Or so a casual observer might assume.
But this is Task Force 141, soldier: we dont do casual observation.
Take my binoculars and youll soon see that the real story is far more complicated and compelling.
For every Ghosts in the graveyard of CODs past, theres an unlikely space adventure to rivalTitanfall.
So hop in for a ride through the ups and downs of the series.
Just dont take the helicopter - those things never land softly around here.
Ive also made room among the rank and file for United Offensive, CODs sole expansion pack.
Black Ops 3
Theres never just one route, a comrade claims inBlack Ops 3s opening.
High, low, left, right, different paths yield different advantages.
Its an extraordinary mis-sell.
Rarely has a game with a jetpack enabled less freedom.
Its the distinct vibe of a team that longs to be left alone to tinker with its multiplayer maps.
Given North Americas history of the reverse, its an insensitive fantasy to say the least.
But when your chief inspiration and namesake is the Modern Warfare character whose personality consists of a skull-patterned balaclava?
Well, theres not much drama to wring out of a headsock.
This is a confidently told story from the creative leads ofDead Space.
You get a brief, beautiful holiday in Santorini, but pay for it in quick-time events.
Black Ops 2
How would you choose to soundtrack a shootout in a club full of civilians?
Its less Goldeneye, more Mark Zuckerbergs metaverse.
You couldnt make it up - unless, I suppose, its your job to make up the unimaginable.
You loved Fight Club, and so, its clear, did Treyarch.
But following in the immediate wake of Infinity Wards best efforts,Black Opsfelt clumsily constructed and mean-spirited.
It sounds like the album Lou Reed made when he got sick of having fans.
Which, incidentally, is almost exactly what happened to Modern Warfare 3s 2011 namesake.
History really does repeat itself - particularly when your corporate paymasters fail to learn their lesson about greed.
But at its worst, Modern Warfare 3 is a shooting gallery played with pop guns.
It cant match later iterations for oomph, and fails to advance the surprising storytelling of its predecessors.
And as COD taught us early on, if youre not advancing, youre a sitting duck.
That said, Minkoffs former team offers up some of its best-ever levels in the course of this campaign.
And a Mexican mansion with a hidden armory and genuine stealth potential to reward careful planners.
The best singles here would absolutely feature on Infinity Wards greatest hits.
But as an album, Modern Warfare II features too many songs weve heard before.
WWII
Sledgehammers finest eight hours.
If theres an issue, its the sheer familiarity of the French locales.
Progress isnt a given; its won, by ensuring youve taken out the MG42 gunners first.
The roar, and that rattle, stay with you forever.
World At War
Treyarchs single-player efforts never got better than this.
It has to be sturdy, since Gary Oldman gamely chews the scenery every chance he gets.
For the reboot, Infinity Ward mercifully turned down the volume, introducing some much-needed dynamic range.
A change in setting helps, the British segment taking in North Africa.
Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
If youre going to jump the shark, do it on a snowmobile.
Its the incongruity that sells it.
No Russians airport attack understandably divides opinion to this day.
Call Of Duty
Before Call Of Duty, first-person shooters largely concerned superheroes.
This is the game that establishes CODs cadence - flitting between dug-in American squads and moustachioed British commandos.
But its the Russian campaign that sticks with you.
As a storytelling gear, it remains incredibly powerful - a shocking and unpredictable form of first-person cinema.
It turned Call Of Duty into COD, the pop cultural phenomenon.
The title was a statement of intent.
What distinguishes the originals is their clarity of message, and a developer at the height of its powers.
Thats their loss, and a terrible one.
This is not the floaty, unimaginative futurism that plagued Black Ops.
Its Martians are not green, nor do their eyes grow on stalks.
Theyre probably not wrong to.
In fact, all of Infinite Warfares characters are designed to endear themselves to you.
This is top-notch storytelling, with a thematic throughline as satisfying as any in the FPS genre.
All the while, the action shifts breathlessly between outer space dogfights and zero-g ambushes.
