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Posted on: Mar 28, 2008
The Scoreboard #7
WORDS BY: Mitch Dyer
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Maybe it’s because we were so spoiled in 2007 with a countless amount of incredible first person shooters – Call of Duty 4, Team Fortress 2 and Halo 3, to name a few – but Turning Point was dreadfully underwhelming. It has an awesome story premise that never really takes, and that’s about all it has to offer. Oh wait. It’s got a gang of Achievements, and when you get a look at the hefty points (which come in droves, by the way) you’ll be foaming at the mouth for this World War II shooter.
Best Achievement – Impeached (30 pts.) Oust the false President from office on any difficulty. Around the three-quarter mark of Turning Point, you’re chosen by your rowdy rebel buddies to whack the phoney-baloney President of the United States after an assault on the White House. The real glory of this one comes from thinking outside the box a little. Sure, you could walk in to Oval Office and immediately bust a variety of caps in his artificially elected ass, but there’s nothing more satisfying than cooking a Model 24 ‘Stick Grenade’ and hurling it in the Pro-Nazi President’s chest. Well, there’s one thing more rewarding: gaining 30 points in the process. Bonus tip: Pocket the Constitution once he’s finished for 20 more Gamerscore!
Worst Achievement – Maybe I Should Go Outside... (40 pts.) Get 2500 ranked match kills in any mode. Yeah right. If you’re planning on planting your butt on the couch and venturing in to the barren wasteland that constitutes the Turning Point online community, well, there are better uses for your time than lingering by your lonesome on the empty servers to rack up 2500 kills. It took me half an hour to set up a three-person deathmatch, and if you manage to find eight people you’re going to be struggling with crippling lag, sticking to walls, falling through floors, and a retina-melting muzzle flash on top of the game’s yawn-eriffic mediocrity. Seriously, this is one of those Achievements that you shouldn’t bother with for more reasons than to save yourself from the fruitless labours of gratuitous grinding.
Easiest Achievement – Gravity is a Harsh Mistress (5 pts.) Toss a paratrooper onto the streets below New York on any difficulty. This sucker is so easy it’s laughable; then again, so is the reward. (Let’s take a minute to laugh... Okay!) Shortly after the harrowing skyscraper escape in the opening minutes of the game, a Nazi paratrooper presents himself to you in a most convenient position atop an equally convenient sky bridge. The fool’s got his back to you, prime for your grabbing, chucking, and achieving. Run up behind and push him off the bridge to the streets below for an effortless 5G. Geronimo!
Hardest Achievement - Presidential Medal of Freedom (100 pts.) Complete the campaign on Insane difficulty. If you can complete Turning Point on the Hard difficulty, you’ll be impressed with yourself. While it isn’t particularly tough on Normal, the higher difficulties become brutally unforgiving; the poor save system, sparse ammunition dumps, and bizarre enemy behaviours will likely push you to the edge, so completing it is a giant load off. But Insane? Forget about it. The vicious onslaught of enemy fire and overly aggressive AI on this difficulty is enough to justify a couple homemade holes in your wall from frustrated controller-tossing. No amount of Achievement points are worth this suffering.
Time Investment vs. payoff – 8 (out of ten) If you’re patient, you’ll be able to finish the single-player campaign in about six hours on Normal, while the stubborn “enthusiasts” out there can spend a couple extra hours dealing with checkpoint issues for bigger completion points. With a little bit of extra effort, you’ll easily crack the 500-point barrier with these lavish and meaty Achievements. If you’re willing to give the multiplayer a go, there are some worthwhile points to be earned.
Overall – 7 (out of 10) Turning Point has a lot of problems, but Gamerscore junkies will enjoy the short romp. “Achievement Unlocked” will be popping up every 15 minutes, and if you can bring yourself to play through Hard Mode, it’d be worth your effort in the end. This game is exactly what people are referring to when they tell you “Achievements make games better” – or in this case, tolerable.
PREV
Mon, 06/09/2008 - 00:52
Posted by Contagious360
Im sure that Im passed the point of anyone reading this b/c this article was written so long ago, wish I had seen it earlier. Anyway, overall the achievements really are quite easy for Vegas2, more so than Vegas1 IMO. The longest process was getting to Elite, for which for those of you who haven't figured it out the best and easiest method is to just play alot of Team Leader, trick is to be on the winning team. Since Ubi released the update it was only a few more days until I achieved 1000/1000, unfortunately though it wasn't much longer (same day I think) that I traded it in for another game. For me Vegas2 just wasn't as good as Vegas1. The coop story was awesome, but once you go through it twice there isn't much of a replay value. T-Hunts were even more frustrating than in Vegas1 and with limited lives in Attack and Defend matches my favorite game mode was taken from me. So my advise is just give a couple of weeks to get your 1000 then trade it in and go back to Vegas1. Hopefully Ubi's next endeavor will be better than both combined.
Tue, 04/01/2008 - 11:53
Posted by Ghostx187
Hey Mitch, badass article. I hope to read more soon.
