How Has the Call of Duty Series Changed Over Time?
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With a new Call of Duty game coming out every year, the series appears to change significantly and remain the same. The furious gunplay players enjoy spiced up with new systems and weaponry, but the brand's foundation was unchanged for a long time. The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released on November 5, 2007, 15 years ago, when the franchise finally found its footing. What specifically made this game unique? Let's examine this iconic first-person shooter game throughout the years to determine why it revolutionized competitive multiplayer games and first-person shooters.

Popularity

Many players are unaware that Call of Duty wasn't always the dominant first-person shooter. Before Call of Duty went viral, most gamers would fight it out in Halo or Unreal Tournament. When Modern Warfare was released, everything changed. Other games in the genre couldn't match the game's innovative multiplayer features for an engaging experience. At this point, it competed with other well-liked shooters, but Modern Warfare 2, widely regarded as the top-rated Call of Duty game ever developed, helped it establish itself as a gaming titan.

Shift Towards Multiplayer

Many people have forgotten the time when Call of Duty concentrated on creating an engaging narrative rather than making advancements in multiplayer competition. Although Call of Duty 1 through 3 featured multiplayer options, they fell short of what fans have come to expect from contemporary games. Experience points, perks, levels, and Create-A-Class made for an addicting multiplayer component in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare that players couldn't get enough of. Since Call of Duty 4, every game has worked hard to improve its multiplayer by adding new modes and features.

Setting

The Call of Duty series has altered its setting over the years because games like Call of Duty: WWII and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare belongs to the same brand. World War II was the scenario for the initial Call of Duty game, and it remained thus until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare moved the brand into a more contemporary setting. Before Advanced Warfare moved the series further into the future, where it would stay until World War II, it shifted around this period. The franchise has now completed a full circle, with the most current game being a Modern Warfare revival with a contemporary setting.

Health Regeneration

The "raspberry jam" effect of Call of Duty when players run out of health has drawn criticism from many FPS players. While annoying, it clearly warns that the player will perish and should hide to restore health. Most people don't realize that the only two games where players didn't have health regeneration were Call of Duty: WWII's campaign and the original Call of Duty. Instead, players had to find health packets scattered across the levels to replenish health. Due to the partial regeneration system in Halo's popularity, Call of Duty 2 imitated it, and nearly every shooter has since done the same.

Conclusion

The game Call of Duty 4 eventually sold close to 20 million copies, and this game significantly impacted the industry even in 2007 and the years immediately afterward. Following Call of Duty 4's spectacular success, other games implemented multiplayer modes to duplicate it.