War Front: Turning Point

Developed by Digital Reality and published by CDV and 10Tencle Studios, War Front: Turning Point is a WWII RTS with a slight twist. Well, make that a twist that spirals out of control. The game’s alternate future storyline and crazy weaponry work to set it apart from the doldrums of the WWII RTS genre. For the most part, they do help make the game compelling and add a unique touch to it. However, too much of the game falls into “same ol’ same ol’” grounds and comes off as a bit unoriginal. Still, it does offer a crazy storyline and some great weaponry, so fans of the genre who don’t mind the too common elements might want to check this one out.

In War Front: Turning Point, an alternate timeline is presented where Hitler was assassinated in the earlier days of World War II. This leads Germany to undergo a transformation, ending the extermination of innocent people and working to develop their weapons technology, since the world is still embroiled in a huge war. This leads to an arms race of sorts, as the Soviets and the Allied forces begin to develop their technology as well, and all three sides are forced to fight it out.

In War Front: Turning Point you play as the Germans, Allies and the Soviets, who have been separated into their own entity in the new global conflict following Hitler’s assassination. Each of them has their own unique means of firepower, and some of them can be pretty crazy, but also awesome. The Germans develop their zeppelin technology into some pretty intense air-to-ground weapons and created mech-like vehicles, the Soviets create ice cannons that shoot liquid nitrogen at enemies, and the Allies have developed bombs capable of creating earthquakes and shield generators.

The concept behind War Front: Turning Point is pretty off-the-wall, but that is the best thing about the game. It is pretty surreal to be able to fly around in a battle zeppelin in a WWII game, or transport your troops via an underground craft in order to get the drop on them. Of course, you’ll still get the basic staples of a World War II-ish battlefield, like tanks and foot soldiers and fighter planes. The alternate timeline helps to set the game apart from the rest of the pack in a genre that has sadly become “a dime a dozen”.

Graphically, the game is great, and is configured to run on a myriad of systems with different specs. Higher-end PCs will be treated to a nice amount of eye candy, including detailed vehicles, great environments and excellent special and explosion effects. The music and sound effects are pretty standard fare for the genre

Unfortunately, the game is sadly familiar territory for anyone who has played a WWII RTS. The game does put an extra emphasis action elements and maintaining a high level of battlefield intensity, but the gameplay is a little too common. There are hero elements (been done), a little bit of RPG-stuff thrown in (also been done), and other elements that have become a little too comfortable in the genre.

Therefore, it ultimately boils down to how much of a fan you are of the genre. While War Front: Turning Point is very solid and intriguing RTS game, the gameplay still feels a little bit derivative overall. However, if you are a huge fan of the genre and can overlook repetition, then you should definitely check out its unique concept and cool experimental units.

Gameplay: 7.5
War Front: Turning Point is a solidly built RTS, with tons of action and pretty easy controls. The new units are pretty fun and unique. Unfortunately, the rest of the gameplay feels a little too derivative.

Graphics: 8.5
The game’s graphics are great, with tons of details on the unit models and in the environments. Also, the game’s special effects are excellent, and the specifications are pretty adaptive to many systems.

Sound: 7.0
The sound effects and voice acting are decent and not uncommon to what you’d find from other titles in the genre.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.5
War Front: Turning Point is a pretty interesting game, and the new units are things that you probably haven’t seen in a WWII RTS. However, most of the gameplay is pretty regular stuff for an RTS.

Multiplayer: 7.5
War Front: Turning Point has some pretty decent multiplayer options, allowing you to customize all kinds of factors for the match, like random drops and weather effects. Aside from the skirmish mode there is a conquest mode similar to Battlefield 1942, only in RTS form.

Overall: 7.5
War Front: Turning Point is a pretty fun RTS with some interesting units and story elements. However, the game still ends up being a little derivative and runs together with a lot of other titles in the genre.