"Call of Duty" has some of the insane moments in video games. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the craziest, most jaw-dropping moments in “Call of Duty” campaigns. Be on the lookout for spoilers ahead.
Category
🎮️
GamingTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the craziest, most jaw-dropping
00:07moments in Call of Duty campaigns.
00:10Be on the lookout for spoilers ahead.
00:1920.
00:20The Battle of Pointe du Hoc – Call of Duty 2
00:30Call of Duty would grow crazier and more bombastic with larger campaigns, but there are still
00:34some solid moments from the early days.
00:36The second game features three campaigns set during World War II, and the first level of
00:40the American one sees you land at La Pointe du Hoc in Normandy.
00:44Of course, it immediately goes to hell, and you have to have your very own Saving Private
00:48Ryan moment as your fellow soldiers pile up around you.
00:51You're then meant to climb a cliffside as gunfire continues ringing down.
00:55This moment of pure chaos leaves the player shaken as they try to continue the level.
01:0319.
01:10The Space Station – Call of Duty Ghosts
01:20The campaign of Ghosts was criticized upon release and is still one of the weaker in
01:24the series, but we can't deny how strong it starts.
01:27After a brief prologue, we're taken up into space, where we try to defend a space station
01:32from a group of terrorists known as the Federation.
01:34Taking Call of Duty off the ground and its gunplay into a setting where it really shouldn't
01:38be was a tense way to kick off the story.
01:40Even tenser is the fact that we fail.
01:42The Federation gains control of the space station's orbital weaponry, firing on several
01:46US cities.
01:47Not only that, but you and your team sacrifice yourselves to destroy it so that no more lives
01:52are lost.
01:5618.
01:59Fallen Comrades – Call of Duty World at War
02:06The underrated World at War features two campaigns, and the beginning to the Soviet one
02:10immediately pulls you in in the darkest of ways.
02:13We play as Private Dmitry Petrenko, coming to while surrounded by a group of his comrades,
02:18either dying or already dead.
02:20German soldiers ruthlessly dispose of those left breathing, except for yourself and a
02:24sergeant named Viktor Reznov.
02:26What follows is a tense crawl among the dead and debris, with Dmitry sniping surrounding
02:30soldiers so the two can make it to safety.
02:32Navigating the demolished Stalingrad, narrowly avoiding further forces, remains an intense
02:37sequence that formed a lump in our throats and a tight grip on our controllers.
02:4517.
02:48Snowmobile Jump – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
02:57All hell breaks loose in this initially stealthy level, and being a two-man team, the only
03:01thing that Roach and Soap can do is escape when a hundred Russian soldiers are trying
03:05to kill them.
03:06Using snowmobiles for their getaway, the pair escape through tricky terrain, avoiding trees,
03:10rocks, gunfire, and other snowmobiles alike to get to their escape helicopter, which is,
03:15yep, you guessed it, at bingo fuel.
03:18Can't have a Call of Duty game without racing against the clock in some way or another.
03:22Still, on top of all their other obstacles, they avoid an enemy chopper, eventually culminating
03:27to a giant gorge that can only be jumped when at full speed.
03:30Talk about pressure.
03:3416.
03:36Clean House – Call of Duty Modern Warfare
03:39The decision to reboot the Modern Warfare sub-series may have been a confusing one,
03:48but the campaigns aren't without their moments of greatness.
03:51While many of the craziest moments in the franchise are over-the-top spectacle, the
03:55Clean House mission in the 2019 game is crazy in its level of suspense.
03:59It follows your team navigating a townhouse in search of members of the Al-Qatala terrorist
04:04group.
04:05The night-vision goggles, tactical movement, and close quarters make for an incredibly
04:07claustrophobic encounter.
04:09You have no idea what's waiting for you, literally around every tight corner.
04:13The mission has been praised for its level of grounded realism, and it's certainly
04:16got our blood pumping.
04:2115.
04:25The Eiffel Tower Collapses – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
04:33Now back to the big set pieces.
04:35In the climax of the original Modern Warfare trilogy, World War III is in full swing.
04:39During a key mission, a massive battle occurs in France.
04:42The entire level sees you fighting Russian forces in the streets of Paris while searching
04:46for a bomb maker.
04:47Things don't go so well, though.
04:49While the good guys are able to find and capture their target, Paris is left much worse for
04:53wear.
04:54The level ends with the collapse of the Eiffel Tower right in front of you.
04:57Seeing one of the world's most recognizable landmarks topple into rubble was definitely
05:01an insane moment.
05:0914.
05:10Dimitri's Death – Call of Duty Black Ops
05:19While Dimitri narrowly makes it out of World at War, death catches up to him soon after.
