Call of Duty: Finest Hour

Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Developer(s)	Spark Unlimited (PS2 & Xbox) Exakt Entertainment (GC)
Publisher(s)	Activision Capcom (Japan)
Designer(s)	Eric Church
Writer(s)	Michael Schiffer
Composer(s)	Michael Giacchino
Series	Call of Duty
Engine	RenderWare
Platforms	GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release date(s)	NA 20041116November 16, 2004 EU November 26, 2004 (GC) EU 20041202December 2, 2004 JP October 27, 2005 (PS2 & Xbox)
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a 2004 first-person shooter video game. It was released for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox on November 16, 2004 in North America. It was the first console installment of Call of Duty, developed by Spark Unlimited and published by Activision. It was followed up by a sequel, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, in 2005.

Although it is based on the original Call of Duty franchise for Microsoft Windows, it has a completely different storyline and acts as a side-story/expansion of the main game. In the spirit of previous Call of Duty games, it features six intertwined stories and battles based on real events from the perspective of soldiers on each side of the allied campaign (U.S., British, and Soviet).

The game's music was composed by Michael Giacchino, who previously worked on the original Call of Duty and the Medal of Honor franchise. AC/DC singer Brian Johnson provides the voice of Sergeant Starkey, one of the British commandos.

Multiplayer

Finest Hour can support both online and local multi-layer support, depending on the console. It has no online multi-player support for the GameCube as it does not take advantage of the GameCube broadband or modem adapter. On the Xbox, Finest Hour has online multiplayer support and up to 32 players can play locally though Xbox's System Link feature. The PlayStation 2 port of Finest Hour also has online multiplayer support, with up to 16 players per session.

Plot

Eastern front

In the Soviet campaign, you first control Private Aleksandr Sokolov, who is originally a watchmaker's apprentice. Sokolov is riding in a wooden row boat crossing the River Volga to Stalingrad with other soldiers and a commissar during the middle of The Battle of Stalingrad. A Stuka strafes, killing a soldier. Two men then dive off boat and attempt to flee but are shot by the commissar (See Order No. 227 - Not One Step Back). The boat reaches the dock and Sokolov gets off and lines up to receive a rifle. Sokolov is given an ammo clip instead. After getting the ammo clip Sokolov is called over by Sergeant Oleg Puskov and follows Puskov through the trenches while many Soviet soldiers die beside him. After making it through the trenches, Sokolov then encounters a small fire fight against a small German force stationed at an armory. A Soviet soldier is killed and Sokolov takes his Mosin–Nagant rifle. After taking out the Germans, Sokolov and Sgt. Puskov then enter the armory, seeing retreating German soldiers. After eliminating the retreating Germans, Sokolov and Sgt. Puskov exit the armory and see a large force of Soviet troops, most unarmed, run in masses towards MG42 fire. Sgt. Puskov tells Sokolov that there is another way around. After taking out the German machine guns, Sgt. Puskov then tells Sokolov that he is surprised that he's (Sokolov) still alive, presuming that he may have had a lot of subordinates that just died after joining him. Sgt. Puskov then leads Sokolov and two other men through a house with German troops. After clearing the building of German soldiers the other two men then assemble a machine gun and lay down fire on German troops, soon the gunner is killed and Sokolov is ordered to take his position and continue to lay down fire. Some time later Sgt. Puskov is killed by a sniper, sacrificing himself to save Sokolov. A female Soviet sniper, named Tanya Pavlovna appears and shoots the German sniper saying that she has "been hunting that bastard all day". She sends Sokolov on a mission to round up comrades and take out three pillboxes and lead his comrades to capture a German bunker and take down the Nazi flag. After the mission is completed, Sokolov becomes Pavelovna's spotter as the two work to harass the Germans. The game then switches over to Pavelovna. After taking out German squads and a Panzer IV with a help from a mine carrying sapper, Pavelovna and Sokolov are then visited by a frantic Soviet soldier who tells them that they need support to prevent Germans from overrunning an old tractor factory used to produce Soviet tanks. Pavelovna and Sokolov then follow the soldier and see a German tank take out multiple Soviet squads. This prompts the squad to use the sewage system to bypass the German tank only to discover that the sewers were not only crawling with Soviet soldiers who get separated from their main group but the sewers were also infested with Germans patrolling the area. After finally getting out of the sewers Pavelovna and Sokolov then help defend the tractor factory. Upon successfully defending the factory, a tank crew, led by Nikolai Badanov, arrives to man the tank just as a Panzer IV advances on the factory. Sokolov and Pavelovna escape the factory on top of a T-34. The player assumes the role of Nikolai Badanov next. Nikolai arrives at General Belov's headquarters after fighting through pockets of German resistance. The tank then gets into engine trouble and is forced to stop for repairs, unfortunately the smoke from the engine attracted Germans and made the repairs much more difficult now with bullets flying around. Pavelovna then goes up inside a tall building and provided sniper fire while Sokolov and Nikolai with his other tank crew defend the tank and its repairer. Suddenly a Panzer IV appears and shoots at the building where Pavelovna was providing sniper fire, collapsing the building entombing Pavelovna in the process. After the tank is repaired Nikolai then destroys the Panzer IV. The tank then arrives at General Belov's position. General Belov then told them that they needed Nikolai and his tank to take a radio and deliver it to a team of spotters whose radio had been damaged. Without radio contact, the Soviet artillery has not been receiving target coordinates. At that instant a wounded Pavelovna is being carried inside with a concerned Sokolov comforting her from the pain as medics mend her injuries. Badanov's task is to recapture the ruins of Red Square, arrive at the Stalingrad train station, break through to the team, and deliver the radio. After clearing the station of German squads, Badanov then gives the radio to the spotters. The spotters then relayed the German tank positions to the radio letting General Belov to finally destroy the German force by rockets. Afterward, Badanov is involved in the Russian assault on a German airfield at Tatsinskaya, codenamed Operation Little Saturn. At first the operation was kept secret but word got out and the German's at the airfield made a frantic evacuation. But even though the element of surprise was lost, "there was still more fun to be had", says Nikolai. He fights through the heavily defended barracks and supply areas. Nikolai and other T-34s proceed to the airstrip to destroy German aircraft. Upon destroying the airfield they meet up with more Soviets to assault the German headquarter's air traffic control.

