Now, when we hear the magic words of Call of Duty, The Activision franchise that arrives every year and sells millions of games comes to mind. An unprecedented success within the reach of very few companies that next year, in 2023, will celebrate nothing more and nothing less than two decades. 20 years in which wars have accompanied us on consoles and computers with practically no rest.
Origin: A success that comes thanks to Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor was the title chosen from 1999 to convert the success of the film into videogames Save Private Ryan. Steven Spielberg's film, now a classic, served as the hook for a new generation of war titles. The success of the Electronic Arts franchise (originally Dreamworks Interactive) caused part of the team that developed the games to separate and end up creating an alternative to which they named Call of Duty, o The call of duty. Although in those early years (2003) the competition was fierce, with the passage of time only Activision's IP remained, which miraculously has survived to this day.
And although many of the games that make up the saga have been unprecedented sales successes, we have to remember the ten key moments of this franchise, for the contributions they made to the phenomenon Call of Duty that we live today.
All the games
The list of Call of Duty games is endless, but we are going to leave you with the main titles that have shaped the most successful war saga in video games. These are the main titles you should have played:
Call of Duty (2003)
This is the original game, released for PC and it was a resounding success. Focused on events of the Second World War, it outlined in a very basic way some of the ingredients that would have the Call of Duty in the future. In that first moment, its resemblance to the Medal of Honor from Electronic Arts was more than eye-catching, which did not prevent it from becoming a sales success.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
After two more games focused on World War II, Activision decides to take a radical turn and makes the first of many right decisions. Far from the battlefields in Europe during the 40s of the last century, it focuses on the Middle East and the terrorist threat, something that in the following years would have a dramatic reflection in reality itself because of 11/XNUMX in the United States. . How could it be otherwise, this game was a complete success.
Call of Duty World at War (2008)
The din for modern fighting did not last long for Activision and At the first chance he got, he went back to his origins, to World War II. On this occasion, this title is important for the saga because it marks the arrival of one of the most celebrated modes of the franchise, that of the zombies. From that moment on, it became one of the favorites of the players, although it took a few more years to be perfected for good.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
What to say about the game that marks the before and after of the saga full. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 it became the franchise's best-selling game up to that point and the one that definitively catapulted the brand to almost the levels it has today. In addition, its success had an unexpected consequence because it meant the departure of Vince Zampella from Activision, one of the bosses of the studio, who decided to leave quite angry for not participating financially in the success of the game. As a result of that decision, Respawn Entertainment would be created and Titanfall 1 and 2 or Apex Legends.
Call of Duty Black Ops (2010)
It is, so far, the Call of Duty best seller and the first to experiment with a new war conflict, which is essentially covert operations during the Cold War. On this occasion, we will visit tropical lands, Vietnam or Cambodia and we will get fully into those times of communist revolutions that devastated a world divided in two, with blocks on one side and the other of the famous Iron Curtain. One of the best remembered games of the entire franchise.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
Call of Duty dared to imagine a little over a decade ago what a Third World War would be like, although The important thing about this title comes with the multiplayer, which is the one that lays the foundations of what we have today. With this game, the rankings begin to arrive, the ecosystem of multiplayer games and the levels of weapons or the help of the most novice to fight with other more experienced players. They also enter the scene Spec Ops, which will be another of the attractions of the franchise.
Call of Duty Infinite Warfare (2016)
Activision, surely tired of more or less real conflicts (almost all of them), decides to travel to the future to develop a delivery in which never-before-seen, futuristic weapons appear, and that substantially modify the way of fighting in the game up to that moment. The jumps with the jet pack and other innovations do not sit well with some players who suddenly see influences from other competitors such as Titanfall (Vince Zameplla's). In the end, by dint of playing games, the initial complaints did not get any further but with the next installment (just in case) they disappeared.
Call of Duty Black Ops III (2018)
One of the most recent installments in the series will be remembered, not so much for its technical quality or innovations, but for the fact that Call of Duty Black Ops IIII was the first to voluntarily decide obviate the presence of a single player campaign. This mode had always been one of the most requested by players, which is why it caused a rejection among a large part of gamers who only dare to enjoy each new Call of Duty just for his story. Luckily, in the following years the custom returned without problems and since then there has never been a lack of a good story to enjoy.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Remastered (2020)
Activision wanted to celebrate the ten years of the game that turned Call of Duty into the phenomenon that it is right now releasing a remastering of the 2009 classic, with a significant improvement in graphics and wondering if the airport mission should be included. In this version, for obvious reasons, we only have the campaign mode since all the multiplayer part was removed. Logically, this decision had a lot to do with the fact that it arrived the same year as Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, which already brought its own multiplayer ecosystem to feed, not only the community that waits for a new installment every year, but also that eSports leg that Activision has been promoting for some time.
Call of Duty Warzone (2020)
And we come to the last turning point of the franchise. A key moment that is the launch of its own Battle Royale. A completely free, permanent game, which is a service in itself and that coexisted in its launch with Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War. On this occasion Warzone It offers us a huge map and games in which a maximum of 150 players face each other to fight until there is only one left.
Call of Duty Vanguard (2021)
Activision decided to return to World War II with the late 2021 game, something that is not accidental because if the franchise owes its success to any conflict, that is the conflict that occurred in the last century between 1939 and 1945. Thank God, we return to a campaign mode with its own history and a multiplayer that does not detract from what has been seen in previous installments in which modern warfare had a very significant weight.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
This year, in 2022, things are back on track with Call of Duty Modern Warfare II. It is quite a declaration of intent, since graphically it is spectacular to look at. The campaign mode returns with a very interesting plot that is based on super realistic cinematics that help to follow the story as if it were a feature film, also linking with the missions that we must complete.
Remember we come from a record purchase by Microsoft this year and that one of the most prolific sagas in the history of video games has to see how it focuses its next years. Only available for Xbox and PC consoles? Or will it keep its cross-platform spirit including PlayStation? That was the question that many asked themselves, and that finally had a solution. Call of Duty will continue to be available for PlayStation, and although availability will last, everything indicates that at some point Microsoft will cut ties to take its product exclusively.
Other Call of Duty
The saga is so big that it has also had parallel editions as an expansion or lighter versions for other consoles. These are the other Call of Duty that you should also know about:
- Call of Duty: United Offensive
- Call of Duty: Finite Hour
- Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
- Call of Duty: Roads to Victory
- Call of Duty: World at War
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare DS
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Zombies
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified
- Call of Duty: Online
- Call of Duty: Mobile
- Call of Duty: War zone