Why COD is Successful: Revealed

RevoltTech Writes:

The Call of Duty franchise has become the most successful franchise of the current generation, with the highest launch numbers for both its Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops releases. Many question this success, stating that many other games have been released over the years which deserve the same success. Indeed, many games have been released this generation which have received huge critical acclaim. But why don’t they compare in the box office?

[RedDead]

Simple addicting gameplay. That's all. It doesn't take more than 3 minutes to learn how ot play it.

Edit---after reading the article I sorta agree aswell. But take some sim shoters like operation flashpoint. One bullet to kill them, but it's hardcore compared to cod. I like Cod by the way i'm just saying. In other games I like the way conflicts take longer, you feel more like you've accomplished soemthing when fighting someone in gears, killzone or halo. Two people guarding an objective doesn't sound like much in Cod, but in the other 3, you have to watch yourself, the enemies feel like two tanks holding a position.

With that said, I still like COd, it's a good game to get on for a little while and have fun.

[DarthRevan]

True
Lots of other games have the same gameplay though. Uncharted you'll pick up in 1-2 games but it has the same problem

...Actually, its not a problem. Its a problem if you want it to be a problem, but its a problem for a lot of people

[AndrewRyan]

If you didn't know why CoD was successful you need to get your elementary school degree.

[ComboBreaker]

Easy to shoot and easy to kill. All because of the auto-aim system for guns.

Heck, even the granades have auto-aim. Throw a random grenade in the general direction of somebody and the auto-aim system kicks in, guiding it and bouncing it off walls and the likes until it land right at the foot of the person.

If it's still too hard, players can always try noobtubing. It's even easier to kill with noobtubing.

[Ducky]

If it's easier to kill, it's also easier to die.

How does this make it successful anyways? By this logic, everyone would be playing hardcore. O.o

[RedRedSuitSDF]

Hardcore is way too easy imo. Too "real".

[the_best_player]

cause Cod is over rated
end of story.

[ilikestuff]

yep easy to play, i like how it takes only a couple bullets to kill someone, thats like the only realistic part, snipers suck though, i popped someone three times with the pgs1 and nothing, they were chest shots too, weak... now someone help me shave my nuts

[TheSadTruth]

CoD 1 and 2 were successful because they were faithful war simulators with amazing gameplay and atmosphere.

CoD 4 and beyond were even more successful because they appealed to the lowest common denominator of gamers.

They provide you with constant rewards so the gamer feels like they are accomplishing something. Unlockables are nothing new, but to the extent they were added in CoD 4 and beyond always made the game feel like they were working towards something and attaining something. An online component where you are rewarded for winning and not penalized for losing also aided this. A 10th level prestige means nothing other than that you play a lot, but to the 10th level prestige player, they feel like they are good.

There's also the killstreaks which let a player of any skill level suddenly be able to get massive killstreaks and feel like they were good at that game. Your average gamer does not like to lose, and when they lose they eventually stop playing. CoD 4 found a way to make gamers feel like they are never losing, and that is why the fanbase continues to develop and grow, and most modern FPS follow some of these elements now because of its success.

Even a hardcore RTS PC game like SC2 adopted a ladder system where casual gamers are put into leagues that are meaningless, but being a Rank 1 bronze league in a way brings a sense of accomplishment overcoming the other bronze league players.

Making successful games these days is not about good gameplay anymore unfortunately.

I did not read the article.

[thePatriot]

your name fits this comment perfectly. lol . yeah that is true. original resistance... gotta go play that now.

[vickers500]

CoD4 has great gameplay.

[hennessey86]

because of cod4, wich in my opinion is still the best multiplayer you can get this gen. With each new cod they promise its going to be better and each time its not but you buy it because you think you will be finally getting a game that will better cod4 multiplayer and single player which hasnt happened yet. Ive just traded my copy of black ops in its just not good enough. Il be picking up killzone 3 in feb and hopefuly that will be as good in multiplayer as it is in singleplayer because i didnt like killzone 2 multiplayer.

