Call of Duty - Most Overrated Game of All Time?

[Brandikins]

Some people who know me rather well know that I do not play games like Call of Duty. But why? Mainly because it's the most overrated game of all time, and this is more than just an opinion. It's almost *solid* fact.

But seriously, what do you guys think? Take a vote on the poll, I'd like to know.

Ok, I'll just go over my thoughts briefly, and if this thread becomes popular I'll get more into it. Believe me, I have plenty more to say than just to small paragraphs.

So, Zelda is my favorite. I grew up with it, and it has been a big part of my life. It moved me from the night I first played Ocarina of Time, from the music, to the characters, you know. But does COD have any of these? No, a new one is made every year, with not many differences. But for some reason, people keep spending $60+ every year for the new game, and put the monthly and/or annual cost of XBOX Live on top of that.

Basically, the reason why I think it's the most overrated game of all time, is because I have met a lot of people who are obsessed with it. On top of that, there aren't many differences between games, probably because they release a new one almost every year. Yet, despite the little differences and lack of originality, people continue to act like it's the best thing ever. I'd really like to know why, so feel free to post your thoughts here!

 

[Ventus]

Call of Duty is probably the most overrated series of all time, not necessarily game. I play CoD only because I love gaining experience in games (leveling up, I mean). The series has been overrated since day 1 of their multiplayer aspects, so much that the makers focus all of their time in the multiplayer part and only online multiplayer at that. Eh, you could say that people buy CoD only to gloat online, I don't know anyone who bought the game for offline who previously knew that the good stuff could only be accessed online.

Anyway, the reason for it being overrated is because you can gloat, and the vast majority of players (that I've played with?) are (pre)teens who just play it to be "cool" or "hardcore". The fact that the game is rated M and is multiplayer is enough to get people to think it's great, despite there not being much difference between the individual games. There are multiple groups inside of the CoD community though, where the new game will come out and a group will dog it with hate and the previous one (which they previously held to be horrible) will suddenly become the best game of the franchise. That's the thing, because people are supposedly part of the community, they start to get some insidious parasite in their head that makes them believe that their ability to pull off multiple quickscopes, get a Hind or AC-130 easily, or can get 58 kills 0 deaths makes them the best person on Earth. Honestly, I'll tell you now that there might not even be a person who plays MW2 or Black Ops, is 10th/15th prestige level 70/50, and does NOT think highly of himself.

To sum it up, I think that CoD is overrated because people love to gloat, I see it with Halo and I also see it with CoD.



We all know, and Guiness World Records knows, that OoT is the most overrated game of all time based on it's constant flow of 10s and even in the modern day it gets 8s and 9s (judging from virtual console release which is just Collector's Disc version I believe).

Very offtopic, I overrate Zelda everyday, and I have a parasite in my brain that makes me believe that it's the best series in existence. So, I'm not much different than the people who say CoD is the best. Honestly, I wouldn't pay Xbox Live fees for any game, not even Zelda. $60 a year which doesn't seem like much to most, actually is quite a bit for the ones who don't have a job/don't make a lot of money. Especially since you pay $60 up front, rather than in actual monthly payments.

 

[Brandikins]

People just think Ocarina of Time is overrated because it came out over a decade ago, and the fact that it is still praised to this day. But even if Zelda is a little overrated, it is overrated for at least the right reasons.

And the gloat thing, today on Facebook I saw a friend's status, calling himself a champion. I read the comments, and it was because he owned his friends online on COD. What a great reason to be a champion, how about you get a life and accomplish something that actually matters?

There's about eight COD games now...and all of them, there's no characters, or emotional depth or anything like that. Zelda, has new characters, new weapons, old characters, old weapons, well, you get the picture. Nintendo can manage to make it always feel new. COD takes place in different war periods...but again, no characters, not many new weapons, still the same core gameplay, it gets old. I am being honest when I ask what people see in that crap.

Video games were the best in the 90s. The start of 3D, just plug it in and sit on the couch with your friend NEXT to you, not through a headset. Simpler, but better.

 

[ZoraDeadpool]

in terms of overrated game i'd say Call of Duty and Halo are right next to eachother from what i've seen

 

[Zenox]

I think Call of Duty is overrated in only one way. It has a very high reputation, but I have to say they deserve it. The only reason why I think it's overrated is it's the type of game where you bring 3 or 4 friends and their Xbox's over and you all play over Xbox live, throw a party. It's a ton of fun, my friends and I do it all the time.

However, there are too many people, most of which the friends I play this with are, that all they do all day is play CoD in their bedrooms until they sleep. That's not only abusing the game, that's wasting your life. If you're playing by yourself (over XBL, so technically not alone, per se) then you definitely need to find a hobby.

