A WWII Game of Epic Proportions!
You're in a boat crossing the Volga river. Before you is the burning ruin of the city of Stalingrad, and all of a sudden, a German fighter strafes your boat and two of your comrades fall into the water as Commisar Viktor Durasov shouts over the unending din "Do not count days, do not count miles, count only the number of Germans you have killed!"
And so begins the story of Pvt. Aleksander Sokolov, one of the many characters you will use in Call of Duty: Finest Hour.
Finest Hour is the latest installment of the best-selling WWII game series Call of Duty. This tour of duty will take you all over Russia (during the siege of Stalingrad), Africa (during Britain's counterattacks against the "Desert Fox", Erwin Rommel), and all over the Western Front (France, Holland, and Germany). The game itself is pretty linear, but damned if the cutscenes (using in-game graphics even) arent kick-ass (just try watching the massive charge against the German machine gun bunkers during the first Stalingrad mission). The game borrows Halo's 2-weapon carry limit and the ability to use grenades anytime, without switching weapons and Medal of Honor Frontline's AI and war situations. Without a doubt though, the battles are epic. Intelligent enemy and allied AI (for once, the enemy is intelligent but not cheap, and the allied AI is on par with the standards saet bt Halo 2 and SOCOM: US Navy Seals 2), who will cover their backs (yours and theirs), breach doors, take cover and act like real soldiers will keep you on your toes, especially during the later missions. The weapons are taken straight out of history archives, and are only found where it makes sense (the Mosin Naga for the Russians, MP40 for the Germans, M1-Garand for the Americans and British, etc), and the narrative deviates from the America-centric story of other WWII games (MoH for instance).
Graphics are gritty, but done tastefully, and coupled with the amazing sound and music, make for the most realistic, heart-pounding, show-stopping WWII game this side of the Medal of Honor series. A flashlight for some of the darker levels (Tanya's 1st level, where you spend most of it crawling through dark sewers) would be helpful though, but I'm just nitpicking. After playing through each character's two levels, you'll grow to love them, and you'll even see them in later levels (when playing as Tanya, Aleksander is your spotter, and while playing as Nikolai in levels 5-6, Aleksander and Tanya hitch a ride on your tank), where they provide backup, an extra gun to help fight off the Germans and even some advice at times.
Too bad the tank driving levels are clunky. You'll really hate them when you get to Africa, since you're surrounded by German Panzers while trying to simultaneously steer and fire the damn thing.
The game is linear and short, but a damn good game while it lasts. It deserves a spot right up there between your Band of Brothers DVD collection and your copy of Medal of Honor: Frontline.
Do not count days,Do not countmiles, count only... DAMN IT SOKOLOV, GET BACK IN THE BOAT!!
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Developer: Spark Unlimited
Producer: Activision
Genre: FPS (First-Person Shooter)
Platform: PS2/X-Box/Gamecube
ESRB Rating: Teen
Difficulty: Adjustable
Length: 10-12 Hours, on Normal
Players: 1 (PS2and X-Box, 2-16 Online)
And so begins the story of Pvt. Aleksander Sokolov, one of the many characters you will use in Call of Duty: Finest Hour.
Finest Hour is the latest installment of the best-selling WWII game series Call of Duty. This tour of duty will take you all over Russia (during the siege of Stalingrad), Africa (during Britain's counterattacks against the "Desert Fox", Erwin Rommel), and all over the Western Front (France, Holland, and Germany). The game itself is pretty linear, but damned if the cutscenes (using in-game graphics even) arent kick-ass (just try watching the massive charge against the German machine gun bunkers during the first Stalingrad mission). The game borrows Halo's 2-weapon carry limit and the ability to use grenades anytime, without switching weapons and Medal of Honor Frontline's AI and war situations. Without a doubt though, the battles are epic. Intelligent enemy and allied AI (for once, the enemy is intelligent but not cheap, and the allied AI is on par with the standards saet bt Halo 2 and SOCOM: US Navy Seals 2), who will cover their backs (yours and theirs), breach doors, take cover and act like real soldiers will keep you on your toes, especially during the later missions. The weapons are taken straight out of history archives, and are only found where it makes sense (the Mosin Naga for the Russians, MP40 for the Germans, M1-Garand for the Americans and British, etc), and the narrative deviates from the America-centric story of other WWII games (MoH for instance).
Graphics are gritty, but done tastefully, and coupled with the amazing sound and music, make for the most realistic, heart-pounding, show-stopping WWII game this side of the Medal of Honor series. A flashlight for some of the darker levels (Tanya's 1st level, where you spend most of it crawling through dark sewers) would be helpful though, but I'm just nitpicking. After playing through each character's two levels, you'll grow to love them, and you'll even see them in later levels (when playing as Tanya, Aleksander is your spotter, and while playing as Nikolai in levels 5-6, Aleksander and Tanya hitch a ride on your tank), where they provide backup, an extra gun to help fight off the Germans and even some advice at times.
Too bad the tank driving levels are clunky. You'll really hate them when you get to Africa, since you're surrounded by German Panzers while trying to simultaneously steer and fire the damn thing.
The game is linear and short, but a damn good game while it lasts. It deserves a spot right up there between your Band of Brothers DVD collection and your copy of Medal of Honor: Frontline.
Do not count days,Do not countmiles, count only... DAMN IT SOKOLOV, GET BACK IN THE BOAT!!
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Developer: Spark Unlimited
Producer: Activision
Genre: FPS (First-Person Shooter)
Platform: PS2/X-Box/Gamecube
ESRB Rating: Teen
Difficulty: Adjustable
Length: 10-12 Hours, on Normal
Players: 1 (PS2and X-Box, 2-16 Online)
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