War Front: Turning Point - RTS Game Review for Windows PC
Overview
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War Front: Turning Point is a unique real-time strategy game for Windows PC that takes place in an alternative world where World War II was fought with giant walking robots and other technology not normally associated with the 1940’s. It takes a fairly hefty video card to get the most out of the visuals in this game, but it is definitely worth checking out if you are into RTS games. It was released in late 2007 to above average reviews from all the major gaming websites and magazines.
What initially caught my attention about this game was that the art on the box cover looked like a mix between a Call of Duty and a Mechwarrior game. I like World War II games and I like big robot killing machine games, so I had to check this one out. The story of this game takes place in an alternate history where Hitler was killed early on in the war, and the new people running Germany actually take control of the UK while the Soviets take over the rest of Europe. Because of all this, technology advanced at an alarming rate and that’s why you get a variety of cool weapons and vehicles to use in this game.
Gameplay & Features (4 out of 5)
Like most RTS games, this one is composed of a series of missions you must complete. Each mission has different primary and secondary objectives. All of this is pretty standard stuff when it goes to the RTS game genre, and that’s where this game loses some of its appeal. Although the setting is original, the core gameplay is pretty basic. You have to gather resources and use them to construct buildings which let you make more stuff, and so on and so forth. Some missions involve protecting some slow-moving friendly unit while others just want you to obliterate everything on the map. There’s even the obligatory ‘commando’ mission where you have one guy and must go solo. It all plays just as well as any other RTS game, so that’s a plus.
Although most of the missions are like most other RTS games, this one does employ a character leveling system that will motivate you to do complete those secondary objectives for extra experience points. Warcraft III started this trend and it has showed up in a lot of other games, so it gives you a little extra control over your character and how you develop them.
Graphics (5 out of 5)
Where War Front: Turning Point really shines is in the graphics. For example, any time a vehicle explodes it will send shrapnel flying in all directions, and the fire itself is pretty realistic. Overall, this game really does look great, so much that you need a good video card to push it properly. Otherwise, it runs rather choppy and slow. On my old NVidia 8400 GS card, the game barely ran with the graphical settings turned down. On my 8600 GT, it runs a lot more smoothly. This game is over a year old now, but it still looks great compared to more recent and similar titles.
Multiplayer (1 out of 5)
This game does support online multiplayer action via a free GameSpy.com account, but the last time I tried to play there weren’t but a dozen or so people online. It’s a shame this game never gained in popularity because it really is quite good. Fans of the Command & Conquer or the Warcraft series of games would surely have found something to like about it. I think it would have made a very interesting world for a first person shooter, too.
Overall (4 out of 5)
Although it was quite fun, War Front: Turning Point failed to become a big hit and the Hungarian studio behind it, Digital Reality, appears to have tanked. Their official website (www.digitalreality.hu) hasn’t been updated in over a year, and this game’s official site (www.war-front.com) is offline. If you are into military RTS games, you ought to be able to find this one for pretty cheap. It’s definitely worth playing.
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