 

[Brandikins]

I think Call of Duty is overrated in only one way. It has a very high reputation, but I have to say they deserve it. The only reason why I think it's overrated is it's the type of game where you bring 3 or 4 friends and their Xbox's over and you all play over Xbox live, throw a party. It's a ton of fun, my friends and I do it all the time.

However, there are too many people, most of which the friends I play this with are, that all they do all day is play CoD in their bedrooms until they sleep. That's not only abusing the game, that's wasting your life. If you're playing by yourself (over XBL, so technically not alone, per se) then you definitely need to find a hobby.

Exactly right, Zenox. I've played COD a few times, and despite its difficult controls it's pretty good in terms of gameplay. But sadly, most people who do end up liking it become obsessed and waste their life on it. Say a person wants to become the best of the best on XBOX Live, but do they ever think of how many other people want to have that same unreachable goal?

 

[ZeldaFan11]

I think it is an ovverated game, just because they have a Huge line up af game just like Loz, but it COD mainly appeal to older people but yet i still play it and im 15 and a girl....ive never gone online with COD because my dad wont let me:\ and i think it is one of the better games..(other than zelda ofcourse!)

 

[Brandikins]

I enjoy games like Zelda more, but face it, if it wasn't for the online play, COD would drop dead. It's the only reason why people play it so much. The social interaction actually makes the game more engaging. It's the socializing that people love so much, more than the actual game at least.

 

[SinkingBadges]

This is really an interesting thing to talk about. I admittedly have a lot to say on the matter:

Ok, here goes. While I have bashed Call of Duty sometimes in here, I have to say that I don't hate the series. The reason it is so popular today is similar to the reason that many Nintendo games are famous (please, see that I'm not saying either of them is better): People find it fun. It's that simple. Still, while it it is a fun game, it still has a lot of aspects that are the reasons that it gets so much flack (a good part of which is well deserved).

The reasons that I'm aware of are:

-Multiplayer: The series are popular mainly because of the multiplayer component, and the develpoers know it. So they focus most of their efforts on multiplayer and end up with a pitifully bare-bones singleplayer experience, just like Vanitas said. From what I've seen, this happens because of the series's commercial muscle. I don't want to bring up an argument that I'm honestly fed up with, but the reason that so many entries are released and each one feels so lazy starts with "Bobby" and ends with "Kotick". Look around the web for Call of Duty-related articles, check the comments, and you'll see what I mean.

-No changes: For the above reason, the games are also too much like each other.

-Popularity: Some people just love to hate what is poplar at the moment, and I think CoD is a prime example of that. This leads to people bragging (again, as Vanitas said) about being good at it because they know people are gona pay attention to them because of the popularity of the game the person is good at.

And one that I risk looking like a fanboy for pointing out, but still a necessary one:

-Influence: Believe it or not, CoD started a little revolution of its own in shooters. That revolution was obviously in the multiplayer department, I'm talking about tha famous power-for-reputation system. One thing that the fourth game in series, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (which is actually considered by game critics to be one of the best games of the current generation) brought that was not very popular at the time was the RPG-ish element of getting expirience points. Now, that quality is pretty much a given among games of the genre. Is it a good idea? I can't say I'm the right one to judge, but it definitely paid off.

Some of what I said above could be my opinion mainly, so feel free to point it out. I'd like to hear it.

 

[Brandikins]

That pretty much explains it, SinkingBadges. People love the multiplayer far more than the single-player mode, so they focus on that more. But the reason why they're rushed out every year? Money, AKA greed. It's easy for humans to become greedy, so they couldn't care less that the games barely have any differences. As long as they make money, they don't care, at all.

It just makes me wonder if they'll ever stop, or if people will at least open their eyes and notice that they're just wasting so much money and time on it.

 

[Ventus]

Well, I doubt anyone who plays on the Xbox will admit it although the fact is there. They already have to pay $60-$150 a year (depends on what cards you buy and when, could possibly be MORE if you have multiple people play Live although I don't know the specifics), anyone who has done that for so long won't admit that their money is going in the pocket of someone who doesn't care about them at all, and since they won't admit it, they have a good chance of going into denial and making them think that what they're spending their hardearned (or easy earned, who knows) cash is completely worth the time. That's what I think about the Xbox fanbase of CoD, I have an Xbox360 and I can honestly say that every time you go out to buy some DLC or buy an Xbox Live card, you're not using your money wisely. I respect the fact that it IS the person's money and they have their own opinions, but eventually you'll see what you are doing just like I have. I can't say anything about the Wii (I don't have one and also because it's a Nintendo system, Nintendo makes many types of games, see the genres that Mario, Kirby, LoZ, Metroid, Earthbound, and other first party games belong to) or the PS3 (I don't have a PS3 and can't really judge).

