Was Call of Duty more fun when it wasn't as popular?

Call of Duty, one of the most played franchises, created by our beloved Activison. Lots of people play CoD. Lots of people know CoD inside out, but it makes you think, remember when you knew, well, nothing about CoD and you would just sit there and play it? Before Modern Warfare 2, when the original CoDs were out? vGN remember. CoD was fun, no hacks, no glitches, no noobs and no try hards.. just shoot to kill good old fun.

Some say hacking has ruined the Call of Duty franchise, and on some levels vGN agree with them, however it’s not only hacking. Modern Warfare 2 introduced the titles and emblems feature, edit killstreaks feature and pro perks. Since MW2, CoD has just gone down, let’s face it. CoD4, yes, you could edit your savedata to hack online games but that was fun! Nobody cared! It wasn’t until the ‘vstr’ command and the jailbreak was introduced that CoD4 has gone down, and everyone still says it’s the best CoD!

I’m currently playing Modern Warfare 3… it is so hard to...

[Hufandpuf]

When was call of duty not popular?

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

COD4 is still the best. That game was amazing.
Everything else has been kind of meh since.
It was the first COD I ever bought so I can't comment on whether it was better when it was less popular or not.

[momthemeatloaf]

Cod4 was fun but it was the start of the franchise going downhill. Cod2 was the best, pure gun on gun and sniping was the best

Cod has gotten worse and worse, and things like YouTube do not help. People are camping and abusing killstreaks in hopes to get big gameplsys so they become YouTube famous

[moparful99]

Call of duty was still fun when the TWO people responsible for Infinity Wards existence still owned the rights to their games... Then good ole Activision and Bobby Kotick came along and raped the industy of another studio and its top notch talent...

[MaxXAttaxX]

No it wasn't.
But the single player campaign was better.

[farhad2k8]

Yes, CoD was better when it wasn't popular, because people didn't constantly gather up and hate on it.
Oh the good ol' days.

[2pacalypsenow]

Before COD 4

[HammadTheBeast]

When the maps turned shit. Now it's just addicting, not fun, just addicting.

[MrMister]

Popular or not, it doesnt change the fact that the multiplayer sucks now.

[Lazy_Sunday]

Disagrees? CoD has always been a popular IP, it wasn't until CoD4 when the franchise really gained traction--and when it did, Activision got greedy, when Activision got greedy, CoD lost traction amongst it's vocal audience, but retained traction amongst it's--to put it politely--"lesser knowledgeable" audience.

Just because you don't like the stupid cool kid in school doesn't make him unpopular. It just means you won't hang out with him because he's stupid.

[Hufandpuf]

Exactly, I think people misinterpreted my comment. They must have thought that I thought COD was popular as in Well-Liked by all, which wasn't what I meant.

[Telepot]

"wasn't as popular", and I'd say it all kicked off when Modern Warfare was released.

[Hufandpuf]

I'd say it was always popular. Only when COD4 introduced kill streaks was when they struck gold. Mw2 tried to add more kill streaks and perks that ended up breaking the game. They didn't learn a thing after that.

[Telepot]

That is basically what I was going into in the article and I could not agree more.

[FinaLXiii]

After MW2 the games started to decline in quality even tough MW2 was far from being great, unfornatly, but it had potential.

[moparful99]

Mw2 was aweseome for me.. Despite the frustrating kill streaks and the commando pro nonsense.. At least when you shot people in that game they actually you know, DIED! BLOPS, MW3, and now BLOPS2 are the epitomy of using someone elses ideas and hard work to reap the rewards...

[Summons75]

it was generic first person shooter before it was popular and it still is generic first person shooter

[FutureWWEChampion]

Damn I can agree with that comment Summons I loved call of duty even when u weren't aloud to call out dog's and air strikes and all that lol

[ChunkyLover53]

Not sure it was ever not popular, I bought Call Of Duty 2 as a launch title for my Xbox 360 and have been in love with the series since then.

I admit I like the simpler games better, I prefer the small maps and the set 3, 5, 7 killstreaks.

[Patriots_Pride]

No because COD is still COD and fun.

The only person that makes it feel not fun because its popular is you. This is expected as you have some individuals that like to feel different and not classed as everyone else. Dubstep is a perfect example of this because b4 it hit mainstream it was cool with the people who first listened to it but now that its everywhere those same people dont like it as much.

