Call of Duty
Call of Duty (CoD for short) is a computer game series by the US publisher Activision from the genre of first-person shooters. The player usually takes on the role of a soldier in a war scenario. The first title in the series, developed by Infinity Ward, was released in the fall of 2003 and is set in World War II. Later titles are set in contemporary or futuristic, but usually fictional, scenarios. In addition to the mostly linear single-player campaign, the various multiplayer options are a major focus of the series. New games are released on an annual basis, with the most recent being Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020).
The series is one of the largest and most successful game franchises. As of November 2009, over 55 million games have been sold, bringing the series total revenue to over $3 billion. In 2011, more than 500 developers worked on the Call of Duty brand. In addition to Infinity Ward, the studios Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games, which also belong to Activision, are in charge of the development of new parts, and other Activision development studios contribute to the development.
Games
call of duty
Main game
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| Studio | Infinity Ward | ||
| Publisher | Activision, Aspyr (Mac implementation) | ||
| Composer | Michael Giacchino | ||
| First published | Germany | ||
| Platform | Windows, macOS, Nokia N-Gage, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 as Call of Duty Classic | ||
| Genre | First-person shooter | ||
| Game mode | Single player, Multiplayer | ||
| Control | Keyboard, Mouse | ||
| System requirements |
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| Medium | CDs, DVD, Download | ||
| Current version | Client: 1.5 (Windows, Mac) | ||
| Age rating |
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| Information | No anti-constitutional symbols in the USK version | ||
The game does not tell a coherent background story. Rather, the player takes on the role of soldiers of various allied nations episodically and fights in partly invented, but mostly historical battles. On the side of the Americans, you take part in the great invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord). As a Briton, you capture and defend the Pegasus Bridge (Operation Tonga) and sabotage the battleship Tirpitz. In the final campaign, you control a Soviet soldier who must drive the Germans back out of Stalingrad - this setting is borrowed from the movie Duel - Enemy at the Gates, where you are also driven on a boat under fire across the Volga to the ruined city. The game ends with the raising of the red flag on the Reichstag building.
The atmosphere in Call of Duty is rated as very good by some gaming magazines (GameStar, PC Games). For example, the sounds of the weapons were recorded during specially conducted test firings of the originals from the Second World War. Call of Duty has been awarded the title "Game of the Year" several times.
Call of Duty has a multiplayer mode to play on the network against and with other human participants. The multiplayer mode also has the Axis side playable. The game modes are: Deathmatch (everyone against everyone), Team Deathmatch (two teams against each other), Search and Destroy (one team must complete a mission, the other must prevent that mission, such as planting and detonating a bomb, similar to Counter-Strike), Retrieval (one team attempts to steal an object and bring it to their base), and Behind Enemy Lines (an allied team competes against a superior number of Axis team players and attempts to survive as long as possible. The player on the Axis side who manages to shoot an Allied player swaps roles with that player). The maps are often variations of the single player missions. As a result, it can also be found in professional e-sports. The multiplayer mode of this version is monitored by the anticheat software PunkBuster if desired.
Many of the developers are from the team that developed Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which in turn is largely based on the movie Saving PrivateRyan.
United Offensive (Add-on)
The expansion Call of Duty - United Offensive has been available since October 2004. Besides new maps, it also contains new weapon types, such as a bazooka for the Americans or the flamethrower for the Germans. Particularly striking in comparison to other games of the CoD game series is that you can also control various tanks, jeeps and artillery pieces in multiplayer - sometimes together with several players. There are no classes, so after each death of the game character a new country-specific (German, American, English and Russian) weapon can be selected. In this add-on it is also possible to sprint, cook off grenades and - as soon as you have reached the highest rank - spot targets in the battle with the help of binoculars and bombard them with artillery (which is then remote-controlled). There exists a considerable number of game modifications (mods for short), created by fans to expand the game itself.
At each new round, all players always start with the same rank. With enough kills you can be promoted up to five times, which mainly brings more ammunition and finally the ability to call the artillery. Already at the start of the round all weapons can be selected - a few weapons (bazookas, flamethrowers, ...) can only be picked up during the game.
There are new multiplayer modes (Capture the Flag: each team tries to steal the opponent's flag and bring it to their own flag), Base Attack (each team must secure their own three bases while destroying the opponent's), Domination (five neutral flag points must be captured).
