"You know, I think that when you try to do games that are about a mass market, and Turning Point is definitely a high concept idea, that with the time and money we had we did the best to execute on, our target was not really the core gamer."

Patapon (PSP)
Action plus rhythm plus great art style equals awesome.

Frontlines: Fuel of War (X360, PC)
Battle for control of the earth's depleted natural resources.

Lost: Via Domus (X360, PC, PS3)
Solve the mysteries of the island.

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (X360, PC, PS3)
The Nazi's won WWII and boy are we in trouble.

Naruto: Ninja Destiny (DS)
A Naruto 3D fighter for your DS.

The Sims 2: FreeTime (PC)
Exactly what the Sims need. More free time. Bastards.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (PS3)
The world of giant bugs comes to the PS3.

Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed (WII)
Aliens and penis jokes: a winning combination.

Mazes of Fate DS (DS)
Determine your fate in this RPG with mazes.

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None (WII)
Live (or die) through Agatha Christie's greatest mystery.

ArmA: Gold Edition (PC)
ArmA: Armed Assault and ArmA: Queen's Gambit together again for the first time.

Heavenly Guardian (PS2)
Animated 2D shooter action.

Puzzle Guzzle (PSP)
Guzzle this puzzle!

The first thing Spark Unlimited did wrong was give us the same opening scene we've seen countless times in teasers, trailers, and behind the scenes clips. The Nazi invasion of New York is certainly an important part of the game, but there is no real impact for the player if they've already watched it played out countless times. As Luke summarized in the previous article, "give players a taste of the game's strengths, not simply the first 15 minutes of the game." This demo keenly illustrates this point.

Games rarely snag a player's full attention within the first 15 minutes, especially when all you are really getting is a tutorial on gameplay mechanics using the weakest weapons available versus the dumbest enemies possible. I am almost certain that Germany and its allies wouldn't have made it across the pond if their crack soldiers opted to hide around the corner from every construction worker who stumbles upon a gun. Then again, maybe they were briefed beforehand. "If you see an American construction worker, avoid them at all costs. Same with florists and plucky news boys." Probably not.

The graphics and general atmosphere are alright I suppose, but nothing that really leaves a lasting impression on my brain. Perhaps later in the game the visuals perk up and we get a better taste of the unique flavor of 1950's America hinted at on the game's website, but aside from a few architectural choices and the very last scene of the demo, Fall of Liberty could really have been set in any time period.

Gameplay is rather standard shooter fare, with a few nifty platforming elements dropped in here and there. The level design in the first bit is completely linear - even when it looks like you have a choice you can be sure a stray bomb or exploding gas tank will lead you by the nose to the next checkpoint. Bleh.

If the Turning Point: Fall of Liberty demo did anything, it made me much more apt to listen to anything David Edery has to say. Give me a nice chunk of gameplay in the middle of the game, with more powerful weapons, tougher enemies, and basically just glimpses of what's in store for me further down the line if I was to purchase your game. In this case the demo might have done more harm than good.

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty - The Website [Codemasters]

Codemasters spotlights stellar line up at Games Convention, Leipzig.

Playable premieres for Clive Barker's Jericho, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and more at world's largest videogame exhibition.

Codemasters will host a stellar showing of exclusive playable reveals at this year's Games Convention 2007 in Leipzig, Germany, running August 23rd - 26th, 2007.

The ever growing videogame developer and publisher's showcase booth (Hall 4, F01) will feature playable premieres for Clive Barker's Jericho™, Turning Point™: Fall of Liberty, new downloadable content for Overlord™, plus the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system edition of hit off-roader Colin McRae: DiRT™. A Codemasters Online area will be dedicated to The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ and feature content update Book 10: The City of the Kings.

"Everyone within Codemasters is extremely excited to have both Clive Barker's Jericho and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty playable at this year's Games Convention in Leipzig," states Rod Cousens, CEO, Codemasters.

"We have very high hopes for both titles and, as we continue to increase Codemasters growing presence, we recognise the significance of allowing our fans and consumers to get an early taste of what's to come, and this year's Games Convention in Germany is the perfect opportunity to do so."

Codemasters' Games Convention 2007 Lineup:

CLIVE BARKER'S JERICHO™
The terrifying squad-based horror FPS based on an original concept by the master mythmaker, Clive Barker's Jericho™ will receive its European consumer playable premiere at Games Convention 2007. Already hotly tipped as a key videogame this fall, and included in GameSpy.com's Top 10 Best Games of E3 2007 awards, Clive Barker's Jericho will take players on a journey through hellish locations and slices of time combating gruesome and twisted enemies from the mind of Clive Barker.

Clive Barker's Jericho is coming this autumn for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Games for Windows®. For the fright of your life, visit www.jericho-game.com

TURNING POINT™: FALL OF LIBERTY
Games Convention 2007 will mark the first time ever that gamers will be able to go hands on with Turning Point™: Fall of Liberty, the epic alternate-reality World War II shooter from Spark Unlimited.

Set in 1953, amidst an alternate WWII reality, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty opens as Nazi forces launch a decimating attack on New York. At Leizpig, gamers will be able to hands-on and play through the game's moving, action-packed portion of the initial invasion. With Nazi battleships taking the harbour, monstrous Zeppelins filling the skies, jet powered aircraft executing bombing runs, and armed paratroopers descending to the city streets taking New York block by block, players will be overwhelmed with the will to survive and the determination to defend with this new take on WWII shooters.

To be showcased at Leipzig on Xbox 360, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty is also being developed for the PLAYSTATION®3 system and Games for Windows. For the latest game briefings visit www.turningpointgame.com.

OVERLORD™
Revealing new content for Overlord™, Codemasters' hit action adventure that enables players to explore their more despotic side, gamers will be able to go head to head with an all-new split screen multiplayer mode. The mode is soon to be available as a free content download for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live® Marketplace.

The creation of Dutch developer Triumph Studios, Overlord is all about being ruthless and determined as players pillage lands, conquer kingdoms and rise to be proclaimed the new all-powerful Overlord, ably assisted by a horde of loyal but lethal minions.

The free content update will provide the option to play split screen on all existing multiplayer maps. Overlord is out now for PC and Xbox 360. Visit www.codemasters.com/overlord for the latest game information.

COLIN McRAE: DiRT™
Already a best-seller on Xbox 360 and PC, Games Convention 2007 will be the first place for gamers to test drive the PLAYSTATION®3 system edition of Colin McRae: DiRT™. Set to launch this September for the PLAYSTATION®3 system, Colin McRae: DIRT takes traditional rally and turns it into an exhilarating cavalcade of mud splattering, gravel churning, handbrake turning, off-road race events.

As the evolution of the world's grittiest racing game series, the car handling is sublime, the physics system thrillingly accurate and the damage effects are devastating. Dirty up at www.codemasters.com/dirt

The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™
BOOK 10: THE CITY OF THE KINGS.

The dedicated Codemasters Online area will feature the playable first look at Book 10: The City of the Kings, the second free update for The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, the award-winning MMO from Turbine, Inc. Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer, will host exclusive presentations of Book 10 at 12.00 and 14.30 on Thursday, August 23rd and 17.00 on Friday, August 24th. The area will also feature community activity including a series of Monster Play events.