Alternative history has been a hot topic for a long time, particularly with regards to World War II. Philip K Dick wrote about the occupation of America by the Nazis in The Man In The High Castle, while more recently videogames such as Command & Conquer have explored the ‘what if’ scenario that we seem to have a fascination with as a civilisation. Turning Point: Fall Of Liberty examines the possibility of a Nazi invasion of America had Winston Churchill died in the car accident that crippled him during the Thirties, and if the USA had continued its policy of isolation during the war.

With such an interesting backstory and rich opportunities for some excellent storytelling then, it’s a shame that Turning Point fails to deliver on nearly every front. The storyline is tepid at best, with supremely uninteresting characters that are almost impossible to engage with, while the overarching plot never receives the kind of detail that it deserves. The gameplay is fragmented, with frame rate issues and a number of poorly executed attempts to inject some sort of next-generation feel to the proceedings. The grenade indicator, for instance, while reminiscent of that in Call Of Duty 4, never really works as well as its far superior cousin. Weapon models are too large for the screen, and an overly reliant emphasis on the iron sights pulls you out of any kind of adrenal fl ow that you may happen upon during the action. Added to this is a clumsy melee system, and the fact that the enemy AI is mediocre at best – we were never once outfl anked or pressed too hard by the hordes of the Third Reich. It’s an incredibly dull game to play, not helped in the least by the perpetual sense of underachievement that we had while making our way through the brief single-player campaign.

With such an interesting backstory and rich opportunities for some excellent storytelling then, it’s a shame that Turning Point fails to deliver on nearly every front. The storyline is tepid at best, with supremely uninteresting characters that are almost impossible to engage with, while the overarching plot never receives the kind of detail that it deserves. The gameplay is fragmented, with frame rate issues and a number of poorly executed attempts to inject some sort of next-generation feel to the proceedings. The grenade indicator, for instance, while reminiscent of that in Call Of Duty 4, never really works as well as its far superior cousin. Weapon models are too large for the screen, and an overly reliant emphasis on the iron sights pulls you out of any kind of adrenal fl ow that you may happen upon during the action. Added to this is a clumsy melee system, and the fact that the enemy AI is mediocre at best – we were never once outfl anked or pressed too hard by the hordes of the Third Reich. It’s an incredibly dull game to play, not helped in the least by the perpetual sense of underachievement that we had while making our way through the brief single-player campaign.

James Rundle