Ranking The Call of Duty Games Before Modern Warfare II Releases

The Modern Warfare II beta is upon us, and with it the dawn of a new age of Call of Duty, which is what Activision tells us every year, but as someone who’s actually played the beta, they might actually be onto something! Anyway, I decided I was going to rank every Call of Duty title for some goofs and to piss off some nerds. Before I get started, I must mention this is only ranking the games I have played and I am including remasters. So no original Call of Duty or Call of Duty 2, but I have every game after that ranked like a mothertrucker, so anywho, let’s just get right into it. (WARNING: SUBJECTIVE.)

19. Call of Duty 3 - This game is Treyarch’s first foray into the franchise, and the third title in the original trilogy of the OG CoD games. It’s mid. Treyarch just wanted to make a fun WWII shooter, and that, uhm, doesn’t exactly fit the tone of WWII, if we’re being honest. Plus, the gameplay is very clunky compared to the later titles. So, in conclusion; skippable.

18. Call of Duty: Ghosts - I’ll be real with you, folks. I was never the biggest fan of Ghosts. Recently it’s had a bit of a resurgence in popularity, but in my honest opinion it’s just because the campaign ended on a cliffhanger that was never satisfied. The graphics for being on the PS4 and Xbox One were underwhelming, the campaign was smart yet overly dull, the maps were too large, and Extinction mode was, well, it never returned. I may be a bit hard on this one but I certainly won’t be going back to it anytime soon.

17. Call of Duty: WWII - The campaign? Cliché. Generic. Classic Apple Pie American in all the wrong ways that rub you in a way that makes you feel somehow uncomfortable. Zombies? Mid to bad. Multiplayer? Played like, three games and decided that was enough for me. Just not memorable, unfortunately. Nothing offensive (not that any of these games could be such), just not memorable.

16. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - The campaign is the saving grace here, as well as the on-disc zombies map, Zombies in Spaceland, but the rest of the maps were, well, not as good. The multiplayer is, however, just a watered down version of Black Ops III, which was a downgrade from the previous year’s installment. Just a big ole mixed bag here. Plus it was a year when fans desperately wanted a boots-on-the-ground game, and they certainly let their voices heard on the reveal trailer’s like to dislike ratio.

15. Call of Duty: Vanguard - The multiplayer is hectic and the zombies may be the worst out of all the titles in the Call of Duty franchise, but the campaign is absolutely worth it. Some of the best character development, the absolute best villains of any WWII-centered game in the franchise, and the best final mission in the entire franchise all combine to make one absolute banger of a story. Everything else, though? Eh.

14. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - The campaign wasn’t nearly as memorable as Modern Warfare 2 with the huge exception of the final mission- and the multiplayer? Well, it was before my time. Never played it, folks. Sorry to break it to you. However, it was still a fantastic final entry to the original Modern Warfare series.

13. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - The campaign was amazing. However, it was later remastered, so you’ll find it higher on the list. Once again, the multiplayer was before my time, but the campaign was fantastic.

12. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - No Campaign?! What in the hell?! Replaced with Blackout, no less?! Well, I actually loved Blackout, so how about that? Heh. The multiplayer was also basically just an altered and faster-paced Black Ops II, so I don’t consider it to be too bad either. The zombies? Well, it was mixed. Like, very mixed. Ranging from bad to mid to great. So… It’s a middle of the pack title.

11. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Mid campaign. Great villain, but… Well, we don’t talk about that actor anymore. Very cool HUD, though. The zombies was mid as well. The multiplayer, while still very pay to win, and I admit I did pay a part in it, was great. This is my confession: I loved the Advanced Warfare multiplayer. I got to like, the fourth or fifth prestige, even. Not even kidding.

10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) - How dare they reboot the beloved classic?! Well, dare they. The campaign is nice and dark. The multiplayer (while the time to kill may be a little short) is quick and snappy. It’s a great game. A great reboot of a beloved classic for a modern audience. Not to mention it launched Call of Duty into the modern age with that signature “buy this blueprint now!” style.