05:23In a flashback scene in 2010's Black Ops, he and Reznov are sent to collect an especially
05:28deadly toxic nerve gas, as well as the Nazi scientist who created it.
05:32Unfortunately, they're betrayed by the men who sent them.
05:34While Reznov barely makes it to safety, he watches helplessly as Dimitri is subjected
05:38to the gas as an experiment.
05:40Needless to say, it isn't a pretty way to go.
05:42Watching the character we had played as in the previous campaign go out in such a fashion
05:46was brutal.
05:47Reznov destroyed all remnants of the gas, but it didn't heal the pain of this death.
05:5813.
06:01The Ending – Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare
06:10There are several crazy moments in the original Modern Warfare, but for now, let's start
06:14at the end.
06:15Immediately titled Game Over, the final mission sees you and your allies in a tight spot,
06:19with the forces of villain Imran Zakhaev closing in on you.
06:22During a climactic moment atop a bridge, an explosion knocks you out.
06:26And when you come to, you see many of your allies fall, including one trying to move
06:30you to safety.
06:31In slow motion, with sorrowful music playing, you think for a moment that this is it.
06:35But when the bad guys are distracted by an attack helicopter and a wounded Price slides
06:39you a single handgun, you take aim and finish the fight.
06:43Alright, time to unclench.
06:4912.
06:54Turbulence – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
07:03Say what you want about Call of Duty, but the set pieces are always stunning.
07:07And that goes for when they're being completely obliterated, too.
07:10Take this mission, for example.
07:11A firefight ensues after the plane you're on plummets to the ground after being boarded
07:15by hijackers.
07:16It's a non-stop, action-packed thrill ride, as there are moments when the plane drops
07:19altitude so quickly, you and your enemies float while exchanging fire.
07:23Watching the plane crash and half of it fall apart before exploding is an absolutely incredible
07:28sequence that'll have you holding your breath.
07:3211.
07:35Death of Makarov – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
07:44Taking control of Price, the whole climax is a pulse-pounding race to catch Makarov,
07:48starting with storming the hotel while wearing a juggernaut suit, taking down an attack chopper,
07:53and then jumping off the rooftop to Makarov's helicopter.
07:56At this point, Price knows he is past the point of no return, and he doesn't care,
08:00as long as he gets his vengeance, and boy is it sweet.
08:03The most intense moment comes when Price strangles Makarov with a steel cord and breaks the glass
08:07beneath them.
08:08Makarov had this coming to him for a long time, and it proves to be one of the most
08:12satisfying conclusions in all of Call of Duty history.
08:15Objective Completed
08:1610.
08:25Death of Alex Mason – Call of Duty Black Ops 2
08:36The mission titled Suffer With Me features a great rug-pull moment within the series.
08:40As Frank Woods, you go along with Alex Mason, the protagonist from the first Black Ops,
08:44to capture General Manuel Noriega and use him to get to Raul Menendez, the sequel's
08:48main villain.
08:49During what should be the prisoner exchange, Woods is convinced to shoot a hooded Menendez,
08:54only, when he goes up to the body, he finds that the whole mission was a trap set by Menendez,
08:58and we've just killed our friend.
09:00While you can choose to not shoot Alex in the head, leading to his survival, that gets
09:04you a non-canonical ending.
09:05As far as the overall story is concerned, you unwittingly execute your close ally.
09:109.
09:11The Birth of Zombies – Call of Duty World at War
09:22These days, players expect a Zombies mode in Call of Duty, along with their traditional
09:33multiplayer.
09:34But when it was first introduced in the series, it came as a total shock.
09:37That's because it wasn't marketed at all.
09:39No one spoke a word about it.
09:41After finishing the main campaign of World at War, you get a post-credits scene.
09:44A man wakes up in a snowy area after a plane crash, with blurry figures in the distance.
09:49A single zombie runs up to him before cutting to the blood-red Nazi Zombies logo, and the
09:53mode is then unlocked.
09:55This ended the story on an utterly surprising note, but the mode was an absolute blast,
10:00even back then.
10:048.
10:10Call of Duty – Black Ops 3
10:23A first-person point of view undoubtedly adds to the immersion of this visceral and brutal
10:27moment in which a robot rips both your arms off and beats you almost to death.
10:31Oh, and it also breaks your leg.
10:33Taking place in the first mission of the game, you know you're going to be in for one hell
10:37of a ride going forward.
10:38The fact that the sequence is quite long, and with your character screaming in its entirety
10:42adds to the shock factor.
10:44Robots, hey, almost never works out when they're involved.
10:517.
