Ignore the haters...Buy Hour of Victory!
First, it's a WWII game that is not, and so should not be compared to the Medal of Honor, and Call of Duty series. And second, this game is not about being in an infantry of soldiers; it's all about playing your part as one of three elite fighters consisting of a Sniper, Stealth dude, and a straight on up-in-your-face Gunner. I'm sure that if other reviewers played this game with this mindset, then the score would have been a lot higher.
The one thing that makes Hour of Victory stand out above all other WWII shooters is the sheer aggressiveness of the Nazi soldiers. I have played all the other games and none of them as an enemy this tenacious and deadly! They will keep coming at you, and you will feel like a rat trapped in a cage with the only way out is to shoot for your life.
Want to see realistic weapon fire and recoil action? Then play this game. As a military specialist, I have used every weapon you can imagine, and none of the other games (except COD4 of course) in this genre comes even close to the realistic gun play found in Hour of Victory.
The graphics are done with a different game engine than the Call of Duty series and so the results are realistic animations, that really kicks up the action a few nudges. And the sound and music are appropriate enough to draw you in.
All-in-all, Hour of Victory is a great game that does not deserve the harsh reviews it has received. Also, its new lowered price tag makes this a classic not to be ignored.