Amazon.com Customer Reviews
One of the Finest First Person Shooters Available! - Review written on July 23, 2007
Rating: 5 out of 5
Reviewed for Big Boss Games by: L.E.G.
As a lover and avid player of FPS (First Person Shooter) type games, I am probably one of the toughest critics and a game must satisfy all my criteria for me to give it a 5/5 rating. Without any doubts, Call of Duty Finest Hour has successfully accomplished this lofty goal.
To start with, Call of Duty Finest Hour is entirely based on events that happened during World War II. But, ActiVision took on a bigger role than just making a video game and actually tries and succeeds in teaching us a brief history lesson. Granted it's very short and concise, but it helps to setup the game and it's many diverse and challenging levels.
You start out playing as a member of the Russian Army fighting with your comrades on the Eastern Front, from the Volga to Stalingrad. The missions can be somewhat difficult to finish, but the squad leader does give you instructions (just as if you were in the army) on what you need to do or where you need to go. "Blow up that building" and "Take out those machine guns" are typical fare. And most of the time you are a member of a "squad", so don't try to be all "Rambo" and try to defeat the Germans all by yourself. You will get slaughtered!
After you complete your mission(s) as one person, you are then placed in someone else's shoes and get to fight the war from their perspective. Which also opens you up to using different weapons and driving around in tanks. But, this is not Grand Theft Auto. You can't go around and jump in vehicles and take off. Your tour of duty on the Eastern Front with the Russians takes a total of 8 sometimes-grueling missions. At least the game is very forgiving and lets you restart the mission at the last checkpoint.
After the Eastern Front, you are whisked off to North Africa to serve with the British Army in Tunisia. All of the buildings and backgrounds used in this game are simply amazing. There is a lot of rich and articulate detail to keep your attention. You will serve a total of 4 missions with the bulldogs. More neat weapons used by the Brits and a lot of blowing stuff up in these levels. G-D Save the Queen!
And last, but not least, you go to the Western Front to fight with the American Army. As in previous levels, you get more awesome weapons to shoot and tanks to drive. Some of the toughest battles will be fought with the Americans. A total of 7 missions await your shooting skills.
Call of Duty Finest Hour by ActiVision is available for the Playstation 2, Xbox and Gamecube. It is rated "T" for Teen and contains a ton of blood and a whole lot of violence. Since this game is based on World War II, blood and violence is to be expected. Total missions are 19 and 23 different weapons.
This game is Single Player only, but does offer multiplayer online broadband only and 2-16 players. Online gametypes are: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Search & Destroy.
Overall, this game was as close to perfect as they can get with very few technical glitches. Like one time I was crawling around on the floor and trying to climb a flight of stairs and my character just fell through some empty space to his terrible death.
This game was just so well balanced between missions, story, music and action that I had to give it a 5/5.
It's really an awesome game, so go ahead and get a copy.
Epic battles at hand - Review written on November 27, 2006
Rating: 4 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 1 did not.
Overall, a great battle game. And, different from other WWII games, this one succeeds in most parts in getting you into a genuine WWII battlefield atmosphere. The intro, when you are arriving to Stalingrad's devastated docks, is simply dramatic. Music, during the first two missions is awesome, incredibly emotive, specially when triggering the assault to the top of the german bunkers where you have to neutralize a couple of pillbox with machine guns nests inside of them, at barely the beginning of the game.
More in detail:
Graphs: Were OK. Not exactly what we can call "breathtaking", but far enough to recreate an atmosphere that will leave you but few doubts on what was a battleground in WWII.
Sound: Astounding. One of the best achieved features in this game. The effect produced by the sound of a nearby explosion, suffered by the protagonist, is quite original.
Action: Thrilling. The action sequence is very good, and highly succeeds in engaging you into the game atmosphere. Activision games are particularly good in such regard.
