It's amazing to consider the success of the Call of Duty franchise. The series has remained popular for decades, beginning as World War II video games before transitioning to other time periods. It's arguably more popular than ever, with Call of Duty: Warzone successfully jumping on the battle royale bandwagon and proving one of the most popular video games in the genre.
But the series' heyday was arguably the seventh generation, which is comprised of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The series was not only incredibly popular, but it was also enormously influential, effectively changing the way that first-person shooters were made.
Call Of Duty: Ghosts (2014) - 73
By 2014, the Call of Duty formula was growing a little tired. This year also saw the release of the PS4 and Xbox One, ensuring that Ghosts was the last Call of Duty title released on the seventh generation.
Unfortunately, Ghosts did not prove the brilliant swansong that the series deserved. The game was reviewed quite harshly on seventh generation consoles, with the Xbox 360 version sitting at just 73 on Metacritic - by far the lowest-rated title of the seventh generation series. This is the one that everyone forgets about.
Call Of Duty 3 (2006) - 82
Call of Duty 3 was the final entry to take place during World War II. Perhaps it's no coincidence that the series was effectively rebooted after this one. The game received relatively mediocre reviews, with the Xbox 360 version sitting at 82 on Metacritic.
It's not a bad score by any means, but it was a huge critical disappointment following the unbelievable success of the first two entries. After this, the creators decided that they would have to reinvent the game to regain the players' attention.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops II (2012) - 83
Released in November 2012, Black Ops II made history by becoming the highest-grossing entertainment launch of all time, grossing $500 million in just 24 hours. It would later be overtaken by Grand Theft Auto V, which grossed $800 million in the same time frame. But did the critical success mirror the commercial?
Not really. The game sits at 83 on Metacritic, with many critics praising the gameplay but admitting that the formula was growing stale and repetitive.
Call Of Duty: World At War (2008) - 85
World at War had the unfortunate distinction of following up the iconic Modern Warfare, resulting in a somewhat muted critical response. The game returned to World War II following the success of Modern Warfare, and it was a change in setting that some fans were not willing to welcome.
The game is perhaps best remembered for introducing the popular Zombies mode to the series. World at War sits at 85 on Metacritic, with critics once again noting its general lack of innovation and tired re-treading of past Call of Duty mechanics.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops (2010) - 88
Black Ops was released at the height of the Call of Duty craze. In fact, the game sold approximately 5.6 million copies in its first 24 hours, making it the fastest-selling entry in the Call of Duty franchise at the time. The game also received quite strong reviews, sitting at 88 on Metacritic.
Critics generally praised the multiplayer component and mystery-tinged story set during the Cold War. However, Call of Duty fatigue was beginning to set in, and many critics agreed that the game didn't do anything new.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) - 88
Modern Warfare 3 served as the concluding entry in the iconic Modern Warfare saga - even if it ended the sage on more of a fizzle than a bang. Released one year after Black Ops, Modern Warfare 3 became the biggest entertainment launch of all time, grossing $400 million in its first 24 hours of release.
Like its immediate predecessor, the game sits at 88 on Metacritic, earning both praise and criticism for the same reasons. At this point, gamers were either with Call of Duty or they weren't.
Call Of Duty 2 (2005) - 89
Released in October of 2005, Call of Duty 2 proved a great success. The game served as a launch title for the Xbox 360, which received a wide release the following November. The game introduced various gameplay mechanics into the series, most notably the regenerating health system.
That, along with its exciting campaign, fantastic multiplayer component, and stellar production values resulted in a strong critical reception and an 89 on Metacritic.
Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) - 94
Arguably the greatest entry in the Call of Duty franchise, and certainly the most influential, is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. On November 5, 2007, the first person genre changed forever. Receiving a stellar 94 on Metacritic, Modern Warfare was both widely adored and enormously popular.
It effectively changed how Call of Duty games were presented, and some of its innovations - including the then-revolutionary control scheme - are still reverberating through the first-person genre to this day. After this, everyone was copying Modern Warfare's FPS control scheme and "gritty" aesthetics. It was a revolutionary title, and it could very well be the greatest first-person shooter ever released.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) - 94
Everyone was talking about Modern Warfare 2 when it was released. Even the mainstream media, which could generally care less about the video game industry, was talking about the controversial No Russian mission, which saw players gunning down innocent civilians with a machine gun.
Others were comparing it to the first Modern Warfare, talking about its thrilling story, and/or discussing its amazing amount of content. Point is - there was nowhere people could go, both in person or online, where Modern Warfare 2 was not being discussed. The multiplayer component was also stellar, taking everything that was great about Modern Warfare and perfecting it. Its 94 score on Metacritic proves just how commanding and influential this game truly was.