Questionable. Loved. Hated. Call of Duty is one of the most divisive game series’ in history. Selling in the millions year after year, it has grown into the most popular first-person shooter in gaming as well as one of the best selling games period. Its combination of short, cinematic campaigns juxtaposed with the easy to learn, hard to master online co-op and competitive multiplayer modes have made it a fun, accessible game for both casual and hardcore gamers.

It’s also proven to be quite controversial over the years, both for its violent content and its susceptibility to fan backlash. While missions like “No Russian” from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and realistic depictions of actions have caused a stir in the media, it’s mainstream appeal has earned it the ire of hardcore gamers who feel that the formulaic approach taken by the developers year after year shows an indifference for the art form and complacency as a result of huge annual success with every iteration of the series.

The familiarity of the games, along with the strong opinions of both series die-hards and detractors, means that comics and memes associated with the games hit harder than many other games might, as fans of the series can relate to the satirical sentiments displayed in these images, good bad and indifferent. Have a look and see which comics you can personally relate to as a COD gamer!

25 Look Out Below!

Via christiangamer.wordpress.com

The care package perk has proven to be a contentious addition to the Call of Duty franchise. It’s a roulette wheel which can provide the player with a genuinely game-changing perk like a helicopter gunship, or something more benign like a UAV radar. Even more annoying is the fact that after requesting the package, you must run to it, then you must spend a few precious in-game seconds trying to activate it on site, often-times in the open, at the mercy of your enemies who, upon disposing of you, can then steal your package for themselves!

What’s worse still is getting caught underneath a falling care package.

It’s one thing having your perk stolen by an enemy who's trying to get you anyway, it’s quite another being squished flat by your own care package, or by that of a teammate. And if an enemy calls in a care package of their own and you get in position to steal it, there is always a chance that it’s booby-trapped, leading to an instant demise upon attempting to open it. Maybe it’s just best to avoid these falling traps all together!

Comic by DigitalUnrestComic.

24 Wishful Thinking

Via ctrlaltdel-online.com

Speaking of streaks and vanquishing the enemy, there are many moments while playing Call of Duty where you wish you could bend the rules of the game. Whether it be to take revenge on a disrespectful opponent or just to make the game easier for yourself, these would provide us with some welcome advantages when the game isn’t going our way.

Tea-bagging was, at one point, an epidemic in Call of Duty and online gaming in general, where an opposing player would, for a lack of a better word, “twerk” on your recently gone body, for their own amusement and to cause you to fly into an uncontrollable rage. In this comic, our avatar manages to revive himself and enact some instant karmic revenge on him in a manner that looks uncomfortable, to say the least. Needless to say, he probably won't be doing that again for a while…

How about the ability to get a spotter after a dozen endings (not necessarily Kanye West) to help you snipe the other team and rack up your score. Or what about the ability to become Robocop! Hey, you’re on a 30 score streak, why not? You’ve earned it, my cyborg friend!

Comic by Ctrl+Alt+Del.

23 Who’s The Best Boy!

Via dorkly.com

The attack dog scorestreak in the Call of Duty franchise is one of those perks that is the bane of those on the wrong end of it, and the fist-pumping joy of those wielding it. Activating it unleashes an almost endless barrage of canines who are quick, and hard to put down, especially in a rage-related panic. It is a point scoring machine, as a gang of super fast, elusive, accurate furry savages take down your opponents with a huge rate of success, much to the chagrin of said enemies.

The twisted pleasure you get as a player watching those points rack up, denying your opponents their own streaks all while turning them into hip-firing, accuracy-sacrificing lunatics is rendered beautifully here. In fairness, try keeping your cool with a dozen Doberman dogs with their eyes locked on your avatar's neck.

Plus, who doesn’t love dogs?

If I had to have someone in the foxhole with me, it may as well be man’s best friend: loyal, fearless and with the same blind disdain for my enemies as me. Especially when said best friend is super fast, super aggressive, and almost assures my place atop the leaderboard. Good boy!

22 It Just Got Real

Via vgcats.com

You know, there is a lot to be said for the idea of video games as benevolent entertainment; a leisurely activity where a person can just sit back, relax, and fire a virtual weapon at nameless, mindless NPCs without having to be bombarded with politics, emotions or the realistic consequences of their virtual, but reprehensible actions.

