Call of Duty for the PC stands as one of the best
shooters to come out last year, as well as one of the best WWII FPS games ever.
An expansion pack recently came out a few months ago, and added even more
white-knuckle action to the already solid gameplay formula. Now, the game is
seeing its long awaited console iteration. However, while the console version
is a pretty solid shooter, it fails to capture the raw intensity of the PC
game. The game feels a bit tired and even stagnant when compared to the PC
version, often falling into the same scripted rut that the Medal of Honor series
has recently been experiencing. Although Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a bit
stronger than the Medal of Honor console games, it still doesn’t really compare
to the PC title or even to other first person shooters on the Xbox.
Call of Duty: Finest Hour takes a nod from the PC
version by putting you in control of soldiers from three different perspectives
during World War II: American, British and Russian. You begin your campaign as
a Russian soldier trying to push back the invading German forces during the
battle of Stalingrad. The sky is painted black with smoke and explosions and
gunfire pepper the landscape. Planes soar overhead dropping bombs and legions
of soldiers charge against the Nazis in an effort to kill as many as possible.
The Stalingrad mission stood out as one of the most powerful in the PC game, as
is pretty well represented here. However, whereas the missions in the PC game
stayed pretty consistently intense, the console version falters a lot in some of
the missions, which feel somewhat thrown together to fill in the space between
the set piece missions, thus making the game feel pretty inconsistent.
Not to say that Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a
disappointment, as the game does many things right. The controls are great,
featuring the sight aim system that was implemented very well in the PC game.
By pressing on the left trigger, your soldier will look down the barrel sight of
their weapon, giving them a better view of what their aiming at and thus a more
accurate shot.
The AI is also very good, about on par with the PC
version. The Call of Duty series is very much about the fact that there are
other people fighting the war other than your character, and squadmates play an
important part in accomplishing missions. At any given time, you could have one
to four people working with you to complete your goals. These soldiers can
either finish the mission with you or meet their ends along the way. Your
squadmates react realistically, taking cover when enemies strike and utilizing
realistic tactics. Enemies also act realistically, hiding behind objects and
protecting themselves as they attack.
The graphics are good, but not as great as they could
be. The character models look pretty decent, very well detailed and
realistically animated. However, the environmental textures are very murky,
lacking the detail that the Xbox is capable of. Plus, the entire game is very
dark, making it very difficult to see what is going on during action sequences.
I had to turn my TV’s brightness up a couple of notches just to be able to see
where I needed to go to next. The framerates are fairly steady on the Xbox,
although there are quite a few nasty bouts of slowdown in certain parts.
Finest Hour has some very good sound. The score is
tight and well orchestrated and the voice effects are good, adding to the
atmosphere and putting you right in the action. The weapon sounds are also very
good, albeit slightly less crisp than the PC game.
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a pretty solid WWII shooter
that ports some concepts from the stellar PC game very nicely. Unfortunately,
the game doesn’t quite capture the consistent intensity of the PC title and at
times feels a little stagnant. As the game is very short and can likely be
completed in a weekend, fans of the PC game or World War II shooters should give
Finest Hour a rental.
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Gameplay: 7.5
Call of Duty:
Finest Hour implements a lot of good ideas from the PC game very well, like the
great squad AI and fluid aiming scheme. However, the game lacks the overall
intensity of the PC game and doesn’t feel consistent in terms of action.
Graphics: 7.5
Finest Hour looks
decent, but is not at all an indication of what the Xbox is capable of. The
character models look pretty good, but the environments are glum and devoid of
real details. The game is also very dark, making it very difficult to play
unless you turn up the brightness on the TV. The framerates are fairly steady,
but do get choppy at some points.
Sound: 8.5
The sound
department is very good, with a great musical score and some nice voice acting.
The weapons do not sound quite as good as the PC game, but are fairly clear
nonetheless.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 8.0
Finest Hour
offers some great missions, like the Stalingrad mission, that showcase some of
the finer moments from the PC game and convey a lot of intensity. However, some
of the missions fill rushed and ultimately lack the action of the set piece
missions.
Multiplayer: 8.0
Finest Hour
offers some nice Xbox Live features, with four modes, eight different maps and
support for up to sixteen players. Unfortunately, there isn’t a two-player
split screen mode, so those who aren’t online are up a creek in terms of
multiplayer.
Overall: 7.5
Finest
Hour is a decent WWII shooter, possibly the best one on the Xbox at the moment.
Unfortunately, the game doesn’t deliver the goods of superior Xbox FPS games
like Halo 2, or even the Call of Duty PC game. Those looking for the next
console World War II shooter should give Finest Hour a rental.
