The Call of Duty franchise has long been one that sparks up a nostalgic conversation between gamers. Whether it be 1 v 1 quick scope matches on Rust or Search and Destroy on Raid, anyone can't help but spark up fond memories of playing with their friends after school. The franchise has stayed mostly consistent since its debut and still has a devoted fan base who buys the newest game each year.
The fact that the series has stayed as consistent as it has is both a good and bad thing. On the one hand, at the very least, you know what you're in for when you spend that $60. On the other hand, the series has held onto many cliches over the years that have gotten kind of stale for those committed to the franchise. While some of these cliches have become staples for all the recent incarnations, some of these cliches should just be thrown to the wayside.
Ally Becomes the Enemy
One commonly discussed mission among the COD fanbase is the final mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It was unheard of in popular FPS games at the time to be betrayed like Soap and Ghost were by General Shepherd. This moment alone stuck with fans even today with Ghost still remaining a fan-favorite character.
This turn of events that was once iconic has now become a cliche that currently plagues COD campaign missions as well as other FPS titles. The emotional impact that betrayals like that used to have seem to have faded away as time goes on.
Shock Value Missions
Going back to the cultural impact that MW2 had when it was released, News outlets everywhere were talking about the controversial "No Russian" mission. This mission had so much backlash from angry parents and political officials that the game was required to have a warning and option to skip the mission before it started.
It seems the Call of Duty developers took the idea of adding shock missions for more eyes on the franchise and ran with it. This specific mission did have an impact on the game's financial success but ultimately is not what the game is remembered for. Despite this, the developers still like to insert shock missions into most of the franchises' campaigns.
Turrets
While they may be effective, turrets in COD just seem unnecessary to campaign missions and multiplayer. What once was a cool mechanic in the early COD games eventually just became redundant and isn't really needed in the game.
While Call of Duty games still feature them on larger multiplayer maps, it would make more sense for the developers to stop wasting their time with them. The only time players really use them is when they are required to for a specific single-player mission.
Stealth Missions
Why are these still around? To be fair, it isn't just COD games that do this, but every FPS game features frustrating stealth missions that most often lead to rage quitting or broken controllers. That being said, Call of Duty stealth levels have proved to be very elaborate and nerve-racking levels that shouldn't be ignored.
Seeing as how the multiplayer for COD is so fast-paced and dependent on one's skills to run and gun, it seems like stealth missions are kind of useless now. If the developers decide to focus more on the multiplayer gameplay than the campaign missions (as they have done in the past), the stealth segments will most likely be forgotten.
Press X for Everything
This is why so many players press X on other shooters and end up failing their campaign mission. Call of Duty started to have this weird cliche that makes the player press X for quick-time events, picking items up, turning a valve, and everything in-between.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was responsible for the infamous "Press X to pay respects" meme that has been an internet mainstay since the game's release. While it is definitely silly, it is 100% accurate to actual gameplay. Other shooters have revised this, but it makes it really difficult to quit the habit when playing them.
Mindless A.I.
One of the worst things in the Call of Duty franchise is the A.I. you are forced to be with during campaign missions. Unlike actual warfare, every Call of Duty mission is the player's responsibility, and the A.I. is there for moral support, and the enemies aren't much better.
Every COD game has a warning before going into multiplayer that recommends the player complete the campaign before progressing, but it seems unnecessary when the A.I. is useless. Most other shooter games, such as Battlefield or Halo, have helpful A.I. teammates and challenging A.I. enemies. It seems unlikely this problem will be fixed in future installments, but there's always hope.
A Silent Protagonist
There are many protagonists in FPS games that are very mysterious by nature. One example of this is Master Chief in the Halo franchise. Call of Duty games have a history of making the character you play with a silent protagonist. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with doing this, but with certain missions where your character gets betrayed by an ally, it doesn't have any real emotional impact.
Call of Duty developers have been successful in writing engaging side characters, such as Soap in Modern Warfare 2. These are the characters that you grow to love and become attached to, making an impact on the player if anything happens to them during a mission. The Devs have worked hard on making stronger stories and protagonists, and hopefully it stays that way.
Adding Useless Zombie Perks
When Call of Duty first debuted the now-iconic Zombie mode in Call of Duty: World at War, there were only four Perk-A-Colas introduced. Quick Revive, Double Tap, Juggernog, and Speed Cola. As the mode got more popular and different maps would be introduced, so did new Perk-A-Colas.
Some of the new Perks were actually very useful, including the revised version of Double Tap that made your gun more powerful instead of a faster rate of fire. Some of these perks were useless and forgotten about in future installments, such as the Who's Who perk in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Hopefully, the Devs learn not to mess with a good thing (and don't take away Juggernog again).
Easter Eggs in Zombies
Once again bringing up "the good old days" of Call of Duty: Zombies, easter eggs were never as elaborate and complicated as they have become in later installments. If anything, they were just fun little puzzles that unlock a hidden song or a message from Samantha Maxis, but they weren't essential to the gameplay. Certain maps make it so solving the easter egg is the only way the player can move forward, such as the "Moon" easter egg in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Many of the die-hard zombie players that used to be prominent in the early days of Zombies don't even want to play the game anymore. They used to enjoy trying to get to the highest round with their buddies online, but now have to look up easter egg guides on YouTube to play the map the way it was meant to be played. If the Devs want to continue doing this in future installments, at least give the players directions as they go.
Toxic Fanbase
It is honestly kind of sad that this has become a cliche for the Call of Duty franchise, but it should be addressed. People have quit the game altogether because of how toxic COD can be in an online match. While this used to be somewhat amusing (especially if you were younger when Modern Warfare 2 was in its prime) it has led to individuals who take things way too far, with some of these interactions leading to physical violence and even murder.
It isn't just the public matches where these players reside, but also the eSports scene. Competition is competition, but some of the individuals participating in the competitions act like children by constantly starting drama with other professional players, making the whole organization look like a big joke. This is probably why everybody moved to CS:GO in 2015 (which, to be fair, wasn't much better in terms of toxicity).