And while some of us certainly enjoy the more serious side of video game story telling and character development, there is no doubt that the Call of Duty franchise has found a way to make its tone and story telling increasingly dark with each iteration. What were once simple Hollywood inspired stories of World War II heroism based on real-life conflicts, albeit horrific historical events but toned way down, have evolved into dark fictional tales of betrayal, post-traumatic stress disorder and the ending of innocent civilians.

This comic is a plea from the gamer to the developers, it lets them know of the players' desire to engage in action-packed gun-play without having to deal with realistic depictions of consequence, grief, addiction, mourning and the inner-most demons of our playable avatars. Come on, Call of Duty, just let me shoot stuff!

Comic by VG Cats.

21 What A Dive…

Via funnyjunk.com

Introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops, the ability to dive while running to a grounded prone position is something straight from the 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone school of action films. Designed to allow players to dive to cover amidst a hail of enemy fire just in the nick of time, or slide into position to ambush an unsuspecting enemy in retaliation if timed perfectly, it means highlight reels and high fives all around.

Except it almost never works out the way you want it to. Quite often, you’ll execute the slide, only to miss cover, or end up sliding head first into a wall, making it easy to be picked off by a bemused opponent. Worse still, you might attempt to dive only for the command to be rejected, either because you’re not running or have no room to dive, leading to awkward fumbling while the enemy, again, picks you off.

No matter which way you manage to screw it up, it can be equal parts frustrating and embarrassing. Next time it happens to you, have a look at the after-action cam and watch in amusement as your character attempts to compose his or herself before being picked off. That is, if you’re not too enraged to laugh at yourself.

20 Forever Alone…

Via funnyjunk.com (XSkater)

Many of us have succumbed to the chronic addiction that is online gaming. Call of Duty has been the gateway thing, as well as the thing of choice, for many of the gamers through the years, especially since the released of the monumental Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007.

Overshadowing the campaign as the main reason for upgrading to the latest installment year after year, Call of Duty online takes the fast, accessible gunplay of the campaign, and transports it into relatively short, competitive online deathmatches.

The aforementioned accessibility and competitiveness, which makes it easy to jump into a match and stay sucked in for multiple games, trying to climb the leaderboard and maintain a respectable score ratio, is complemented by an incentivizing level up system which rewards good play and unlocks a litany of weapons, attachments, and badges.

And this is where the cycle begins, there is always an excuse to play one more round: whether it be racking up more points on any given weapon to unlock a special camo for it, or exploring the different game modes to gain mode related rewards. Then there’s prestige: the mode where you go from being a casual COD player to a bonafide veteran. It resets your rank back to level one, allowing you to start from scratch again while collecting more badges and rewards. Kiss your social life and personal hygiene goodbye…

19 Predicting The Future…

Via arcaderage.co

Call of Duty has the prestige of being one of the most successful video game franchises in history, with its yearly iterations consistently selling in the millions. However, with great popularity comes great scrutiny.

This is especially pertinent when it comes to gaming, which is perhaps the most unforgiving medium when it comes to both fan and critical analysis; and while there is no doubt that gamers are very knowledgeable about the art and products that they are consuming, they can also be overly critical and extremely hipster-ish.

The franchise has received much criticism for its recent forays into the sci-fi inspired storytelling and weaponry of future warfare in titles like Infinite Warfare. The shift a decade ago from the trenches of WWII into the present day and beyond was fresh and welcome but became over-exaggerated and stale as the titles wore on (thus the regression of Call of Duty: WWII)

This comic is a cautionary warning from the minds of such gamers, who long for innovation in the series but also balance. If you push the bounds of the COD games to the point where the sky is, literally, no longer the limit, it loses its identity. The comic is accurate in its depiction of the hardcore gamer’s disenfranchisement, but not of Activision’s future financial situation: they could release Call of Duty: Supersoaker Wars and it’d sell in the millions!

Comic by Mart Virkus.

18 Whoa, Doggy!

Via pinterest.com

In the first entry, we discussed the satisfaction of getting the attack dog streak while playing Call of Duty, which allows you to relax, camp, and watch your furry companions rack up your score with unmitigated brutality.

But what is the other side of the coin? Well, being the victim of one of those dogs, of course! You know when it happens, you’re halfway through a free for all, you’ve been shot five times in a row, with a score ration of 1-8, you’re firing madly into the air in the general vicinity of a target who may or may not still be there, how could the situation get any worse?

