It is not a secret that many gamers were not thrilled with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. The space setting of the game did not go over well when first revealed making the trailer the most disliked game trailer on You Tube. Despite a solid campaign at launch, the game did not sell as well as expected and even Activision admitted they were disappointed by the reception to the game.
Now in 2017 we have Call of Duty: World War 2 which has arrived with strong sales and positive reviews and word of mouth. The game returned the series to its origins with World War 2 which is ironic seeing how developer Sledgehammer Games reportedly wanted to do Advanced Warfare 2 and were convinced by Activision to go WW2 instead. Some say this was a reaction to Infinite Warfare but seeing how the game was likely in early development before the release of Black Ops 3 and Infinite Warfare you can see how the trend to return to WW2 was not based on what happened last year.
I have enjoyed the game from the start. The campaign was entertaining and engrossing and the Zombie mode has been fast and exciting. While many of the old issues with the online gameplay remain, the maps, and retro weapons have made this one of the more entertaining online experiences for me in recent years.
I have asked many gamers that I know how they like the game and the response has been universally positive which brings me to this question; has the series found redemption from the negativity from the last game and has Call of Duty been invigorated as a franchise?
We have a staff member who was put off by the WW2 setting as he preferred the more modern settings yet my son who has said he has not been interesting in playing Call of Duty games in many years was very enthusiastic about the game and has happily played it even making time during his busy schedule to get in time with the game.
While the final proof will be in how well the game ultimately sells and how well the next game in the franchise is received, I think it is safe to say that gamers clearly enjoy this direction for the franchise versus the more futuristic settings so it will be interesting to see what the future holds as the rumors have already begun that Black Ops 4 will be the 2018 entry.
