Call of Duty. A juggernaut gaming franchise if ever there was one. Some might say that GTA is synonymous with gaming, too, and they would be right – but it wouldn’t be wrong to say the same for Call of Duty (CoD for short). One cannot deny the impact that CoD has had inside the gaming community and within the realms of pop culture in general. Everyone knows about the franchise and it serves as a time-killer for all who plays. And yet the gaming community has amassed mixed feelings about the series in recent years – and that’s putting it lightly.
There are those who – like myself – take CoD for what it is: a fun way to pass the time and fulfill the average gamer’s need to do some pointless killing every now and then. For instance, I never find it fun to kill/harm NPCs in a lot of games because it ruins the immersion. CoD serves as my channel for releasing having dealt with the awful NPC system in Assassin’s Creed. Others take the game very seriously and form clans and strive for Prestige Master in hope of becoming the “elite.”
However, CoD has fallen victim to unrelenting ridicule from many gamers. This mocking usually comes from those who think themselves enlightened because they no longer play such “trash.” While there are many who hate the franchise unnecessarily, it’s hard to argue that the franchise has many redeeming qualities. With an okay (but short and generic campaign), along with a multiplayer that shows little to no innovation with every new outing, these games really don’t deserve to be praised by serious games. So what does this have to do with Ghosts being the last bang for the series? Better yet, why I am assuming Ghosts will do any good at all?
Well, for one, CoD is still a great time-passer. It is a social event in its own way and brings friends together for a good time. There are also those little kids who will beg their parents for the game and will buy it as soon as it’s released. Not to mention the parents themselves, who are usually busy with daily life and will buy Ghosts because it requires very little getting into. Then there’s the die-hard fans and the YouTube commentators. And perhaps – most surprisingly of all – we come to those who mock it, who will buy the game so they can – yes – mock it.
All that being said, while I’m sure Ghosts will make a fair profit, I doubt we’ll see the astronomical numbers we’re used to seeing when it comes to this franchise. This is because those gamers who found Call of Duty a great way to pass time have encountered two things since: Black Ops 2 and GTA V. Black Ops 2 was probably the least innovative of the series (“series” meaning Call of Duty 4 and up) and only managed to avoid ending up as the colossal disappointment that Modern Warfare 3 was because of the shockingly great campaign. Even some of its DLC maps were “inspired” by past maps.
And let’s not forget: Ghosts, as well as any other future games, is now going to have to live in the shadow of GTA 5. Unlike other games, Ghosts has nothing unique enough to bring it out of its shadow (not that we’re aware of, anyway). Many gamers are voicing the opinion that GTA will hold their attention for months to come and aren’t considering anything else right now: Ghosts included. This installment really needs to blow us away, or it’s not looking good for this once-great franchise.
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