Despite racking up more hours in MW2 than basically anything else ever, I'll vote for CoD4 as it laid most of the groundwork.

Call of Duty 4 was just fantastic. The single player was tight and focus'd while the multiplayer was surprisingly well balanced and everything just felt right. Also the tone of the game was consistent through both the single player and multiplayer, no one was running around with a smiley face gun with a pink "red dot" to kick you out of the immersion.

4. I played 2 when it was first released on the 360, and really liked the smooth gameplay and good graphics, but I didn't pick up on the series until 4. The later ones do not even compare, because they never changed the formula after that, they just made it more unbalanced with each iteration.

cod4 with 3 coming second.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (first one) had the best storyline for me.

Call of Duty 4 was the most revolutionary, but Call of Duty 2 is my favorite.

Does anybody still play CoD4 online? I was thinking about picking a CoD. I tried CODBLOPSTOO and didn't like it, but COD4 looks pretty dope, the first in the series and all and it was like the first big modern military style game since CS.

@vuud: Very difficult to get a match.

I have the best memories of Call of Duty 2 (on PC, during the random period my family had one) because there was not a game like that out there. The character/faction changing and scripted sequences were outrageous at the time.

I respect Modern Warfare to death but I'd already felt how I'd felt about Goldeneye and Perfect Dark by the time that game came around so to me it didn't feel like this huge revolution even though it likely was compared to those games. But to me it was sort of like a tighter, safer Timesplitters 2.

Either way, Modern Warfare was one of the last FPS I had any care for - Killzone 2 is a contender - and I doubt I'd enjoy Call of Duty 2 now. It's a tough choice.

I'm often reminded how over the top part 1 was, especially the car sequences and the fight in the building the crumbling. But totally CoD4 Modern Warfare.

Modern Warfare 2.

OG by a long shot. Yeah, COD 4 gets a load of credit for the multiplayer, but the original COD laid down the mechanics years prior, and the mutliplayer was fun as hell without all the bullshit killstreaks. Not to mention the amazing campaign and graphics.

Bad Company 2

MOHAA

@vuud: It's OK on PC, still playable. On 360 it can usually be pretty tough though. Even then it is a lot of people running around quick scoping with the sniper rifle, which is intensely boring.

Campaign: Black Ops, Multiplayer: MW2

I just finished world at war a couple of weeks ago and i don't know if its just me but that seems a lot harder than the modern warfare games, fair bit longer too.

to answer the question though the original is still the best

Despite having fucking broken ass multiplayer Modern Warfare 2 is my favorite COD. Campaign was pretty great, multiplayer was a blast when it worked and when it was absolute chaos.

From the perspective of campaign, I would say Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. But, from the perspective of online multiplayer; I would have to say, Modern Warfare 2 or Ghost are the best for playablity & progression.

The best shooter story ever....I'd have to say it was Full Spectrum Warrior. The soldiers of fire teams Alpha and Bravo of squad Charlie 90, B Company, 159th Light Infantry from Fort Benning are very realistically told. Their missions are real mission two squads would do, the tactical puzzle situation are about as realistic as most games could get, and yet the hunt for Al-Afad is extremely well told and emotional without being campy. The dialogue between soldiers is excellent, I would have to say it is the most realistic radio-chatter and person-to-person communication you will see in a shooter that has a story and isn't just an Arma mod.

The only one I played to completion is Modern Warfare, I played MW 2, MW 3, Black Ops 1 & 2, WAW and COD 2. I am not a fan of multiplayer so I am speaking only about single player experience. I think my problem with COD 2 is that I hate the era it took place in and was pretty bored, so when it went modern I was all for it but after beating MW I feel like I got my fill of the series, oddly enough it didn't stop me from playing the other ones mentioned. So.... I guess MW even though I don't really remember anything about it. *shrugs* -_- Why did I even post?

World at War. It's the only one I really enjoyed a great deal. Unfortunately like most of the other games, it's online services have been completely ruined by hackers. It's multiplayer was so fun but hackers really ruined it.

i love(d) call of duty 1, 2 and modern warfare. great games.

modern warfare 2 and black ops and world at war were nowhere near as great, but still alright.

3 and black ops 2, and ghosts and mw3 are trash.

overall, the best one is definitely call of duty 4: modern warfare, though. brilliant game.

I remember Black Ops 1 being my favorite but, I never got around to Black Ops 2. I recently bought Black Ops 2 and was floored by just how slow everything felt. The character movement felt like I was underwater. I've played a lot of titanfall since its release and there just is no going back. I'm afraid to go back and see if Black Ops 1 is the same. I think I'll just remember it as awesome. Much like movies I enjoyed as a kid, some old up and some don't. Red Sonya is a good example, as a kid that movie was fantastic. I went back and watch most of it recently and it tottally ruined my memories of it. That movie was actually terrible but, 8 year old me couldn't tell.

Well, I never really got into the competitive multiplayer for any of them, but as a fan of the single player stuff, I like Modern Warfare 2 the best. And a friend and I had a blast doing the Spec Ops mode.

This guy.

Modern Warfare 2. Campaign had an interesting sense of weight and urgency to it that I hadn't felt in a game before, and for me, had the tightest multiplayer. Didn't have the best multiplayer party options but, in my opinion, had the best gameplay, best gun selection, and most variety in playstyles. Some people have sour memories of MW2 because of the supposed "noob tube" overuse, but that's like complaining about fireballs in street fighter. There's a defense for everything. Balance doesn't mean everyone uses the same tools, and everyone's going to find something "OP" in a multiplayer game.

Also that spec-ops mission where you have to clear out "Estate" was badass.

remember really liking the very first one a lot. that one was awesome at the time. didn't get into cod last gen.

It's between Modern Warfare and Call of Duty 2 for me. I played both of those game countless times.

I really liked CoD 2. 4 is also great for obvious reasons but 2 just holds a certain place in my game heart.

Call of Duty 4 MW - the first and the one that felt like a compete package from single player to multiplayer.

Black Ops - I gained respect for the b team of cod and as far as MP, it felt the most balanced since the first game.

Call of Duty 4 MW2 - Was fun in all its craziness early on but down the road it became too much.

COD, COD 2, WAW, MW and BLOPS