Then, you hear the sound of barking, and the quickening sound of paws hitting the ground, the sound of which grows closer and closer then, BAM! You get a row of teeth right in the jugular and your down another point. Then you respawn and, yep, you guessed it, get to experience that horrible and frustrating moment all over again. Worse still, the person who unleashed the mutts (see how we no longer like them now?) upon you is talking a whole bunch of incoherent smack over a dodgy headset. You want to respond but, then again, you suck this round and you know it.

Comic artist unknown.

17 It’s Them, Not Us!

Via memecenter.com

In the entry “Predicting The Future,” we talked about the growing disillusionment suffered by gamers with regards to some of the recent entries in the series set In the future. However, big game developers, like movie studios, newspapers or websites, often have a select group in control at the top who feel they know what is best for their brand in spite of negative fan reaction. In fairness, if the product sells and sells well, who can blame them for drawing that conclusion? It’s all about lining their pockets at the end of the day!

Complacency in gaming franchises, particularly annual gaming franchises, is commonplace. They have an established brand which will sell in spite of itself, leaving very little incentive for developers and publishers to try anything new. If it ain’t broke, and it makes a few hundred million dollars, don’t fix it.

So these developers can be forgiven for believing that their way is the best and only way.

To be fair, Call of Duty has never released a truly bad console game; the action is always razor tight, weapons are weighty and put down enemies, both virtual and real, quickly and satisfyingly. It’s just that, well, this cannot override a bland story or an uninspired map layout. People will still pay and play, but maybe they deserve a bit more creativity and quality.

16 Night Of The Not Living… Again

Via deviantart.com (James Donaldson)

Zombies! It was a masterstroke when introduced back in 2008 in Call of Duty: World At War. A year after Infinity Ward released the critical and commercial smash Modern Warfare, Treyarch stuck to the series’ roots and released another World War II shooter. A solid game both on and offline, it just looked stale in comparison to the then revolutionary up to date take on the series.

One thing it did introduce, though, was the zombie mode: a game mode which launched progressively tougher waves of soldiers at the player whose only goal was to survive as long as he or she could. It was a blast and could also be played online or split-screen.

And like anything else that works, it was copied and pasted in later COD titles. Just like the competitive online multiplayer game modes, Zombies has not yet lost its appeal and is given a yearly makeover in the form of new maps updated game modes to satisfy the COD faithful. At the same time, what it doesn’t offer is something drastically different. Like the other online multiplayer, it takes the winning COD formula of trigger-happy gunplay and combines it with level ups and rewards, adding a bonding co-op element into the mix, with players trying to work together to beat their own personal bests. Maybe just a different kind of enemy would do… we’re not hard to please!

Comic by James Donaldson.

15 The Hype

Via double-xp.com

As mentioned previously, gamers can be an unforgiving bunch, and their critical tendencies can be magnified tenfold with regards to the Call of Duty series. They can scrutinize every nook and cranny of a games software and its relevant hardware: from picture resolution to processing power to frames per second to, well, anything!

One thing that has become very prevalent as of late is graphic comparisons for third party games on different hardware’s (typically PlayStation vs Xbox or PlayStation vs Xbox vs PC). What should be a fairly benign comparative between two consoles and their rendering power quickly and often disintegrates into petty squabbles between console fanboys and gamers being extremely critical of their chosen game device’s performance.

This truly separates the casual from the hardcore or, perhaps more aptly, the nit-picky from those who simply want to enjoy the experience. This comic beautifully satirizes these type of people, who see any dip in quality, no matter how borderline-unnoticeably minuscule, as an insurmountable, game-breaking flaw. Add the x-factor, Call of Duty’s mass mainstream appeal and, by extension, critical vulnerability, and you have a mass of disgruntled, opinionated, hipster gamers with an ax to grind.

Comic by Double-XP.

14 Start Your Engines

Via pinterest.com

Now from the other side, an argument could be made for the aforementioned hipsters having a righteous gripe with game developers the size of Infinity Ward or Treyarch for not striving to make genuine and impactful improvements to their product. With a huge budget and guaranteed audience, they really have no excuse from a monetary standpoint or a talent pool standpoint not to produce the best, most polished product possible.

As we discussed earlier, however, annual game releases from large studios can be prone to complacency, especially when they sell big. With that in mind, it makes the most sense for developers to make more superficial changes to the product, rather than complete overhauls: new weapons, power-ups, and abilities can give a series a fresh coat of paint year after year.

Creating a new engine for a game, particularly an established one, is risky business.