[Patriots_Pride]

I bet if COD was not as mainstream and a million dollar seller and they pumped out the same games that we have now those same people hating on it would be loving it.

Being emo is what some people choose to do.

[TheModernKamikaze]

I think they'll still hate the game.
and what does Emo have to do with anything?
I think what you mean when people liked things before they were mainstream, you call those people hipsters.

[MysticStrummer]

The popularity of a game has nothing to do with my enjoyment level while playing it. I've enjoyed both hits and flops this generation. Call of Duty was never my kind of shooter.

[Reverent]

The developers who make the "Dynasty Warriors" franchise keep pumping out the EXACT same game all the time and it isn't at ALL even close to the popularity as CoD or even "mainstream". I still hate that series. So there, study flawed.

[FarCryLover182]

COD 2 had a great campaign. The D-day mission was brilliant! I miss WW2 games.

[Getowned]

Big Red One was the Best cod ever imo.poor Brooklyn :(

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Related video

[Gamesgbkiller]

"created by our beloved Activison"
give me a break!

[Ken22]

Yes,look at COD4 sure it was popular but everyone would run around instead of camping but now look at the newer games there's retard's camping like at every single corner xD.
*Sigh* R.I.P COD 2003-2007.

[Wizziokid]

I would say the mass popularity of the game has hurt it some what, due to the yearly demand of the games the dev's are getting lazy and don't really try to branch out the series as much as the could/should. it's a shame because I used to really enjoy the games MW was obviously my favourite but now I can't bare playing them.

[ACBAA]

because hating on mainstream is really cool, music, movies, games. vintage humans

[MariaHelFutura]

I hear what you're saying...but its really the opposite. More people started playing COD based off of people they know playing it, than people who hate on it because its popular. In reality its cool to like what is cool, which why all of those industries you named thrive and are not hurting for money unlike their independant counterparts.

[Soldierone]

I never really hated "mainstream" things till it started sucking. (I'm not talking about COD here) I'm talking about music. I can't even listen to the radio anymore it sucks so bad......and when I do its "classic rock" or "classic hip hop" stations playing early 2000's, 90's, and old mainstream music.

[ACBAA]

Mainstream follows you everywhere. You see it everywhere, music for this matter, and you are obviously going to get bored of it and eventually hate it.

That doesnt mean an artist sucks, it's not their, the developer's or director's fault but people's for not being open minded. Of course we get bored of things, that doesnt mean we can reasonably hate it when we do

(Cod gets a release every year, people are sick of THAT, not the actual game. give them a break for a couple of years and kill me if they dont like it again)

[Soldierone]

I still listen to "new" music I just find it elsewhere now, and I can understand what you mean by simply getting tired of it. But there is a difference to me. When I hear a "new" song (to me), I still don't like it. Lyrics are simplistic, song is slow with a good beat, and there is no point to it. Plus a lot of music I hear on the radio comes from a computer (auto tune) and I can't stand the sound. I just start picking out when the computer is fully taking over and isn't.

As for COD the issue as it won't go away. Even if you said "no COD this year" then EA or some other company will step in and say "try one of our 50 shooters we have!" and that COD feeling will still be there. I think if they want to "heal" the hate, they should release expansion packs for 40 dollars, not 60 dollar games every year.

[DestinyHeroDoomlord]

My first cod was MW2 and I loved it, that's right I said it, hate all you want... And the reason I still play cod is because they did not neglect offline gamers like myself.. *cough* bf *cough*

[CanadianTurtle]

I agree with you completely. MW2 was my first online shooter, so I had almost no expecations. I adored it, and a lot of the problems that were considered "problems" by many, I did not become bothered by them. I still played along and I had a great time. No regrets.

I'm also one of those people who enjoy singleplayer games very much, and even though the CoD games have short campaigns, I still feel very engaged and immersed into the action, which I cannot say the same for the BF game's campaigns.

Hey don't get me wrong, I love BF's online better but they need to amp up their game when it comes to single player offerings.

[cpayne93]

Not only that, they also need some good local multiplayer, I didn't like the co op campaign anyway, but why couldn't it be split screen? And I would LOVE splitscreen online.

[DestinyHeroDoomlord]

Just realised only online gamers hate cod, its time they realise offline gamers are different

[ExCest]

Why would you play an offline multiplayer game? Don't they have story-driven games elsewhere? Where the story is actually good and doesn't try to use the "Wow" factor with Michael Bay directing?

