The game saw the birth of the now familiar gameplay style that was to be carried through the rest of the series. The single player campaign had players involved in key battles fought by American, British and Soviet soldiers.<\/p>\n
As a welcomed twist on most FPS titles of the era, the player was joined by supporting AI squad members as they battled their way through missions – however the tide of battle hinged on the actions of the player.<\/p>\n
At the time, the game was considered to have some of the most immersive and realistic visual and audio effects rounding off the gameplay experience, such as the now commonplace ‘shell shock’ effect which causes blurred vision and ringing ears when a grenade explodes in near proximity.<\/p>\n
The game received numerous ‘Game of the Year’ awards in 2003 from review publications, as well as the 2004 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences ‘Game of the Year’ award. Well received by critics, it sits with a score of 91\/100 on MetaCritic.<\/p>\n
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Call of Duty: United Offensive<\/strong> – Developed by Grey Matter studios, and released in September 2004, this expansion added more single player action, and a vastly improved multiplayer component.<\/p>\n A ranking system was introduced which saw players rewarded for gaining points in multiplayer. As a player ranked up they would be rewarded with perks such as more grenades, ammo capacity and satchel charges. Players could also earn points through other means, such as planting\/defusing explosives or destroying\/protecting objectives.<\/p>\n The now familiar game modes of Domination, Capture the Flag, and Assault were added, and maps in which players could control tanks made their first multiplayer appearance. The game currently sits with a MetaCritic score of 87\/100.<\/p>\n Call of Duty: Finest Hour<\/strong> – Developed by Spark Unlimited, and released in September 2004 for the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube, the game holds the distinction of being the worst received Call of Duty title on a major platform, currently sitting with a MetaCritic score of 73\/100.<\/p>\n Call of Duty 2 – The next big step for the series, developed by Infinity Ward on a heavily modified id Tech 3 engine, and released on 25 October 2005 for Windows and Xbox 360. The title followed the successful formula of the original and its expansion, and saw the introduction of the regenerating health system, which was generally well received.<\/p>\n The multiplayer elements remained essentially the same as those introduced in United Offensive, which was one of the minor criticisms of the title. The single player campaign garnered favourable reviews in general, and on MetaCritic the PC versions sits with 86\/100 and the Xbox 360 version with 89\/100.<\/p>\n Call of Duty 2: Big Red One<\/strong> – Released in November 2005 to cater for those hanging on to the original Xbox, the PS2 and the Gamecube. This game was Treyarch’s first foray into the Call of Duty franchise – with some help from Grey Matter.<\/p>\n In a change from the formula used in other CoD titles, the player was only involved in the campaign of single American Army division – the 1st Infantry Division, who were nicknamed Big Red One for their company’s insignia.<\/p>\n The game received mixed reviews, and was often compared to its superior counterpart. However, for a game operating on aging consoles, it was generally considered to be a good title, with an Xbox rating of 78\/100 on MetaCritic, and a PS2 rating of 72\/100.<\/p>\n Call of Duty 3<\/strong> – Developed by Treyarch and released in November 2006 for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. The game was exclusive to the consoles, and a launch title for both PS3 and Wii. CoD 3 deviated slightly from the established formula, having players participate in different stages of a single WWII campaign undertaken by American, British, French, Canadian, and Polish troops.<\/p>\n The multiplayer style moved away from the traditional CoD style, and players instead could choose from seven different classes, each with their own unique weapons and abilities. The Xbox 360 version scores 82\/100 on MetaCritic, and the PS3 version scores 80\/100.<\/p>\n Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare <\/strong>– Released to critical acclaim in November 2007 for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, Modern Warfare was built on Infinity Ward’s proprietary 3D engine. The game departs from the familiar WWII setting and is set in a contemporary geo-political theatre of war.<\/p>\n Whilst the single player offering was compelling enough, the game truly shone in with its multiplayer aspect, which is regarded as the reason for its ‘instant classic’ status.<\/p>\n Numerous multiplayer gameplay elements were added that had not been seen in previous CoD titles, such as a variety of selectable weapon modifications, combat perks, tactical deployments, and an experience and levelling system. The PC version sits with 92\/100 on MetaCritic, and both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions sit with 94\/100.<\/p>\n Call of Duty 5: World at War<\/strong> – Developed by Treyarch and released in November 2008 for PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. With the power of the Infinity Ward engine at their disposal, a move back to the familiar WWII setting seemed to make sense. The game explored the Pacific and Eastern front theatres of war.<\/p>\n Along with the usual multiplayer modes, a co-operative mode was introduced. As an added twist, a survival mode was added in which players had to fend off a never ending horde of zombie-Nazi’s, lending the title some extra multiplayer staying power. The game currently enjoys 83\/100 for PC, 84\/100 for Xbox 360, and 85\/100 for PS3 on MetaCritic.<\/p>\n Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2<\/strong> – Infinity Ward<\/p>\n Activision Blizzard has just released Infinity Ward’s second iteration of the Modern Warfare franchise. The game sold around 8 million copies in its first week, and netted the publisher over$550 million. Despite the controversy surrounding the lack of dedicated servers for the PC version, the game has been well received by reviewers earning 94\/100 for Xbox 360 and PS3, and 87\/100 for PC on Metacritic.<\/p>\n![\"united_offensive_851059074.jpg\"](\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/united_offensive_851059074.jpg\" "\\"united_offensive_851059074.jpg\\"")
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