9. Call of Duty: Warzone - Not Call of Duty’s first attempt at a Battle Royale, but certainly their most successful and most recognized, also, and honestly maybe unfortunately, considering Treyarch is my favorite of the three main developers. However, I can admit, Infinity Ward can make one hell of a Battle Royale.

8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - The classic. The game that sent the franchise soaring to new heights. The absolutely phenomenal campaign. The forever iconic characters. The game so good they rebooted it. Think about it; how often do they reboot video games? I mean, remasters? Sure. Remakes? Maybe. But reboots? Hardly ever. This entry not only changed Call of Duty but gaming forever, but then again, it was later remastered so I got to essentially play it in its heyday but with improved graphics. (Spoilers: The remaster is higher on the list.)

7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered - This is a weird one. It’s just a campaign… But in my opinion, one of the best campaigns. I had a hell of a time with it. I mean come on, WWIII on American soil? That’s just epic. Plus, don’t forget the iconography. The White House, a Russian Gulag, and how could we forget Burger Town? We couldn’t. We will never- never- forget Burger Town.

6. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - This is now where we get into the great entries. Cold War is great. The campaign, which was developed by Raven Software due to a short development cycle for this game, is basically a reverse of the OG Black Ops. The multiplayer? I actually love it. One of my favorites. The zombies? Phenomenal. Probably my second or third favorite zombies entry. Just a well-rounded game. You love to see it.

5. Call of Duty: World at War - The absolute best WWII entry in the franchise and my personal favorite WWII game in general. An amazing campaign with brutal and bleeding missions that contrasts to Call of Duty 3’s fun tone. Plus: The introduction of Zombies! Whatsitooya if I played the campaign a little too much at too young an age? I still had fun, and learned about the second world war on top of that!

4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - Quite simple. It’s the full game of CoD 4, but remastered for the PS4 and Xbox One. So, in my opinion, better. A better version of a classic. Not much to be said. (Hey, I said this was going to be subjective, didn’t I?)

3. Call of Duty: Black Ops - The bestselling Call of Duty title and for good reason. The campaign is screwy. Mind control, government secrets, conspiracies, and much, much more to top it off, plus an enhanced zombies experience compared to its introduction in World at War. Not to mention that it definitely deserves a remaster as well! (Sign the petition to remaster it here: https://chng.it/WDBsj6trmb.) Anyway, everything here is just of the absolute highest quality indeed, hmm yes. (Also Dead Ops Arcade is fun.)

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops II - The best campaign in my opinion. Mixes the style of the first Black Ops as well as the first futuristic Call of Duty, which honestly was the only futuristic installment that wasn’t controversial. Also; very mixed zombies, but still fun as hell with friends even on the lowliest of maps. I even played a bit of the multiplayer, and good Lord it was absolutely beautiful. You know it. You played it. You love(d) it.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Don’t shoot me yet, fellas. Let me speak my truth first. Now, I know people tend to hate on the campaign because honestly it is a bit complex, but I still love it. It’s not spoon-fed to you. It’s a thinker. Plus, it’s an awesome genre-bender. PLUS, it has a SECOND campaign called “Nightmares,” which may be even more wild, depending on your stance. Oh, and it’s a zombies campaign separate from the zombies mode. The zombies mode? The best. Every map is stellar. Not to mention Zombies Chronicles and the surprise return of Dead Ops Arcade. Let’s not forget Free Run, an additional mode to test your skill at the advanced movement system in the multiplayer. The multiplayer is also the best advanced movement system in any Call of Duty game, and I even prestiged once or twice. All in all, this game certainly has the most content, with the best zombies, the smartest campaign (which may or may not be wholly a good thing), and the best advanced movement system.

So what do you think? Agree? Good. I won’t be having any adverse opinions in this household- er- website. Anyway, I gotta hurry this up, my laptop is at like negative twelve percent. Later folks. I’ve been Bailey, and this has been the BaileyBlog.