Call of Duty: A game even your mother has heard of
Greetings and salutations! I’m glad to see that you came back for more! This week’s topic is going to dive into one of the most celebrated (and sometimes hated) game titles of all time, Call of Duty.
Before the call of duty, there was the call to action
Call of Duty. This is a name recognized by people anywhere you go. Though, what is now a major franchise spawning 16 main series titles was once a fledgling video game based on World War 2. In 2003, the very first Call of Duty was announced. The world had no idea that it would be the first time they were witnessing the birth of a titan.
The game changer
Depending on your age, I’m willing to bet that your first Call of Duty might have been Call of Duty 4. This was the first game in the franchise to shake things up, which is also what brought the series its first look at fame. Also known as Modern Warfare, Call of Duty 4 was the first title in the series not set in World War 2. Not only did this give people a change of scenery, but it introduced us to a gritty and tragic, but also fun and tactical take on current day warfare. As you step into the shoes of British and American forces, you are thrown into a world that felt very real and dangerous, while also remaining fun to play. That’s just the campaign though, the multiplayer is something completely different.
Multiplayer memories
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare introduced us to something amazing. Online, multiplayer Call of Duty was born. This is to be perhaps the most major milestone in CoD history to date. Sure, the CoD series has its story, its sequels and its zombies, but the multiplayer is the reasons fans come back year after year.
CoD Modern Warfare introduced fast, compelling gameplay that kept people coming back for more. With its killstreaks, guns and map design, Modern Warfare was a massive success, making Call of Duty one of the most famous titles in the world.
Call of Duty: Cash Grab
While CoD has seen a crazy amount of praise and success, it’s also seen its fair share of controversies and missteps. Things such as Modern Warfare 2’s “No Russian” mission and the recent flops in the title’s history has caused many critics to protest the series, and has caused many fans to becomes critics themselves. While many people will disagree with me, I feel that it’s safe to say that Black Ops 2 was the last Call of Duty title to be true to the spirit of the franchise, though I did enjoy playing CoD WWII quite a bit. The series began to seem very stale and recycled after Black Ops 2, which is something fans definitely noticed. As of today, many fans criticize the series for being a cash grab. The fact that the games come out yearly and usually aren’t very good doesn’t help the argument either.
My Thoughts
To me, Call of Duty will always have a special place in my heart. I still remember entire summers where me and all my buddies would rush home from school to hop on Xbox and play Modern Warfare 2, which was definitely the best CoD of all time (I will fight you on this). Back then, everyone I knew played CoD, even my dad. In fact, I fondly remember multiplayer lobbies in MW2 being a popular hangout spot, where I made new friends and had more fun than I have playing almost every game out there today. Despite all of this, I feel that the time for the franchise to end has long passed. Year after year, I see new titles being leaked, announced and then released. Yet, the formula is the same stale system it’s always been. I stopped buying Call of Duty a long time ago, and it’s a choice I’d make again.
As with every year, there is a new Call of Duty on the horizon. This new title, also named Modern Warfare (very confusing I know), is said so far to be a game changer. Hopefully those people are correct.
As always, I want to know what you think. Go ahead and leave some comments for me down below. Do you think Call of Duty is a good series? Do you think it’s lost its touch? Have I become a cynical gamer who bashes new titles too much? Let me know.
Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll smell ya later.
