How Call of Duty Has Evolved Over the Years

It’s funny how something can start out so small and grow into the latest phenomenon.  When the original Call of Duty came out in 2003, its main goal was to compete with EA’s Medal of Honor series.  But little did anyone realize that it would grow into one of the biggest franchises in gaming history, selling millions of units across the board.

With that, we’ve decided to take a look back at various games in the series to see how it’s grown, and what better place to start than with the gem that really kick-started it into high gear…

Call of Duty 2

When the Xbox 360 first launched in 2005, people thought that the only notable first-person shooter they would be looking forward to was Perfect Dark Zero.  However, Activision changed all that when they showed first footage from Call of Duty 2, under the guidance of Infinity Ward.  The game captured startling realistic military action, unlike anything gamers had seen on the PS2 or Xbox, and included terrific gameplay to boot.  It also introduced a number of multiplayer modes that would become the backbone for the Call of Duty experience we’re familiar with today, including modes like Deathmatch, Search & Destroy and Capture the Flag, among others.

Call of Duty 3

Not to be outdone by their peers at Infinity Ward, Treyarch stepped up and gave the series a try with their own take on military action, during the D-Day invasion.  And though the game wasn’t as smooth as Call of Duty 2’s frame rate and detail, it still delivered in a number of ways with intense action and addictive multiplayer, further solidifying the Call of Duty name with players.  Still, some were getting a bit concerned that the series would be nothing more than a series of “past” military shooters…which was happily address with Infinity Ward’s next effort.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

2007 would be the year that would change everything for Activision and the Call of Duty franchise, as Infinity Ward would really step up their game with a more modern military experience.  Modern Warfare excelled on all fronts, between thrilling gameplay (with more intense scenarios than ever before), unparalleled 60-frames per second visuals, a boost up in audio quality, and, of course, multiplayer, which introduced a new perk system for the number of kills you racked up, including air strikes, reconnaissance scans and attack helicopters – just the thing to turn the tide in battle.

But the single player mode also told its own story, and included a number of jarring events, including a fatal nuclear explosion that has to be seen to be believed.  Five years after its initial release, the original Modern Warfare continues to be one of the best games for this generation.

Call of Duty: World At War

For its next Call of Duty game, Treyarch would stay stuck in the past, during the 1940’s.  However, utilizing Infinity Ward’s engine technology, it would create one of the most stirring first-person shooting experiences of 2008, complete with being able to burn snipers in trees and vividly stab someone in the neck with a knife.  The intensity picked up over the course of the single player campaign, and switched back and forth between two characters – Private Miller and Private Petrenko.  With varying switches between locales and missions – and the inclusion of such voice actors as Gary Oldman and Kiefer Sutherland – World At War would become appreciated by the community, and showed that Treyarch had what it took to keep up with its fellow team at Infinity. 

Plus, the multiplayer picked up tremendously, especially with the introduction of Zombies, a mode where you team up with allies to take down invading zombie hordes.  This has since become a staple of the franchise.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

With an even bigger storyline (and budget) than the original game, Modern Warfare 2 would tell the tale of a huge Russian invasion following a controversial terrorist attack at an airport – one the player can take part in if they choose – and how a group of small Americans, led by Captain Price, would fight back.  The story is a compelling one, and the multiplayer remains as competitive as ever, proving that Infinity Ward hadn’t lost its touch – though legal ramifications would result in the removal of studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella shortly after the game’s release.  (They’re currently working at a new studio called Respawn Entertainment, working on a project for Electronic Arts.)

Also released that year was a digital version of the original CoD, titled Call of Duty Classic.  It was included in the Hardened Edition of Modern Warfare 2, and also available for download on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network for $14.99.  Though not as thorough as current Call of Duty games, it remains a fun blast from the past.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

With Black Ops, Treyarch once again stayed stuck in the past, compared to Modern Warfare’s present day happenings.  However, this time it was closer to the Vietnam era, with an operative named Alex Mason being asked questions by a mysterious group about a number of events that you play through in the game.  Black Ops has become highly celebrated in the Call of Duty community, not only for the return of its great multiplayer features (including Zombies), but also for the involvement of some A-list talent, including actors Sam Worthington, Ed Harris and Ice Cube, along with the return of Gary Oldman.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Many worried about this particular sequel, mainly because of Infinity Ward’s new direction without their teammates.  However, thanks to the help of the team at Sledgehammer Games (made up of former Dead Space developers), the game came through with shining colors.  The multiplayer remained a triumph in the community, though some felt like it was the “same old thing” in certain regards, and the story wrapped up the arc between Captain Price and the chief villain of the series, the malicious Makarov.  It sold significantly well, and also introduced a new service called Call of Duty Elite, where players could watch programming, check statistics and loadouts, get clan information and more.  At first it was introduced as a yearly subscription service, but Activision recently announced that it would be free from hereon in.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

And here we stand, ready to check out the latest game in the series – and Treyarch’s most in-depth development to date.  This story actually takes place in the future, where America has a huge reliance on automated defense tools, including walking tanks and flying gyrocopters – an advantage that will soon turn deadly, as a vicious rebel named Raul Menendez has plans in store.  This game will bring back the fun multiplayer that we’ve gotten accustomed to, along with zombies and a number of other features.  It’s sure to be a best seller, despite the competition from Microsoft’s monstrous Halo 4.

And that’s about it.  There have been various other releases on the mobile and console front, but these have been the “big boys”, and as you can see, despite certain controversies, it’s a series that’s really come a long way in just under a decade.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II hits stores November 13th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, and November 18th for Wii U.