[VenGencE999]

@henn
and there in lies your problem. it sounds like cod4 was your first online shooter and because of that no game will equal it.
I see no difference besides a few tweaks here and there between 4,5,6, or 7, so it amazes me when people swear 4 is the best when it has the LEAST amount of features. No co-op, no split screen, no zombies, and just your basic killstreaks. Hardly the best in the series, IMO...

[sleepy3]

lol. He popped his cherry on it. Now no game will be like his first.

Its good to stick with one though, there are all kinds of diseases lurking out there for people that go bouncing from game to game.

[princejb134]

cod is easy to get kills but it also goes vice versa as in its easy to die
i can easily get 20+ kills
but that doesnt mean everyone can easily get this
ive played games in domination where the opposite team had had 11 kills and 47 deaths

[writersblock]

I have to agree, sometimes in other games you'll see an enemy but dont bother taking a shot cus you know you wont be able to get a kill with a few bullets

[DarthRevan]

I think Killzone 3's going to get a huge following. But its exclusive so it wont beat COD in sales

[isthisnametaken]

If they'd advertise some more it could. I like how sony isnt all advertising, but I havent seen a single ad since the VGA's

[the_best_player]

best to make games than to waste money on advertising.
another company we know should take note of this :)

[OSU_Gamer]

@ The_best_player

Bad comparison

Advertising an accessory while not producing games for it is different than making a game and advertising for it.

KZ3 needs to be advertised. Without advertisements you get less sales, and although sales for your favorite game is not something gamers shouldn't hang their hat on, it ensures the continuance of that series.

Advertising works (Kinect proves that), so why not advertise for a game that you know will be good, so that it gets the sales it deserves?

[the_best_player]

I care about playing games not sales.
sales don't = a good game look at wii fit LOL!

[VenGencE999]

@T_B_P

YOU might not care about sales, but these devs sure do, and without good sales there will be NO games for you to play. PERIOD.
sales matter in the real world my friend, no one is doing this so you can have fun and have something to do

[sleepy3]

Didn't you watch the jersey shore marathon. There was move ad EVERY BREAK. For the WHOLE DAY. tHE SAME AD. UGGGHHH. It was funny the 1st 3 times i saw it but by the 100th time, i was just fed up. Kevin butler just gets annoying after a while.

[isthisnametaken]

I didnt buy black ops because I knew it would be more of the same
Honestly, if they took out some of the dumb perks and fixed huge lag/dropped games then it would deserve the sales

Nobody really buys it for the singeplayer

[Ruggadagod]

that's about it. all those numbers and sounds you hear while playing is subliminal. it makes you play more and more. while i do like cod's multiplayer, i prefer other types of games to balance out my library. no one genre overpowers the other.

[metsgaming]

The real reason, people love to buy what their friends have and they follow the crowd blindly. BFBC2 is so much better but sells less because their friends dont have it so they wont buy it.

Plus its an easy game for noobs to play

[leahcim]

I cannot understand why...?

I hate COD games

[ZombieNinjaPanda]

Why it is successful:

1) The Name
2) Overly easy gameplay
3) Way too much advertising

[ChickeyCantor]

and male complexes...cause war is cool...

[dorron]

I like Battlefield better. It is more tactical, more realistic...

[HK6]

If only more people realized this truth.

[Ducky]

People do realize the truth that Battlefield is more tactical and realistic.
They just don't want to play that kind of game.

[VenGencE999]

@fatoldman

I wish more people realized THIS. How about some people DON'T want realistic or a more tactical shooter. Or how about some people don't want to play shooters with overpowered tanks and the like.

and least you have to attain a certain amount of kills to deploy vehicles in cod, whereas they are readily available ALL the time in Battlefield. Now thats for noobs.

in any regards I have both so if you hit me with I suck you'd better be ready to prove it and meet me in game, xbox or ps3...

