3. The Lack Of Realism?
Something that the Call of Duty franchise has faced for years is the accusations from fans of rival games like Battlefield 3 that the games aren't as realistic as competitors (the same basis of most football game fans' criticisms of either FIFA or PES), and that the more arcade-like gameplay (which is the type of massive exaggeration that tends to come with online COD criticism) is somehow evidence of the lesser brain capacity of its players. The presence of the zombies mode - a much-loved new addition in recent games - seems to have added fuel to this particular troll fire.
Verdict: Since when do games have to be realistic? Since the likes of Medal of Honor and Battlefield started to square up with Call of Duty in the quest to become the best military/historical shooter on the market, there has been a noticeable shift towards grit and realism, culminating in games such as Spec Ops: The Line that seem to be more invested in a politicised message than in pure entertainment. The fact that COD refuses to sacrifice the element of fun that should always come with gaming in a vain aim to capture as much realism as possible does not mean that it is any less smart than its competitors. After all, war isn't exactly supposed to be fun, so a realistic representation wouldn't necessarily be as entertaining. And zombies, especially in its newly revamped form, is an absolute hoot.