Story: There are 5 main characters throughout the game: 3 Russians, 2 Americans and a British. Their actions and deeds (which in fact are your actions and deeds) are developed through 3 stages, divided into missions. I particularly enjoyed the first stage, at the eastern frontline, where you incarnate the 3 russians: a juvenile volunteer, a female sniper, and an experienced tank commander. I particularly found this stage the most exciting and challenging one, specially when I undertook the role of the sniper; and if I venture to express my opinion, I think the most crucial and dreadful part of the WWII was fought there, in Stalingrad and its surroundings, though this part of the war has not received so much publicity until recent times, thus I was eager to "virtually experience" what happened there. The plot was one of the things which make me decide to play this game, because it leads you to examine selected episodes of the WWII through the eyes of the different actors which took part of it, and for me, this is a great deal. Playing a whole war game being always the same person, 99.9% of the time an American, is mostly boring.
About weapons
Here is my perception on the main weapons available. You can only equip two at the same time:
Mosin Nagant: The standard Russian infantry rifle. Quite good at long rate, and truly effective, generally one shot will be enough to get rid of rivals. The major shortcoming of this weapon is that its low ammo storage capability (you're just 5 rounds away to reload it again) and bolt charge mechanism, make it too slow for close range combat, when facing many rivals.
Scoped Mosin Nagant: It's the rifle they give you when assuming the role of the Russian sniper. Excellent for long rate, and really effective, but its lethargic reload speed (one bullet per time!!) and low ammo storage capability (you're just 5 bullets away to reload it again)--make you a strong candidate to become a corpse when a group of Germans approach to you, unless you are out of their shot sight. In the mission of the tank shielding, this is a major handicap when trying to defend the entrances to the place where the tank is hidden.
PPH: A submachine gun good for short range combats, but ineffective at medium-long distances. Not an option if you equip a MP40, this later is a lot better.
German
MP40: This was "my" official selection as standard weapon throughout the game. Each time I could grab and equip one, I did it, for a bunch of simple reasons: first, it is used by Germans, and since they are the common enemy, this weapon is available all over the game, therefore with huge and constantly obtainable ammo reserves. Second, it combines two interesting features -a decent medium/long distance shot rate and a moderate-high fire rate, which makes it profitable both for sweeping the enemy at close range combats or get rid of it at medium distances, and if you have a good sight, even at long distances. Overall, a very recommended weapon, I generally feel quite sure when handling one of them.
Kar98k: Basically, a Mauser. Maybe the greatest of the standard weapons available for long distance, but has the same disadvantages of the Mosin-Nagant.
G43: A sniper rifle---the greatest weapon for long distance shot!!! This is a really impressive weapon. Each time I had the chance to grab one, I felt quite relieved, since you can calmly take down a whole regiment with it, if you're conveniently located. If you carry 91 rounds with it, that means exactly 91 enemies less, its accuracy is simply mathematical.
Panzershreck: Literally "terror of the tanks". Quite effective against heavy armor, and very useful when you quickly need to get rid of a bunch on enemies occupying a dangerous position. When defending the advancing of armored cavalry (tanks), this weapon helps you a lot, as it takes away foes that otherwise will consume you valuable seconds while the tanks are under attack.
Stielgranaten: Pretty effective when aimed to stationary targets. It helps you a lot clearing the area of nearby enemies, specially when they are agglomerated and entrenched in their positions.
American
Thompson: This is what I literally call a piece of crap. It could be the preferred gangsters' weapon, but that was in Chicago in the late 20's. In WWII, it is easier for you to get killed, instead of killing the rival, when equipping one of this. Its fire rate is really high; but it is awfully inaccurate and definitively ineffective at medium-long distance, and even at short distance combats, its tendency to go upwards while firing makes it so imprecise, that relying your life on it is very risky. At the first chance you had to change it for a MP40, do it, don't even think about it.
BAR: Good weapon for the short-medium distance, but you're constantly running out of ammo for it. It is much more effective if you just shot a couple of rounds per enemy, since it has the same Thompson's tendency to go upwards while firing. Therefore, still would recommend much more the MP40, though the damage inflicted by the BAR is higher.
