15 Video Game Sequels That Totally Defined Their Franchises

2. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

You can scoff, feel disgusted or whatever other negative word you want to throw in the pot, Call of Duty 4 damn-near changed the world. Where before, the nearest anyone who didn't consider themselves a gamer would get to a title was whatever that year's Madden or FIFA was, alongside the Wii's motion controls opening up different generations to digital playing fields, COD 4's refined and successful approach to a time-tested first-person shooter template has been copied and suitably done to death since. From the set piece-filled main missions that take you on a raucous ride through enemy territory by way of helicopter attacks and night-raids on safehouses, to a story that dared to go places no game had before and let you act out the final moments of a soldier following a nuclear explosion - and that was just the single player. Multiplayer-wise this was a cultural shake-up the likes of Counter Strike only dreamed of. Suddenly everyone was dedicating entire nights to unlocking a new scope or perfecting exactly where to perch to rack up the most kills. COD may have become a groan-worthy inclusion to gaming's pantheon of annually-released titles now - despite Advanced Warfare being brilliant - but you can't deny Modern Warfare changed the face of the industry almost overnight.