Captain Price

Last updated
Captain Price
Call of Duty character
Captain Price (Call of Duty).png
Captain Price as he appears in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
First game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Voiced by
In-universe information
OriginEngland
NationalityEnglish

Captain John Price is a character from the Call of Duty series of video games published by Activision. First appearing in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), he is the commander of Task Force 141, a fictional Special Air Service unit. He has subsequently appeared in every other game in the Modern Warfare sub-series, including the reboot series started in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019). In the original trilogy, he is voiced by Billy Murray; in the reboot series, he is voiced by Barry Sloane.

Contents

Captain Price is based on another character named Captain Price, which appeared in the original Call of Duty (2003), set in World War II. When designing the character for Call of Duty 4, the development team overhauled the original design from the 2003 game, incorporating elements such as a thousand yard stare, a damaged boonie hat, and a receding hairline. Price has been widely considered the most iconic character in the Call of Duty series, and has been considered by some to be one of the most iconic video game characters. Critics have praised his role in the series, and the character has ranked on reader polls for the best video game characters of all time.

Creation and design

The design of Captain Price was heavily inspired by the design of another Call of Duty character named Captain Price, who appeared in the original Call of Duty (2003). This game was set during World War II, and saw that game's Captain Price die in battle while infiltrating a Nazi battleship. In an interview with Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling, he stated that during the develop of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), they wanted to give the character "a fresh new look," making his design to "look like a character", and allowing his actions in-game to "make him a hero". While that game's Captain Price already had a beard, the developers chose to make it scruffy as to make it fit better with his face and "give him a grizzlier look." His face is asymmetrical, and he has a receding hairline along with a bald spot. The team spent an extensive amount of time working on his eyes and boonie hat, giving him the appearance of a thousand-yard stare complete with a shadow over his eyes from the deformed hat. [1] [2] According to Infinity Ward character designer Sami Onur in an interview, Captain Price is the grandson of the original Captain Price from the first Call of Duty game. However, him being the grandson of that game's Captain Price has never officially been confirmed. [2]

In the original Modern Warfare trilogy, Captain Price is voiced by Billy Murray. [2] In the reboot series, starting with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), he is voiced by Barry Sloane, who also does motion capturing for the character. [3]

Appearances

Original trilogy

First appearing in Call of Duty 4, Price serves as the commanding officer of a Special Air Service unit investigating the recent civil war that had broken out in Russia. The player character, sergeant John "Soap" Mactavish, is a part of unit. In two of the game's missions, "All Ghillied Up" and "One Shot, One Kill", the player takes control of Price in 1996 when he was a lieutenant under his superior Captain MacMillan as he attempts to assassinate the game's primary antagonist Imran Zakhaev. In the game's final mission, Price is heavily injured in a standoff against Zakhaev, though Soap manages to kill him. Between the events of Call of Duty 4 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), the ultra-nationalists win the Russian Civil War, avenging Zakhaev as a national hero and capturing Captain Price, giving him the prisoner number "Prisoner #627". [4] [5] [2]

In Modern Warfare 2, which takes place five years later, Price first appears after Soap helps him escape the gulag. Shortly after, Price rejoins 141, which is now controlled by General Shepherd, the new head of the United States Army who is using the task force to hunt down ultra-nationalist Vladimir Makarov. The ulterior motive of Shepherd, however, is attempting to start World War III himself to gain control of an army capable of avenging the death of thousands of American soldiers in a nuclear blast. As part of his plan, he assassinates Task Force 141 members "Ghost" and "Roach", and labels Price and Soap as war criminals. At the end of the game, Price and Soap shoot down Shepherd's helicopter, and a battle ensues that leaves Price beaten up, Soap impaled, and Shepherd dead. [5] In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Price spends the majority of the game hunting down Vladimir Makarov during World War III, ultimately killing him in a hotel in Dubai. [6] He is the only member of Task Force 141 to survive the events of the original trilogy, as Soap dies mid-way through the game. [7]

