dream again.” Thus it is implied the whole scene is just a flashback or dream sequence. So is that the only role Shadow Moses plays in MGS4? I don’t think so. While I certainly don’t rule out the possibility of a flashback/dream sequence occurring in the game, I believe that Shadow Moses will also play some another, more substantial role in MGS4.

Theory #2: Shadows Moses is a location in the game.
It has long been known that MGS4 will feature several different locations around the globe. Bearing that in mind it is not hard to believe that Shadow Moses will be one of those locations.

In fact an early trailer shows footage of Snake and Liquid battling in an area that appears to be Shadow Moses. Snake is in a Metal Gear Rex and Liquid comes up to him in a Metal Gear Ray. For me that footage confirms that Snake will indeed be returning to Shadow Moses, perhaps for the final boss fight against Liquid.

While I may be firmly behind Theory #2, I can understand why skeptics might say the footage of the Snake and Liquid showdown is a trick. Hideo Kojima has been know to use trailers to play tricks on fans in the past. The best example of that being all pre-release trailers for MGS2 which featured footage of Snake in sections of the game that actually feature Raiden, as at the time Raiden was a top secret character. Despite Hideo’s sometimes-deceitful nature, I honestly feel he is on the level this time and that theory #2 is where it’s at.

Theory #3: A complete remake of MGS with the MGS4 game engine.
Perhaps to coincide with the development of MGS4; Hideo has remade the original MGS with the MGS4 game engine. If Hideo was to do this it is safe to assume it won’t be included on the actual MGS4 game disc. The MGS4 game itself was challenging enough to make and I doubt Hideo and his team had time to develop a MGS remake on top of everything else. Maybe instead the remake will be released in the future as downloadable content on the Playstation Store or maybe even as a stand-alone game somewhere down the line.

While the whole concept of an MGS remake with the MGS4 game engine is a neat notion I find the likelihood of it actually happening to be extremely slim. Of all the games in the Metal Gear franchise Metal Gear Solid has been remade and revisited the most. You have the 1998 Playstation version, the 2003 Gamecube version, and the 2006 graphic novel version for the PSP. With so many incarnations of MGS out there I doubt Konami has another MGS remake high on it’s priority list.

So there you have it, my thoughts on how Shadows Moses will be included in MGS4. I encourage you to speculate for yourself; thought you won’t have to speculate much longer. For in just a little over a month MGS4 will finally be released and fans will get the answers to many nagging questions.

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