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Shadow Moses Island

From the Metal Gear Wiki

Solid Snake at Shadow Moses Island.

Shadow Moses is an island that is part of the Fox Archipelago laying south-west of mainland Alaska in the Bering sea. It was the location where ArmsTech and DARPA decided to develop Metal Gear REX and a new type of stealth nuclear missile. In 2005, a test mission was to be conducted at the facility with the DARPA Chief Donald Anderson, President of ArmsTech Kenneth Baker, FOXHOUND and the GENOME Army all overseeing it. However it was then that FOXHOUND rebelled against the US, holding the DARPA Chief and ArmsTech President hostage and hijacking REX. Ex-FOXHOUND agent Solid Snake was sent in to defuse the situation. This became known as the Shadow Moses Incident. The island is completely abandoned after the incident, and remains untouched for nine years.

In 2014, Solid Snake returns to Shadow Moses after discovering Liquid Ocelot intends to steal the railgun off of REX. This is because it is not under SOP control and can launch a stealth missile at a satellite in space which houses JD, the Patriots core-AI. Once again infiltrating the base, Snake fights his way through numerous Dwarf Gekko and Gekko, and fights and defeats Crying Wolf. Snake makes his way to the underground supply tunnel and finds REX, but the railgun is already taken. He then encounters Vamp, and manages to temporarily strip him of his immortality, giving Raiden a chance to kill him. REX's hangar becomes the final resting place for Vamp and Naomi Hunter, and with hordes of suicidal gekkos pouring in, Snake and Raiden manage to escape in the re-powered Metal Gear REX. Snake and Liquid then end up fighting at Moses' port, with Solid Snake operating REX and Metal Gear RAY being piloted by Liquid Ocelot.

Contents

[edit] Areas

Shadow Moses in 2014, after it had been abandoned.
  • Dock
  • Heliport
  • Tank Hangar
  • Holding Cells
  • Armory
  • Canyon
  • Nuclear Warhead Storage Building
  • Lab
  • Commander's Room
  • Cave
  • Underground Passage
  • Medical Room
  • Communications Towers A/B
  • Snowfield
  • Blast Furnace
  • Casting Facility
  • Warehouse
  • Underground Base
  • Control Room
  • Supply Route
  • Port

There is also a mess hall, but it is never seen in-game and is mentioned by Otacon only.

[edit] Differences between MGS1 and MGS4

In terms of layout and environmental inclusions, Shadow Moses appears identical to the version's in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes with some notable differences.

Certain areas of the island are inaccessible during MGS4, these areas are the Dock, Holding Cells, Armoury, Comander's Room, Cave, Underground Passage (remains of this area can still be seen in the Snowfield), Communication Towers, Cargo Elevators (which Vamp sealed) and Warehouse).

MGS4 establishes both the original MGS1 and TTS canonical as elements from both versions are present in this version. Examples include the audio flashbacks taken from The Twin Snakes, which used re-recorded voice acting, whereas Snake's image flashbacks are from MGS1, including Snake's dream sequence.

Heliport:

  • Snake infiltrates the island via a small passage through the rock wall in MGS4. In MGS and TTS this passage doesn't exist but there is a large piece of the wall missing where it's supposed to be, indicating that it may actually be there.
  • The elevator Snake used to infiltrate previously is now locked behind a gate, and the barricade next to the helipad is now gone.
  • The crate that Snake hid behind 9 years earlier is no longer there.
  • The small storage rooms west of the helipad now include ventilation ducts.
  • The ducts used to enter the Tank Hangar have a slightly different layout.
  • There are now step placements leading onto the helipad, MGS1 had two large steps, TTS had four steps.
  • The surveillance cameras has been turned off because of the power cut and some of them have broken off their placements.
  • The columns around the upper ventilation duct are different.

Tank Hanger:

  • The Front Hanger Door has been opened up. In MGS1 and TTS it was locked and Snake had to take a ventilation duct to get into the tank hanger.
  • There are no surveillance cameras in the Tank Hangar and Dwarf Gekko are now attached to the walls where the cameras were.
  • The stairs in the Tank Hanger are now closer to the main doors and are a different model.
  • The upper ventilation duct exit has been destroyed.
  • The M1 Tank's cannon has been turned to the side.
  • Some of the small rooms that previously required a keycard are now permanently open.
  • The elevator can't be used due to the power cut.

Canyon:

  • There is a small passage in the rocks that doesn't appear in the other versions.
  • In The Twin Snakes there is a duct that runs across the ground which is not in MGS or MGS4, though it is likely that this would now be snowed over, explaining its absence from MGS4.
  • Raven's M1 Tank is not there (presumably moved by the two Gekko that now occupy the area or by the Genome Soldiers after Snake had destroyed it; then again, the M1 Tank is not present if Snake goes back through the area after retrieving the Nikita).

