Since the original Call of Duty, the campaigns have been putting us in the boots of larger-than-life soldiers in some of the most intense combat moments you could imagine.
Now, it’s time to reflect on some of the most memorable moments that have defined the series.
Here’s the 10 best moments in Call of Duty history.
Now, it’s time to reflect on some of the most memorable moments that have defined the series.
Here’s the 10 best moments in Call of Duty history.
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00:00 SINCE THE ORIGINAL CALL OF DUTY
00:07 Since the original Call of Duty, the campaigns have been putting us in the boots of larger-than-life soldiers in some of the most intense combat moments you could imagine.
00:15 Now it's time to reflect on some of the most memorable moments that have defined the series.
00:19 Here are the 10 best moments in Call of Duty history.
00:22 And, of course, there are spoilers ahead.
00:25 Hijacked plane sequence.
00:27 Turbulence.
00:28 Modern Warfare 3.
00:29 And there we were thinking Modern Warfare's breathless aeroplane-based bonus mission Mile High Club was pretty special.
00:35 But then Modern Warfare 3's turbulence comes along and takes in-flight combat to the next level.
00:40 Protecting the Russian president from hijackers in the claustrophobic space of a jet is high-stakes stuff on its own.
00:46 Then the engines stall and the dive sends you into a sequence of zero-gravity shooting and a crash landing that rips the air fuselage in two.
00:53 This is true action film stuff.
00:56 De-Nazifying the woods. The Forest. Call of Duty 3.
00:59 A wonderfully paced rising crescendo of a level.
01:02 At first requiring a softly, softly, snipey, snipey approach with the relative peacefulness of the forest creating an edgy atmosphere.
01:08 Then it kicks things up a notch with the battle intensifying as it moves between tight burrow-like trenches and wide open spaces.
01:15 Finally, and in complete contrast to the cautious way the mission starts, you're given a mortar to play with.
01:20 Allowing you to merrily blow apart any of Hitler's helmeted hobgoblins unfortunate enough to still be lurking in the forest.
01:26 The Airport Massacre. No Russian. Modern Warfare 2.
01:30 'Best' is perhaps not quite the right word for this entry, but it's undoubtedly one of the series' most effective 'affecting' missions.
01:37 No Russian places you in the shoes of an undercover agent in a terrorist cell.
01:41 Quickly you understand just what that asks of you.
01:44 You enter an airport and are told to mow down everyone you see, regardless of who they are.
01:48 It's a video game mission that sparked protest, academic study and genuine soul-searching.
01:53 And there's very little else like it in the medium.
01:55 Beach Landing. The Battle of Pointe du Hoc. Call of Duty 2.
01:59 This starts with a fellow soldier in the landing craft having a fear-induced puke.
02:03 Quickly followed by the sound of bullets whizzing through the air.
02:06 Then clouds of red mist as those bullets thud into flesh.
02:09 Soldiers fall to the ground, spray from a near-miss explosion obscures your view, then the ramp is down and you're running onto the beach.
02:15 Cue the semi-deafened, shell-shocked horror of War Moment as you survey the scene around you.
02:20 When you regain your senses, the metaphorical implications of the vertical cliff face ahead of you become very apparent.
02:26 Your role to this point is one of spectator, but it's still a breathless couple of minutes.
02:31 Getting Revenge. Dust to Dust. Modern Warfare 3.
02:34 Makarov haunted the Modern Warfare sub-series from its first instalment, and Dust to Dust is the perfect send-off for the bastard.
02:40 Playing as mustachioed death merchant Captain Price, you stomp through his defences in a juggernaut suit,
02:45 hijack and crash his escape helicopter, wrap a cord around his neck, ride his body to ground level through a shattering skylight,
02:51 then enjoy a cheeky cigar while you wait for evac. And that is how you exact revenge.
02:56 Planting the Russian flag at Reichstag. Downfall. Call of Duty World at War.
03:01 This ending has got it all. Explosions, shouting, smoke, patriotism, edge-of-the-seat tension, a surprise attack,
03:08 Rezinov wildly hacking a Nazi to death with a machete, a Russian flag flying as Berlin burns all around you,
03:14 rousing music, camaraderie, victory and cheering. It's a guaranteed vibrations down the spine moment.
03:21 Crossing the Volga River. Stalingrad. Call of Duty.
03:25 The first Russian mission in the original Call of Duty was a good indication of what developer Infinity Ward was going to bring to the FPS table.
03:32 Namely, shock factor.
03:34 The boat trip across the Volga River is loud and chaotic, disorientating and terrifying.
03:39 It's a masterclass in scene setting, creating an unusual sense of powerlessness in the player,
03:44 even before it eventually throws you into the fray without so much as a rifle.
03:48 Betrayed by General Shepard. Loose ends. Modern Warfare 2.
03:52 Whether you saw this coming or not, the moment General Shepard is revealed as one of the bad guys is thoroughly, tangibly, affectingly bleak.
03:59 Not for the first time, Infinity Ward has landed us with a "well done, you survived the mission, but hard luck, we're going to kill you anyway" sucker punch.
04:06 But it really doesn't lessen the impact when it happens.
04:09 The brutal, cold-hearted manner of betrayal - Shepard shoots Ghost and Roach point blank and then sets alight to their bodies before nonchalantly strolling away -
04:16 propels the player crazily eyed with vengeance into the game's finale.
04:20 Nuclear death. Aftermath. Call of Duty Modern Warfare.
04:23 This is one of the most talked about gaming moments, probably, ever.
04:27 And undoubtedly, Infinity Ward at its cinematic finest, with the dev expertly hitting all the right notes on the shock scale.
04:33 The frantic proceeding shock and awe mission ensures adrenaline glands are at full pump,
04:38 and its apparent successful conclusion is a fist-pumping moment.
04:41 But the high is short-lived, cruelly blown apart with the force of, well, an atomic blast.
04:47 Then all that's left is to watch as Sergeant Jackson crawls from the downed chopper, inevitably to his death in the dirt of the scorched wasteland.
04:55 Behind enemy lines with Captain MacMillan. All ghillied up. Modern Warfare.
04:59 Just like shrubbery for a slow, slow, quick, slow, slow dance deep in enemy territory,
05:04 this is tense, terrifying, nerve-wracking and arguably THE standout moment in the entire series.
05:10 Which is kind of funny, as it's so completely at odds with Call of Duty's deafening 'shoot, shoot, shoot some more' signature style.
05:17 You weave unseen through enemy patrols, stopping occasionally to stealth snipe an oblivious soldier,
05:22 or lie prone in the grass as a tank rumbles just feet away from your position.
05:26 It's genuine 'don't forget to breathe' 'edge of the sea' stuff.
05:29 And those, in our opinion of course, are the best moments in Call of Duty history.
05:34 Do you agree? Think we've gone mad? Haven't played a Call of Duty since Modern Warfare 2?
05:38 Let us know in the comments and don't forget to subscribe for more gaming news, reviews, previews and features right here on GamesRadar+.
05:45 [outro music]
05:50 (whooshing)