Other times, you could be in any city recently laid to rubble, but luckily Turning Point does the them just right in the audio department. Weapons burst realistically as unrealized Nazi aircraft buzz to life and old-timey, air-raid foghorns blare to alert your position. But as far as capturing the era with sound, the fantastic score pulls more than its share of weight (thanks in no small part to Cloverfield and Ratatouille composer, Michael Giacchino).
If you think surviving amidst New York’sdust and debris rings more than a little 9-11, then you’d be right. It was intentional. But the developers also tried to hammer into us that the game was designed with the casual gamer in mind. An odd market to push an FPS set in recently ambushed metropolis to, but you can see what they’re getting at.
Some of the advanced Axis artillery is just as impractical as it is awesome, but there's an observablw "casual"intention behind it. During our session involving Vampir snipers, we witnessed an infrared scope that allows you to see not only your target, but also his line of sight. You could call it a blow to authenticity, but it definitely reduces confusion... and cheap kills
It’s not an easy game by any means, but it is linear and straight-forward enough fare to be accessible to just about anyone. The sticky targeting helps, as do the hint-heavy non-playable characters and the persistentgoal of kill, kill, kill.
All in all you’ve got a great premise and design surrounding a competent shooter. It remains to be seen whether Turning Point will appeal to its intended "casual" audience, but fans of theera (eras?)are getting a lovingly created "What If?" scenariounseen anywhere else.
Feb 15, 2008