Tue, 04/01/2008 - 08:24
Posted by Axe Argonian
Oh,okay,thanks Paul!
Mon, 03/31/2008 - 17:00
Posted by Paul OXM
Reader reviews will be back for next Scoreboard. We had to let it lapse for #7 while switching from Casey to Mitch.
Mon, 03/31/2008 - 15:05
Posted by Axe Argonian
Don't worry Mitch;I'll definetly send a reader review in the near future! Although,I was wondering why there weren't any reader reviews this time?
Mon, 03/31/2008 - 00:39
Posted by Mitch OXM
@ Axe: I've been meaning to fully wrap up the 1050 Mass Effect points, and there's nothing that will stop me (in the long term!) - but for now, I've got soooo much to do (including a bunch you listed off!). Care to take off the load? E-mail me your own review, I'd love to see what someone who's a hound like you has to say!
@Paper - Yessir. I nabbed a couple Achievements in your attendance! I hosted a bunch of games with ya and the T-Hunting would be impossible without the help of buds. I've admitted as much that I'm an FPS lover, but damn if I'm not the worst at 'em.
Sun, 03/30/2008 - 18:35
Posted by PaperLantern
Our Mitchy is moving up! I'm so proud!
I take pride in the fact that my two hours of terrorist-hunting shenanigans in Vegas 2 with you (maybe) helped you write this.
Sun, 03/30/2008 - 10:40
Posted by Axe Argonian
Also,I agree with the SKX achievement. Although it is unique and a welcome change from other MP achievements,SKX is pretty annoying. I even had to hunt down some players from the leaderboards and send them a 'Please,may you let me kill you?'-type of message (Remember,two weeks ago,there weren't that many regular-basis guys that had that achievement). Even though the SKX achievement was annoying,I just thought this: At least it wasn't as bad as Halo 3's Overkill achievement!
Sun, 03/30/2008 - 10:30
Posted by Axe Argonian
Thanks Mitch! Well,maybe it's because I'm used to getting 100% achievement completion in some tougher games (Mass Effect,70+ hours anyone?) that Condemned 2 seemed very enjoyable to get 1000/1000. Then again,there's a necessity for an acquired taste in Condemned 2's multiplayer,and personally,I still play its multiplayer because I like Crime Scene so much. So,yeah, I get your point that Condemned 2 required a greater dedication than,say,Jumper:Griffin's Story. However,I was wondering if you noticed the achievement tracker function in Condemned 2's Extras menu? It showed you how many more games,kills,and levels were required to achieve a certain achievement.
Anyway,keep up the good work Mitch! (I think that GTA IV,Bully,Army of Two,Dark Sector,and other recents will make it into Scoreboard #8,right?)
Sun, 03/30/2008 - 00:35
Posted by Mitch OXM
Hey Axe. There were some toughies in Condemned 2, for sure, but they weren't impossible to obtain. Playing through the game with a guide is almost necessary if you plan on getting all of the emitters, not killing any museum guards (which was a welcome change of pace from "murdermurdermurdermurder") and perfecting all of the crime-scenes. I think if a guide is essential to getting Achievements, it's a less fun experience than A) earning them yourself to increase your internet-nerd-cred (hey, that's a good thing, not an insult!) or B) getting them for "free".
Achievements should be fun, not work, and it takes some serious online grinding to get the online Achievements, and some of the single player ones.
Great job on getting all 1000, though. Playing the game, what? Twice at least to obtain the FPS mode completion and the 'no guns' Achievements. That's a good effort on your part!
Sat, 03/29/2008 - 12:50
Posted by Axe Argonian
Also, using the guide on mycheats.com ensured that you won't miss any piece of crap in order to get 100% completion in every level. Not to mention,I read up on those Condemned 2:Bloodshot description translations before the game's launch,so I was able to understand the achievements.
Sat, 03/29/2008 - 12:46
Posted by Axe Argonian
Wow,this months edition was VERY juicy! Welcome Mitch Dyer! Anyway,though,I HIGHLY disagree with the Condemned 2:Bloodshot review. I already got 1000/1000 in this awesome horror game in only 9 days!!!! (Check my gamercard out: http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/Achievements/ViewAchievementDetails.a... ) My first achievement was unlocked 03/12/08,and my last achievement was unlocked 03/20/08. So,personally,Condemned 2's multiplayer kept me stuck because it was so fun.
Sat, 03/29/2008 - 07:15
Posted by djpotatohead
nice. good work. i hope to see much more from you on this website.
Fri, 03/28/2008 - 18:20
Posted by SHOCKERRA
Mitchell Dyer,
Where to start? Brilliantly written and entertaining to read. Wait to officially get started in the industry; Lord knows I'm both immensely jealous and proud. You're making it bud!
This was a fun piece, we'll discuss the specifics over IM. Exceptional work!
Sincerely,
your reader and news aficionado,
Ross (SHOCKERRA)