Reboot series

Captain Price reappears in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), which is a reboot of the original Modern Warfare games. He first appears after being called in Station Chief Kate Laswell to deal with an incident involving a group of insurgents in the fictional country of Urzikstan seizing a shipment of chemical gas weapons. A mission set ten years before the events of the game sees Price free the resistance leader Farah Karim from imprisonment by Russian General Roman Barkov, who in the present occupied Urzikstan. At the end of the game, Price and Karim with the assistance of Kyle "Gaz" Garrick kill Barkov. [8] [9] In a post-credits scene, Price proposes the creation of Task Force 141 to Laswell during a private meeting, with characters such as Ghost, Soap, and Gaz as its proposed members, setting up the events of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) and Call of Duty; Modern Warfare III (2023). [10]

Other appearances

Captain Price also makes an appearance in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020) as a playable character. [11] His design in Black Ops: Cold War is reminiscent of his appearance in the Call of Duty 4 mission "Crew Expendable", which has him in all-black gear. This variant of his design also replaces his boonie hat with a gas mask. [11] He also appears in Call of Duty: Mobile and Call of Duty: Online. [2]

Reception

Captain Price has been often referred to as most iconic character in the Call of Duty series, as well as one of the best characters in the series. [2] Captain Price was considered one of the most iconic video game characters by the editorial staff of GamesRadar+ , [12] with another list from Glixel considering him to one of the most iconic characters of the 21st century. [13] He has ranked on reader polls conducted by Guinness World Records and the editorial staff of Game Informer , with the former having over 13,000 respondents and the latter having over 70,000. [14] [15] Meagan Marie of Game Informer considered Captain Price to be one of the most memorable designs for video game characters, writing that while most people remembered the character for his "selfless nature and unique personality," the design of him made it where Captain Price "never feels lost in the crowd." [1]

In a retrospective video highlighting the history of the character throughout the series, Ian Higton of Eurogamer described Captain Price as the "true star" of the Call of Duty series, further claiming him to be the "most famous mustachioed military man of all time". Citing the voice actor for Price in beta builds of Call of Duty 4 to be the same as the original Call of Duty character, Higton highlighted a theory that claims Captain Price to be a time traveler. He compared Price to Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap, describing Price as "leaping from time period to time period, taking out Nazis and terrorists, wherever he's needed the most". [2] The editorial staff of GamesRadar+ described Captain Price as being a "badass", and that "arguably no other character in the history of games goes harder" than him. [16]

In 2021, GameRant reported that a study conducted by Top10Casinos found Captain Price to be the most attractive male character in video games via a "Golden Ratio", in which he scored a 88.90%, which surpassed Geralt of Rivia in second place by 2%. [17] According to TheGamer, the study was met with fierce backlash from the fandoms of numerous other video games on social media, arguing for other characters to have been more deserving of the top spot. [18]

Analysis

Writing about his role in the Modern Warfare reboot, Jeremy Peel of Rock Paper Shotgun highlighted Captain Price's choice to make sacrifices and committing various acts –getting "dirty"– so the world can be "clean". He highlighted a scene where Price offers to take over the role of escorting the wife and child of a terrorist to an interrogation room to be used as "leverage" - thus providing the player a choice to "stay clean". He described Price as an example of "decisive utilitarianism", and compared his actions to be resolving the in-game equivalent of the trolley problem, where one person has to die so that many more can be saved. He compared his character to being that of "Santa with an assault rifle." [19]

Media researcher George Blackburn believed that the relationships between MacMillan, Price, and Mactavish were akin to that of a patriarchal family dynamic. He cited the repeated appearances of older commanders directing younger officers throughout the games, affectionately addressing them as "sons". [20] Another media researcher, Claudius Stemmler, described Price as a character primarily driven by revenge, similarly to the antagonists of the series. He found this to be reflected by every mission in the games culminating in a killing of a villain, satisfying the potential wish of revenge on the part of the player as well as Price; [21] When Shepherd, Makarov, and Price disagree on who should actually write history, Price insists that "all history is lies", but later stresses that he wants to kill Shepherd "for the record". [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guybrush Threepwood</span> Monkey Island character

Guybrush Ulysses Threepwood is a fictional character who serves as the main protagonist of the Monkey Island series of computer adventure games by LucasArts. He is a pirate who adventures throughout the Caribbean in search of fame and treasure alongside his love interest and later wife, Elaine Marley, often thwarting the plans of the undead pirate LeChuck in the process. Though a "mighty pirate" by his own account, he is a rather clumsy and disorganized protagonist throughout the series. It is a running joke throughout the games for characters to garble Guybrush Threepwood's unusual name, either deliberately or accidentally. In all voiced appearances, Guybrush is voiced by actor Dominic Armato.