In the 13 new missions you play, for example, an American soldier during the Battle of the Bulge, a gunner of a British "Fortress Mk.1" (Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress") who (after his bomber was shot down over Holland) joins the Dutch resistance and is subsequently promoted to Special Air Service. In the following Russian campaign, you play a soldier who takes part in the Battle of Kursk (Unternehmen Zitadelle). The graphics engine has been changed and new effects have been added.
Call of Duty N-Gage Arena Pack
The N-Gage version of Call of Duty received a new release on November 2nd, 2004 in the form of the N-Gage Arena Pack. This contained 3 new levels for the game. It could only be purchased and downloaded from the N-Gage Arena, which closed in 2010.
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
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| Studio | Spark Unlimited | ||
| Publisher | Activision | ||
| Composer | Michael Giacchino | ||
| First published | Germany | ||
| Platform | Xbox, PlayStation2, GameCube | ||
| Genre | First-person shooter | ||
| Game mode | Single player, Multiplayer | ||
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| Information | No anti-constitutional symbols in the USK version | ||
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a game for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo GameCube consoles. It was released on December 2, 2004. The Xbox and PS2 versions can also be played online. The three allied superpowers USA, Great Britain and USSR are available for selection. The campaign includes first the USSR in Stalingrad, then Great Britain in North Africa and finally the USA in Aachen.
Call of Duty 2
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| Studio | Infinity Ward | ||
| Publisher | Activision | ||
| Composer | Graeme Revell | ||
| First published | Germany | ||
| Platform | Windows, macOS, Xbox 360 | ||
| Genre | First-person shooter | ||
| Game mode | Single player, Multiplayer | ||
| Control | Keyboard, Mouse, Gamepad | ||
| System requirements |
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| Medium | CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Download | ||
| Age rating |
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| Information | Latest version: 1.3; USK version shortened | ||
The sequel, Call of Duty 2, was released on November 3, 2005, and did not receive a parental rating. The development cost of the game was $14.5 million, with 8 percent of the budget ($1.16 million) going to voice acting. About half a year after the Windows version, Call of Duty 2 for Mac OS X celebrated its German premiere at MacExpo 2006.
Single player mode
The development of the game was based on the plot of the film Duel - Enemy at the Gates, many situations and material incidents from the film were incorporated into the missions around Stalingrad.
The plot ties in with the stereotypical concept: This time, four soldiers from three countries fight in a group against the Germans in the war years 1941 to 1945. As a young Russian corporal Vasili Ivanovich Koslov, the player recaptures Stalingrad. With the British Sergeant John Davis, the player then goes to the African continent to El-Alamein and Libya in a tank battle of the 7th Panzer Division, to Tunisia and back to the French Caen. In between, the player takes control of a Crusader tank in the Libyan desert as British tank commander David Welsh in two missions. The end is fought with the American Corporal Bill Taylor of the 2nd US Ranger Battalion on D-Day at the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. You then fight your way to Bergsteiner Burgberg (Germany) and cross the Rhine.
You can play the game with DirectX 7 as well as 9.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer mode includes Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Search and Destroy and Headquarters modes.
Some cheats can now be detected thanks to a patch, and the players in question are banned from playing on the servers. The ban is linked to the game's serial number, so it is not easy to circumvent it.
With patch 1.2, the anticheat software PunkBuster was integrated on the PC. Despite these countermeasures, cheaters still find ways to circumvent them - especially so-called wallhacks (allows you to see through walls) and aimbots (take over the aiming with the mouse, e.g. directly on the head of the opponent) are used.
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
| Call of Duty 2: Big Red One | |||
| Studio | Treyarch | ||
| Publisher | Activision | ||
| Composer | Graeme Revell | ||
| First published | Germany November 17, 2005 | ||
| Platform | Gamecube, Xbox, PlayStation 2 | ||
| Genre | First-person shooter | ||
| Game mode | Single player, Multiplayer | ||
| Control | Controller | ||
| Medium | DVD-ROM | ||
| Age rating |
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| Information | USK version shortened | ||
The game was released for the GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles in autumn 2005 and was not rated for minors. For the first time, the game breaks with the concept of its predecessors: In contrast to CoD 1 and 2, you are a soldier of one unit throughout the game: Fighting 1st, also called Big Red One because of their association badges. Similar to Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault, the missions are not linear in time: At the end of the first mission in 1944, you are seriously injured, whereupon your virtual life is rewound in your mind's eye to 1942. Here you start your career as a private in North Africa. After 13 desert and France missions, you finally end up in Germany (Siegfried Line) in the last year of the war. Multiplayer battles can be fought on Xbox and PS2 over the Internet with a total of 16 players on eleven maps. At the end and beginning of a mission a short summary is shown as a news broadcast. The voice in the English version belongs to Mark Hamill, who had a starring role in The Big Red One. Various actors from the miniseries Band of Brothers - We Were Like Brothers lent their voices to the other game characters of the unit.
