This certainly has been a
year for war games seeing as how we’ve been taken into the Pacific Theatre in
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun to the steaming jungles of Vietnam with Men of
Valor. Yet somehow we keep returning to the year the world went to war
because not only did American troops answer the call of duty but also so did our
allies – Russia and the UK. Call of Duty: Finest Hour gives us a chance
to see the war through the eyes of American GIs but also through other Allied
heroes that stood up against the forces of the crooked cross. Is this a World
War II first-person shooter the finest hour on the GameCube?
Call of Duty
doesn’t weave one tale by following a
single soldier throughout his campaign, rather – and much unlike the PC
original – it follows multiple Allied soldiers during three very different
campaigns in the Eastern, Western and North African front. You’ll start by
seeing the war through different Russians soldiers as they attempt to take back
Stalingrad, then follow a group of British soldiers in Africa as they attempt to
push back the Nazis and finally follow American soldiers in Belgium. While it
sounds great to see the war through different characters, you’ll hardly get a
chance to get to know them better as each soldier has an interesting
background.
As a result, you’ll spend
less time worrying about your character and those around him (or, in the Russian
campaign, her) and concentrate on shooting Nazis. At the start of the game you
assume the role of Alexander Sokovo as the Russians enter the charred remains of
the Red Square during the most brutal campaign of Stalingrad. You’ll quickly
encounter and then assume the role of Tanya, a sniper, and follow the campaign
to its end when the story shifts to the British PPA Commando unit as they
attempt to invade a North Africa overrun by German forces. You’ll find yourself
shooting enemy soldiers on the back of a moving jeep. In Belgium, you’ll be
able to not only escort a tank but also go behind the wheel and drive into the
frontlines.
Control-wise, the game
feels right at home on the GameCube due to the game’s basic first-person shooter
elements. You can aim down the sights with the L button for more precise
shooting and even use your firearm as a melee weapon for when the enemy is up
close and personal. Your arsenal list is true to the time period but thanks the
different viewpoints; you’ll be using Russian, British and standard issue
American firearms. If you’re not happy with your Tommy gun, you can always pick
up an enemy firearm out on the battlefield. This is great for those who prefer
the German stick grenade to the usual fragmentation grenades used by the Allied
troops. You’ll be happy to have a comrade or two by your side in many of the
missions since they do a good job of covering you … but they can also be
killed.
Here’s some good news, bad
news. The good news is that the enemy AI can be really smart to the point that
they’ll be ducking for cover and try to find ways of outflanking you. You’ll
encounter many a time when the enemy will move to a better spot when they’ve
lost sight of you. The bad news is that the enemy AI can also be pretty darn
dumb. They’ll run into your line of fire if there isn’t any place to take cover
and the enemy will occasionally run right past you if you’re moving too
quickly. The levels, while well conceived, have far too many scripted events
that completely shatter the fun. Man a mounted gun and like moths to a flame
you’ll get Nazis come out of seemingly nowhere and into the line of fire. It’s
far too easy to memorize enemy attacks if you die because nothing in their
formation or action ever changes. However, unlike Medal of Honor: Rising Sun,
the heavily scripted moments don’t take away from the game’s overall fun factor.
While not graphically
spectacular, it’s hard not to love a game with plenty of visual effects that
depict war so frighteningly gritty. Whether you’re defending the shattered and
darkened remains of the Red Square or traveling across the scorching-dry African
dunes, the environments are done well enough to immerse you into each campaign. The character models are rendered realistically enough and they have actual
facial details that add more to the realism factor (e.g. they scowl when they’re
angry and wince when they’re shot). They also move naturally and there are a
decent variety of death animations. Still it’s the visual effects that make the
graphics shine and the explosions will not fail to impress.
Much like Frontline
and Rising Sun, Call of Duty possesses a soundtrack that’s not
only gorgeous, sweeping and dramatic, but it also has a few musical sequences
that don’t go hand-in-hand with your current situation. It’s like playing
circus music during a funeral . . . they just don’t go together, right? Still
these instances are few and this really isn’t such a major complaint seeing at
the score makes the game feel like you’re watching an epic war film. The voice
acting is pretty great with narration by Dennis Haysbert (of TV’s 24) and
Brian Johnson (you know, the lead singer of AC/DC) as a character in the game. The sound effects really rock so be sure to turn up the volume.
Call of Duty: Finest
Hour has all the makings of an
amazing first-person shooter but despite some really well designed levels, the
game seems to stick to the scripted moments too faithfully. This doesn’t mean
the game is boring – it’s far from it, really – it just means that there are very
few surprises in this one. Still, fans of the genre will have a great time with
this one so pick it up if you like a decent war game.
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Gameplay: 7.5
The heavily scripted moments make
this your average World War II first-person shooter with very few tricks or
surprises up its sleeve. Still, this doesn’t mean you won’t have fun and thanks
to great controls, this game feels right at home with the GameCube. There is
also some really cool and extreme fun sniper missions. Hmm, but no multiplayer
mode? Activision, are you purposely trying to make this girl cry?
Graphics: 8.0
Come for the nicely rendered
characters with wonderfully realistic facial expressions and stay for the
powerful depictions of war in all its explosive and bullet-riddled glory. The
backgrounds are great, especially the African desert, and the effects are done
just right.
Sound: 8.5
The voice acting is sparse and
you’ll wish you there’s more chatter coming from the comrades that accompany you
but at least the acting is perfect. There’s a score and it’s magnificently
sweeping, dramatic, beautiful and often times – like Medal of Honor: Frontline
– it
occasionally feels out of place in some segments of the game. It’s the sound
effects that put us in the war so if you have a great sound system hooked up,
crank up the volume on this baby.
Difficulty: Medium
A pretty straightforward
first-person shooter like this one isn’t too challenging since there are many
scripted events that don’t change the formation of the enemy at all. If you
were killed in action, you’ll be taken back to the start of the checkpoint but
now you’ll know exactly where the enemies will come out. The enemy AI is both
smart and boy-are-you-Nazis-dumb.
Concept: 7.0
Seeing the war through the eyes of
various Allied soldiers is not a bad concept at all. In fact, it could have
been brilliant only the constant changing of characters doesn’t give use a
chance to appreciate them. There are cool levels here and a chance to use a
variety of weapons throughout each campaign. We can even drive a tank. And is
it me or does the soldier on the box cover look like hunky actor Russell Crowe?
Overall: 7.5
While not the finest of hours,
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is still a fun first-person shooter on the
GameCube. The action can sometimes be too scripted and some levels lack that
intensity of the PC original, but we’re still looking at a fun time at the
frontlines. If you’re a fan of the Medal of Honor series, pick this one
up.
