TheCall of Dutyseries is a staple of the modern gaming era. Ever since 2003, a newCall of Dutygame has been released every year. While the series initially started with only two development teams at the helm, Infinity Ward and Treyarch, in 2014 a third team came in, Sledgehammer Games, with its first release as a main developer beingCall of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
Since then, Sledgehammer Games has released moreCall of Dutygames, some of which have proved to be fan favorites, while others have received pretty lackluster feedback from the community. Butwhich SledgehammerCall of Dutygames are the best?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3is Sledgehammer’s latest release in the franchise, and it’s easily their weakest entry. This hardly comes as a surprise, as there are many reports claiming the game was originally meant to be just an expansion for Infinity Ward’sModern Warfare 2. Activision instead decided to turn this release into a full-fledged sequel. The campaign is somewhat lackluster,and the writing feels inferior to previous outings in this subseries(which weren’t already among the best-writtenCall of Dutygames). None of the stages bring anything new compared to earlier entries in the series, and they simply feel like a chore to complete in order to unlock cosmetics for multiplayer.
It doesn’t help that the multiplayer isn’t that great either. It’s still the same oldCall of Duty, which means that players will still find some fun in multiplayer matches. However,all the multiplayer maps present at launch are remakes of older maps from the originalModern Warfare 2(2009). This wouldn’t be so bad if the game was released as an expansion or as a budget title, but Activision positioning it as a new mainline game makes it impossible not to see it as a downgrade from earlier entries.
Call of Duty: Vanguardisn’t among the most memorable games in the franchise. While there’s usually a generous amount of anticipation surrounding the release of everyCall of Dutygame,Vanguardfailed to capture the attention of even the most die-hardCall of Dutyfans. The campaign is arguably the best redeeming quality of the game, which doesn’t say much given how lacking it is.
At the time of its release, the multiplayer struggledto win people over from previous entries in the franchise. Many fans preferred to focus on otherCall of Dutyofferings, thus the game never really took off within the community.
Call of Duty: WWIIis the polar opposite of Sledgehammer’s first game in the franchise,Advanced Warfare. While the latter tried to change the series' core, this entry aimed at bringing the franchise back to its roots, abandoning the futuristic tone of its predecessors in favor of a historical setting.
Call of Dutyhas many games set in World War 2, but this entry comes with a unique take on the setting, focusing much more on characters rather than on the depiction of historical battles and taking inspiration from beloved shows likeBand of Brothers. This makes players feel much more engaged in the story, and it’s the main reason why the campaign is still a good reason to rediscover this game.
The multiplayer, on the other hand, is more of a mixed bag. While the core gameplay is indeed “boots on the ground”, the quality of the maps is somewhat inconsistent.Luckily, the zombie mode is one of the strongest of recent years. This, combined with the campaign, is what makesCall of Duty: WWIIone of the top entries in the franchise made by Sledgehammer Games.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfarehas a very weird spot in the history of the Call of Duty franchise. Originally released in 2014, at the time the game enjoyed a positive reception from both critics and the public, and it was arguably the reason why theCall of Dutyseries would lean into more futuristic entries after the success ofAdvanced Warfare. Over time, though, the game’s popularity took a nosedive within the community, and nowadays, it’s a very divisive entry among fans—even with its high score on Metacritic.
This is mostly due to the multiplayer, which features a very different take on the classic, arcade-feeling shooting of earlier games. The introduction of futuristic mechanics was seen as a positive change at the time of release,but fans quickly got tired of this direction and asked for a return to the franchise’s roots. Despite this, the campaign is still regarded as one of the strongest in recent entries, and it can still offer a compelling narrative for players even years after release.
