War Front: Turning Point
February 28,2007 - Fans of niche television may remember Firefly, the ambitious blend of science fiction and old western shows, complete with quick-draw duels and horseback chases against the odd hovercraft or two. A comparison between the now classic (and discontinued) series and War Front: Turning Point can sum up this review rather succinctly, though not because the game in question is an outstanding, genre defining piece of art. Far from it, unfortunately. War Front seems insistent on working the nomadic cowboy hero in a less skillful fashion. World War II, even the alternate-reality setting CDV lays out for us here, could not have been won by a single soul, no matter how bullish and charming that soul may be. Yet here we have gunslingers John Lynch and Ronald Hellmann, who may as well be the only soldiers on the battlefield. From their perspectives, a twisted version of World War II plays out, but not before 10tacle throws into the hoedown some archetypal, but completely enjoyable, real-time strategy morsels.

Picture a German occupation of England in 1940, quickly and effortlessly after seizing Poland and reducing the British Royal Air Force to scrap. Nazi generals commence the invasion of Russia according to schedule, while American forces are snuck into parts of the British coast that harbor active resistance agents. However, after the successful assassination of Hitler just months prior, a new German government comes to power – one that opposes Hitler’s views of world subservience. Now shred any belief you may have suspended, because here’s where it gets interesting: under the ambitious dictatorship of Stalin, Russia jumps the gun and hatches its own plan to dominate the east and west, pulling out of a peace treaty and ambushing the Lynch-led Allied forces. Furthermore, the Americans, Germans, and Soviets bring to bear some devastating secret war machines, including “the ice spitter” and a shield generator dubbed “the orb,” in a drag-out fight for continental dominance.

As weird as it sounds, War Front’s mishmash of absurdly fantastic ideas – namely, giant Nazi mechs – with conventional Sherman and M40 tanks certainly has its moments. Players can experience the best of what War Front offers during multiplayer, where these experimental battle monstrosities can be built quickly and exploded without much in the way of story. While it does borrow many elements from Command & Conquer Generals (its reckless pace, resource system, tank-happy emphasis, and base construction), there’s more here than just a simple knock-off. Evidence to War Front’s aspirations can be found in the game’s subtle interface improvements. Production facilities can build units directly into numbered teams, no longer forcing the player to select and group them manually. This excellent feature, when paired with the “loop production” button, lets the factories churn out brigades until cash is nonexistent. A fairly robust “hero” system is also in place, a la Warcraft III: Tides of Darkness. The American, German, and Soviet factions have access to three generals (excuse the pun) apiece, and each maintains proficiency in three skills. These can range from simple unit-killers, to resource collectors, to beneficial auras that boost the abilities of all friendly units in vicinity.

Thing is, the often breakneck pace of War Front’s combat (not to mention the sheer numbers of units you’ll be controlling at once) significantly downplays any hero abilities besides the ones that require no micromanaging. And it’s not uncommon to accumulate such a surplus of resources that losing the occasional hero or two puts nary a dent into your war plans – these hardened soldiers resurrect quickly, provided you’ve got the funds, but they’re usually lost in a swamp of units as the fighting pans out.

War Front excels when played against human opponents. Much of its staying power comes not only from its over-the-top pace, but from the variety of game modes it supports. The most compelling of these are the so called “Secret Orders.” In this devilish little game, all players receive a separate objective. Once a player halfway completes his or her secret order, that objective is revealed to all, who will probably form an uneasy alliance in sabotaging that player’s plans. It’s a blast, simply put. You’ll never know if you should race towards your objective or take a slower, stealthier approach, building up sizable defenses and choke points before revealing the nature of your own secret mission. And you’ll never know if other players are lying in wait to do the same. In a congenial gesture, 10tacle also made certain to provide challenging AI opponents, though sadly, Secret Orders is not supported offline - only standard Deathmatch is available to those without reliable, speedy internet connections.

The lengthy single-player component pales in light of chaotic ten-person multiplayer, unfortunately. Like most RTS titles, it severely caps the number and tech level of the units you can build. The two eleven-mission campaigns aren’t terrible, mind you, and they pick up considerably towards the conclusion of each. But despite a few notable side objectives and some snappy dialogue sequences, nearly every level can be bludgeoned into submission with a haphazard collection of tanks and artillery pieces, led by either the bazooka-toting Hellmann or wise-cracking Lynch. The dialog, though, works wonders for moving the story along. Such snappy parlance, particularly between the British commander and Lynch, amounts to one of the better bouts of voice acting we’ve heard lately. In fact, aurally, the game doesn’t have many problems. When things go boom, that subwoofer under your desk will certainly be called to active duty, and the music is of standard symphonic, war-time scope.

A mighty nice graphical bow tie calls attention to the entire game in a modest air. Genre giants Company of Heroes and Supreme Commander (which boast some of the best graphics PC war gaming has ever seen), have little to worry about, as will the upcoming Command & Conquer 3, but War Front’s stiff infantry units, colorful terrain, and detailed townscapes hold their own ground, even if they look a tad archaic at times. Units blow up real good, with metal chunks and tires soaring, and the convincing weather effects (not to mention day/night cycles) mean that no two missions ever look exactly the same. One of War Front’s purely cosmetic charms is the “glow” of the mouse cursor during night, with real-time lighting putting a spot-search on the area in question. The chance to jump into a turret and mow down infantry and airplanes from a first-person perspective, however, isn’t so much a tribute to Beach Head as it is a lackluster tack-on job, with poor framerates and choppy visuals.

A mention of the three RTS superpowers is a fitting call for the bottom line on CDV’s underdog strategy title; the fact that similar, more comprehensive games exist is not exactly on the hush-hush. What may be one of the year’s sleeper surprises, though, is the way in which War Front: Turning Point picks and combines elements from all these franchises, presenting a final product that ultimately incites the senses.

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