10 Video Game Franchises That Never Got Better Than The First Instalment

9. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare

The Franchise: Call Of Duty was already the behemoth of mainstream shooters, but it was the fourth instalment, Modern Warfare, that really made it the king of the genre. Bringing the previously period shooter into the (sort of) present, Infinity Ward's third game in the series proved to also be the most successful CoD game at that point. In between releases for the franchises other big story-line (Black Ops), the Modern Warfare series continued with two more entries that no doubt sit on your shelf. The plot of the games is sub-Hollywood fare (pesky Russians are causing trouble again), but it allowed for some exciting set pieces. And that's not even touching on the multiplayer. Why The First Was Best: Although if you're a CoD fan each new game in the series is a must-buy for the slightly updated multiplayer, upgrading has never felt as such a leap forward as with the first Modern Warfare. Given how tired the series' deathmatches are now it's refreshing to think back to this game where experience points felt simple and fresh. And then there's the way it handles the story, providing some genuinely shocking moments. Although the second game had an airport set massacre and the third featured a little girl getting blown up, nothing can quite match the first game's nuclear detonation. Visceral and shocking, but not in an offensive manner as in the other games, it reminds us that CoD didn't have to be all about online fighting.