CALL OF DUTY: STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM - WAIT WHAT?

The first Call of Duty game introduced many new aspects to the first person shooter genre. It was set in a clichéd WWII. The leaning system, gunplay, AI, story progression and how the game highlighted the struggles of soldiers on all fronts of the war were all contributing factors in making the game a huge hit. The second Call of Duty improved upon every aspect of its predecessor and delivered a more action packed campaign filled with even more set pieces. The multiplayer was vastly improved as well with brand new game modes and well-designed maps.

While Infinity Ward was the main producer behind the majority of the Call of Duty series, Treyarch also have a decent number of CoD games under their belt; starting from Call of Duty 3 which was released to positive acclaim from critics and users alike due to the myriad of minor improvements they made like adding the ability to throw back grenades and semi-destructible environments. Call of Duty 4 marked the series' departure from its roots and its entry into the modern era. A lot of people were skeptical of the fact that Call of Duty was going to become “just another shooter” but they were proven wrong as Call of Duty 4 went on to become one of the most successful CoD games ever made. The story-centric single player campaign, balanced multiplayer, fun maps and gorgeous visuals were beyond anything that Infinity Ward had ever created.

After this foray into the modern era, Call of Duty was brought back to its roots by Treyarch with World at War. The game's single player campaign followed in the footsteps of CoD4 and delivered a compelling story set in World War 2, which was never done before. At this point, the similarity of the gameplay was getting all too familiar and people complained about the lack of innovation in the game.

After the mediocre performance of World at War it was up to Infinity Ward to make up for it with their new entry: Modern Warfare 2. The game was met with bustling anticipation. The focus was more on the multiplayer than anything else. However, it fell short of its expectations and was an even more mediocre game than World at War.
The series lost its charm and its oomph factor. Repeatedly regurgitating the same gameplay mechanics coupled with the annual releases resulted in people simply losing interest in the game. Meanwhile, the game's competitors (Battlefield, for example) were making huge leaps, drawing away potential customers.

Black Ops was a better attempt at rejuvenating the series which was now a husk of its former self. The multiplayer maps, innovative killstreaks and revamped weapon handling did make for a much better game than Modern Warfare 2 but it was not up to the high level of the series.

The next games Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 2 were more of a relapse for the series back into the strain of mediocrity.  The series had a solid fan base which kept coming back for more but the repetition was too much for many avid fans.

Now that Advanced Warfare has been released, can Sledgehammer Games successfully turn the fate of the series around? Or will they slump just like their predecessors?