I experienced this first hand.

It hurt.

Wow, how the fuck did it know?

When Metal Gear Solid came out, one of the reviews praised the way it "never forgets it's a video game." I wondered what that meant. Then I played it.

"Early onset Alzheimer's?" scoffed the colonel. "Big deal. That didn't stop Reagan from ending the Cold War!" Everyone at Mission Control just smiled and nodded, while Mei Ling surreptitiously changed their warhead codes, just to be safe.

Things got awkward later that evening when the Colonel, during a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, grabbed Colin Powell by the lapels and demanded to know if his controller was plugged into slot two.

Look, I'm used to this kind of condescension from my dating sims, but from a Metal Gear Game??

This game was the most fun when it broke the 4th wall.