Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Spark Unlimited
System: Xbox 360
Genre: First-person shooter
Release date: Available now
Review by: Ryan Asher

Say the words “World War II FPS” to most gamers, and you’re almost guaranteed to receive a hearty yawn as a response. They’ve stormed the beaches of Normandy, liberated France and marched on Berlin countless times, so unless a developer is adding an innovative gimmick or twist on their virtual rendition of “The Last Great War,” then they shouldn’t expect the average gamer to bat an eye. Enter Turning Point: Fall of Liberty.

Instead of relying on a simple gameplay gimmick, like parachuting into battle or controlling a squad, Turning Point is hoping to engage its players by turning World War II, as we know it, on its head. In Turning Point, there was no D-Day and there was no V-Day. In fact, the United States of America wasn’t even pulled into the conflict because there was no Pearl Harbor. But why? Well, Turning Point creates an alternate history based on an obscure event that occurred on Dec. 13, 1931. On this day in reality, a then relatively unknown British diplomat named Winston Churchill was struck by a cab. Churchill survived the accident and led England to resist the fierce attacks by Nazi Germany. So what would’ve happened if Churchill hadn’t survived?

Turning Point answers this question for us. With Churchill out of the equation, England is left without his guidance and leadership, and they eventually fall to Hitler and the Nazis. America is never pulled into the conflict and the Nazi machine steamrolls any resistance it faces in Europe, Africa and Russia. The general idea is similar the old Xbox game, Freedom Fighters, where the Soviet Union invaded the U.S. well after WWII. Overall, it’s a bit of a stretch, but when it comes to these shooters, we’ll try anything even remotely fresh!

Fast forward to 1953. Hitler has tightened his grip on much of the land on his side of the Atlantic, and now he’s set his sights on the Land of the Free. You take the role of Dan Carson, an everyman construction worker in New York minding his own business erecting a skyscraper when the invasion starts. As the opening level begins, you look out over the ocean and spot … zeppelins!? Before you have time to react, German fighter planes are barreling toward you unleashing a fury of lead. It’s time to get out of here.

It’s time to resist. America has finally entered World War II.