William Albert Murray is an English actor, best known for playing Don Beech in The Bill from 1995 to 2004, Johnny Allen in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2005 to 2006, and Captain John Price in the video games Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Call of Duty is a military first-person shooter video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-off and handheld games were made by other developers. The most recent, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, was released on October 25, 2024.

<i>Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare</i> 2007 video game

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment in the Call of Duty series. The game breaks away from the World War II setting of previous entries and is instead set in modern times. Developed over two years, Modern Warfare was released in November 2007 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows. A Wii port, developed by Treyarch and subtitled Reflex Edition, was released in 2009.

<i>Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare</i> (Nintendo DS) 2007 video game

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter video game in the Call of Duty franchise, developed specifically for the Nintendo DS. It was released by Activision in November 2007. The game features many elements of gameplay typical to the series, including vehicular missions and the usage of iron sights.

<i>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2</i> 2009 video game

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a 2009 first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It is the sixth installment in the Call of Duty series and the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It was released worldwide on November 10, 2009, for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. A separate version for the Nintendo DS, titled Modern Warfare: Mobilized, was also released on the same day. A version for OS X was developed by Aspyr and released in May 2014, and the Xbox 360 version was made backward compatible for the Xbox One in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sledgehammer Games</span> American video game development company

Sledgehammer Games, Inc. is an American video game developer company formed in 2009 by Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey. The pair formerly worked at EA Redwood Shores and are responsible for the creation of Dead Space. The company is based in Foster City, California. The studio has developed and co-developed various video games in the Call of Duty series. The company is owned by Activision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Russian</span> Mission from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

"No Russian" is the fourth mission of the 2009 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and its 2020 remaster. In the mission, the player controls Army Ranger PFC Joseph Allen, who—whilst undercover for the CIA with the alias Alexei Borodin in an attempt to gain the trust of Russian terrorist Vladimir Makarov—participates in a mass shooting by Makarov's group at a Moscow airport. It is not mandatory to personally shoot any civilians and the mission may be skipped without penalty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IW (game engine)</span> Game engine developed by Infinity Ward

The IW engine is a game engine created and developed by Infinity Ward and IW Poland for the Call of Duty series. The engine was originally based on id Tech 3 by id Software with Ritual Entertainment's ÜberTools enhancements. Aside from Infinity Ward, the engine is also used by other Activision studios working on the series, including primary lead developers Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games, and support studios like Beenox, High Moon Studios, and Raven Software.

The Hadouken or Hadoken is a special attack from Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. Game designer Takashi Nishiyama credits an energy attack called Hadouho, from the 1970s anime Space Battleship Yamato, as the origin of Hadouken. It is used by the characters Ryu, Ken, Sakura, Akuma and Gouken. The Hadouken, Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, and the Shoryuken are the three archetypal moves of these characters, as well as some of the most iconic and famous elements of the Street Fighter series or even video games in general.

<i>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3</i> 2011 video game

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a 2011 first-person shooter video game, jointly developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision. The game was released worldwide in November 8 2011 for Microsoft Windows, the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and OS X. It is the sequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), serving as the third and final installment in the original Modern Warfare trilogy and the eighth Call of Duty installment overall. A separate version for the Nintendo DS was developed by n-Space, while Treyarch developed the game's Wii port. In Japan, Square Enix published the game with a separate subtitled and dubbed version.

<i>Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish</i> 2011 short film

Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish is a 2011 short film and a prequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, first shown at Call of Duty XP convention. The video was produced by We Can Pretend, with visual effects by The Junction, and was endorsed by Activision.

<i>Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare</i> 2014 First-person shooter video game

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is a 2014 first-person shooter video game published by Activision. The eleventh major installment in the Call of Duty series, the game was developed by Sledgehammer Games for PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One, while High Moon Studios developed the versions released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and Raven Software developed the game's multiplayer and the Exo-Zombies mode.

