Since its incredible entry in 2003, Call of Duty has left its mark on the entertainment industry. Its annual releases have captivated millions of players worldwide through its intense combat, dynamic gameplay, and interactive multiplayer.
With over twenty-two games in the franchise, Activision has settled Call of Duty well in the race of the First-Person Shooter genre. However, it feels that COD games have been downgraded heavily.
Key Takeaways
- The Call of Duty franchise has become a big name in the FPS league due to its immersive gameplay and various game settings.
- It entered an online battle arena with COD Warzone but lost players and was eventually declared boring by fans.
- It has many titles like Black Ops, Modern Warfare, and Cold War that are widely praised.
- COD has higher sales than Battlefield but is losing its charm.
- With the release of Modern Warfare III, the Call of Duty franchise should be ended for good.
Types Of Storylines
Call of Duty offers a variety of stories set in different periods and perspectives. The franchise has utilized four to five types of story settings, all of which have been critically acclaimed.
Historical Warfare: Some Call of Duty games are set in World War II, the Cold War, and other historical conflicts. These settings shared soldiers’ experiences on the frontline, allowing players to witness great battles.
Modern Warfare: This story catered to elite military units and gave a more modernized touch to Call of Duty games.
Black-Ops: This narrative explored clandestine operations with players taking the mantle of covert operatives.
Branching Storylines: For a few COD titles, like Black Ops II, makers experimented with choice-based gameplay. The choices affected the outcome of certain key events, maintaining replay value and allowing players to shape the future as they wish.
Despite all the praises, the franchise now seems to exploit all these narratives.
New FPS titles, including Battlefield, have joined the race of FPS games and share the same types of settings. Their narratives also revolved around high-stakes operations and police drama to epic theatres of world war, etc. Even though the Call of Duty franchise has higher sales than Battlefield and no comparison to it, I am afraid COD has started losing its charm.
Entering The Online Competitive Arena
Call of Duty franchise ventured into the arena of competitive battles with its Battle Royale-styled Call of Duty Warzone. The game became an instant hit and timely updates avoided bugging issues and kept the game alive.
The online platform took a big turn when it started losing players. Some pointed out the boring side of its online battling. The game grew monotonous and lacked innovation and fresh content to engage players.
Developers’ efforts to breathe life into COD’s online platform through Warzone 2 also turned out to be an epic failure.
On the CODWarzone subreddit, players called it a downgrade of Warzone One. They discussed how the sequel couldn’t improve and was ultimately deemed a “pointless sequel.”
Where Did COD Go Wrong?
Call of Duty Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2, and MW3 played a crucial part in successfully holding the COD franchise together till 2011.
Things took a wrong turn when COD Ghost was met with disastrous reviews due to its bugs and frequent crashes. The decline of the well-established franchise began at this juncture.
The panning continued to Advanced Warfare’s arrival due to its predictable plot. Yet, it received praise for its gameplay. With this, COD’s focus for future releases shifted to a futuristic route, disappointing the old fans. Such ultra-modern settings with wall-crawling and flying jetpacks made the fans lose faith in COD games.
Activision attempted to please the angry fans with Call of Duty WW II, but it was in vain, as the damage had already been done.
Activision has failed to keep up with the success of the Call of Duty franchise. Every installment presents a new problem, while the story and gameplay seem repetitive. With continuous annual releases, the element of consistency has gone missing.
Considering the latest entry of Modern Warfare III, I think it is high time to put the COD series to sleep for good.
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Ever since I was introduced to the gaming realm, I have discovered a whole new world of creativity and adventure. Although I travel through the structured world of business studies, I find my true solace in imaginative writing and thrilling actions in RPG games. That’s exactly what I do: blend both of my passions to create appealing literary pieces. From Hellblade to Metal Gear Solid, third-person games are my go-tos. Join me on my journey as I unveil some classic gaming details and witness the gaming domain through my lens.
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