10:53Killing Shepard – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
11:01We can't have Shepard betray us and then not get revenge, right?
11:03We'll get to that part in a bit, but this moment of vengeance is pretty damn awesome
11:08After tracking the villain down, he nearly kills your character.
11:12Everything depends on Soap at this moment, only he's got a knife in his chest.
11:16Bleeding out, he can only watch as Shepard beats on Price.
11:19At this stage, there's only one thing Soap can do.
11:21Yep, pull the knife out of his chest and hurl it at Shepard.
11:25Blood spurts out of his eye as he falls back in slow motion.
11:28That was for Ghost and Roach.
11:316.
11:34Soap Dies – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
11:43Modern Warfare features some of the best characters in Call of Duty, which many players got rather
11:47attached to throughout the trilogy.
11:49One of the main ones is John Soap McTavish.
11:51During the Blood Brothers mission of the third game, before the player finally gets their
11:55hands on Makarov, the team tracks the villain to Prague.
11:57Amid the gunfire, a building Soap and player character Yuri are in explodes, and Soap is
12:02gravely injured in the process.
12:04Although Yuri and Price get Soap to safety, he succumbs to his wounds in one of the franchise's
12:08most gut-punching deaths.
12:10He was the main playable character in the first Modern Warfare, and had survived countless
12:14battles, so this demise was a painful and unexpected one.
12:215.
12:25Nuclear Explosion – Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare
12:33The first Modern Warfare brought a lot of new things to the table for the series, and
12:36this moment was one of the first that took players completely unaware of just how cinematic
12:41and affecting the series could be.
12:42Getting caught in a nuclear explosion and watching everyone in the city get destroyed
12:46is jaw-dropping enough, but then you get to continue playing as the dying Paul Jackson,
12:50witnessing the devastation and horror of it.
12:53The level in which the nuclear device is detonated is called shock and awe, and that's exactly
12:57what we were feeling when it happened.
13:084.
13:09The EMP Goes Off – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
13:19Not only crazy, this sequence is generally exciting both to watch and to participate
13:24in.
13:25You get to observe from the International Space Station as a nuclear device is detonated
13:28in the upper atmosphere, causing an EMP which affects the surface of the planet.
13:32Now in control of Ramirez, you witness planes and helicopters fall from the sky, crashing
13:36into fiery explosions around you.
13:38Want to know the most insane part?
13:40You have to actually run to shelter while dodging the falling aircrafts.
13:44This is after already being involved in a helicopter crash yourself and barely surviving.
13:48No rest for the weary.
13:533.
13:56The Revelation – Call of Duty Black Ops
14:10An undeniably shocking moment, this scene is a grand example of great storytelling.
14:15What do the numbers mean is something players are asking along with the protagonist throughout
14:19the campaign, and this moment delivers one of the craziest twists in the history of Call
14:23of Duty.
14:24Reznov, a character you supposedly played side by side with a lot of the game, actually
14:28died a while ago, and Mason has just been imagining him.
14:31All of Reznov's actions were in fact Mason's, a side effect of the brainwashing Mason endured.
14:37a crazy moment.
14:432.
14:47Shepard's Betrayal – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
14:57Okay a betrayal is one thing, but also then killing two favorite characters takes things
15:02a bit too far.
15:03Players were left holding their controllers in shock and anger as everything went to hell.
15:07Shot in the stomach, Roach can only watch as he and Ghost are then tossed aside and
15:11set on fire.
15:12Not the best way to go.
15:13Fans did not see this coming and it was one of the most heartbreaking moments in the series,
15:17so also that Shepard could hide the truth and come out of this as a war hero rather
15:22than the instigator.
15:23No, we're not crying, that's just something in our eyes.
15:31Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
15:36about our latest videos.
15:37You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
15:41If you're on your phone, make sure to go into your settings and switch on notifications.
15:461.
15:48No Russian – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
15:57You knew this one was coming, definitely pushing boundaries.
16:00No Russian is not only the most controversial level in the Call of Duty series, but also
16:04one of the most controversial levels in video game history.
16:07The mission has you play an undercover character and involves you shooting down hundreds of
16:11innocent civilians in a Russian airport, which plays a major role in starting World War 3.
16:16No other game has put you front and center as an instigator in a civilian-dense terrorist
16:20attack and although you can completely opt out in participating in the level with no
16:24repercussions, many people found this particular moment to be highly disturbing and even sickening.
16:29Tasteless or effective and impactful storytelling?
16:32You decide.
16:40Are there any crazy Call of Duty moments we left off?
16:42Share them with us down in the comments.
16:47Did you enjoy this video?
16:48Check out these other clips from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
16:52to be notified about our latest videos.