[SixZeroFour]

just because vehicles are available from the beginning, the game is for noobs now? if you verse a team that actually knows what to do and talks on the mic, those vehicles dont do much, especially with medics, tracers, c4's, antitank mines, rpgs, mortar strikes and mounted antitank launchers

add to that with the bullet physics, where you have to lead targets and conpensate for bullet drop when shooting from long distances...battlefield is hardly a noobs games

you may be able to kill ppl, but thats a different story from winning a game

[VenGencE999]

Hard to win a game that DEMANDS teamwork and you are playing with randoms. Teamwork goes RIGHT out the window. The only way it really works is if you are in a clan, with a large party with all mics or you have a few killers on your team that can hold their own, which is hardly ever.

And yes, VEHICLES in any SHOOTER is for noobs. You need a tank to kill me? a chopper? Vehicles rank up there with noobtubes as far as I'm concerned. How about you put that assault rifle in your shoulder and point and shoot? How much "help" does one need to "win" in a shooter.

Winning in all shooters should be determined by who has better shooting skills, not who has the most OP items ingame. You're right, my ability to kill is negated by lack of TEAMWORK with randoms, which is buzzkill for me and why I like games where I don't have to rely on a bunch yahoos...

[SixZeroFour]

ppl who ONLY RELY on vehicles in the game are noobs, that doesnt make the game for noobs itself...if said person NEEDS to be in a vehicle in a game like bfbc2 or halo, then SAID PERSON is the noob

but halo and bfbc2 games itself isnt for noobs, cause theyd get murdered without the vehicles in the same games...if it was the game that was for noobs just cause there was vehicles, then ppl would own whether or not in a vehicle cause it would just be that easy (because its apparently a noob game for having vehicles)

[LunaticBrandon]

Because it gives the illusion of being good. Most Call of Duty Players couldn't handle a shooter with a learning curve.

[VenGencE999]

I'll play you in any shooter, any day, any system buddy. Them is fighting words...

[Harry190]

It takes less than 10 seconds from the boot screen to get into a game (in MW2). That is just exemplary game design right there. Haters gonna hate blablablablabla. I used to hate on this franchise too, hell, I used to like Treyarch more but that was before I played Modern Warfare 2 and that I realize that talent just cannot be bought.The savoir-faire and flair of Infinity Ward just cannot be matched. Treyarch is not bad, but any comparison to Infinity Ward puts you in a different light.

Add to that perfect gameplay and immediate gratification and you've got a superb cocktail. This is how fps should be.

[dinkeldinkse]

What drug are you on?

[Harry190]

Error: should have been 'realized' instead of 'realize'.

[ZombieNinjaPanda]

You enjoyed MW2?

Either you're trolling, or you're one of those people that think McDonalds is quality food.

[starcb26]

MW2 was horrible! Really what are you smoking?

[christheredhead]

theres nothing wrong with cod. its a fun game. its popular because its the most casual fps currently on the market. its an extremely easy game to pick up and play. cod gives the user a ton of tools that actually helps one enjoy the game or have fun. auto aim, upgrades, perks, etc, very user friendly and simple by design. personally i dont play cod, its just not my thing but cod will always be successful as it doesn't look like it'll be slowing down anytime soon.

[soundslike]

It's one of the negatives for me.

I prefer my enemies getting away with a little bit of health when I try to shoot them from a less than ideal situation. It makes things more balanced and competitive, not just about who's ping was better at the time.

Maybe when everyone has fiber-optic cables or the next thing after that "twitch" will be ideal for competitive games, but it just feels random at the moment.

The reason's COD is popular is more obvious... speed and unlocks. That's it. Everything is fast. There is lots of unlocks.

[AllroundGamer]

enjoy this awesome COD video :)

[whitesoxfalife]

that was funny as hell

[sleepy3]

HAHAHA

Good Find. You need more bubbles for stuff like this

[DarthRevan]

^^
I sense multiple accounts, since that was the number 1 post on N4G like... yesterday. Either those two are idiots or hes giving himself bubbles

[KotC]

It's fun to play

[DanSolo]

It is fun, and it is slick!

People are looking to load up and have fun, and COD has that!

Personally I have gotten bored of COD, but I can still see the appeal to people it has. It is a shame though that soo many people will just buy COD and miss out on alot of other decent FPS's.

[lugia 4000]

Because its fast paced.

[A LIVING LEGEND]

when they discover gold on the moon,I'm buying a claim.