Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Encyclopedia
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...

 developed for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 and GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...

. It was released on 16 November 2004. It was the first console installment of Call of Duty
Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in 2003. It is the first game in a series with the same name. The game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II. The game is based on the Quake III: Team Arena engine...

, developed by Spark Unlimited
Spark Unlimited
Spark Unlimited, based in Sherman Oaks, California, is a video game developer founded by former developers from the Medal of Honor PC and console franchise. They are most known for the Call of Duty: Finest Hour console game....

 and published by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...

. It was followed up by a sequel, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a World War II video game for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox and acts as a spin-off of Call of Duty 2. It was released on November 1, 2005, in North America...

, in 2005. It is the first console game in the Call of Duty series. The game running on RenderWare engine
RenderWare
RenderWare is a computer and video game middleware from British games developer Criterion Software.-Overview:RenderWare is a 3D API and graphics rendering engine used in video games, Active Worlds, and some VRML browsers...

.

Although it is based on the original Call of Duty
Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in 2003. It is the first game in a series with the same name. The game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II. The game is based on the Quake III: Team Arena engine...

franchise for the PC
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

, 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
Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has composed scores for movies, television series and video games. Some of his most notable works include the scores to television series such as Lost, Alias and Fringe, games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series, and films such as...

 who previously worked on the original Call of Duty and the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor series
Medal of Honor is the name of a series of first-person shooter games set in World War II, with an October 2010 reboot based on the conflicts of present day Afghanistan. The first game was developed by DreamWorks Interactive and published by Electronic Arts in 1999 for the PlayStation game console...

franchise. AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...

 singer Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson is an English singer and lyricist who has been the lead singer for the rock band AC/DC since 1980. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 along with the other members of the band....

 provides the voice of Sergeant Starkey, one of the British commandos.

Multiplayer

Finest Hour has no online multi-player support for the GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...

, as it does not take advantage of the broadband adapter. However, on the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

, Finest Hour is Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...

 compatible and through system links, has support for up to 32 players. This game has online support for PlayStation 2 for up to 16 players per session.

Characters

  • Private
    Private (rank)
    A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...

     Aleksandr Sokolov is the first playable protagonist and one of the three playable Russian characters in the game.
  • Lieutenant
    Lieutenant
    A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

     Tanya Pavelovna is a Russian sniper. She is encountered by Sokolov, who takes on the role of the second player character on the Russian front.
  • Lieutenant
    Lieutenant
    A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

     (later Major
    Major
    Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

    ) Nikolai Badanov is a Russian tank commander who encounters Sokolov and Pavelovna. With their help he secures a T34 tank. Badanov becomes the player's character for the remainder of the Russian campaign.
  • Edward Carlyle is a British commando serving in North Africa. He is in charge of Demolitions and is the playable character for the entirety of the African campaign.
  • Sergeant
    Sergeant
    Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

     (later Lieutenant) Chuck Walker is a member of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division and a veteran of D-Day. His squad is tasked with clearing the German resistance from Aachen and finally from the last bridge over the Rhine at Remagen.
  • Sergeant Sam Rivers is a U.S. tank commander. Rivers is the playable character for a single mission only in which his tank backs up American forces during the German Assault on Bastogne. He is later seen again in the mission at Remagen but not as a playable character.

Eastern front

In the Russian campaign, Private Aleksandr Sokolov starts in Stalingrad, Russia. Sokolov is riding in a wooden boat with other soldiers and a commissioner who patriotically gives them a pep talk when all of the sudden a Stuka swoops in killing a couple of the boat riders and prompting two men to get off boat and flee just to get shot down by the commissioner who surprisingly is still able to keep his cool, says that cowards will be shot. Sokolov then gets off the boat and lines up for the giving of arms, the fellow comrade in front of him gets a gun while Sokolov gets an ammo clip. After getting the ammo clip and a good view of Stalingrad being destroyed, Sokolov follows Sgt. Puskov who tells him to follow him to stay alive. Sokolov then follows Sgt. Puskov around the trenches and sees fellow comrades die the instant they get closer to Stalingrad while more comrades come in to their inevitable deaths. After finally getting cover from the machine gun fire, Sokolov then encounters a small fight with his fellow comrades against a small German force stationed at an armory.At this point, Sokolov can only look on until a fellow comrade blindly runs towards the middle making him an easy target and getting shot down, letting Sokolov finally be able to participate the fight by taking the fallen comrade's Mosin-Nagant
Mosin-Nagant
The Mosin–Nagant is a bolt-action, internal magazine-fed, military rifle invented under the government commission by Russian and Belgian inventors, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations....