Nuclear Warhead Storage Building:

  • The gun cameras that were on the front door in MGS1 and TTS are no longer there.
  • The elevated platform now has supports below it. In MGS it is fixed to the wall with no supports at all, in TTS it has a small support where it meets the floor.
  • Around the corner from the elevator there was a crate that is no longer there.
  • The steps to the upper level are different (the same steps used in the Tank Hangar).
  • The western wall is a reflective surface, MGS1/TTS features a matte, non-reflective wall.
  • There are no surveillance cameras in the missile hangar anymore.
  • The warheads have been removed from the nuclear missiles. Making it safe for Snake to use heavy weapons in the area.

Lab:

  • The glass separating the elevator and the control panel is smashed.
  • The glass separating the elevator and the control panel now extends from ceiling to floor, where it was just a windows on MGS/TTS.
  • The Air Cleaners now have rectangular holes, originally they were circular.
  • There are no remains of the soldiers that Gray Fox killed 9 years before, though stains and bullet holes remain.
  • The large dent in the wall where Gray Fox kicked an enemy soldier into it is now on a different part of the wall.
  • The supercomputers in Otacon's old office now have transparent covers and a green illumination.
  • The small control panel on the wall just before the electric floor (the one that deactivates after the main panel is hit by a missile) is not there.
  • The gun cameras that were in this area are gone.
  • Desks and equipment in the west office (where the Nikita missile went through) are now moved around and the computers are smashed on the ground.

Snowfield:

  • Snake enters this area through a large door connecting the Nuclear Warhead Storage Building to the Snowfield. This door was locked previously. This entrance also allows access to the full Snowfield, as only part of it was accessible originally, during the second battle with Sniper Wolf.
  • The Underground Passage where Snake fought Sniper Wolf (and where Meryl was shot) for the first time is now filled with snow, but still recognizable as the edges of the wall along with the alcoves can still be seen, but are damaged and uneven.
  • The cargo truck that was parked near the storerooms is no longer there.
  • In "MGS/TTS" , the area where you fight Sniper Wolf for the second time was completely enclosed off from the rest of the snowfield. However, in MGS4, parts of the wall seem to be missing, although it is likely that the constant exposure to winds could cause segments to fall down and become buried in the snow.

Blast Furnace:

  • There are no gun camera's in the entrance room and the crate can no longer be crawled under.
  • There is a large control unit on the deck of the Blast Furnace, which is not there in either MGS or TTS.
  • The railings in the area are a different, more realistic decaying model.
  • The molten metal is gone.
  • There is an elevator in the west corner (this doesn't exist in MGS or TTS) which leads to a previously unseen area called the Casting Facility used as an alternative route to REX's hangar because Vamp sealed the Cargo Elevator entrance door. It is possible to see the shafts and mechanics of the Cargo Elevators in this area.
  • The overall layout is similar but slightly different.

Underground Base and REX's Hangar:

  • The small hatch Snake crawls through from the Casting Facility is entirely absent in the original, in The Twin Snakes there is a hatch but it is higher up on the wall.
  • The floor traps are open and serve as the spawning point for the Dwarf Gekko.
  • The gun camera's are out of service due to the power cut and there aren't as many as there were before. In MGS there were approximately 30 or more gun placements on the walls. in TTS there are only 4, guarding the corridor to REX's hangar.
  • The water has stopped.
  • The camera in the corridor just before entering REX's hangar (which captures Naomi and Vamp entering the hangar) was not there in MGS or TTS.
  • The door used to escape the Supply Route when piloting REX is seen in both MGS and TTS but is inaccessible (Snake refers to it as "the door in front?" when questioning his escape in MGS/TTS). In MGS4 it is revealed that it leads to the Port area, which was not seen originally, though the ending cut-scene in The Twin Snakes shows structures in the background similar to those seen in the Port, it is likely that this is in fact the Port as it would only be located a small distance down the same coast as the exit of the Supply Route.

[edit] Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Yoshi being spotted by the searchlight on Shadow Moses Island in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Shadow Moses Island, specifically the Helipad area, also appears in the Nintendo themed fighter, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When fifteen battles have been fought on this stage, Solid Snake will challenge the last player to win. If Snake is defeated, he will become a playable character.

During battle, a searchlight will hover over the walls of the battlefield; if it spots a character, a red "!" will appear over their heads, along with the trademark alert noise. The two searchlight towers, however, can be destroyed if attacked long enough, although they will restore themselves after a short period of time. Occasionally, Metal Gear REX, Metal Gear RAY, or two Gekko will appear in the background, though not affecting the fighters. Snake can also use his codec on this stage to contact Colonel Campbell (or, in the case of Luigi, his Patriot doppelganger), Mei Ling, and Otacon (and on one occasion, Slippy Toad from the Star Fox series, if Snake is fighting Falco) and gain intel regarding his opponents. If he is knocked out, however, the person on the other frequency will treat the situation like a traditional MGS "Game Over" situation.

Hideo Kojima worked on the development of Shadow Moses.

[edit] Appearances

[edit] See also

[edit] External Links

Shadow Moses Island stage at Smash Bros. Dojo!!

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