When it comes to the Call of Duty franchise, fans usually prefer either Call of Duty: Black Ops or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Given that these two subseries regularly provide the best games in the franchise, this is hardly a surprise. Both Treyarch’s games and Infinity Ward’s titles have their merits, with the former being more experimental when it comes to campaign and co-op content and the latter taking more risks when it comes to multiplayer.

For those that prioritize storytelling in their video games, the Call of Duty: Black Ops timeline is usually seen as more preferable. This is because Treyarch has created a universe spanning over 100 years, with each entry in the Black Ops series featuring some kind of major twist to shock players and make every story more memorable. The characters in the Black Ops timeline are also interesting, serving as some welcome changes from Call of Duty’s typical action heroes.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops’ Characters Are Something a Bit Different

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In the Call of Duty games that are not part of the Black Ops timeline, players almost always control a protagonist that is a heroic soldier and someone that is easy to root for. Treyarch usually does something a bit different, though, which was first seen in the original Black Ops with Alex Mason. While Mason has a hunting background and is certainly more capable than the average soldier, the fact that he was brainwashed by Call of Duty: World at War's Viktor Reznov instantly makes him an interesting character. Mason is a tortured figure with a broken mind, and the insinuation that he failed to escape his brainwashing and supposedly killed President JFK makes him unique and flawed.

Frank Woods is another character with depth, with his development largely coming from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and his ties to the villain Raul Menendez. An intimidating terrorist who eventually leads his own movement called Cordis Die, Menendez' hatred for Woods is understandable. Menendez got the ball rolling on their blood feud by making Woods a POW and leaving him trapped in a crate to starve while he watches his friends die, though Woods then went on to accidentally kill Menendez’s sister. As a result, Menendez manipulated Woods into killing Alex Mason before crippling him and killing Hudson in front of him. By giving Mason time to shine in the first game, and Woods the spotlight in the second, Treyarch ensured that its most important characters were more than just generic soldiers.

Even though Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Bell is a silent protagonist and player-created character, their story is just as compelling and continues the trend of Black Ops protagonists having more interesting stories than those in other Call of Duty entries. During the game’s big twist, players learn that Bell was a brainwashed Russian agent and ally of Perseus, making for what is essentially the opposite of Black Ops’ big twist. This revelation shows players how far both sides went during the Cold War, and it manages to make a character with no spoken dialogue complex.

Call of Duty: Black Ops’ Timeline Features a Wide Array of Settings

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Given its name, it is not shocking that the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series only sticks with modern settings. However, by focusing exclusively on the present day, Infinity Ward limits its franchise when it comes to the wars and events that can be covered. While there are flashbacks from time to time, the focus of Modern Warfare has and always will be the current version of warfare. With the Black Ops series, Treyarch is free to do whatever it wants.

While Call of Duty: Black Ops initially started with a Cold War focus, and returned to the later years of that era with 2020’s Black Ops Cold War, Treyarch has not kept each game confined to that part of history. Not only is Call of Duty: World at War part of the Black Ops universe, giving the series a World War 2 connection, but Black Ops 2, Black Ops 3, and Black Ops 4 all took things to the future. Black Ops 2 was particularly unique since a portion of its campaign took place in the 1980s and another half was set in 2025, with both Alex and David Mason having their stories told.

If Treyarch ever wants to go futuristic with its settings again, it is free to so, as it could take players to the clone-focused Black Ops 4 era or the exosuit and AI-filled Black Ops 3 period. Likewise, the developer can go back in time to explore more historical settings, something that will seemingly be done with Call of Duty 2024 and its rumored Gulf War focus. The Black Ops brand being focused on the loose concept of covert operations as opposed to a specific era of warfare means that every game can offer something fresh, giving the Black Ops name some serious staying power. It also allows Treyarch to have one connected universe with no need to reboot, rewarding fans who closely follow the lore of the series.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops’ Campaigns Consistently Try New Things

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Not only is the Black Ops timeline full of layered characters and over a hundred years of established lore, but the campaigns all feel different from each other and try new things. Since the original Black Ops, Treyarch has become more and more innovative with each release. This can not be said for Infinity Ward’s games, as aside from Infinite Warfare and a more open level in Modern Warfare 2019, the developer’s campaigns have mostly stuck to the traditional style. While there is nothing wrong with extremely linear singleplayer campaigns, the formula does get old after so many years of the same approach, making each of Black Ops’ singleplayer modes feel like a breath of fresh air.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s campaign featured multiple endings, side missions, and proper choices that led to certain characters living or dying. For instance, Alex Mason could survive if Woods shot him in the leg instead of in the head, allowing players that realized something was off to get an ending where Alex survives. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 delivered a fully co-operative campaign with special abilities, and while not everyone was a fan of the complex narrative essentially telling two stories in one, it was extremely unique. Though Raven Software made the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign instead of Treyarch, the innovation continued. Its best mission was able to be completed in four ways, with another standout level being altered greatly depending on player choice.

The Call of Duty franchise is home to many great campaigns, and not all come from Treyarch. Call of Duty: Vanguard’s singleplayer is solid, the original Modern Warfare trilogy is full of iconic set pieces, and Infinite Warfare’s solo mode is criminally underrated. However, the Black Ops series is consistently the strongest when it comes to storytelling. Having a timeline that spans multiple generations and numerous global conflicts both fictional and real is the key to its success. By having so much freedom when it comes to its settings, Treyarch has been able to deliver different gameplay features with each of its campaigns, and well-written characters are just the icing on the cake.

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