<i>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered</i> 2016 first-person shooter video game

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is a 2016 first-person shooter game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is a remastered version of the 2007 game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and was initially released as part of the special edition bundles of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in November 2016 for the PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. A standalone version was released for these platforms in mid-2017. The game's story follows the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the Special Air Service (SAS), who take on missions to fight against a separatist group in the Middle East and an ultranationalist group in Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Ghillied Up</span> Level from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

"All Ghillied Up" is a level in the 2007 first-person shooter video game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and its 2016 remastered version, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered. Set in Pripyat, Ukraine in 1996, the player assumes control of then Lieutenant John Price and is assisted by their superior Captain MacMillan. The pair make their way through Pripyat covertly with the objective of assassinating the game's primary antagonist, Imran Zakhaev. The player may deal with enemies stealthily, overtly, or avoid engaging them altogether.

<i>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare</i> (2019 video game) 2019 video game reboot

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a 2019 first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. Serving as the sixteenth overall installment in the Call of Duty series, as well as a reboot of the Modern Warfare sub-series, it was released on October 25, 2019, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.

<i>Call of Duty: Warzone</i> 2020 video game

Call of Duty: Warzone was a 2020 free-to-play battle royale first-person shooter game developed by Raven Software and Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It was released on March 10, 2020, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) and was subsequently connected to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020) and Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021), but did not require purchase of any of the aforementioned titles. Warzone allowed online multiplayer combat among 150 players and featured both cross-platform play and cross-platform progression between the three aforementioned titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Belmont</span> Castlevania series character

Simon Belmont is a fictional character who serves as the first protagonist to appear in the Castlevania series. He appears in Castlevania, Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Super Castlevania IV, and Castlevania Chronicles, and acts as a supporting character in Castlevania Judgment and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. He also appeared as a playable character in DreamMix TV World Fighters and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Simon has received positive reviews from critics.

<i>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II</i> (2022 video game) 2022 video game

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a 2022 first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It is the nineteenth installment of the Call of Duty series, serving as a sequel to the 2019 reboot of the Modern Warfare sub-series. The game was released on October 28, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

<i>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III</i> (2023 video game) 2023 video game

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is a 2023 first-person shooter game developed by Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision. It is the twentieth installment of the Call of Duty series and is the third entry in the rebooted Modern Warfare sub-series, following Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022). The game was released on November 10, 2023, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

References

  1. 1 2 Marie, Meagan. "Creating Character: Ten Faces We Won't Soon Forget". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ian, Higton (2019-06-06). "A brief history of Call of Duty's Captain Price". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  3. ↑ Hume, Mike (2019-10-24). "A long time Call of Duty fan, Barry Sloane steps into the 'inner sanctum' as the new Captain Price". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. ↑ McNeilly, Joe (2009-11-11). "Modern Warfare: The story so far". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  5. 1 2 "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - The Story so Far". VideoGamer. 2011-11-01. Archived from the original on 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  6. ↑ Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games (2011). Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Activision. Level/area: Dust to Dust.
  7. ↑ Warren, Richard (2022-10-12). "The New Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Series Could Kill Off a Surprising Character". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  8. ↑ "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Story Recap -- What To Know Before MW2". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  9. ↑ West, Josh (2019-10-25). "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ending explained – Here's what we know about Captain Price's next mission". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  10. ↑ West, Josh (2019-10-25). "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ending explained – Here's what we know about Captain Price's next mission". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  11. 1 2 Sheridan, Connor (2021-04-19). "Black Ops Cold War adds Captain Price as a free season 3 skin". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  12. ↑ Weber, Rachel (2021-11-08). "The 50 most iconic video game characters of all time". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  13. ↑ "50 Most Iconic Video Game Characters of the 21st Century". Glixel. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-23.
  14. ↑ Marchiafava, Jeff. "Guinness Names Top 50 Video Game Characters Of All Time". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  15. ↑ Vore, Bryan. "Readers' Top 30 Characters Results Revealed". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2019-12-14. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  16. ↑ "Best game characters of the generation". gamesradar. 2013-10-11. Archived from the original on 2015-04-21. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  17. ↑ Bullock, Matthew Van (2022-03-24). "Study Claims Captain Price is 'Hottest Male Video Game Character'". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  18. ↑ Bevan, Rhiannon (2022-03-27). "Study Claims Captain Price Is The Hottest Guy In Games, Everyone Disagrees". TheGamer. Archived from the original on 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  19. ↑ Peel, Jeremy (2019-11-27). "Who does Modern Warfare's Captain Price really "get dirty" for?". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  20. ↑ Blackburn 2018, p. 41.
  21. ↑ Stemmler 2017, p. 54.
  22. ↑ Stemmler 2017, p. 56.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.