Like Snake's old cardboard box, much of the game is only here for fan-service - novelty and nostalgia purposes; it really goes above and beyond in that respect. However, if the game's humour and drama is not your style and you don't have the history for the nostalgia, then some pretty polygons, a long-winded story and a bit of generic stealth-action might be all MGS4 has left for you. 8.9/10