It’s more expensive, time-consuming (requiring much of the game being redesigned), and there’s always the chance that the game won't play as well on the new engine, alienating both series stalwarts and new players. So, with that being said, I would imagine that Treyarch and Infinity Ward are content to keep their current in-game engine, a formula which has proven to be safe, reliable and, depending on the maps and story of any given title, highly enjoyable and playable. Maybe throwing that man out of that window was a tad over-dramatic, though.

13 Respawn

Via codfanssite.wordpress.com

Respawning in Call of Duty is the virtual equivalent of resurrection: after succumbing to your enemies, you are given one more chance at redemption, with the opportunity to seek revenge on an opponent, re-writing history and erasing your previous demise. That is, of course, until you are soon vanquished again… and again.

That being said, it’s not all seriousness and doom and gloom, as sometimes when we respawn we do so in close proximity to an unsuspecting enemy. This can happen depending on where your teammates and enemies are located on the map. Typically speaking, each team is centralized on one side of a map, with the other team on the other side. Upon being taken out, the player respawns back where his or her team is situated, thus maintaining a balance and preventing people being picked off cheaply and easily.

However, occasionally teams become so randomly scattered throughout a map that it becomes hard for the game to designate you a suitable respawn point, as there is no longer a definitive location on the map for your team. This can lead to you spawning directly behind a group of enemy combatants. Now, good sportsmanship dictates that it would be wrong of you to take advantage of this and wipe out the entire team. But, let’s face it, you want those attack dogs we talked about earlier, don’t you?

Comic by Zero Lives.

12 Picking Up After The Enemy

Via pinterest.com

One of the advantages of disposing of an online enemy is the ability to pick up their weapon. If you’re rocking an SMG amidst a vicious rampage, it can be a bit disheartening to find yourself running low on ammo. I mean, these people are not going to destroy themselves (unless they hold on to a cooked grenade or find themselves underneath a plummeting care package), so you need a clip to continue your righteous, ultra-violent mercenary work.

Luckily for you, the enemy you just dropped is carrying the type of weapon you need to continue doing what you do best. The only problem is, it's equipped with an overpowered scope and a ridiculous camouflage pattern. One of the best parts of playing COD online is the range of customization options that you have at your disposal. Using any given weapon unlocks a litany of scopes, camouflages, and other accoutrements to enhance and differentiate your gun.

Unfortunately, there is no accounting for taste, either aesthetic or practical. Scopes can be added to short-range weapons like shotguns, and the ugliest camouflages can be added to otherwise sleek weaponry. There’s nothing worse than having your streak needlessly cut short because aiming down the sights on your close or medium range weapon yields a ridiculous zoom through a blinding thermal scope. Some people are so inconsiderate, eh?

11 Take My Money!

Via imgflip.com

So we’ve analyzed the idea that, subjectively, the Call of Duty franchise is guilty of complacency. We’ve discussed in a satirical manner the creator’s unwillingness to innovate the reliable product. We’ve also looked at the defiant hardcore gamer, who brutally scrutinizes every new entry in the series, picking apart the similarities to other games, while criticising their lack of evolution, relentlessly comparing them to other shooters.

All that’s well and good, but again, as we mentioned, these games still sell in the millions.

The caption reads “shut up and take my money,” and, like it or not, if you’re a Call of Duty player, that is essentially what you say every year, in spite of how good, bad, original, or hackneyed it is.

Let’s face it: we love the short campaign, divided up into even shorter, linear segments, armed with over-powered weapons instigating over-the-top set pieces. We love the zombie mode, racking up high scores, working with friends online or in person. And, of course, we love our tours of duty in the online lobbies, doing the same thing year after year with slightly different perks in slightly different locations. It’s just the fix we need to quell our cravings for another year.

10 Credit Where Credit’s Due

Via pinterest.com

Getting taken out in Call of Duty can be a frustrating experience. The body recoil that your avatar experiences as he or she is being shot, sending your aim hand into uncontrollable spasms before the respawn screen emerges can be enraging: maybe you haven’t been able to take an opponent out once in the game thus far, maybe you were a score away from a valuable killstreak, or maybe your own stupidity yielded your own demise and you’re too blinded by rage to admit that it was your own fault.