Sorry for directly and indirectly insulting the Xbox, but I'm honestly fed up with it's so called community. They just don't respect anyone, and they believe that because a game has blood, violence, language, and other M rated things that playing it will make them the best person on Earth. That's all I can say, and a good deal of CoD players are exactly like that.

 

[magicgfx]

That pretty much explains it, SinkingBadges. People love the multiplayer far more than the single-player mode, so they focus on that more. But the reason why they're rushed out every year? Money, AKA greed. It's easy for humans to become greedy, so they couldn't care less that the games barely have any differences. As long as they make money, they don't care, at all.

It just makes me wonder if they'll ever stop, or if people will at least open their eyes and notice that they're just wasting so much money and time on it.

For the past few years, the developers have switched each year. Between infinity ward and treyarch. If you've played the CoD series seriously you know that these two developers differ GREATLY in the gameplay.

For all CoD games to be classified as the same, is fairly ridiculous. Each game has all new elements, sometimes a new engine, new guns attachments perks levels emblems titles badges prestiges character accessories and the like.

That's what CoD games are. Multiplayer FPS games with a leveling system and customization classes, at least that's what it has turned into.
Remove Link, the dungeons, the triforce from Zelda games and what do you have? Probably a ****ty CD-i game, that no one would consider zelda.

Rating will always be subjective to personal opinion, though.

To VinatasXII. There's an option to mute everybody besides your friends on your live profile. I suggest you do this, and start standing outside of starbucks telling those people that they are wasting their money, not somebody who pays $5 a month to enjoy a superb online gaming experience across many platforms.

 

[SinkingBadges]

For the past few years, the developers have switched each year. Between infinity ward and treyarch. If you've played the CoD series seriously you know that these two developers differ GREATLY in the gameplay.

Yeah, but while IW has made the MW series, Treyarch has made WaW, BO, CoD3, and many others. They seem to work on them more than IW does (maybe hat's why IW makes them better).

 

[Atheistbigred]

Call of Duty to me a good game series, not the best but good. I have wasted countless hours on the multiplayer and i think it is fun. Now i do believe the game is overrated but it does have some aspects that makes it a good game series. Call of Duty's story needs improvement lets put it that way. I loved the Modern Warfare's Stories but the rest weren't that great. Black ops is a good example, i felt that the story sucked, sure it was about a guy that was a black op who was going crazy but to me i didnt like it. The multiplayer is where it is at, i feel that people wanted something different than Halo so they turned to Call of Duty. Now it has become so popular that some people are forced to enjoy it due to peer pressure. I like an respect the series but to me it is kind of overrated.

 

[Turo602]

in terms of overrated game i'd say Call of Duty and Halo are right next to eachother from what i've seen

That statement is false. If you were to actually play any of those series you can easily tell which one is better. Bungie puts a lot more work into a Halo game then Treyarch or Infinity Ward does to a Call of Duty game. Halo is much more then an FPS. Each game shows constant improvement and has a huge story to follow with characters that we've known and loved for ten years now. Call of Duty was nothing special to begin with and all of the sudden it gets big when Modern Warfare comes out. The characters are crap and the story sucks. The gameplay can also use improvements. It's just another generic war game. Then World at War comes out and doesn't even improve on anything. It actually sucks even more then the last one. Copy and paste with new maps and another poor story with new guns. That's all the Call of Duty series is. And once again another Call of Duty game comes out another year later but it's still the same thing. Same goes with Black Ops, but this time people say that the story is good but I can't even believe them because they are just cheap gamers who just play nothing but Call of Duty and have probably just experienced a story that wasn't as bad as the last games. The only thing that makes Call of Duty big is the damn online multiplayer. People don't give a damn for the core experience of the game. They just want to earn cheap kills and say it's the best thing ever and defend it by saying that it's realistic and that Halo is stupid. I can understand if sci fi isn't there thing or if the game is too hard for them because you have to work for your kill. But that doesn't mean it's stupid. A game being realistic doesn't mean it's good. Because I know way better games that are of quality and realistic. It's called Rainbow Six and Battlefield. But that doesn't mean a damn thing, it's all about the online. Call of Duty's fan base is full of cheap "gamers" that only play Call of Duty and nothing else. What sickens me the most on top of the games sucking is that they charge you money for more maps for something that comes out every damn year. I have officially developed a hate for Call of Duty because of it's low quality, it's blind fan base, and because of Activision's money hungry ways. The series has potential but it never reaches it. It stays in the same place every year.