Call of Duty: Finest Hour Critic Reviews

What singles out this series from the rest is that it homes in on the sheer intensity and ugliness of war.

One thing Call of Duty: Finest Hour manages to do with success is take everything from graphics to sound, from music to gameplay; and toss it all into one big can of whoop-ass and make a great game.

The game is realistic and fun, albeit an on-rails shooter at the core. Some parts of the game just beg to be replayed while others have you scratching your head why they aren't longer to begin with.

While not the most difficult or longest FPS game on the Xbox, or PS2 it is a competent shooter, and is worth checking out.

A perfect example of how attention to detail can make an average game much more than the norm. First-person shooters are nothing new, and even though Finest Hour doesn't really introduce any groundbreaking aspects into the gaming world it does show just how well crafted a video game can be, blurring the line between gaming and cinema.

I love the urgency of a slow-to-load rifle, the way your fumbling and learned cadence strikes a unique tension in the shootouts; too bad the clumsy grenades aren't nearly as much fun.

I hope to see the community surprised by the shockingly high production values which its single player holds. That being said however, the multiplayer game of Call of Duty: Finest Hour is practically a throw away. The game modes are generic, communication poorly chosen, and fun level is shockingly low.

The game's single-player campaign is enjoyable despite some questionable design choices, and the multiplayer is capable, as well. That said, while Finest Hour is always good and often times great, it never quite reaches excellence.

Unlike "Rising Sun," Finest Hour goes beyond the epidermal layer and strives to provide a realistic yet still engaging and addictive experience on all fronts, not just for your eyes. And, luckily enough, it succeeds.

Much like the PC Call of Duty (which I should note is a completely different game), this console title features a brilliant targetting mechanism that allows players to zoom in and aim down the sight of the firearm.

Throughout the game, you'll be thrust into different roles. Before it ends, you'll have been an American, Russian and British solider. Each of these soldiers will have their 'day in the sun' so to speak.

It's the best of its kind on the consoles with the historical details, cinematic gameplay and fun factor overwhelming some unoriginality and glitches.

The shoddy A.I. and other flaws are rare or negligible enough so as not to detract from the overall enjoyment of an otherwise great game.

With the lovely graphics comes lovely sound.

Even though gameplay is pretty much the opposite of innovation (with the exception of the multiple characters, and more chances to drive a tank compared to the PC version), the presentation is second to none.

A wild ride through some of mankind's most violent episodes holds its own against the orginal PC masterpiece.

Although the single player campaign is on the short side, a solid multiplayer mode will ensure that you'll still be playing it a few months from now. If you're looking to fight in the Big One, it's time to answer the call.

Expect to be frustrated anyway. The tank levels are the worst offenders, with missiles coming at you from every direction, your armor evaporating like dry ice, and the bizarre rules under which you're allowed to disembark.

The lack of any cohesive story spread thin by too many distracting viewpoints kept me from ever getting involved with the characters. It was almost like I was trapped in an episode of "Quantum Leap."

If there had been offline multiplayer support, the score would've been higher for the game.