Call of Duty 3
This article or section needs a revision: singleplayer and multiplayer are missing; see WP:RCSPlease help improve it, and then remove this tag.
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| Studio | Treyarch | ||
| Publisher | Activision | ||
| Composer | Joel Goldsmith | ||
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| Platform | Xbox, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii | ||
| Genre | First-person shooter | ||
| Game mode | Single player, Multiplayer | ||
| Control | Controller | ||
| Age rating |
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| Information | No anti-constitutional symbols in the USK version | ||
Call of Duty 3 was available for the Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and Wii consoles from late 2006, and for the PlayStation 3 from March 2007.
It's set in occupied France, with only Allied soldiers to control in the single-player campaign.
The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions feature online multiplayer for up to 24 and 16 players respectively.
One of the biggest differences to Call of Duty 2 is the ability to operate vehicles such as motorcycles, off-road vehicles and tanks (both German and Allied).
Graphically and sonically, especially the Xbox 360 version has been revised once again. One free and five paid add-on cards for online games are available via Xbox Live.
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory
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| Studio | Amaze Entertainment | ||
| Publisher | Activision | ||
| First published | 23 March 2007 | ||
| Platform | PlayStation Portable | ||
| Genre | First-person shooter | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
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| Information | No anti-constitutional symbols in the USK version | ||
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is the first PlayStation portable version of the game for the Sony handheld, which was released on March 23, 2007. The USK only awarded an Ab-18 seal with a version cut for the German market.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
→ Main article: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (German: Moderne Kriegsführung) was released on November 8, 2007. The game, unlike its predecessors, is set in an alternate present or near future, where the theaters of war are localized in the Near and Middle East. The game focuses on the techniques of modern infantry combat and puts the player in control of soldiers in very different operational scenarios, some of which differ from those of previous Call of Duty games. Missions with heavy combat alternate with quieter missions and sniper missions. The content shift to modern combat also allows for the use of a range of modern handguns and technologies. In the 18 missions of the single-player campaign, you play as British SAS soldiers Soap MacTavish and Cpt. Price, U.S. Marine Sgt. Paul Jackson, as well as the gunners of a Lockheed AC-130H Spectre Gunship.
Call of Duty: World at War
→ Main article: Call of Duty: World at War
On December 2, 2007, Activision Blizzard announced that the fifth part of the Call of Duty series will not be developed by Infinity Ward, but, like the third part, by Treyarch. The new part is subtitled "World at War". The main development platform of the game is Xbox 360, however, it also appeared for other current stationary consoles, PC as well as Nintendo DS. The game contains two campaigns (Americans in the Pacific and Soviets in Europe) in single player as well as in co-op mode also as multiplayer playable variants. The engine used for the fifth part is the same as the Call of Duty 4 engine with slight modification. Also, in this part, several new actions of the character are possible than in Call of Duty 4; vehicles can be occupied and controlled, and you can shoot large holes in walls with various weapons that allow you to move faster. The developer has used improved artificial intelligence, such as enemies can play dead and later attack the player character from behind. Additionally, the Wii version of the game is said to still support the Wii Zapper. The release was in the US on November 11, 2008 and in Europe on November 13.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
On December 3, 2008, Activision Blizzard announced the continuation of the Modern Warfare series, which is being developed by Infinity Ward. Mistakenly, the initial press releases spoke only of Modern Warfare 2, suggesting that the title would have to do without the addition of Call of Duty. In a Twitter post by Infinity Ward employee Robert Bowling, this was revised in July. Activision itself explained the confusion to internet magazine Gamespot as follows: "Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 is the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. We put the spotlight on the Modern Warfare name to best get across that this is the first true sequel amid the Call of Duty series." Initially, it was announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would be released uncut and uncut in Germany, unlike its predecessors. Shortly before the release date, however, it was revealed that some changes had nevertheless been made to the original version.
In addition, n-Space developed a DS version of Modern Warfare 2, called Call of Duty Modern Warfare: Mobilized, which was released on November 10, 2009. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the first installment in the Call of Duty series that requires Steam to play on the PC.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Black Ops
The seventh part of the Call of Duty series was released on November 9, 2010 and is set in Vietnam, Laos, Cuba and Russia, among other places. The plot of the game is told from the point of view of elite soldier Alex Mason and CIA agent Jason Hudson with flashbacks.
