World War II With a Twist of 'What If'

New weaponry adds an interesting element to War Front. (Cdv Software)

Alternative history is a great area of fiction. It's fun to speculate what would happen if small historical events were changed somehow. War Front: Turning Point starts out like a typical World War II real-time strategy title and then throws a small wrench into history.

In the War Front world, the two main differences from real history are that Germany's Operation Sea Lion was a success -- resulting in the capture of London -- and that Hitler was taken out of the picture early in the war by his own people. With the Nazis out of the German government, the stage is set for the United States, Great Britain and Germany to align against an aggressive Stalin and a surprise Soviet advance. The game then goes completely nuts, with Russia inventing freeze-weapon tanks, America producing combat helicopters and Germany fielding flying infantry equipped with jet packs. Not that all the weirdness isn't fun, mind you.

War Front looks great, with realistic day and night cycles and lighting, plus amazing explosions. It plays like most real-time strategy games; you must build an infrastructure that involves mining for resources and capturing banks and oil fields for income. Massive attacks are the mainstay of successful commanders, and mixed groups of artillery, tanks, infantry and air support tend to rule. Fixed defenses are also important, so defensive players won't feel left out. You can even hop into bunkers and fire the main gun in first-person mode if you want, though the computer is probably better at aiming.

There is an Allied campaign and a German campaign. At first, the two groups will fight each other, but then both will go after Russia. The scenarios are interesting and varied, including the typical "smash everything" approach and a more strategic tack. The units are pretty amazing and use technology that we don't even have today, such as Germany's sonic tanks.

War Front is a good World War II strategy game, though not one of the best. It doesn't compare with Company of Heroes. However, if you are looking for a good war title with enough twists to keep things interesting, then enlist in War Front and prepare to see fact and fiction blur on vast, chaotic battlefields.

-- John Breeden II

War Front: Turning Point Teen; PC Windows XP ($40) CDV Software