Summary
While the modernCall of Dutygames are shared between a handful of developers, Treyarch is regarded by many to be the best of the bunch. Infinity Ward may have been the ones to kick off the series, but Treyarch took some real risks with their games, often preferring to coverspecific historical periodsrather than focusing on just modern warfare. It also can’t be ignored that Treyarch was the one who introduced the staple of theCall of Dutyfranchise with itsZombies game mode.
With that being said, it’s clear the developers decided to dedicate a little more time and creativity to some games than others. Whether it’s a lack of content, a lackluster multiplayer mode, or even just an absence of innovation in general, there are plenty of ways aCall of Dutygame can falter in the eyes of fans, but the reason this bar is set so high is due to just how top-notch the quality of many of Treyarch’s games has been in the past. It should be made clear that the games mentioned in this list will be those that Treyarch was leading the development for, so games where they only worked on a single mode will not be counted.
Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold Warisn’t exactly a bad game, it’s actually a lot of fun in small bursts, but the main issue is everything it tries to bring to the table has already been done to a much better standard in previous games. The campaign being set in the midst of the Cold War did add some intrigue to how the story was going to go, but it eventually felt like a sub-par imitation of whatBlack Opshad done years before. There was barely any focus on theoriginal returning characterswhich was already a shame, but the story is also extremely short in general, which doesn’t do it any favors.
The multiplayer doesn’t feel innovative or special in any way, and while the addition of a health bar does add a tiny bit more strategy to gunfights, it doesn’t do much to make the mode any more enjoyable than its past iterations.Cold Waris fun for a short while, but it loses its vibrant neon flare pretty quickly.
Big Red Oneis a slightly obscure game that is often forgotten about completely by the fans since it’s essentially justa small spin-offfrom the immensely successfulCall of Duty 2. Still, considering how tight the focus of the gameplay of that game was, it also madeBig Red Onea very fun experience that offered some pretty challenging encounters during the U.S. Army’s ventures into North Africa and Italy.
Because it’s nothing more than a side story though, it does mean that there’s a severe lack of content to get stuck into, especially with how barebones and clunky the online was at the time.Big Red Oneis extremely fun for that first playthrough, but once the campaign is all done after a few hours, there’s not really any reason for players to return to it.
What many consider to be the start ofCall of Dutyreaching mainstream popularity,Call of Duty 3is somewhat ofa hidden gem in the eyes of many longtime fans, and it was undoubtedly ahead of its time. The truth is though, it’s clear when actually playing the game that Treyarch had a very short development time to work with as it does feel very rough around the edges, and the 12 v 12 multiplayer modes felt a little too big for an arcade shooter likeCall of Duty.
The campaign was also a little generic, lacking any engaging and memorable characters to get invested in, but there’s no denying that the smooth and fluid gameplay is still a lot of fun, especially because of how overpowered most of the weapons were.
While the mind-boggling campaign and the extremely fast-paced multiplayer were nothing to write home about inBlack Ops 3, it was essentiallythe perfect game for Zombies fans. The first map featured in the game, Shadows of Evil, took place in a bright and classy city set in the 1940s where players would need to explore, solve puzzles, acquire weapons, and fight off endless hordes of the undead to make it through to the next round. The Zombies Chronicles downloadable content released in 2017 added another 8 classic maps to the mode which gave it plenty of replay value.
Added to this, Black Ops 3might just have the most unique multiplayer in the series since it feels more likeTitanfallthanCall of Dutywiththe wall-running mechanicand jet boosts. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though as it does ensure that the matches always feel fluid and fun, but the rapid time to kill could also make it feel a little too overwhelming at certain points.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4wasn’t received very well by critics and fans upon its release, especially with how many bugs were infesting the game, buta lot of people have come to appreciate it much more nowadaysdue to how much it’s been improved. The amazing gunplay made the core gameplay extremely fun, and considering just how many attachments and weapons were on offer, it made the whole experience feel extremely rewarding. There were still a few guns that dominated the multiplayer though even through all the patches, with the main culprit being the ICR.
The campaign was also a notable step up from its predecessor and the Zombies, while starting off a little weak, would eventually become much more fleshed out with maps like Blood of the Dead and Five being re-introduced.Black Ops 4didn’t stand out or excel in any specific area, but it’s tough to find aCODgame with better moment-to-moment gunplay than this one. The lack of story may drive players away, especially with the mixed reception to the Zombies story line. However, the multiplayer, and the origins ofWarzonewithBlackout, left much to enjoy.
Call of Duty: World at Warmight not have the flashiest mechanics or heaps of content that some future titles would, but when it comes toraw immersion and emotion, it’s arguably the very best game in the series. The campaign allows the player to experience the gritty and harsh reality of the Second World War through the eyes of either the Red Army or the U.S. Marines. Both of them provide captivating stories that are complimented by some razor-sharp gunplay and plenty of iconic weapons to pick up, such as the MP40 and PPSH.
The set of four maps that the Zombies mode would eventually get are all extremely unique in their own ways too. Whether it’s the new Pack-A-Punch machine in Der Riese or the zombie dogs in Shi No Numa, they all brought something new to the table that helped make the mode as popular as it would become. The multiplayer can feel a little hit or miss due to the massive difference in quality between the maps, but it’s a small drawback to an otherwise amazing game.
Black Ops 2’smultiplayer feels like the culmination of what all the developers had been working towards throughout the years. Theoverpowered weapons and unfair PerksofModern Warfare 2are nowhere to be seen, and the pick 10 class system allows the player to experiment with an infinite number of playstyles which helps freshen up the traditional class formula.
The game didn’t quite hit the mark with its Zombies mode with many people regarding Tranzit to be the worst map in the mode’s history, but the campaign is a real standout which actually allows players to influence a lot of the story with their own actions. The setting of a Second Cold War also allowed for some truly unique and creative weapons and killstreaks to appear, with all of this coming together to create a real thrill-ride of a game that’s a ton of fun to play for hours on end.
The very firstBlack Opsgame felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air in the series that helped keep up the momentum it had been riding since the earlyModern Warfaregames, but even over a decade after its release,Black Opsis still one ofthe best first-person shooters ever released. The campaign was unlike anything that had been seen in the games before, taking a psychological thriller approach to its narrative which makes it utterly captivating from beginning to end.
It’s not just the campaign mode that shines though as the multiplayer ofBlack Opsis one of the best in the series thanks to the unique maps and killstreaks. The game also featured plenty of unique guns which would go on to become iconic within the series, such as the Galil and AUG which have even been brought back as fan favorites in future titles. This isn’t even mentioning the Zombies which came with a mixture of original maps, such as Kino and Five, and even a few of the classics too.Black Opsis an amazing package overall, and it easily satisfies every type of fan, no matter which mode they enjoy the most.
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