Call of Duty’s Current State Makes Me Miss What Everyone Once Disliked

It’s kinda funny, you know, how Call of Duty snuck into my life. Picture this: I was this pudgy, glasses-wearing kid awkwardly finding my way in a new school. Totally prime bully material, right? But then CoD came in like a lifeline. In the blink of an eye, I was bonding with the “cooler” crowd, and yeah, kicking their butts in the game. Boom, social lifeline established. That’s just one reason why I cherish this game, but man, CoD Zombies? That’s a whole other universe of awesomeness for me. I can still feel the shock of the Reznov twist in Black Ops 1 and that heart-racing first Blackout win. Sure, my old high school crew has mostly drifted away from CoD, but I’ve kept up – even if the sparks faded a bit over time. Weird, huh?

But let’s be real for a second. I’ve got beef with CoD, just like any die-hard fan. Skill-based matchmaking? Meh, drives me nuts. Those cross-gen releases? Yawn. And don’t even get me started on the whole Warzone-ification of every damn thing. It’s like, come on! Cheats, flashy cosmetics, a never-ending rant list. Yet, here’s the kicker – I’m really burnt out on this in-game shopping nonsense. Battle passes everywhere! Feels like I’m begging for loot boxes back, even though – hear me out – I know, I know, they were a dumpster fire. But still.

Like, seriously, Black Ops 6 gave us cool skins, but once you hit Prestige Master, it’s kinda… blah. Who doesn’t love a good Prestige skin, but after the umpteenth hour of grinding? It gets old real fast. There’s this constant “play or miss out” thing with the battle passes too. I mean, who thought FOMO was a good idea? Give me something like Marvel Rivals, which, by the way, doesn’t exist. Who am I kidding, right? So once in a while, I’ll splurge on some dope Zombies-themed skin. But mostly – nah, CoD Points don’t justify themselves. And that makes me nostalgic for loot boxes, believe it or not.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Loot boxes weren’t saints either. Remember chasing the R.I.P. variant of the AK12? Or the BAL-27 Obsidian Steed? I stressed hard for those, ugh. But see, Overwatch 2 kinda nailed it with loot boxes. They don’t sell them – hey, free loot boxes through gameplay, anyone? And you’re getting top-tier skins. I mean, why not let CoD try something like that?

But I’d never wish for another Black Ops 3 loot box fiasco. However, tossing in something like Overwatch 2’s loot boxes alongside the present battle pass idea sounds slick. Buy what you want or get a surprise win – it’s a damn fine balance. A grind that’s, dare I say, worthwhile? Imagine earning exclusive camos, or, I dunno, random Gobblegums – why not?

So yeah, the current CoD landscape might be meh, but chucking another type of reward in there could reel me back in. It’s hilarious, in some twisted way, that the solution to my CoD blues is the very thing that once set the internet on fire a decade ago. Life’s a weird trip, huh?