My Top 5 Favorite Call Of Duty Missions

Saddle up fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Last week I took a look at the iconic Modern Warfare. While I was working on it, I thought to myself “Hey, I just talked about my favorite entries the week before. Why not talk about my favorite missions?”. Okay, maybe it didn’t go exactly like that, but it was in the ballpark at least. Regardless, there are fantastic missions spreadout through the entire Call of Duty series. Some standout more than others, but all in all great operations to go through. Today I thought I would share some of my favorite missions. The ones that stood out to me the most, and the ones I enjoyed playing the most. So with that said, here are my top 5 favorite Call of Duty missions. Enjoy.

5) Infinite Warfare - Operation Deep Execute (Mission)

Much like my top 5 favorite CoD entries list from earlier this month, I had to start this one off with Infinite Warfare once again. Ironically enough, this wasn’t a main mission, but one of the side quests you could access (Early on, might I add). Operation Deep Execute was a pretty intense mission: taking place at a SDF destroyer, you & 1 other partner are required to sneak on board to take other important enemy targets. Once you get on board, you acquire a uniform, and blend in as you wander the ship. You tinker with some of the ship’s system, culminating in the assassination of the 3 targets by draining the air out of the room they’re in. It’s a pretty sadistic move, but it’s a clever one as well. Once they’re dead, you have to make your way off the ship in a similar manner as you got on, and it’s just as adrenalin pumping. A really great mission that you shouldn’t skip.

4) World at War - Breaking Point (Mission)

One of the most unique things about Treyarch’s first main entry into Call of Duty, was the fact that it was the only time that we took on the Japanese Imperial Army. Each mission that they were in, they were incredibly vicious, and actually emulated their real-life counterpart to a certain degree. Nowhere was their ferocity more evident than in the final mission in the Pacific portion of the game. Taking place at the real-life Shuri Castle, the player & the squad he’s become accustomed to get embroiled in some of the fiercest gunfights against the Japanese. Whether it was in the tunnels, the courtyards, or inside the castle itself, you get in some bloody battles. Then you reach the final courtyard for the climatic battle, and while I won’t give anything away......I will say that it’s heartbreaking. A great way to end Imperial Japan’s first appearance in a Call of Duty game, and a fine sendoff to the franchise’s World War 2 roots.

3) Modern Warfare - All Ghillied Up (Mission)

Take the intensity of Operation Deep Execute, and turn the knob up to 20! All Ghillied Up is not just a classic mission from Modern Warfare, it’s a classic Call of Duty mission period. Taking place at Chernobyl & the decrepit city of Pripyat, you’re in the shoes of a younger Captain Price, teaming up with his superior officer at the time, Captain MacMillan. Sent in to take out Imran Zakhaev, the player is decked out in the now iconic Ghillie suit, and equipped with deadly silenced weapons. The first half of the mission has you & MacMillan stealthfully sneaking through old buildings, assassinating unsuspecting targets, and in the most nailbiting portion, essentially crawling & weaving through what is effectively a battalion of Russian soldiers. The second half is more action packed: having seemingly assassinated Zakheav, the player & MacMillian have to escape the city. Getting his leg injured early on, MacMillian has to be carried by the player to the evacuation point, all the while defending the pair from anyone that crosses their path. It all leads up to the big battle at the extraction point, where waves of soldiers come down on you like a ton of bricks. The fight is awesome, and it makes the successful rescue all the more better.

Tip: if you manage to shoot someone that has an RPD, pick it up. It will make going through the rest of the mission so much easier. 

2) Black Ops 2 - Karma (Mission)

In many ways Karma shares a lot in common with All Ghillied Up. A more stealth influenced first half, and an action packed second half. What makes this (In my opinion) mission better is the circumstances behind this one: instead of an irradiated & abandoned city, you’re on a super-vacation resort populated by massive amount of people. Getting sent in to locate a super weapon, you’re disguised as special workers, and you get inside the inner bowels of the resort. Discovering early on that the bad guys have basically setup shop as the resort security, the player and his 2 allies hack the computer systems & take down a few of the bad guys. Upon discovering the super weapon (A computer hacker), it’s a race to find it at a dance club, only for the enemy to arrive not long after. The second half is a made chase through the resort, as the enemy forces begin their attack on the resort. The player will not only half to deal with them as they chase down the super weapon, they also have to fight back against the resort’s robotic security going haywire. This also happens to be one of the mission you can potentially fail, and thus change the direction of the story. Regardless of how it ends, Karma will keep you engaged from the moment you start playing. 

1) Modern Warfare 2 - No Russian (Mission)

No Russian. There have definitely been Call of Duty missions that pushed a button or two, but none have ever lit up a firestorm of controversy much like this one. Taking place early on in Modern Warfare 2's campaign, you’re in the shoes of an American soldier, infiltrating deep into a terrorist group led by Vladimir Makarov (A former comrade of Imran Zakhaev). Makarov’s next target happens to be at a Russian airport, where you & his small crew proceed to shoot everybody in front of you. Civilians, airport security, doesn’t matter. Makarov & his men have a bullet for everybody they see. You technically don’t have to shoot anybody inside the airport (You can simply follow Makarov’s and his crew), but once you’re outside in a standoff with Russian police, you definitely have to fight back. After the run-in with the police, you managed to escape, only before.....na, I don’t want to spoil things.

So what makes this my number one favorite mission in Call of Duty’s extensive library? Shock value. Infinity Ward had some massive balls to create this mission & put it in the game, and I commend them for it. Despite issues within the group, they managed to put out a mission that has stayed permanently stuck in my brain since Christmas of 2009. Seeing the carnage was incredibly graphic, but at the same times showed off just how evil Makarov is, and how urgent his kill/capture was. It may be controversial, but No Russian manages to be my number 1 Call of Duty mission of all time.

So these were my favorite Call of Duty missions. I had to think for a bit about which ones to put here, but hopefully you’ll enjoy this piece. See you all next week for the last post in Call of Duty month, where I’ll have an interesting Food For Though/Though For Food put up about the series. Until then, sound off!