And So The Cycle Continues!
It’s fair to say that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 hasn’t been receiving the warmest welcome, especially since it appears to be falling into old habits. With the removal of a single-player campaign and random inclusion of a battle royale mode, the franchise appears to be jumping on bandwagons left and right. In times like these, it’s easy to see why so many have come to dislike the CoD name as a whole, with these five reasons often spearheading the argument.
#5: Aggressive Marketing
How many times have you channel surfed or gone on YouTube and BAM! Thereâs a Call of Duty ad! Commercials and ad banners appear so frequently that they eventually get really freaking annoying. Of course, it gets worse once the reviews start rolling in because then it feels like the game is getting every advertising spot imaginable. Oh, and letâs not forget the âcontroversyâ every game comes with, getting both parents and politicians talking. For example, the brutal airport massacre from Modern Warfare 2. The aggressive marketing just overhypes the game, overshadows other great titles being released, and has the gaming community complaining about the same problems every year.
#4: The Underwhelming Campaigns
âHear that ringing in your ears? Its called âthat same explosion youâve experienced in a dozen other movies and games!ââ In recent years, Call of Duty has fallen short with its single-player campaigns. Modern Warfare 2 had a good campaign, but the quality started trickling down from there. Hey Activision, you want to give us a good story? Then stop relying on celebrities like Kevin Spacey, Kitt Harrington, and Josh Duhamel; itâs pointless. Make exciting moments, not impossible one. Though it doesn’t seem to matter now, since modern iterations appear to be dropping campaigns altogether!
#3: It Has Other IPs Wanting to be Similar
Its an old business trick weâve seen every time a game blows up. The innovator makes millions, which then leads to other developers copycatting the formula. We wonât deny Call of Duty has influenced gaming, but its hard getting past theissue. For example, the director of âResident Evil 6â made the game more action-oriented because of how they saw Call of Duty perform. Another game which almost did this was the unreleased Doom 4, which tried replicating a CoD-like experience before it was scrapped and turned into the 2016 reboot we know and love. SOCOM 4 had the same idea, and, well, look how that turned out.
#2: Pricey DLC
There are many games that have questionable pricing with their downloadable content. Call of Duty is one of the worst when it comes to getting more bang for your buck. Two dollars for weapon skins? Four dollars for a new weapon? FIFTEEN DOLLARS FOR FOUR MAPS?! Why arenât any of these in your game? Seriously, just looking at some of these packs makes it seem like content was intentionally cut out! If you wanted to cheat us out of our money so bad, youâd implement a loot box systâand theyâve done that now. Great.
#1: Same Gameâ¦Every Year
A game can only change so much when new iterations are released annually. Since 2005, weâve had a Call of Duty game every freakinâ year! The main titles come out every November! Marketing has reported a decrease in sales in the past few years. Why is that? Simply put, the game is getting old, and weâre getting tired. When no exciting or meaningful changes happen in a recycled series with an annual release date, what incentive do players have to buy it? Why pay sixty dollars for the exact same game you got last November?
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Craziest Call of Duty Moments!