The Call of Duty series does not suck. There is no point in arguing whether this statement is true or not. Sure, every game in the franchise involves shooting somebody – usually a terrorist, a Natzi, or an undead version of the two- but it’s a first-person shooter after all, so this comes with the territory. It’s like saying the Madden games feature too much gameplay involving football.
Most people who protest their hatred against the Call of Duty franchise are mainly concerned that a new game comes out every year, which sacrifices originality in design and gameplay innovation in favor of flashy sights and sounds that can easily be mass-produced. In other words, people hate this series for the same reasons the majority of people hate remakes: abusing an already popular title (or in this case, a brand name) for profit.
Obviously Call of Duty is a massive cash cow now, but isn’t this because there is a fundamental reason they are so wildly popular? These games know their target audience and bludgeon them to death with extremely accessible gameplay that is literally the definition of the term, “pick up and play”. The control scheme has never been a complaint of the series, not once has it been brought up as a negative or that it needs improvement since the original Call of Duty was released back in 2003.
With every new title avidly played by millions worldwide, the developers over at Infinity Ward and Treyarch recognize that maintaining the high level of quality the series is known for must constantly be outdoing itself. Call of Duty is now established as being the premier shooter in gaming today, holding back its numerous competition by being a triple-A experience. Every once in a while a strong contender like Battlefield 3 comes around, but that’s to be expected when other game studios see the kind of success Call of Duty has garnered and they feel the need to compete in order to survive.
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