I started console gaming when “Call of Duty (CoD)” was the game to play for online multiplayer. “Modern Warfare 2” just ended its yearly cycle and “Black Ops” was the new game out, and not many other online multiplayer games seemed to match up to the level of fan support (and hate) for these games. However, in today’s gaming community, CoD has clearly fallen from its height with people forgetting about it and moving on to newer titles like “Destiny” and the new “Battlefield 1” game. People question me all the time on why I still buy the new game in the franchise, and I always have my reasons ready for them.

“Call of Duty” is still delivering everything I expect and want out of one of their titles. When I first began playing them with the “Modern Warfare” campaign, it gave me that first taste of what an online shooter could be and gave me a glimpse of what global warfare looked like. When I played the “World at War” campaign, it showed me the brutality of the second world war and how things differed from today’s warfare. It even gave me the bonus mode of “Nazi Zombies” where I got my first taste of killing the CoD undead. “Modern Warfare 2” delivered the same type of experience the first did, while varying up the situations and allowing me to fight in unique environments while also providing a bonus mode called “Special Ops.” Then, “Black Ops” came around just as I got Xbox Live for the first time, and I was able to experience the online Multiplayer. In there, I got the hectic, fast-paced game-play that I have come to really enjoy and the continuation of the zombie storyline. Since then, the formula really hasn’t changed.

People complain about CoD doing the same thing over and over again or them going too far into the future when fans want to go back to the past, but they found a formula that works for them and their fans. Each year, they put on a new paint of coat and offer a new arsenal with bonus features, but the core elements that gamers used to love about the series have only been polished. Sometimes that coat of paint isn’t as appealing as the last, but the tools it covers are controlled the same way and do the same thing.

What I’ve come to expect and want out of a CoD game is a Campaign with a gripping story and diverse characters fighting together in a small group against one bigger force. I expect a Multiplayer that allows me to fine tune my skills while rewarding me for playing well both in game and out of game. I expect a third game mode that gives each title a little more content, my favorite being Treyarch’s Zombie Mode. Without fail, this is what every CoD game has provided since World at War, and there is no hint of that stopping anytime soon. Yes, not every game will be memorable and not all of them will be fun enough to play for more than a short time (Ghosts), but “Call of Duty” has, without fail, produced a game each year that follows that same formula that sets me up for either a few weeks or several years of fun.

Of course, I will play other games, too. “Titanfall 2” and “Dead Rising 4” are looking to be some of my favorites of the Fall and Winter season, but I may pick up “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare,” too. It’s taking the franchise into space and giving its own twist on the zombie game mode. It’s got to be worth a try, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy playing it for a bit even if it turns out as bad as “Ghosts.” If anything, at least I’ll get a “Modern Warfare Remastered” game, and no one can bash on that title without angering the fanboys.