There was a brief moment in time when Call of Duty was the best shooter out there, especially if you were a console player. It was a time when Call of Duty knew exactly what it was and didn’t try to be more, a time before everything became a microtransaction. It was a time we’ll never get back. Call of Duty will never be the same again.
#3 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfair
Coming in at number 3 is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I think a lot of people would put COD4 as the all-time greatest and give it the #1 spot, but it falls to 3rd for me, mostly because I was playing Halo 3 for most of COD4’s lifecycle. The only reason I gave it a shot was because my brothers would play it, and we only had one Xbox 360, so it was just easier to take turns playing the same game. That being said, I can still recognize that this game laid the foundation for some of the greatest gaming memories I’ve ever had. The Create-a-Class and Killstreak system was gold. The camo unlock system added so much to the game. COD4 was one of the best to ever do it, so I had to put it on this list.
#2 Call of Duty: Black Ops
This one was a very hard pick, but I have to give it to Call of Duty: Black Ops. I would give this game a 10/10. This was one of the few CODs I would call perfect. Black Ops introduced the Killstreak pick system — before, you just had the 3, 5, and 7 system. It also gave us the emblem editor, where you could have your clan tag on your gun and change the reticle color as well. The Gold camo was something to work for and looked great. The camos nowadays try to do way too much. But let’s keep it in the past and move on to #1.
#1 Call of Duty: World at War
Taking my number one spot is Call of Duty: World at War. Now, I will admit that Black Ops is a better game mechanically, but I love the WWII era and weapons, and they really outdid themselves with great guns. Just to list a few of my favorites: PPSH, MP40, STG-44, and the M1 Garand. WaW also had great maps like Castle, Cliffside, and Makin. This game pretty much got me to put down Halo and made me a COD player. That’s why it’s my #1.
I have long left the series because they got away from what they were good at and mostly focus on Warzone and moving microtransactions. It’s a real shame, but they can’t take these 3 games away from us. Before, you would buy the game for $60 and then buy 3 map packs over the course of a year for $15 each. I can remember waiting for the map packs to come out with friends; we would stay up until like 4 a.m. playing them. What I’m trying to say is, Call of Duty was everything, and now it’s a pile of rubble.