M1 Garand: In my opinion, this is the best American weapon available. It is excellent for the short-medium range, and you can sometimes hit enemies located even at long distances. It is also pretty effective, a single shot or probably two are enough to take down opponents. Its foremost limitation is the poor availability of ammo through the game.
British
All british weapons (Sten, Bren) are just rubbish (what a disappointment!!). You can waste the full ammo deposit and taking out half the rivals you would equipping equivalent German weapons. The one which works the best is the Enfield rifle, but it is not an automatic weapon, thus not suitable for close range combat. It is pretty effective for the medium-long range.
If British triumphed in North Africa using this pile of junk, then definitively McArthur must be a lot better than Rommel, or at least, he was luckier than this later.
Quite difficult, can turn repetitive - Review written on July 17, 2006
Rating: 4 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful.
I really like Call of Duty Finest Hour, but there's a couple of things that could have been better.
1. DIFFICULTY:
Even though I'm playing the game in easy mode, there are some missions that are extremely difficult to finish.
For example, the last mission as a british soldier, which takes place in some ruins is quite hard.
Then, even harder is the first mission with the americans, escorting the tanks and M12 in Aachen. This mission requires some very precise choreography. One must learn very well when and where the enemies will appear, so as not to get killed.
2. SAVE GAME
The game can be frustrating because you can't save whenever you like and instead only when you finish the mission. This means that if you have advanced a lot and you get killed, you have to start all over again.
Some long missions have checkpoints, but if you shut the console off and then resume the game, you start from the very beginning of the mission.
The saved game information, as far as I recall, doesn't record your ammo or weapons. So, even if you have saved a lot of ammo and got the best weapons from previous missions, you get to start with the standard ammo for the mission when you resume the game.
3. REPETITIVENES
The game is very entertaining and the music score is excellent to ambient. You really get into the game. Most of the time, if you play slowly, you can manage to finish the mission unharmed.
But then there are some missions that do not allow for this, and you get killed very often.
Because you have to learn this choreography to pass the mission, the game turned tedious and quite repetitive. I had to let it rest for a couple of days before having the guts to resume the same mission.
I found the Aachen mission particularly frustrating because it does not present multiple ways to accomplish the objective. Gameplay is very linear throughout the game.
4. AI INTELLIGENCE... OR LACK OF.
Teamwork is crucial to finishing your mission. You have to take care of your fellow AI soldiers, by providing them with med-packs when their health is low (their name turns red), providing cover fire for them or just killing the enemy before the enemy kills them.
But the AI teammates keep taking the wrong decisions and heading straight in front of the enemy's gunfire. Or blocking my way. There is no control over them whatsoever.
I wish there was more control over them. For instance, other games allow you to command the others to attack a certain objective that you have selected (the objective on your sight, for example), or you can order them to provide cover fire of back off. I have not found a way for my AI soldiers to do that.
5. INSTRUCTION MANUAL
The final thing is that the manual of the PS2 version is poorly designed. Much space is dedicated to the descriptions of the weapons that can be found in the game, but almost none to the controls. There is very little graphical support to the explanaition of the controls.
Almost none is said about interactions with AI soldiers.
Aside from this, I find it a very good game. It's still very easy to get killed, but I guess this is also true in a real battle.
Then again, I guess in a real battle my fellow soldiers would have to be more clever than these AI (or rather AD... Artificially Dumb) soldiers.
Yay! If only it were longer... - Review written on November 11, 2005
Rating: 4 out of 5
5 customers found this review helpful.
When i got this game for Christmas, i immediatly started to play this game. This was the first game in the call of duty series i had played, so i'm not aa expert on call of duty but by the looks of it, this was a real good game
The Good:
the graphics are awsome.it gets sorta fuzzy, but it won't effect any of your skills
the aiming sytem is straight down the barrel, unless you choose not to aim. (i prefer this system. it's more realistic) where in meadal of honor (moh)it's just the a side view of a gun and a cross aiming thingy in the center screen.
your comrades actually help you fight the enemies, unlike in moh, where it's basically you fighting the war alone.
a variety of weapons from the germans, russian, english and the american. to get every weapon, you have to kill certain people. In moh, they give you away every weapon (on different levels), which is more unrealistic and sorta cheesy.
you get to change to different people in different missions, instead of staying as only one person the whole game. (i don't really care if you stay as one character the whole game though).
