E3 '07: Turning Point: Fall of Liberty Impressions

Earlier today, during a meeting with Codemasters and Spark Unlimited, we were treated to a presentation of a previously unseen level from Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. Previously the only level we'd seen was the first, in which you get to see New York City coming under attack from Nazi forces through the eyes of the construction worker that you'll play in the game. Today we were shown the last of the New York City levels, in which you'll simply be trying to escape from the Nazi-controlled city--assisting civilians en route if you wish--via a train through the Lincoln Tunnel to Washington.

The level took place at night, with huge Nazi blimps armed with searchlights and guns floating overhead. In case you haven't been keeping up with our previous coverage of the game, Turning Point is set in an alternate universe in which the Nazis were never stopped in Europe and so, in the '50s, they invade the US using improved versions of weapons that only existed as drawings and/or prototypes when the real Second World War ended. The blimps are just one example of this technology, and although we didn't get to see many others in action, we're told that they'll include a 4 million-pound supertank armed with battleship cannons, a jet bomber that was conceived specifically for the bombing of the east coast of the US, and infrared-style "Vampire" night-vision goggles that the Nazis couldn't use in the '40s because they needed huge batteries and had a very limited range.

Another feature of the alternate universe in which Turning Point takes place is that while the Nazis have made great strides in weapon technology, the US has done nothing of the sort. You'll be able to equip weapons that fallen enemies leave behind, of course, but when the ammo or those is in short supply you'll find that America's arsenal consists of "Big Henry" rifles, those Thompson machine guns that you see in old gangster movies, and not a whole lot else.

As a burly construction worker you'll have the ability to take out enemies with your bare hands when necessary, and on more than one occasion during today's presentation we were treated to third-person displays of grappling. We also got to see an enemy being used as a human shield during a shootout aboard a disused subway car, though since we've yet to get our hands on the game we have no idea how easy that move (or any other) is to pull off.

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty is still in the relatively early stages of development, but it's already showing plenty of promise. If the storyline can live up to its premise, it should prove an interesting competitor for the plethora of World War II shooters that will inevitably be arriving on store shelves alongside it in 2008. We look forward to bringing you more information as soon as it becomes available.