Call of Duty Finest Hour

A more concentrated approach to World War II-era warfare, Call of Duty: Finest Hour guides the player through some of the most iconic moments in the largest armed conflict in human history. Told through intense set-pieces and emotional cut-scenes, this is a title that console owners won’t want to miss.

Though decidedly more limited than its PC counterpart, Finest Hour still manages to bring the trademark Call of Duty experience to home consoles. Considering this is just the first entry into a now-legendary series, you can do much worst than what’s on display in Finest Hour.

Finest Moments

The plot of the game shares many of the story elements that would become a trademark of the Call of Duty series. Finest Hour takes the player through major events in both the Eastern and North African theaters of World War II, including the Battle of Stalingrad, Operation Little Saturn, and the Battle for Ludendorff Bridge.

The game also follows several characters as they rise up from different ranks across the war, giving players an intimate look at the people who fought alongside them. The narrative is told through multiple character perspectives, with each chapter focusing on a different person. These chapters are separated by brief cut-scenes before returning to gameplay.

There’s a good balance between plot and gameplay segments, making the game feel much more dynamic as a result. Much like the Call of Duty franchise itself, Finest Hour is all about pushing the player forward through explosive action sequences and adrenaline-pumping moments. This is especially true when it comes to the battle for Stalingrad, one of the most epic battles of the war.

Several moments throughout the game push the boundaries of what was possible on sixth-generation consoles, even if games like Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault look much more visually appealing.

Built for Consoles

Most of Call of Duty: Finest Hour was made specifically for consoles. That might be the reason why, even if the game doesn’t look as graphically stunning as its PC counterpart, it still retains some of the same core design elements.

The sound department is also much more limited than what we’ve seen on Call of Duty for PC. Guns lack some of the oomph they had on the more advanced version of the game, and some of the game’s audio had to be heavily compressed in some areas, making the game lack some of its punch.

Considering how good Medal of Honor: Frontline looked some years earlier on PS2, Call of Duty: Finest Hour should have polished its visual department a bit more before its release.

All that said, the game’s campaign is captivating enough to forgive most of the game’s most obvious shortcomings. The voice acting is also top-notch, which elevates the overall presentation to the standards of the Call of Duty franchise.

Finest Hour is a game with so many positives to talk about, but a few nagging negatives – not to mention the overbearing presence of the superior PC version – hold the game back from achieving greatness.

Pros

• Amazing story with superb voice acting
• Over-the-top cinematic feeling
• Fun – if a bit limited – multiplayer modes

Cons

• A bit dated in terms of visuals
• Compressed audio
• Clumsy controls and finicky aiming

Call to Duty: Finest Hour is a first person shooter focusing on a soldier fighting through various World War II battles. There have been numerous other games attempting this same type of game format and to standout amid the various high quality games this year or others in this genre, something about the game needs to be fairly unique or at least impress with its execution. Unfortunately, Call to Duty: Finest Hour really doesn't do this.

That's not to say it's junk. On the contrary, Call to Duty: Finest Hour gives a reasonable performance. It just doesn't offer anything to set it apart. The controls for instance work fine but don't give the feel of a soldier crossing the difficult terrain of a World War II battlefield. Aiming and firing weapons have a similar issue as they aren't that enjoyable to use. The aim function for instance feels stiff and firing the weapons lacks a sense of realism.

The graphics and audio are also average. There is plenty of room for improvement with the detail associated in the environment and explosions but there is enough there to keep it from being noticeably deficient. The audio can be described in a similar fashion with decent war sound effects and voiceovers.

Call to Duty: Finest Hour could have been better in many areas but still gives a solid performance. It's not cutting edge or innovative but fans of this genre will be satisfied. A rental however will probably do just as well for many others.