Call of Duty . I know you well after 20 years of this franchise, but you can still surprise me.

My career as a journalist began with CoD all the way back in college. My senior thesis in journalism school was a 10,000-word magazine piece about the franchise in the early 2010s, because it was my obsession at the time. Since then, I’ve played and experienced all there is to offer with varying levels of enjoyment and satisfaction, so it’s been hard not to feel a general level of fatigue with the yearly releases.

But still, every once in a while, the franchise is capable of greatness despite the wear and tear.…