War Front: Turning Point [PC]

Asking "what-if?" is one of science fiction's favorite topics. From comics to feature films, ideas of "what might have been" are perennial favorites because they allow us to play around in a fantasy world that is both familiar and different at the same time. For its latest RTS game, CDV plays the "what-if" game with World War II. Mixing historical fact with science fantasy and a style of play that is inspired by Command and Conquer Generals, War Front may not be very realistic, but it does have the potential to be quite fun.

In this alternate reality, the Nazi war machine managed to take out Britain early on. Free from the threat of the RAF bomber squadrons, the Germans attempted to accelerate their push for total domination. All was not as it seemed however, and a successful assassination attempt on Hitler changed the rules. Suddenly the Russians are on the offensive, having turned against their former allies. Only the combined forces of the US, UK, and Germany can hope to stop their advance.

By itself the alternative sequence of events presents a few intriguing gameplay options, but War Front doesn't stop there. The developers at Digital Reality used the world of War Front as a blank slate and introduced a number of technological advances. Partially inspired by the mechs of Japanese anime and the fantasy worlds of Jules Verne, the new weapons and vehicles make this unlike any WWII game you've ever played.

The German army is the direct beneficiary of the mech influence, as their ground troops can be equipped with a large metal exoskeleton that looks like it could be pulled from the pages of FASA's Mechwarrior -- assuming the game was released half a century ago. Other units include attack zeppelins and Rocketeer-style fighters.

Because of their earlier defeat, the British aren't strong enough to field an army of their own, so Her Majesty's fighting elite ally with the American army to form a combined force. Based on the US concept of "shock and awe," the US/UK troops are very good at simply blowing stuff up. One of the more impressive weapons is a bomb that literally rips the ground apart. More strategic toys include an energy based shield generator, a remote controlled explosive device and an extremely maneuverable troop carrier.

Having spent plenty of time in the Siberian cold, those two-faced Russians have taken the time to come up with a few creative weapons of their own, most notably the aptly named Ice Spitter tank. This normal looking armored vehicle can't actually kill a unit - instead, it spews liquid nitrogen and freezes the enemy in a solid block of ice. If left alone, frozen units can thaw out safely, but one well timed projectile will shatter the frozen unit on impact. It is one of the most potent two-hit combos in the game.