The darkside of the game:
if some of you gamers (i'm not exactly a hard gamer) care about every single detail, in will include it.
a flaw in the graphics makes some of the weapons appear to be floating on the ground, but i don't think it will be much problems, and you might not even notice.
the british campaign is way too short (only 4 missions) and two of the missions are tiny.
i personally don't like the tank missions and 50% of the russian campaign (which is the longest campaign) are tank battles.
in the american/british arsenal, there is weapon known as the 1903 springfield rifle (scoped) and it is impossible to get. one comrade had one and i threw literally all my "sticky bombs" at him, and he dropped no springfield. so that was bad. but it didn't really bother me.
the multi player is only on line! it's not fair that you can only go online for multiplayer. after you beat the game, it gets sorta **boring**.
overall review
this game was real intense (it won't give you a heart attack). sometimes when i was secretly killed from behind, i screamed (a little silly right?). the only thing thats keeping this game from a 5 star rating is the shortness of the game. It's not that short though. it's just that you want more.
Yay! If only it were longer... - Review written on November 11, 2005
Rating: 4 out of 5
2 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
When i got this game for Christmas, i immediatly started to play this game. This was the first game in the call of duty series i had played, so i'm not an expert on call of duty but by the looks of it, this was a real good game
The Good:
the graphics are awsome.it gets sorta fuzzy, but it won't effect any of your skills
the aiming sytem is straight down the barrel(i prefer this system. it's more realistic) where in meadal of honor (moh)it's just the a side view of a gun and a cross aiming thingy in the center screen.
your comrades actually help you fight the enemies, unlike in moh, where it's basically you fighting the war alone.
there are a variety of weapons from the germans, russian, english and the american. to get every weapon, you have to kill certain people. In moh, they give you away every weapon (on different levels), which is more unrealistic and sorta cheesy.
you get to change to different people in different missions, instead of staying as only one person the whole game. (i don't really care if you stay as one character the whole game though).
The darkside of the game:
if some of you gamers (i'm not exactly a hard gamer) care about every single detail, in will include it.
a flaw in the graphics makes some of the weapons appear to be floating on the ground, but i don't think it will be much problems, and you might not even notice.
the british campaign is way too short (only 4 missions) and two of the missions are tiny.
i personally don't like the tank missions and 50% of the russian campaign (which is the longest campaign) are tank battles.
in the american/british arsenal, there is weapon known as the 1903 springfield rifle (scoped) and it is impossible to get. one comrade had one and i threw literally all my "sticky bombs" at him, and he dropped no springfield. so that was bad. but it didn't really bother me.
the multi player is only on line! it's not fair that you can only go online for multiplayer. after you beat the game, it gets sorta **boring**.
overall review
this game was real intense (it won't give you a heart attack). sometimes when i was secretly killed from behind, i screamed (a little silly right?). the only thing thats keeping this game from a 5 star rating is the shortness of the game. It's not that short though. it's just that you want more.
Decent, But Is Only Another WWII FPS Game - Review written on July 28, 2005
Rating: 4 out of 5
3 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
In my opinion, Call of Duty had a brilliant ad campaign when it was first released. I could feel the intensity and a slight sense of hopelessness as I saw the soldier shooting at targets in the TV commercial. I felt like a small child, wanting the game more than anything.
When I got the game and popped it into my PS2, I was not disappointed. The opening scene was the battle in Stalingrad. The game does an admirable job of easing the player into the game, offering tips and directions on how to operate the character. As the game begins, the enemy is very easy to kill and get progressively tougher as the game progresses. The first level seems a little silly as the character does not even have a weapon for most of it. The game takes an awesome turn with the second level, where the character must lead a charge up a hill and take out some pillboxes and bunkers. The scene is extremely intense and in my opinion, the best level of the game.
