Turning Point: Fall of Liberty is the newest production of Spark Unlimited studios, also responsible for Call of Duty: Finest Hour – launched only for consoles, and mediocre title for the Call of Duty series. Fall of Liberty suggests an interesting and fascinating alternative to the history we all know, in which Winston Churchill, one of the key characters of World War Two, did not survive the car accident he had while visiting New York in 1931 (accident that really took place, but which just left him lame of one of his legs). Thus, after the beginning of the war, Great Britain became a victim of the German armies, and in 1948 all Europe was already subdued by Adolf Hitler. Inevitably, the Nazis turned their attention to the United States, and in 1953 the invasion which should have never taken place was launched.

You will play the role of an average construction worker, on the scaffolding of the NY skyscrapers. Taken by surprise and defenseless, the metropolis is attacked by the German war machine, with the sky being covered by Zeppelins, planes and thousands of paratroopers. Carson – your character – manages to reach a shelter, where he is quickly recruited by a sergeant of the National Guard, thru which the series of guerilla warfare missions against the Nazis begins.

The story isn’t that out of the ordinary (we have already seen invasions of the United States in Freedom Fighters or World in Conflict) but this fascinating historical hypothesis isn’t used to its fullest extent. The storyline is presented between missions only through some news bulletins which inform you of the invasion’s status. Beside some short cut-scenes, a few environmental elements (the swastikas placed on the buildings’ walls, propaganda messages) and some conversations with the NPCs, there are no other elements to convey the state of emergency or war. The producers were content to a summarily exemplified plot and focus on other elements.

Your adventure starts in New York, continues in Washington D.C. and even reaches London (with all missions being accomplished by a simple worker, with no military experience, mind you). Unfortunately, the feeling is lacking, as you will go through the level without even realizing how you got in a different location. As soon as you finish NY and you reach D.C., is impossible not to ask yourself “How did I even get here?”, because of the lack of continuity between missions.

The game also has some common problems specific to multi-platform titles: even though it supports the Xbox 360 controller, the mouse sensitivity is awful. Trying to shoot an enemy is like turning a battleship around and it’s a holyday every time you do manage hit an opponent. There are of course sensitivity settings in the main menu, but changing them will not improve things very much, so during the game you will mostly fight your mouse instead of the Nazis. Adding insult to injury, the game has an auto-aiming, which, as soon as it is activated, transforms Turning Point in a veritable arcade from the old days.