00:00 SINCE THE ORIGINAL CALL OF DUTY
00:07 Since the original Call of Duty, the campaigns have been putting us in the boots of larger-than-life soldiers in some of the most intense combat moments you could imagine.
00:15 Now it's time to reflect on some of the most memorable moments that have defined the series.
00:19 Here are the 10 best moments in Call of Duty history.
00:22 And, of course, there are spoilers ahead.
00:25 Hijacked plane sequence.
00:27 Turbulence.
00:28 Modern Warfare 3.
00:29 And there we were thinking Modern Warfare's breathless aeroplane-based bonus mission Mile High Club was pretty special.
00:35 But then Modern Warfare 3's turbulence comes along and takes in-flight combat to the next level.
00:40 Protecting the Russian president from hijackers in the claustrophobic space of a jet is high-stakes stuff on its own.
00:46 Then the engines stall and the dive sends you into a sequence of zero-gravity shooting and a crash landing that rips the air fuselage in two.
00:53 This is true action film stuff.
00:56 De-Nazifying the woods. The Forest. Call of Duty 3.
00:59 A wonderfully paced rising crescendo of a level.
01:02 At first requiring a softly, softly, snipey, snipey approach with the relative peacefulness of the forest creating an edgy atmosphere.
01:08 Then it kicks things up a notch with the battle intensifying as it moves between tight burrow-like trenches and wide open spaces.
01:15 Finally, and in complete contrast to the cautious way the mission starts, you're given a mortar to play with.
01:20 Allowing you to merrily blow apart any of Hitler's helmeted hobgoblins unfortunate enough to still be lurking in the forest.
01:26 The Airport Massacre. No Russian. Modern Warfare 2.
01:30 'Best' is perhaps not quite the right word for this entry, but it's undoubtedly one of the series' most effective 'affecting' missions.
01:37 No Russian places you in the shoes of an undercover agent in a terrorist cell.
01:41 Quickly you understand just what that asks of you.
01:44 You enter an airport and are told to mow down everyone you see, regardless of who they are.
01:48 It's a video game mission that sparked protest, academic study and genuine soul-searching.
01:53 And there's very little else like it in the medium.
01:55 Beach Landing. The Battle of Pointe du Hoc. Call of Duty 2.
01:59 This starts with a fellow soldier in the landing craft having a fear-induced puke.
02:03 Quickly followed by the sound of bullets whizzing through the air.
02:06 Then clouds of red mist as those bullets thud into flesh.
02:09 Soldiers fall to the ground, spray from a near-miss explosion obscures your view, then the ramp is down and you're running onto the beach.
02:15 Cue the semi-deafened, shell-shocked horror of War Moment as you survey the scene around you.
02:20 When you regain your senses, the metaphorical implications of the vertical cliff face ahead of you become very apparent.
02:26 Your role to this point is one of spectator, but it's still a breathless couple of minutes.
02:31 Getting Revenge. Dust to Dust. Modern Warfare 3.
02:34 Makarov haunted the Modern Warfare sub-series from its first instalment, and Dust to Dust is the perfect send-off for the bastard.
02:40 Playing as mustachioed death merchant Captain Price, you stomp through his defences in a juggernaut suit,
02:45 hijack and crash his escape helicopter, wrap a cord around his neck, ride his body to ground level through a shattering skylight,
02:51 then enjoy a cheeky cigar while you wait for evac. And that is how you exact revenge.
02:56 Planting the Russian flag at Reichstag. Downfall. Call of Duty World at War.
03:01 This ending has got it all. Explosions, shouting, smoke, patriotism, edge-of-the-seat tension, a surprise attack,
03:08 Rezinov wildly hacking a Nazi to death with a machete, a Russian flag flying as Berlin burns all around you,
03:14 rousing music, camaraderie, victory and cheering. It's a guaranteed vibrations down the spine moment.
03:21 Crossing the Volga River. Stalingrad. Call of Duty.
03:25 The first Russian mission in the original Call of Duty was a good indication of what developer Infinity Ward was going to bring to the FPS table.
03:32 Namely, shock factor.
03:34 The boat trip across the Volga River is loud and chaotic, disorientating and terrifying.
03:39 It's a masterclass in scene setting, creating an unusual sense of powerlessness in the player,
03:44 even before it eventually throws you into the fray without so much as a rifle.
03:48 Betrayed by General Shepard. Loose ends. Modern Warfare 2.
03:52 Whether you saw this coming or not, the moment General Shepard is revealed as one of the bad guys is thoroughly, tangibly, affectingly bleak.
03:59 Not for the first time, Infinity Ward has landed us with a "well done, you survived the mission, but hard luck, we're going to kill you anyway" sucker punch.
04:06 But it really doesn't lessen the impact when it happens.
04:09 The brutal, cold-hearted manner of betrayal - Shepard shoots Ghost and Roach point blank and then sets alight to their bodies before nonchalantly strolling away -
04:16 propels the player crazily eyed with vengeance into the game's finale.
04:20 Nuclear death. Aftermath. Call of Duty Modern Warfare.
04:23 This is one of the most talked about gaming moments, probably, ever.
04:27 And undoubtedly, Infinity Ward at its cinematic finest, with the dev expertly hitting all the right notes on the shock scale.
04:33 The frantic proceeding shock and awe mission ensures adrenaline glands are at full pump,
04:38 and its apparent successful conclusion is a fist-pumping moment.
04:41 But the high is short-lived, cruelly blown apart with the force of, well, an atomic blast.
04:47 Then all that's left is to watch as Sergeant Jackson crawls from the downed chopper, inevitably to his death in the dirt of the scorched wasteland.
04:55 Behind enemy lines with Captain MacMillan. All ghillied up. Modern Warfare.
04:59 Just like shrubbery for a slow, slow, quick, slow, slow dance deep in enemy territory,
05:04 this is tense, terrifying, nerve-wracking and arguably THE standout moment in the entire series.
05:10 Which is kind of funny, as it's so completely at odds with Call of Duty's deafening 'shoot, shoot, shoot some more' signature style.
05:17 You weave unseen through enemy patrols, stopping occasionally to stealth snipe an oblivious soldier,
05:22 or lie prone in the grass as a tank rumbles just feet away from your position.
05:26 It's genuine 'don't forget to breathe' 'edge of the sea' stuff.
05:29 And those, in our opinion of course, are the best moments in Call of Duty history.
05:34 Do you agree? Think we've gone mad? Haven't played a Call of Duty since Modern Warfare 2?
05:38 Let us know in the comments and don't forget to subscribe for more gaming news, reviews, previews and features right here on GamesRadar+.
05:45 [outro music]
05:50 (whooshing)
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