The History of Call of Duty
By Kyle Mann | September 28, 2011 | Features | 13 comments | Share
The Series that Changed Gaming Forever
In the perpetual argument as to whether games ought to be more “cinematic”, perhaps no game is as important to the discussion as Call of Duty. When the franchise debuted some eight years ago, very few games had taken the movie-like approach for which Infinity Ward is now famous. Some had taken inspiration from various films, sure, but none had really captured the intensity and production value of A-list movies until Call of Duty. Now, the series is a poster child for linear, scripted gameplay, for better or for worse.
Shattering sales records as some blockbuster films could never hope to, Call of Duty has captured the hearts and minds of millions of gamers the world over. Still, it’s a controversial series: some circles of gamers complain of the strict, on-rails experiences; others detest the sometimes spiteful multiplayer community. Whatever the games are doing wrong, the sales numbers speak for themselves: they definitely do some things right for a whole lot of people.
Before Call of Duty, single-player games tended toward the formulaic rather than the cinematic. Narrative-driven experiences like Half-Life were the exception rather than the rule. Fetch-the-red-key mission objectives, strictly scripted friendly and enemy AI, and enclosed, point-A-to-point-B mission structures were still commonplace. While Call of Duty did not do away with linear scripting, the game subtly scripted its squad and enemy AI to perform in a more organic fashion, offering the player the illusion of a dynamic, constantly shifting battle that was more intense than many games up to that point had been able to achieve.
As the first few games in the series played a part in revolutionizing singleplayer narratives, so the later entries made waves in the multiplayer arena, the effects of which will be felt for years to come. The persistent reward system, Prestiges, and killstreaks have all profoundly changed the way multiplayer games are developed and experienced. Looking back on the gaming industry of the 2000s from now, love it or hate it, we will regard Call of Duty among the most significant games of the past ten years. As Modern Warfare 3 waits in the wings to make its debut this November, let’s take a few minutes to look back on the history of the franchise.
WaW, all the way. Pity hackers screwd the game over...
exactly what revolutionary can they add to call of duty being that its a non fiction game? cause i dont see anything revolutionary or new in battlefield 3 other than some graphics, all in all i see more new in mw3 than battlefield 3 graphics is the only stand out thing in battlefield 3
@kevin - But then again, call of duty has been the same since the fourth one and hasn't really changed. The Battlefield franchise actually changes with each title, trying to make a better game and not just to get more cash. And you obviously are too blind or haven't properly looked at BF3 to notice the gameplay mechanics and multiplayer capabilities. Even if the graphics are the only thing that stand out, at least the game stands out rather being a franchise milked to death. I loved COD3 but it was terrible after that, and let's face it, COD will probably die the same way Guitar Hero did, being milked dry.
...Dont fight over BF3 and MW3... ^
@Hehehehe Im Peter Griffin - But... but... what would we fight about? Mario vs. Sonic?
Great article, by the way.
@Cheesenium - Thank you
and the great thing is? There is still an active Call of Duty (1) community on the pc!
@kio - Yeah, still an excellent game. There are a lot of great MP mods for it as well
can't we make call of duty upcoming games series interesting like crysis 2 it would be very interesting
@prateek narkhede - Thanks for the suggestion. We have 1 other series in the works now, but I'll make a note of the Far Cry/Crysis series for a possible article.
Call of Duty: Future Warfare - Combat Re-defined
It's pretty much the only other direction the franchise can take and break any new ground (I know BF did 2142, but it's not on consoles...)
@Sam - I'd totally be interested in a sci-fi Call of Duty.