Codemasters had the right idea with the first-person shooter Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, a game that turns history on its ear with a completely original storyline. Unfortunately, the rest of the game gets so lost that you won't feel like sticking around to see how it turns out.

The game asks the question, "What would happen if Winston Churchill died from his run-in with a taxi in 1931?" He wouldn't be around to deliver a speech to stir the troops to fight back against the Nazis, that's what. As a result, Germany puts a stranglehold on Europe and Africa before launching a full-blown assault on the United States. As an average construction worker named Dan Carson, you team up with an underground movement in a final effort to stop the Nazis from taking what little freedom you have left.

Get used to bullets not hitting their targets.

You begin the game by descending a crumbling skyscraper and sending a distracted Nazi reeling over the edge. However, the second you pull out your gun to do battle, the game falls apart. The gameplay consists of a traditional first-person shooter control set-up, although it never feels right. The hit detection is way off. You could aim for a head-shot and miss your target completely, or watch as they somehow end up taking the bullet in the leg. The artificial intelligence is quirky as well, with Nazis that have no idea how to shoot straight and allies that do nothing to turn the tide. They're better off waving a white flag and letting you do all the work.

Turning Point also fails to stun visually. The game constantly suffers from slowdown, even if you're only watching a sequence. There are also a number of noticeable bugs and glitches, to the point that you might wonder if something's wrong with your console. Animation, frame rate and weapon effects are all uninspired and bland, even when they aren't compared to a superior first-person shooter. As for sound, that's the only thing that works. The sound effects are good and the music score is outstanding but the hokey voice work brings it back down a notch.

Don't expect much of a single-player campaign. There are several levels throughout the war-torn city, and a couple of set pieces (including one with a devastated Chrysler Building) are exceptions to the rule. Past that, though, you'll go through more dull interior settings than you'd expect. The game also lacks replay value, with no reason to play through the game in its entirety. Multiplayer mode is clearly tacked on, supporting only eight players at once and showcasing a series of uninspired maps.

Only one real redeeming feature emerges in Turning Point, and even that feels out of place. On occasion, you'll have the option of taking out a Nazi with a super-aggressive melee move. You can slam their head into a television, fling them off buildings or give them the ultimate super-swirly, shoving their face in a toilet. These are mildly amusing moments, but their schlockiness really throws off the super-serious tempo of the game.

Overall, Fall of Liberty is a miserable letdown. There's no real point to playing the game, as the broken gameplay and lifeless presentation do nothing to support it. The lack of acceptable multiplayer kills the momentum too. Do yourself a favor and stick with the better war games on the market. This one just ends up missing the Point.

Related Links

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty Xbox 360 Game Guide

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty PlayStation 3 Game Guide

Codemasters

Our Final ScoreVery Bad

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