By Dice Hanson

Call of Duty is the world’s best selling video game series, published by Activision, having well over a dozen different titles in the franchise. Not only is one of those titles ( Modern Warfare 3 ) the fastest selling video game of all time, but the games have over 100 million players worldwide. Undoubtedly, it is an extremely popular series that many are familiar with.

As with all game series, some games were bigger hits than others, and some were sadly complete misses. Here, I have chosen two of the BEST Call of Duty games based off of popular opinion and gameplay to help you decide which Call of Duty is the best one to get you started, or which you may want to try out.

Call of Duty : Black Ops 2 

The plot - The story in Black Ops 2 follows up the story of Black Ops 1. Trying to limit spoilers, the story is set in the late 1980’s, moving up to 2025. The player switches between two main characters, Alex Mason and Frank Woods, then in 2025 plays as Mason’s son David / Section. Both times are focused on going after Raul Menendez ( who sparks a second cold war in 2025 and previously had some problems with the characters, having kidnapped Frank Woods in the 80’s ). 

The storyline itself has received quite a bit of well-deserved positive reviews. Many have professed their love for the continuation of the first game online, and I personally have likewise quite enjoyed playing the campaign.

The gameplay - Black Ops 2 definitely has an interesting plot line for when you wish to play story mode, but a main aspect of the game that is universally enjoyed is something called “zombies mode”. In zombies mode, you are able to choose out of several maps to try out your skills with your gunfire and hold down an area with several entrances by eliminating the zombies that are coming for you. 

You can play this mode with several other friends, helping each other out when one gets downed and likewise opening doors to explore new sections of the map, further increasing the challenge. This mode gives players the ability to try out different guns and get used to the controls of the game, along with seeing how long they can last. This mode is greatly enjoyed by many, including myself. For this reason I find that it is an amazing side section of the game. 

This mode is also available in all the other Call of Duty : Black Ops games, Call of Duty : Vanguard and Call of Duty : Advanced Warfare. Though the mode may be in some ways more advanced in Black Ops 3 and 4, the maps in Black Ops 2 have some of the best maps in all of zombies history. The mechanics are quite nice as well despite being one of the older games.

Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 3 

The plot - The story in Modern Warfare 3 follows up the story of Modern Warfare 2. Russia invades the US after having been enraged, essentially causing world war three. There are several important plot twists and changes, moving on to the Russian President wanting to make peace with the US, making for an engaging and action packed filled story. 

The storyline is enjoyable, having initiated a lot of new player’s interest in the game. Not only is the gameplay as good as ever, but the characters develop quite some bit, making for a heart wrenching and likewise deeply immersive experience. I have heard a lot of praise for the story line.

This adds a special quality to the game, as not only is it an enjoyable first person shooter with shots that feel firm and movement that is anything but buggy, but the story makes you want to keep playing. ( Spoiler alert ; the ending is amazing, though I have not finished it myself, having watched others play through it to the end almost brought me to tears ).

Yet, sadly, a disclaimer, it seems that a good chunk of the hardcore gamers who played Modern Warfare 3 found that it was not anything special story wise, if anything it was average, expected. The storyline is quite good, though there is not as much thrill as some may have wished.

The gameplay - The competitive action in this game along with the campaign makes the game just as good as any other Call of Duty game, a familiar and enjoyable experience. And yet, what sets it apart from the other games is the insanely good multiplayer, debatably the best multiplayer we’ve seen from the franchise. 

Not only does it have double the features, but multiplayer offers many many new levels in comparison to the other Modern Warfare games, giving you a lot more. It is considered by a vast majority of the internet as the “best entry” to the Call of Duty franchise. It is still played by many many players since the game came out in 2011. If you are not familiar with first person shooter games and would like to get into them, Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer is a great choice. 

Having this wide range of players who are still very active helps a lot, making it quite easy to get into a multiplayer game of the level you happen to be at. The gun mechanics and weapon mechanics are quite enjoyable, likewise more complex given the new features we can play around with! I heavily suggest trying it out.

I hope that this small compilation of details on these two games can help you get into the Call of Duty franchise if it ever were to interest you!

Bibliography : 

Best-selling video game franchise (no date) Call of Duty®. Available at: https://www.callofduty.com/ (Accessed: June 2023). 

Le, L. (2023) History of call of duty, History. Available at: https://history-computer.com/history-of-call-of-duty/ (Accessed: May 2023). 

Loveridge, S. (2022) The 10 best call of duty games of all-time, gamesradar. Available at: https://www.gamesradar.com/best-call-of-duty-games/ (Accessed: June 2023). 

Ranking all 8 call of duty zombies games from worst to best!!! best zombies modes! (WAW-bo4) (2019) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7fQZI5--ws (Accessed: June 2023). 

sng-ign, H.M. (2011) Story - call of duty: Modern warfare 3 guide, IGN. Available at: https://www.ign.com/wikis/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3/Story (Accessed: June 2023).