The campaign was also memorable for putting even more control over the story into players' hands by allowing them to make decisions in key moments around characters who live or die, which could end up having ripple effects. How the two elements connected and wove together was unique at the time, and it led to some standout sequences. One of its biggest and most exciting innovations on the story side was its narrative that bounced between the 1980s and into the future in 2025. Released in 2012 from developer Treyarch, Black Ops 2 was yet another successful and beloved release in the popular Black Ops sub-brand. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 See our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 reviewĩ. The game is remembered for its gripping campaign that continued the popular Modern Warfare storyline of members of Task Force 141 and also for its Horde-style Survival mode and for its integration with the since-shuttered Call of Duty: Elite stat-tracking and social app. The game has never seen the light of day, and Activision has never made a third-person Call of Duty game aside from a limited multiplayer mode.Īs for Modern Warfare 3 itself, the game was received positively by critics and fans alike and went on to sell many millions of copies, despite the behind-the-scenes drama. This proved to be an especially notable move because Sledgehammer at the time was working on a more experimental third-person Call of Duty game set in the Vietnam War. A team of developers left with West and Zampella (who would go on to establish Respawn Entertainment and create the much-loved Titanfall series), and Activision had to find another way to finish the game and launch it on time-and it turned to Sledgehammer to co-develop and finish the game. In the middle of the game's development, Activision fired Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella for insubordination. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3Ģ011's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is perhaps best known for what happened behind the scenes to bring the game to market. With that caveat out of the way, let's dive in.
With Activision releasing a new game every year since 2003 (with the exception of 2004), we're only calling out the top 10 games we believe are the best and not ranking the entire series overall. With the new game's release coming up in just a couple of months, we're looking back at the shooter series and ranking the top 10 best Call of Duty games. The franchise has dominated the sales charts in recent years, and this is expected to continue when Sledgehammer's Call of Duty: Vanguard releases this November amid an ongoing lawsuit against parent company Activision Blizzard. Activision's Call of Duty series is among the biggest, most popular, and best-known gaming franchises of all time.