I've been wanting to get into the CoD games, but I have no idea where to start... So, which game is the best start? Advanced Warefare? Call of Duty? World at War?

Tell me which game you think is the best introduction to the series, and why? 

I don't want an answer like this: CoD: AW because it has exoskeletons... 

Something like that doesn't help. I want to know what makes it good!

I personally wouldn't start with anything before Modern Warfare, whether its MW or Black Ops because to me, the series took a huge turn here with the graphics and various features as well as the cotrols. I didn't actually start liking the series until Modern Warfare came out for this reason because I felt those games were just easier to get into.

I'd start with the Modern Warfare series. It and the Black Ops series as easily the most stomachable of any game in the franchise.

I started with the original CoD, and have played nearly every title except the newest ones (like Ghost). The MW series is good because it isn't TOO serious, and carries the fun aspect. The orginal series games feel more like war simulators than video games. MW feels like a video game.

From what I've heard, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the place to start. If you want to play something more current, Black Ops 2 is also cited as a good game. Everything else after Modern Warfare sounds like a sketchy experience at best, especially the newest CoDs.

Well I haven't played Advanced Warfare yet, but in my opinion, go ahead and start with the first Black Ops. The game speed is much slower than the speeds of MW3, Ghosts, and even Black Ops II. But if you've never played a CoD game before, I think its the best game that will teach you the "basics" of playing a CoD game, especially online. Once you think you're ready to move up to the next level, you could get any game that came out after the first Black Ops, and you'll see what I mean when I said the game speed is slower than the newer games.

I've adapted myself to compete with the better players in CoD Ghosts ( as I said, I don't have AW yet ). I'm going so fast, though, that my hands start to hurt after just a couple games. So take it easy once you start playing "seriously."

I`d Say Black Ops 2 if you want to get into the Multiplayer and black ops 1 for some zombies and more single player content, you can try World at War but it`s hacked pretty badly unless you play on the Pc you also get access to mods for custom Zombie maps which is a plus. Basically just go with the Treyarch games.      

darthyoda : In my opinion, if you have never played a Call of Duty game yet, then you should start off with the classics. Personally, the first CoD game that I played was Big Red One ( the 2nd title in the series on PS2 ), which was made by Treyarch and was only available on the PlayStation 2. This is my favorite all time CoD title because the story is very well executed and the graphics are not half bad either considering the time line in which the game was created ( if you care about that sort of thing ). If you are more of an Xbox ( or PC ) player, then I would suggest Call of Duty 3, which was also made by Treyarch and has yet another fantastic storyline to go with the rather 'shiny' graphics.

However, modern technology is forever advancing in terms of graphics, game play, and depth ( etc. ). So, if you want to take a more 'aggressive' approach and have more of an interest in multiplayer than single player, then I would not choose a title later than Ghosts. It might seem a little too confusing if you just jump into Advanced Warfare right now ( since there are many changes and new abilities ) but you do not want to jump back further than Modern Warfare 2 since not that many people play that anymore. Maybe you could start off in the middle with Modern Warfare 3 or Black Ops 2. 

In the end, it really depends on which developer you like the most ( Infinity Ward, Treyarch, etc. ) but nothing beats the classics!   

In my opinion, World at War may be a little too hard for beginners. I'm not a beginner to the franchise but even after a long time of playing CoD games, I still can't stand even the normal difficulty for World at War. It is still a very good game but the choice is up to you on whether you want the challenge or not. Modern Warfare 1 or 2 could be a great place to start. Both of the Black Ops games along with Ghosts all have an amazing story mode. Black Ops 2 even has 5 different endings.

If you care more about the multiplayer aspect, then you may want to start with one of the Black Ops games since anything after them is a lot more confusing. Anyhow, good luck on whatever game you decide to get!

Black Ops 2, or World at War.

I was never really into the series myself, but my Aunt borrowed me CoD: Black Ops 2 to try and I actually really enjoyed it. It had a decent story, interesting characters, great graphics and a lot of different weapons that were fun to try. It wasn't an overly difficult game either. I didn't bother with multi-player though, so I don't know how that is, but the game is worth a try. 

I don't really know where you should start, but I'll tell you which games are good. Modern Warfare 2 was good, MW3 was ok, the first Black Ops was probably my favorite CoD game, Advanced Warfare is decent, I disliked the rest of them.

I do have to say that the Black Ops games were pretty good.  I love the zombie aspect of them, but really wish there were more maps.  It has a decent pvp style as well, but as usual, the maps are pretty small.  The graphics on all of them are pretty good and only get better with the newer systems.  My favorite so far is Black Ops 2 though...I just love killing thousands of zombies for hours on end

Start with the first one. Then you can understand everything, and you start early in the series.

However, if you can't start with those old games, try Black Opps or Black Opps 2, those are my favorite new ones.

Black Ops 1 i would say but starting with World at War isnt a bad cod to start with either

If you like classic shooters, the originals (1, 2, 3) can't be beat.

Local Mods : Please close... I've already gotten several CoD games now... forgot I had this thread open. 

Please no responses to this thread from now till locals close this.

If you like more classic shooters, 1, 2, or 3. If you really like modern shooters and want virtually no difference from game to game (besides the always excellent campaign), try 4 or any one after it.

Preferably one of the games that isn't seen as a sequel. I'd start with Call of Duty 2, but what with the new age, you may wanna start with Black Ops or something to get used to the new features and online capabilities.