15 Insane Call Of Duty Moments That Blew Your Mind
Remember, no Russian.
It's pretty damn mind-blowing itself to consider how far the Call of Duty series has come in less than 15 years, from a fairly modest 2003 FPS through to an annual franchise that now boasts over $10 billion in sales and is virtually unchallenged as the king of the genre.
CoD didn't climb this mountain without a ton of effort, though, changing the way we play shooters online and introducing an unprecedented level of cinematic sheen to the FPS campaign.
Sure, there are plenty of reasonable complaints to have about the series, that it's too samey or is needlessly annualised these days, but its influence is hard to deny, as well as Activision's clear desire to continually push players' buttons with content both shocking and awe-inspiring.
From infamous online controversies through to some of the series' most memorable missions, here are 15 insane Call of Duty moments that blew your mind...
15. AC-130 (Modern Warfare)
By far one of the most memorable missions from any CoD game is Death from Above in the original Modern Warfare, where players are left in control of an AC-130 gunship in order to provide backup for Captain Price and his men.
What follows is a haunting and unforgettable mission as the player turns hordes of enemies into Swiss cheese thanks to the AC-130's colossal armament, melting the baddies with a disturbing level of impersonal detachment.
From the realistic thermal imaging through to how thoroughly the enemy combatants are dehumanised, this feels achingly real, especially if you've ever seen one of the hundreds of real-life gunship videos leaked online.
While CoD is reputed for making war "cool", this was anything but: it conjured up a distinct feeling of unease and wasn't the awesome power fantasy many were probably expecting. It's easily one of the best-realised and most thoughtful missions in the entire franchise.