Summary
- Call of Duty's Finishing Moves have become iconic and memorable, including some eccentric and humorous animations that deviate from the game's serious tone.
- The Blunt Force Drama bundle introduced the Blowin' Smoke Finishing Move, where the attacker blows smoke in the enemy's face, leaving them dazed.
- Other crazy Finishing Moves include the Death Summons, where the attacker creates a pentagram before violently slamming the victim to the ground, and More Where That Came From, which involves summoning a zombie to gore the enemy.
While the Call of Duty franchise's multiplayer experience is renowned for its highly competitive and tense gameplay, there have always been certain mechanics that are purely for fun and style. This has been the case for the finishing moves, or executions, of the IP, which were first introduced in 2019's Modern Warfare and have become a staple of the franchise ever since.
Finishing Moves in Call of Duty occur when a player melees an enemy from behind, with a third-person animation then occurring for both players, showcasing the gruesome killing of the victim at the hands of the aggressor. With CoD's multiplayer modes becoming increasingly commercialized through things like in-game bundles and a wide range of cosmetics, it was not long before Activision began releasing weird and wonderful Finishing Moves that are miles removed from the serious tone that the IP usually employs. For example, a recent Christmas-themed Finishing Move sees the attacker summon an elf that runs through the victim's legs, before kicking the victim in the groin in a classic slap-stick fashion. While this might seem bizarre, it is simply one of many CoD Finishing Moves that are extremely memorable in how eccentric they are.
Call of Duty Has a Lot of Crazy Finishing Moves
Blowin' Smoke
One of the most iconic Finishing Moves in CoD came from the Blunt Force Drama Tracer Pack bundle for Call of Duty: Vanguard. This bundle concerned the in-game operator Gustavo, giving him a range of cosmetics and weapon blueprints themed around narcotics, as well as an associated Finishing Move. Named Blowin' Smoke, this execution simply saw the attacker blow smoke into the face of the enemy, leaving them dazed and stumbling before falling to the ground. With how graphic Finishing Moves usually are in CoD, the quick and humorous nature of Blowin' Smoke rivals that of the recent elf execution.
While the descriptions of these Finishing Moves are accurate, their animations can change depending on the physical stance of the player that is being executed.
Death Summons
The Death Summons Finishing Move is another weird addition to CoD, first appearing in the Tracer Pack: Witchcraft bundle for Modern Warfare 2. A sinister cosmetic pack for the operator Calisto, this bundle came with the Death Summons finishing move. This sees the attacker create a pentagram under the feet of their victim, before they rise into the air and contort, with their bones violently snapping before being slammed into the ground.
More Where That Came From
Another crazy finisher came with Modern Warfare 2, specifically in the Tracer Pack Bloodless bundle for Kleo. This particular bundle has a zombie theme throughout it, with this being smartly employed in its Finishing Move. Named More Where That Came From, the finisher involves the player summoning a zombie that is let loose on the enemy, quickly goring them before being executed by the player themselves. While this Finisher is less jarring thanks to its ties to CoD Zombies, it is still a strange animation to see play out in the IP's core multiplayer.
Gravity Inversion
Vanguard also possesses one of the funniest Finishers in Call of Duty history in its Gravity Inversion execution, which came as a part of the Tracer Pack Kong crossover bundle. Inspired by the immense strength of King Kong, this Finisher has the player grab an opponent before violently swinging them into the air, launching them high into the sky. Victims of this Finishing Move can essentially be flung over buildings and out of the map boundaries, making it a hilariously peculiar move for the IP.
Flexed Upon
Lastly, the Flexed Upon Finishing Move for MW3 is another great example of wacky humor being employed in the modern CoD identity. This move came as a part of the Season One Blackcell operator rewards, and is at its best when being used on a downed enemy in Warzone. With this specific set up, the player jumps and kills the enemy with a "360 no-scope," a direct reference to Call of Duty's rich trickshotting history. While the new Santa's Right Hand elf execution is grabbing a lot of attention, it is simply the latest execution in a long line of wacky Finishing Moves for the franchise.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 58 /100 Critics Rec: 14%
- Released
- November 10, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Sledgehammer Games
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- iw 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
- Franchise
- Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Split Screen Orientation
- Horizontal Only
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
- How Long To Beat
- 5 Hours
- Metascore
- 60
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
