COD4:MW had an actually good story with incredible use of action set pieces like missiles launching, a nuke going off, and the now legendary AC-130 section that was almost an idle game in the middle of a shooter. The story was so good that it grabbed folks in the industry and after almost 20 years later it is still relevant.

Every other game tried to copy the style but none managed to actually replicate the critical success of the single player shooter. Especially when the buzz was around the genre defining multiplayer.

Call of Duty:Modern Warfare is a stunning game and well worth the effort to get through the story. The rest… retread the same territory as the GOAT.