[Soldierone]

Yes because while it was still popular, it was popular with mostly shooter fans and gamers. Today you can't play without getting in a lobby with low iq talking morons that play just as stupid as they sound when they talk.....

[Hicken]

In a sort of indirect way, yes. It's gotten far more popular with each new game, yet most veterans agree that CoD4 is the best(I, myself, am partial to WaW). I don't know if it would be the popularity that caused the decline, or whether the decline was coming regardless and its popularity kinda helped it along, though.

[dennett316]

No, it's the same amount of fun it's always been, contrarian's just love to be seen to be rallying against what they perceive as mainstream. The others are simply burned out of playing essentially the same game every year.

If Battlefield 3 sold more, it would be hated on the level CoD is....it's just the way the majority of loud complainers are, popular = crap.

[Soldierone]

Popular = more people = more people capable of complaining.

Battlefield has its fair share of issues, and if it was as popular the same group would begin nitpicking everything about it.

[TheModernKamikaze]

It was better when it was not that popular and Activision did not know how to make much profit from it too much.

[bub16]

g-shots. no scopes, quick scope, whatever you want to call them killed it for me. the amount of abuse i get on MW3 for using a machine gun in free for all and not a sniper is unreal

[GraveLord]

Sure if you're one of those hipsters that hates popular things.

[EazyC]

It might sound bad, but I think too many people are "really good" at it. I remember in CoD 4 it was a real mix of new players and veterans, but now it seems everyone kicks ass at CoD (which is, in some part, due to the fact little has changed over the last 4 or so installments gameplay-wise), so it makes it less fun really.

[ExCest]

It's not that everybody is good but that the game got too easy. But I can't prove it since I can't play like a noob and test it myself. It's (MW3) much easier than MW2 and COD4 though.

[cpayne93]

The learning curve is just too small, that's what it is. Not like battlefield where you have to get used to the vehicles and destruction, or killzone with its realistic weapon recoil and high emphasis on classes, or halo where you have to remember where weapons are on maps, and get used to the vehicles. Its mostly just run and gun in cod.

[kevnb]

it was more fun when they didnt have 7 iterations of nearly the same thing.

[SpecialK]

COD4 was brilliant. Personally I dont think its the killstreaks that were the worst mistakes, but they definitely didnt help. It was the map design that really hurt the game.

What happened to simple, yet tactical maps like crossfire and bloc??? Theyve been replaced by maps where no one can really use cover or move tactically, its just running around getting shot in the back.

And thats fine but once you find a gun you like it all gets too easy and boring so anyone who likes some challenge gets bored...

[artdafoo]

Its the fact they basically put out the same damn game every year while all the while proclaiming thats " this is a brand new game, weve made major improvements, were always finding ways to make this game better than the last, blah, blah. No you havent, its the same car with a new paint job. Kiss my ass.

[Angerfist]

The Shit with all that Camping and so on began with the Youtube Hype about COD. I blame the Youtube Community for the Downfall of the CoD Community.

[Gamer-Z]

I loved Call of Duty 4 best game in the series hands down, i even liked MW2 but i still didn't play it as much as COD4. MW2 though was were things started going down hill, then black ops came out and made it worse, then MW3 dropped and took it to a whole new level of disgrace. Now the game is a former shell of what it used to be just a quick shooter fix for dumb casuals that cant handle real shooters.

[ToonarmY]

Call of Duty 1 and COD:UO were when COD was best so yes, cod was better before the consoles got there claws into the game, made it childproof and crap

[StrawberryDiesel420]

It was best at COD4, not too many moronic children screaming into mics and the like. Now it's an entire different story. For me, the popularity killed this franchise. Plus, buying a game soley for it's online component is just stupid because look at COD4 and W@W, hacked to dogshit and now unplayable unlike my vast array of gorgeous single player games. Every pre teen kid that plays COD should die and their parents should burn in hell because those are the people that ruined the community, the screaming kiddies!!

[Telepot]

Popularity did kill the franchise, perhaps if it wasn't as funded we'd still be playing CoDs like Call of Duty 4? Without all the random useless aggravating crap they've added into the new ones.

[spicelicka]

cod 2 was great, cod 3 was really good too but nothing compared to cod 4. Then it just went crazy.

[DFresh]

Yeah.
COD1/COD2 were really good when they released on PC.
The series didn't really reach a mainstream level until COD4 released in 2007.