On October 29, 2003, the Call of Duty franchise was officially born with the release of the series’ first game. And while a World War II shooter wasn’t the most groundbreaking idea the gaming world had ever seen, it’s undeniable that what COD eventually became changed the industry forever.

Unless you’re an old man like me, you don’t know a world without killstreaks, online lobbies, and yearly COD releases. Without this heater showing up in 2003, it’s not that crazy to say that nothing about modern gaming would be the same.

Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? Well, it’s complicated. Let’s explore.

“This game ups the ante in the WWII shooter arena…”

When the first Call of Duty launched, critics absolutely ate it up. The game sits at a 91 on Metacritic, for good reason, and has ton

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