Call of Duty: Finest Hour

Game review by Aaron Lazenby, Common Sense Media
Call of Duty: Finest Hour Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+

Violent WWII shooter provides unique perspective.

PlayStation 2, Xbox 2004
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Parents say

age 12+

Based on 8 reviews

Kids say

age 11+

Based on 40 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this game is presented as a serious treatment of the Allied foot soldiers who fought the Germans in World War II. And while players are presented with real and realistic photos and footage from World War II, it's not long before they enter an artificial representation of real places and events, but kill hundreds of fake enemies.

Community Reviews

asmodeous_666
asmodeous_666 Adult
February 8, 2021
age 9+

why common sense media this is the first call of duty

this is the first console call of duty and this is so stupid to have a 18 rating and it is not that violent is doesn't have that much gore . at the time they were rated teen 12 to 15 of course it is gonna have some blood it is set in wolrd war 2 but there isn't that much blood and if you have a ps2 it is fun i think a 9 year old can play this
1 person found this helpful.
Wow1234
Wow1234 Adult
December 13, 2019
age 9+

Common sense media, back at it again with the overkill of like +18 up for games that are for +13,

Even though it's fine for tweens, don't even bother playing it, your tweens will smash the controller in frustration while they progress through an ugly looking game with near to no checkpoints and terrible controls, the only good thing about the game is the music, but its nothing to write home about

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 8 parent reviews

What’s It About?

CALL OF DUTY: FINAL HOUR casts players as soldiers fighting with Allied powers against the growing Nazi threat. By presenting multiple views from the battlefront, Call of Duty: Final Hour liberates war video games from a strictly American perspective and casts it for what it really was: a world war. Players will find it a refreshing change of pace to control characters from three different Allied countries: a Russian solider defending his native Stalingrad, a British demolitions expert fighting German armor in the African desert, and an American infantryman fighting to capture a German city.

Is It Any Good?

Call of Duty: Final Hour sets itself apart from the pack by replicating, if only in flashes, the scary vulnerability and frantic rush for survival depicted in the opening scene of Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan." The sharply rendered environments leave players unable to easily identify threats or find safe positions to protect themselves. This war game delivers its share of fighting and killing, though the Teen rating means there is less blood or gore than in Mature-rated games. But that's little solace for a parent watching their child sit behind a mounted machine gun and mow down person after person as they jump a barricade.

Archival footage of the war and an authoritative voice over infuse a degree of gravitas to what is otherwise a relentless exercise in shooting and killing. If you're looking to mix a history lesson into you child's virtual pursuits, you could certainly do worse than Call of Duty: Final Hour. Just don't forget that history has delivered its share of violence.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether video games are an appropriate medium for learning about complex historical events. Does playing the game increase your kids' understanding of the war? Or does the game exploit and trivialize history?

Game Details

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