Call of Duty: Finest Hour

The world’s darkest hour shall be your finest.

NA release: 16th November 2004
EU release: 3rd December 2004
JP release: N/A
Developer: Spark Unlimited, Exakt
Publisher: Activision
NGC Magazine Score: 75%
Mods Used: Widescreen Code

Call of Duty is a behemoth franchise now (although it may be starting to wane), but it started out as just a PC game. When it came to creating a console version of Call of Duty, instead of Infinity Ward porting the first game over to console, a different developer called Spark Unlimited created a side-story to go alongside it. Which, to me, is rather strange – the people who played the original and want more can’t do so, but the people who can get the side-story won’t have access to the main game.

Not that there’s much of a story in Finest Hour. You seem to swap between different characters and nobody is introduced. I barely knew who anyone was or what my objective was supposed to be. Which didn’t help when I managed to get ahead of the character I was supposed to be following on the first level, which caused things to not trigger. I had to go through the tediously long start again, on a level much like the start of Medal of Honor Frontlines: it looks dangerous, but is mainly just a set piece.

I had further problems with triggering objectives, the game told me to clear out areas but after I killed all enemies it didn’t trigger, instead I had to move away so enemies could spawn in. Perhaps the developers expected players to move slower, but it seemed easier to run and spray than actually aim. You also get to control a tank, but that also felt underwhelming, and I even had to look up a guide to find out the exact point to park to exit the tank, which isn’t exactly great game design.

Fine

If you haven’t already overdoses on WWII games, or first-person shooters, you’ll find CoD’s the pick of the console crop. There’s so much happening, you rarely get time to dwell on the game’s flaws, which, while manifest, are nowhere near as common as MoH. It’s a solid start for a new franchise, and future instalments are likely to be worth looking out for.
Martin Kitts, NGC Magazine #102

Remake or remaster?

Perhaps a collection of the Pre-CoD4 titles?

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to get Call of Duty: Finest Hour