Call Of Duty: 15 Iconic Moments That Confirm Its Genius

1. Modern Warfare €“ 'Aftermath'

This moment was never going to be left as a brief cameo, especially given that it is perhaps the most affecting moment of the Modern Warfare trilogy, if not the entire Call Of Duty franchise. During the evacuation of a failed mission in the Middle East we are subject to an experience akin to heart-break. A nuclear bomb detonates and wipes out the entire evacuation fleet. Then in the aftermath the player awakes to a massacre. In the ruined wastelands surrounded by husks of metal and flesh he stumbles forward hoping to find salvation and rescue, but it isn't to be. We stagger before taking our final breath and fall in the wreckage, abandoned to die. To me this moment encapsulated why Modern Warfare (and Call Of Duty) as a whole is legitimately genius. In around two minutes of game-play we receive the ultimate juxtaposition of both the horrors of war and the potential consequences it leaves in its wake. Compared to how frantic and loud the prior mission was, the eerie silence the player faces when alone is humbling. You have to stop and pause to fully understand what you have just experienced. It wouldn't be until five years later and Spec Ops: The Line before a game could bludgeon the player into really thinking about the consequences of their in-game actions. For this we have to thank Infinity Ward for creating something so moving that almost no other company has achieved in over half a decade. Despite all the negative press that Call Of Duty gets for whatever reason, it really is smart. The designers are gifted individuals and for moments like these they deserve the praise and respect of everyone. Disagree with any of these? Any suggestions of your own? Feel free to comment either on here or on Twitter and let me know what you think.