After the second level, I think the newness wears off and the game become like any other FPS. The game is fought from the perspective of three different nations, the Russians, the British, and the Americans. There is a wide selection of weaponry, especially compared to the Medal of Honor series. For the most part, the effectiveness of each weapon seemed realistic. The BAR (a 30-06 Springfield round), the M1 Garand (a 30-06 Springfield round), and the Enfield (a 303 British round) all put the enemy down quickly. However, the Thompson and the MP-40 seemed backward. The MP-40 seemed highly effective at killing the enemy. This weapon uses the 9x19mm round (9mm Lugar). The Thompson machine gun uses the 45 ACP (for the most part). Anyone familiar with ballistics will know that heavier, wider 45 ACP bullets at a similar velocity as the 9 mm round will do more damage, thus kill easier, especially at short range. Yet this was not the case in the game. May times I would unload a clip from the Tommy into the enemy and they would simply run away.
Weapons aside, the only real negative thing I have to say about the game is that there are not enough opportunities to save the game. I wasted countless hours just because I could not save the game or at least get to a point where I did not have to go back to the beginning of the level every time I died. Personally, I did not care for the tank levels, but that is just me.
All in all, this is a solid game. Fighting the war from the perspective of different countries helps keep the game fresh and break up the monotony. However, in the end, the game was just another WWII FPS game. If you enjoy FPS and are a fan of the MOH series, this is a must have. If you are new to this type of game, I would recommend renting it first.
answering the call of duty - Review written on July 27, 2005
Rating: 4 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 2 did not.
after beating both medal of honor releases for the consoles, i wanted to try this to see how it compared. in my opinion, this is better than rising sun and very close to frontline, if not better. you get 3 different perspectives on the war, instead of just one. the russian campaign is the first one you'll play. its basically "enemy at the gates", the game, until you get to the tank levels. the controls for the tank can be difficult at first but once you get used to them, its fairly easy. you have an armor meter and when that runs down you'll be taking damage on your health meter which gradully regerates over time. next is the british campaign. its probably my favorite of the 3 even though it is way to short (only four missions). the american campaign is next and this is where the difficulty greatly increases. i had to complete the game on easy mode because of this. there are a few unlockable extras, basically making of the game and things like that. overall, this game is very fun, more so on easy mode as you will get quickly frusturated on normal or medium whatever its called. missions can get pretty long at some times. its got some glitches that occur very often but really dont affect gameplay. my two biggest complaints... friendly ai is basically nonexsistant, your taking on the german army pretty much by yourself, and enemy soldiers can take a largely unrealistic amount of bullets before dying. so if you're looking into a new WWII shooter, you might want to give this a try, but rent it before you buy it so you know what you're getting into.
Another average WWII game... - Review written on May 30, 2005
Rating: 2 out of 5
5 customers found this review helpful, 3 did not.
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is simply just another WWII game. It has decent graphics (although faces look horrible and animations aren't great) and sound, with a good framerate, but gameplay is standard fare. Of course it has its "epic" moments (Stalingrad in this game), but even they are getting stale. Also, there is too long of a gap between checkpoints, causing a headache-inducing amount of backtracking everytime you die.
I'm a big fan of first-person shooters, and I loved the original Medal of Honor: Allied Asault. This game, however, is just another console FPS based on WW2. Rent it first, see if you like it. The actor who plays President Palmer on "24" does some narration, which is probably the best part of the game.
An Excellent World War II Game - Review written on May 15, 2005
Rating: 5 out of 5
13 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is an excellent first-person shooter game. One excellent aspect about the game is that you play the game in three different perspectives: Russian, British, and American. In each campaign, you experience what is was like to fight the Germans in different settings (Stalingrad, North Africa, and Belgium). The individual missions usually have many soldiers (Axis and Allie) on the battlefield, which makes you fell like you are actually there. The controls in the game are really basic, which makes the game more enjoyable. The only major problem is the game can not be played in mulitplayer format without an internet connection. Overall, this is one of the best World War II first-person shooters available today. Anyone who has this game, on PS2 or Xbox, will eagerly await the sequel.