{"id":132999,"date":"2023-04-08T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-08T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-147217"},"modified":"2023-04-08T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-08T17:00:00","slug":"feature-call-of-duty-on-nintendo-systems-a-brief-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2023\/04\/08\/feature-call-of-duty-on-nintendo-systems-a-brief-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: Call Of Duty On Nintendo Systems – A Brief History"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Call<\/a>
Image: Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Call of Duty<\/strong> is coming to Nintendo platforms. At least, that\u2019s what Microsoft would have us believe.<\/p>\n

As part of their proposed buyout of Activision Blizzard, the American console maker has pledged to bring the franchise to Nintendo gamers<\/a> in an effort to alleviate market regulators\u2019 concerns of anti-competition and monopolisation. And because they like money.<\/p>\n

So, Call of Duty on that there baby console with all the Mario games? That\u2019s completely-unheard-of, never-been-done-before, unexplored territory, right? Well, no, actually. You imbecile. You buffoon.<\/p>\n

Stretching back almost 20 years and a whopping 15 entries, the series actually has a full, flirtatious, and often fascinating history with the Big N. That is, as long as you consider things like DS Download Play and outsourced Wii ports fascinating. And of course you do \u2013 why else would you be here?!<\/p>\n

\"Call<\/a>
Image: Activision<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where it all started<\/h2>\n

Our journey begins with the Nintendo GameCube, and if the recent releases of Metroid Prime Remastered<\/a> and Resident Evil 4<\/a> have taught the internet anything, it\u2019s that Nintendo\u2019s little purple lunchbox was actually a bit of a beast.<\/p>\n

Despite initial misgivings, the quirky little cube<\/a> outstripped the PlayStation 2 by most performance metrics, a fact handily demonstrated in 2004 when the GameCube version of Call of Duty: Finest Hour<\/a> not only looked prettier than on Sony\u2019s machine, but also ran at twice the frame rate.<\/p>\n

Performance was peachy, but Nintendo\u2019s reluctance to embrace the internet \u2013 a trend that you could argue still persists today in some capacity \u2013 meant that the GameCube missed out on the all-important online multiplayer mode. Meanwhile, Xbox Live users were enjoying 32-player deathmatches, forming communities, and ultimately laying the foundation for what the series would become.<\/p>\n

By the time Call of Duty 2: Big Red One<\/a> rolled out in 2005, the poor old \u2018Cube was all but dead and buried. As a result, the GameCube version didn\u2019t seem to be a top priority for Activision \u2013 it was a serviceable port, but it clearly didn\u2019t receive the same level of optimisation the first game enjoyed. We wouldn\u2019t have to wait long to see the series on a Nintendo console again, though…<\/p>\n

The golden era<\/h2>\n
\"World<\/a>
Image: Activision<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Wii Remote & Nunchuk is the greatest FPS control scheme to ever grace a home console. That is an objective fact and a hill this writer is more than willing to die on. The combination of pixel-perfect pointer controls and intuitive motion gestures added a layer of precision, immersion and immediacy that simply cannot be replicated with traditional controllers.<\/p>\n

The motion-sensing capabilities of the Nunchuk also offered quick reloads and even the ability to lean and peak from behind cover, a feature that wouldn\u2019t become standard on console shooters for some time. To this day, it\u2019s a mechanic that\u2019s never been mapped to a gamepad anywhere near as gracefully.<\/p>\n

Starting with Call of Duty: Black Ops<\/a>, tilting the Wii Remote on its side also allowed you to hold sidearms gangsta style<\/em>. Sure, divisive launch title Red Steel<\/a> did it first, but it\u2019s still a super cool addition that feels great to this day.<\/p>\n

\"Black<\/a>
Image: Activision<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

American studio Treyarch handled all five Wii entries, starting with the somewhat shoddy launch title Call of Duty 3<\/a> in 2006, and ending in 2011 with the much more accomplished Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3<\/a>. The developer really got to grips with the Wii hardware and control scheme over the course of those five years, and the progression in quality from game to game is self-evident.<\/p>\n

The only notable absence for Wii owners during the 7th generation was 2009\u2019s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2<\/a>, seemingly a result of Infinity Ward not giving two figs about Nintendo’s motion-sensing sensation. When that title dropped on other platforms, Wii owners were instead treated to a retooled port of the original Modern Warfare game \u2013 which had initially skipped the console in 2007 \u2013 developed by Treyarch, and known as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With a World at War<\/a> port arriving in 2008, Wii was the last Nintendo home console to receive such extensive support, with a Call of Duty game essentially dropping every year that the system was properly supported. Sure, they were compromised in ways \u2013 lower graphical fidelity and reduced player counts online to name a couple \u2013 but it was still probably the golden era for this series’ involvement with Nintendo.<\/p>\n

Portable warfare<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re one of those folks who think getting Call of Duty to run on Nintendo Switch would require some sort of voodoo magic, you might be surprised to learn that Activision released no less than five \u2013 count \u2018em, five<\/em>! \u2013 CoD games for the Nintendo flippin\u2019 DS.<\/p>\n

These portable affairs \u2014 Modern Warfare<\/a> (2007), World at War<\/a> (2008), Modern Warfare: Mobilized<\/a> (2009), Black Ops<\/a> (2010), and Modern Warfare 3<\/a> (2011) \u2014 were pretty far removed from their HD console counterparts, of course, but they still featured fully voice-acted campaigns, local wireless multiplayer and, in the majority of cases, online play. All this on a console that was essentially a souped-up N64.<\/p>\n