The game was released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC with a 3D feature that allows the player to switch between normal graphics and 3D graphics as desired. The 3D graphics can be used not only in the single player mode, but also in multiplayer mode and online mode.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The eighth installment in the series was officially unveiled on May 14, 2011 and released on November 8, 2011. Actually, the successor to Black Ops was supposed to be presented to the public at a later date, but due to an information leak, the title was unveiled earlier. In addition to Infinity Ward, the developer studios Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software were also responsible for the development.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Black Ops II
The ninth Call of Duty title was unveiled on May 1, 2012 during the basketball playoffs on the US television network TNT. The title is Call of Duty: Black Ops II and is developed by Treyarch. The plot is set in the near future in the year 2025, in a world obsessed with technological advancement, The Future is Black. The game was released on November 13, 2012 and generated more than $500 million in sales on its first day.
Call of Duty: Ghosts
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Ghosts
Ghosts is the tenth installment in the Call of Duty series and was released on November 5, 2013 for Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U. On 24 April 2013, packshots of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions were released by supermarket chain Tesco due to a bug. The development was taken over by Infinity Ward. On May 1, 2013, Ghosts was officially confirmed by Activision. The first gameplay footage was shown to the public on May 21, along with the Xbox One. It tells the story of two brothers, later soldiers in the US Army, who fight for the freedom of the destroyed North America due to the mercenary army of the terrorist Rorke.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Advanced Warfare is the eleventh installment in the series and was released on November 4, 2014 for Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. In 2054, the world's greatest military power is not a country, but a corporation. Jonathan Irons (Kevin Spacey) is the leader and founder of Atlas, the largest private military company in the world. Irons starts a war with the US, convinced that the US has failed to establish democracies around the world.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Black Ops 3 is the twelfth installment in the series and was released on November 6, 2015 for Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The plot takes place in a dystopian future in 2065, forty years after the events of Black Ops 2. It pits the "Black Ops" against the "CDP". Science and technology have changed greatly. This triggers fierce protests around the world and attempts are made to stop further advances. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released without a story mode due to the outdated console technology, only the multiplayer mode can be played.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
On May 2, 2016, Activision released a first trailer for Infinite Warfare, after information about it had already leaked a few days earlier. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare offers a space scenario as the first part and was released on November 4, 2016 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The Legacy Edition available at release also includes a remastered version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the current consoles.
Call of Duty: WWII
→ Main article: Call of Duty: WWII
On April 21, 2017, Activision officially announced the development of Call of Duty: WWII. The extensive reveal took place on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, in the form of a livestream on the respective social media platforms YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch. The game was released on November 3, 2017 for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
On May 17, 2018, Activision and developer studio Treyarch officially unveiled the fifteenth installment in the series called Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. The debut trailer was released as part of the "Community Reveal Event" alongside initial information. The game was released on October 12, 2018 for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Call of Duty: Mobile
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Mobile
Call of Duty: Mobile is a new title in the franchise released for iOS and Android. It was announced on March 18, 2019 at the Game Developers Conference. It features storylines from Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019).
The 16th installment of the Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, was unveiled with a trailer on May 30, 2019. The game is a "soft reboot" of the Modern Warfare series and represents a return to old familiar gameplay of the series, as was once the case with Call of Duty: WWII. An integral part of the game, Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play Battle Royale game as well as part of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and released on March 10, 2020. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare buyers can access the Warzone game mode from the main menu. However, Call of Duty: Warzone can also be downloaded independently as a free game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)
→ Main article: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
The 5th installment in the Black Ops series and 17th installment in the Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was unveiled on August 26, 2020 and is set in the early 1980s Cold War. The game is co-developed by Raven Software and Treyarch and was released on November 13, 2020.
Music
Much of the background music in Call of Duty is by US composer Michael Giacchino. The background music of Call of Duty 2 was composed by Graeme Revell, that of Call of Duty 3 by Joel Goldsmith. The background music in Call of Duty 4 was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. In World at War, Black Ops, and in a Black Ops 2 DLC, Elena Siegman sang the songs for the zombie mode. Hans Zimmer provided the background music in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The music in Modern Warfare 3 was composed by Brian Tyler. For Call of Duty: Ghosts, Eminem contributed the game's official song ("Survival").