 rifle. After taking out the Germans, Sokolov and Sgt. Puskov then enter the armory, to see via the window, retreating German soldiers. Conveniently, a MP40
MP40
The MP 38 and MP 40 , often called Schmeisser, were submachine guns developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by paratroopers, tank crews, platoon and squad leaders, and other troops during World War II.-Development:The MP 40 descended from its predecessor, the MP 38, which was in turn based...

 is lying on the ground with a lot of magazine clips. Sokolov then uses the MP40 to mow down the retreating Germans until Russians are now the ones running through the streets. As Sokolov and Sgt. Puskov exit the armory, they see a large force of Soviet troops being told by a commissioner that they can now overwhelm the remaining German position on the other side of the wall. The Soviet troops then run in masses towards their deaths at MG42 fire, while the commissioner only steps back a little and just stands there waving his comrades to the direction of the mass atrack. Sgt. Puskov sees this as a waste of perfectly good men and tells Sokolov that there is another way around that has little resistance. After taking out the German machine guns, Sgt. Puskov then tells Sokolov that he is surpirsed that he's(Sokolov) still alive, presuming that he may had a lot of subordinates that just died after joining him. Sgt. Puskov then leads Sokolov and other two men with a kit for a machine gun with them through a house with German troops. After clearing the building of German soldiers the other two men then assembled the machine gun and laid down fire on German troops, soon the gunner is killed and Sokolov is orderd to take his position and continue to lay down fire. Sone time later Sg.t Puskov suddenly pushes away Sokolov from the machine gun and says "German sniper! Look out comrade!" Before getting killed by a sniper, sacrificing himself. Right at that instant a female Soviet sniper, named Tanya Pavlovna shoots the German sniper saying that she has 'been hunting that bastard all day' She sends Sokolov on a mission to round up fellow comrades and take out two pillbox
Pillbox
Pillbox may refer to:* A pill organizer* Pillbox hat* Military term for a type of bunker* For military pillboxes in the UK, see: British hardened field defences of World War II...

es and lead his comrades to capture a German bunker by taking down the Nazi flag and raising the Soviet flag in its place. After the mission is completed, Sokolov becomes Pavelovna's spotter as the two work to harass the Germans. This is where she teaches him that he can use the noise of the battleground to his advantage by using the loud sounds to silence the guns noise it self, she also tells him the importance of relocation and to always try to shoot the officers first. The game then switches over to Pavelovna. After taking out some German squads and a Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...

 with a little help from a mine carrying sapper, Pavelovna and Sokolov are then visited by a frantic soviet soldier who tells them that they need help from the Germans from overrunning a tractor factory which was converted to produce Soviet tanks. Pavelovna and Sokolov then followed the soldier and see a German tank rip apart a couple of Soviet squads to pieces. This prompts The squad to go 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 a tractor factory that has been converted to the role of manufacturing T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...

s. Upon successfully defending the factory, a tank crew, led by Nikolai Badanov, arrives to man the tank just as a Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...

 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 stops 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 finished repairing Nikolai then destroys the Panzer Iv in an act of revenge. 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 a clearing the station from 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. This attack is 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 take, there was still more fun to be made, 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 African front

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 bomb
Sticky bomb
The Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank No. 74, commonly known as the sticky bomb, was a British hand grenade designed and produced during the Second World War. The grenade was one of a number of anti-tank weapons developed for use by the British Army and Home Guard as an ad hoc solution to a lack of...

s and teller mine
Teller mine
The Teller mine was a German-made antitank mine common in World War II. With explosives sealed inside a sheet metal casing and fitted with a pressure-actuated fuze, Teller mines had a built-in carrying handle on the side. As the name suggests the mines were plate-shaped...

s 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 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 reload the jeep while German forces slowly pour in by their side. Carlyle quickly mans the .50 caliber machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....

 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 MG42
MG42
The MG 42 is a 7.9mm universal machine gun that was developed in Nazi Germany and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1942...

s. 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, where 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
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...

. Walker and his friend and fellow squad member (he is a corporal at the time) Benny Church are promoted for their service in Aachen.Walker and church are than promoted to Lieutenant and sergeant. 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 return to take control of the newly promoted Lieutenant Walker, as said before. Walker's new mission is to infiltrate the city of Remagen and scout the status of a bridge
Ludendorff Bridge
The Ludendorff Bridge was a railway bridge across the River Rhine in Germany, connecting the villages of Remagen and Erpel between two ridge lines of hills flanking the river...

 that is rumored to be left standing over the Rhine. After finding the bridge,Walker and most of whats 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 (one tank is equipped with a scoop) 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 sentimant 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 sniper gun 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 only surviving members of Walkers squad are: Lt.Walker, Sgt.Church, Cpt. Kowalski, and Pvt.Coen.

Reception

Finest Hour received mixed 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 critiqued 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.
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