North Africa

The British campaign follows Edward Carlyle. Carlyle embarks on a night raid in Matmata to destroy a German fuel depot. The commando team, a squad of more than five soldiers led by Sergeant Starkey manage to destroy a radio post defended by a much larger German force. After that, the squad will most likely end up with only Starkey, Carlyle, Pvt. Locke, and a volunteer native, Yuseff. Even Though Locke and Yuseff are not part of main characters, they do not die. After that Starkey then takes his remaining squad to take out a generator and in this level Locke and Yuseff will be killed if left to die. After taking out the generator, by shooting bullets at it or a simple knock by the end of a gun, Starkey then leads his remaining team (Most likely by now only Carlyle) through the town, using Sticky bombs and teller mines that are found along the way to take out German armor. Starkey then leads his squad to a fuel depot while being given covering fire by two friendly jeeps, equipped with machine guns. After the Matmata raid, a jeep picks up Starkey and Carlyle, presumably one of the two jeeps who gave covering fire to Starkey's team. As they refuel in the desert, a German shoots the machine gunner. Carlyle then shoots the sniper and waits for Starkey to refuel the jeep while German forces slowly pour in by their side. Carlyle quickly mans the .50 caliber machine gun to shoot at the German vehicles, aircraft and soldiers as Starkey drives around the desesrt. A Stuka drops a bomb that separates Starkey and Carlyle. They are thrust into a battle for an unnamed Roman fortress, Carlyle is able to destroy the German entrance. This stops the seemingly endless waves of further German reinforcements and silences the MG42s. He then rescues Sgt. Dehart, who was trapped on the roof of a German stronghold. After being rescued, Dehart tells Carlyle that a cartographer is being held by German forces, who has vital information. He also claims to know a way to outflank Rommel through the desert. Carlyle finishes off the remaining Germans and rescues the cartographer and finds Starkey jokingly say "Hey, Carlyle, were you just going to leave me out there?" before laughing to join them.

Western front

The American missions see the player control Chuck Walker, a sergeant in the American 1st Infantry Division. The first three missions concentrate on the capture of Aachen. Walker and his friend and fellow squad member (corporal) Benny Church are promoted for their service in Aachen. After capturing Aachen, the story shifts focus to M4 Sherman tank commander Sam Rivers, a young African-American who has been made sergeant for his commitment and bravery. After successfully helping to fend off Germans around the town of Tillet. The player returns to take control of the newly promoted Lieutenant Walker. Walker's new mission is to infiltrate the city of Remagen and scout the status of a bridge that is rumored to be left standing over the Rhine. After finding the bridge, Walker and most of what's left of his squad fight their way to a house, that is infested with Germans, and destroy two king tiger tanks. Walker then teams up with Rivers. They along with their squad protect Rivers' tanks and escort it to the bridge. However upon reaching the bridge, a huge hole in the ground prevents the tanks from moving on. A helpful hint is that a Browning 30.cal can be found behind the Sherman scoop tank. After a motivational sentiment from their Captain, Frank Kowalski, Walker and Church move into position to take control of the bridge. Unfortunately, this means that Walker and his squad must now capture the bridge alone. Players may find difficulty in crossing to the other side of the bridge for the only way to go inside is to take out 6 MG 42s defending the line and the players current weapons cannot take out the German nest for it is too far for pin-point accuracy, the only way is to pick up a German Gewehr 43 sniper rifle in left side of the bridge which is usually found at the middle of the bridge. After taking out pockets of German resistance and going through the bridge's tower systems (For the only unlocked tower is not the one with the Flakvierling but is just another way to make the level longer and more challenging) Walker operates the Flakvierling anti-aircraft gun on top of a tower and fends off the counterattacking German Stukas after crossing the bridge, though Walker can choose a MG 42 for better firepower and fast mobility, but it can only attack at what's in front and beside him. They rebuff the aerial threat and Walker hangs the US flag over the tower and waves the tank column in. The Allies then move in to take over Germany.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Publication Score GC PS2 Xbox Metacritic 74/100 76/100 73/100

Finest Hour received mixed to positive reviews. IGN states that despite its portrayal of a good shooter, it is still stuck between realism and over-the-top antics. The graphics have been criticized as being very ordinary along with the effects being disappointing. The sound was also found to be out of sync in some areas of the game. Finest Hour is considered to have fallen short of the high benchmark set by its PC counterpart.

External links

• Official website
• Call of Duty: Finest Hour at IMDb