Call of Duty is a series of first person shooter video games featuring the use of various types of firearms. Though considered to be violent, the Call of Duty games are highly beneficial for improving hand eye coordination and strategic/tactical thinking.
Since the game series has been around since 2003, there has been many Call of Duty games over the years, across a variety of consoles. I will not be covering any one game in particular, instead going over the games as a whole with a focus on the games that have come out since 2013.
How to Play
These games are primarily on the Xbox and PlayStation consoles, so I will be using those as a reference. Depending on what mode you are playing there may be specific rules, but throughout the modes and game these are your most important controls. The trigger buttons on the controller are how you shoot your guns, while the bumper buttons are used for your tactical (smoke or flash grenades, etc.) and lethal (standard lethal explosives, etc.) grenades. The left and right sticks are your movement and camera, though L3 (the stick for movement) can be clicked for a melee attack. The buttons to the right on the controller are used for reloading, jumping, crouching/laying prone, and switching between your currently equipped weapons.
Ways to play
The Call of Duty games can be played in more than one way. The games feature a single player campaign and multiplayer options.
Campaign mode (single player)
The campaign mode is single player only. The campaign is the storyline of the game, featuring primarily male protagonists. Only recently has there been female playable options. The storyline of the campaign varies between games, some of which link together, including the time periods in which the games take place. A few of the games take place in the era of WWII, while others are closer to modern times, and some even take place in the future. The time in which the game takes place can impact which weapons and boosts you will have access to in the game, such as less advanced weapons in the past, and energy based weapons and advanced technologies in the future. Even as a shooter game, some of the games in the series have some well developed storylines.
“Multiplayer” Modes
There are many ways to play with others in the Call of Duty games. There can be squads and online combat, or even local multiplayer.
However, even the local multiplayer function can be done single player. Except for the early games, you can play a round against bots. The game range in the number of bots that are allowed, from approximately 10-16, which can be set at “Recruit” level, (this is actually accurate to a beginner level, once you develop some skill these bots become very easy), “Regular”, “Hardened”, “Vetran”, or there is also “Mixed” which will include bots of each type.
For multiplayer there are multiple maps and types of matches to choose from. These include for example, Free For All, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Search and Destroy, and Gun Game (for gun game you start with a pistol and with every 1-2 kills you automatically rank up to the next weapon. These include a variety, always starting with a pistol, usually including at least one ranged explosive, and always ending with just a knife. The winner of the match is whoever makes it through all of the guns and makes a kill with the knife first.)
Zombies/Aliens
Aside from the earliest games, each Call of Duty game has some additional game mode that allows for up to 4 players.
The most popular by far is Zombies. Each game’s zombie mode is different, such as earlier games having a nazi zombies feel, while games such as Infinite Warfare’s zombie mode taking place in an 80’s-esque amusement park. The more recent games have included more power ups to make it though each wave of increasing difficulty.
Not all of the Call of Duty games feature a zombie mode, opting for other various modes.
My personal favorite is Extinction in Call of Duty Ghosts, which involves making your way through the map filled with aliens instead of zombies.
In any of these modes, you are typically given currency for each kill, which you then have to use for purchasing different weapons or additional ammo.
You can take on the challenge solo, but even on a lighter difficulty level, you will want to have someone to watch your six.
