Call of Duty is one of the most popular first-person shooter franchises in the world. It is a testament to how Activision has dominated the FPS genre, and the franchise has spawned over 16 different games, with some being the most sought-after games in many regions.
I think the reason behind this first-person shooter game is one of the best is its highly realistic gameplay alongside its many fancy weapons; however, there is more to it than what appears on the surface.
What started as a mere World War II first-person shooter game became a phenomenon that captivated the entire gaming industry. With so many games under its belt, it's going to be very difficult to find out which is the best selling CoD game of all time. In this article, I'll be discussing the following:
- Best Selling CoD Game Of All Time
- Development Of Call Of Duty Black Ops
- Storyline Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops
- Zombies In Black Ops
- Features Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops
Best Selling CoD Game Of All Time
After many hours of searching, it is no surprise that the best selling CoD game was Call of Duty: Black Ops. Call of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter game released in 2010 and published by Activision.
The game was developed by Treyarch and was made available for Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and even the Nintendo Wii. I also found out a separate version developed by n-Space that was exclusive for the Nintendo DS.
CoD: Black Ops was the seventh entry to the franchise and is a direct sequel to the equally popular Call of Duty: World at War. You might be wondering how a game that was released almost a decade ago has maintained such an uncanny performance to still be at the top of the list of best-selling CoD games.
Many factors contribute to its overall success, and we will talk about that in this article.
Success Features
The game heavily emphasizes the characters and story with top-notch voice acting from renowned actors such as Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Sam Worthington, and Emanuelle Chriqui.
It boosted the popularity of the game, enabling more sales than it possibly could. The game's score is also composed of Sean Murray, which further increased the game's popularity.
Development Of Call Of Duty Black Ops
To understand how Call of Duty Black Ops became one of the best-selling CoD games, we need to look back further into its history and how it was developed.
Around May 2009, Activision was rumored to create another CoD game with a central focus on the Vietnam War when they were looking to license some Vietnam War-era music. This was the first step into the game's overall hype, and fans immediately loved the idea.
It felt like the game was going to take a risk by exploring a different theme this time. Treyarch used a technology that would allow them to portray more accurate facial expressions and capture the actor's performance during motion capture sequences.
Technology, Music, Look And Feel
Apart from the upgrade in technology, the team also reached out to veterans of the era to make the game look, feel, and sound authentic. The game was fully announced in April of 2010, and fans were excited.
The news of A-list celebrities doing the voice-acting coupled with new technology and Treyarch's heavy focus on creating a unique, action-packed, and immersive gameplay together with a new game mode that everyone wanted to play was very exciting for us who were waiting for almost a year for this sequel.
It was only a matter of time before the hype would translate into a world record-breaking feat for the game.
Storyline Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops
Set during the Cold War years, Call of Duty Black Ops follows the story of CIA operatives Alex Mason and Jason Hudson as they attempt to prevent a broadcast transmission that would activate sleeper agents planted in each US state capital.
Upon discovering a dossier during their mission in Vietnam, the gents must prevent the broadcast that would activate the sleeper agents all across America.
The agents travel through different locales, including the tropical jungles of Vietnam, the streets of Hong Kong, the coast of Cuba, and the Arctic Circle's frozen landscape.
The Mission Goes Awry
Things go awry when it is revealed that Mason was brainwashed during the time he spent while being captured by the Soviet Union forces and was programmed to assassinate the president, effectively making him one of the sleeper agents.
It was also revealed that the brainwashing procedure broke Mason, which resulted in him forgetting the broadcast station's location. This led to a showdown in Cuba where our heroes must stop the station from broadcasting and activating the rest of the sleeper agents and cause World War III.
Zombies In Black Ops
As many would have predicted, Black Ops featured a separate Zombie storyline where players like myself who have been clamoring for the game to dip their toes into some fun zombie action.
The campaign is set in the final years of the Second World War. Four soldiers discover that scientists are attempting to use a meteorite found in Japan to enhance the human condition. The meteorite teleported one of the soldiers into a catacomb on the Moon.
Soon after, a failed teleportation experiment resulted in the creation of a zombie dog that later became a massive infection due to the meteorite's presence.
The Zombie Campaign
In this campaign, I get to play one of the soldiers who must stop the zombie infection and prevent a catastrophic event that would destroy Earth.
A downloadable content also featured a new map that featured four characters voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Danny Trejo, Michael Rooker, and Robert Englund.
The map has a self-contained storyline where the characters must survive a ship that Nazi zombies overrun.
Features Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops
What truly defines Call of Duty: Black Ops are its features. From what I've played, the game offers a multiplayer mode with over 14 different maps to choose from. One of my favorite maps is also the popular Nuketown, where the game lives up to its multiplayer potential.
I also get to play with the online multiplayer mode and my friends, which also continues the experience points. The unlockable reward system legacy from previous games is also being continued in this game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops is also the first game to feature online gameplay and include voice chat and game recording in the entire franchise.
Downloadable Content
CoD: Black Ops also featured several downloadable contents, with the first being called the "First Strike" Map Pack available for download on Steam and many other platforms.
This map pack featured different maps for multiplayer mode and a new map for the game's Zombies mode.
The second map pack featured the Zombies mode map called Call of the Dead that takes place on a ship infested with zombies, while the third map pack contained four new multiplayer maps and a new Zombie map called Moon, where players get to fight zombies in zero gravity.
Reception And Achievements
Without a doubt, Call of Duty: Black Ops was one of the most highly anticipated video games before it was released. This was highly evident when players came in droves to support the game upon its release when it immediately sold up to 5.6 million copies, and 4.2 million of that came from within the US alone.
The game was able to reach the billion-dollar mark six weeks into its release and sell 25 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling CoD game.
Black Ops broke the record held by a game within the franchise - Modern Warfare 2. Critics lauded the game's engaging storyline and the highly competitive multiplayer mode.
Game Reviews
The game's main campaign offers a thrilling action-adventure that incorporates some historical events while also introducing some fictional elements that Call of Duty is known for.
The superb experience made the game very special for me as it immerses me into the world of Call of Duty.
Ultimately, the game was nominated for countless awards, including Game of the Year, Action Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay, and many more in the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.
Conclusion
With more than 30 million copies sold worldwide, Call of Duty: Black Ops achieved a feat that many other games yearn for. The success of Black Ops proved to be very important for Activision that it even spawned a mobile version of the game complete with different characters and storylines.
The hype surrounding the game, the high-quality graphics, excellent gameplay, and impressive storyline is what I think made the game so immensely popular to make it one of the best-selling CoD games of all time.
