Well, it used to be that some aspects of the storyline were grounded in current events. Nukes are still a big threat in the modern world, as it was during the time of the first MG game. I think Kojima has overestimated the impact of PMCs; or rather, the proliferation of PMCs caused by countries privatizing their own armies (and I still don't comprehend why any country would want to go in that direction).
It's good to know that Rising is set in an alternate reality. I'm still hoping that we'll eventually see an official "Rising" game from KojiPro, one of these days... .
It would have Snatcher Biggu Bawse in it.