Hour of Victory

• Title — Hour of Victory • Developer — N-Fusion Interactive • Publisher — Midway Games • Composer — Jason Graves • Engine — Unreal Engine 3 • Platforms — Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows • Released — Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows February 22, 2008 • Genre — First-person shooter • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer

Three Allied agents are assembled: Firstly, Special Operations Officer Abrose Taggert, an American covert soldier. Secondly, S.O. Officer Calvin Blackbull, an American sniper. Lastly, S.O. Officer William Ross, a front line commando. They are sent to the town of Al-Shatar in Libya, where Major Colman tells them about the nuclear arms project codenamed Götterdämmerung. A sudden German invasion forces the S.O. officers to fight back and liberate the town, protecting the comm center, downing bombers and using a single Sherman Tank to blow up Tiger Tanks. After the German presence is repelled, the S.O. Officers return to headquarters. They are briefed by that the Project Götterdämmerung is being worked on by two key scientists, the first being a previous acquaintance called Steckler who survived the sinking of the Sieg ship and the other, a Danish physicist Dr. Martin Fielder. The three-man team is sent to Castle Festunburg in the Alps to rescue Fielder, who is being made to develop an atomic bomb against his will. They enter the castle by cable car. Taggert stealthily enters the sewers and manages to free Fielder in the old cellars. They fight their way through the castle and use a Panzer Tank to make a forceful exit. Having been denied atomic bomb capabilities and the town of Berlin quickly falling into Allied hands, Steckler has decided to cause nuclear reactor meltdown and poison everyone. To prevent this, the S.O. Officers aid the Russians in their fight in Berlin and break into the university. Having battled through a fortified courtyard, they acquire the blueprints for the nuclear technology in the grand library, then enter the nuclear facility, sabotage the nuclear machinery and are able to stop the Germans from overloading the reactor. Having stopped Steckler's nefarious plans, the S.O. Officers are sent to the Reich Chancellery to capture the evil scientist. They fiercely fight their way through multiple rooms and corridors, until they make it to Steckler's office. After some banter, the scientist sets his men on the three officers, who are forced to defend themselves and ultimately kill Steckler.

Hour of Victory advertises itself as letting players "fight the famous battles of WWII". The game features multiple settings from Europe and North Africa, such as a nuclear reactor in Berlin, castles, etc. Players can assume the roles of three different soldiers each with different skills: Captain Ross, a British Commando and brute fighter, Lieutenant Bull, an Army Ranger sniper, or Major Taggert, a stealthy covert operative. Each character also has a special skill: Captain Ross can use his strength to push things out of the way, Lieutenant Bull can climb ropes, and Major Taggert can pick locks. Players are able to drive any vehicles they find such as Kubelwagens, Sherman tanks, Panzers, and Tiger tanks. A player's health is automatically restored if a player avoids damage for a short while and stands still. A stamina meter also controls how fast a player can run. The single-player campaign lasts approximately five to seven hours.

There are three modes of multiplayer through System Link or through Xbox Live — Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Devastation — and supports up to 12 players.

The game was under development in New York and was going to compete with the Call of Duty and Medal of Honor franchises. The game's plot was mainly inspired by Indiana Jones, not focusing on historical accuracy. Executive producer Mark Caldwell described the game as a cross between Indiana Jones and Saving Private Ryan. Phil Vitiello was programming advanced AI into the enemies, so that they reacted intelligently to the player's actions. According to the producer Jeremy Ray, the player would have freedom of movement without being remote controlled at any time during the game, combined with the player's ability to play the game at their own pace, and being able to play the game in one way or another dependent on the chosen character. Certain elements like Ross breaking down doors, Ambrose speaking German and driving a Kübelwagen were scrapped. By early 2007, the multiplayer mode was in the works.

Midway had intended to keep the game's existence secret until some time after its release. Originally it was going to be released early in 2007. The 2006 E3 confirmed the development of the PC version. The developers deliberately left out blood and Nazi symbols to increase commercial interest. Despite this, there was enough violence to qualify it as a mature-rated game. The game was going to be released on the PlayStation 3 around the same time as the Xbox 360, but that plan was cancelled. The title was announced in the 2007 E3. By the third quarter of 2007, Midway Games had lost over 33 million dollars from poor sales. As a result, the PC version of Hour of Victory was only released in the European market. Only 120,000 copies were sold worldwide.