Then there are times, occasionally, when you look at the replay screen with awed respect. Instead of seeing the usual frantic spraying from the hip or run up knife in the back, you see a moment of genuine premeditated skill. This could be a sniper who managed to execute you while you were running past a small opening in a window, or someone who took you from the game while engaging in a mid-air jump or dive (hey, I didn’t say it couldn’t happen). No matter what form it takes, as a gamer you have to appreciate moments like that, even if you, unfortunately, happen to be on the receiving end. Everyone else still gets your ire, though.

Comic by Dorkly.

9 Give Me Every Copy You Have!

Via

Another comic taking a simultaneous shot at Call of Duty’s annual replication of gameplay mechanics and those who attempt to crucify them with hyperbole. In this comic we see a man, who looks like he may work in gaming retail, being chastised by a woman for recommending the latest Call of Duty game. This sets her into a tailspin of indignation. “Isn’t that the franchise that puts out a new entry every year by rehashing the same basic game?” she asks, all while holding up a copy of Assassin’s Creed. Whether she does this as a way of reinforcing her argument by showing another gaming franchise, or whether it is used as an ironic device to showcase the hypocrisy, is unclear.

She also laments the developers for adding on a “few gimmicks and minor tweaks that don’t really affect the mechanics” of the game… all while holding up a copy of Madden 17 and goes on about how the new games “never make any meaningful changes to the core gameplay or “take risks” while holding up a copy of a Pokémon game. She then demands that he give her every copy of the game he has. Another satisfied customer!

Comic by Dorkly.

8 C’mon Guys, Grow Up!

Via joyreactor.com

Poor Timmy (for the sake of this entry, let’s just refer to him as Timmy), the naive and optimistic illustrated man hoped that the “vitriol and personal insults” which spewed forth from the headsets of gamers and permeated the airwaves of the in-game lobbies of Call of Duty online were a thing of the past. Timmy, unfortunately, hoped in vain, as his shocked and disturbed facial features indicate after what looks approximately eight seconds of game time.

There is no doubt that the players wielding a headset playing these games online have an average IQ comparable to their age (somewhere in the teens), and that their borderline incoherent maliciousness can be felt in almost every game you play online like a spreading disease.

Who knows what kind of trouble poor Timmy faced in those few seconds.

Needless to say, it was probably laden with profanity, grammatical errors and involved his mother in some capacity. Perhaps someone should inform Timmy that these belligerent fools can easily be muted, something which I learned early on and which has saved me countless migraines and arrangements to meet in person to settle in-game differences with real-life violence. Poor old Timmy, though… looks so traumatized!

Comic artist unknown.

7 I Cast Thee Out!

Via memeaddicts.com

Going from receiving unfair harassment at the hands of anonymous trolls online to dishing out real unfair things on those in close proximity to you. Our friend here, in spite of what I’m sure was a valiant effort, has lost (what I assume is one of many) another game online. This has prompted him to flip his television, and the table it is sitting upon, over in a blind rage (a perfectly reasonable reaction if you ask me).

Someone walks in (maybe his significant other) to see what all the commotion is about. Our friend then, erm, kindly asks the nice lady to leave in an unconventional, psychotic manner.

Again, when it comes to online rage, most of us have been there. Maybe you’re being harangued by one of those trolls over a headset (you swear you will track them down), maybe you underperformed leading to your demise over and over again and it’s your television’s fault. Hopefully, you don’t take it out on the person in the room with you. That being said, anger is hard to control, and video game anger is amongst the most potent and venomous, but keep the anger focused on the game, people!

6 Shame And Dishonour

Via memeaddicts.com

Speaking of taking misplaced anger, but at least this time it looks to be accidental. We have a young gamer committing the cardinal sin of online gaming: talking a whole bunch of smack online to people he doesn’t know. We’ve been over this already, so our young friend here should know better. First of all, he uses the fact that one of the people he’s playing against may or may not live in a trailer home, then he tells a presumably female gamer to make him a sandwich.

That’s not even the bad part: just as he utters this insult over his headset (again, over a video game), his mother walks into the room and thinks he’s talking to her. For reasons unknown, she goes ahead and makes her son a sandwich (I shudder to think what would’ve happened if a young version of me had accidentally done the same), but requests that he ask her politely next time.

In fairness to the young man, he seems very remorseful. He says he failed himself as a son, and that the sandwich tasted like “shame and dishonour” (obviously didn’t feel guilty enough not to eat it). If you’ve ever screamed at you TV while playing COD online you can probably relate to this, I just hope your mother wasn’t in the vicinity at the time.