Game Review: Turning Point (Xbox 360)

Turning Point: The Fall of Liberty

An easy trial membership with GameFly brought me my first game on which I will review at this present time. This game is a classic first-person shooter that tries to revive a tired WW2 genre. It does so by altering history. In 1931, Winston Churchill (a then little-known politician) was struck by a vehicle causing him to use a cane for the remainder of his life. In this course of a lifetime, he led England through its darkest days and away from precipice of defeat to Nazi Germany and Hitler's war machine. But what if he had not survived the accident?

The game story follows the alternative history line and allows England to fall to Germany, and begins in the few years after England's fall. Carson (your character) is a construction worker in New York City, and is witness to Nazi invasion of the USA. The bombing occurs while you are perched high above the city on steel beams of a new construction project. The clunky controls make descending the rafters highly frustrating and resulted in one controller toss.

When you finally escape the city, the collapse of the Chrysler building is slightly reminiscent of the destruction of the WTC in 2001. You join the resistance, assult a Nazi-infested White House, and ultimately rescue the USA from imminent socialism...wait, strike that - we are realistically already there, but I digress.

All in all, I'd give the game a solid 6 (out of 10). It's interscene movies leave much to be desired, and the controls would only be worse if you were to abandon the controller and use the Forza 2 steering wheel. Still, the story is intriguing and the characters (albeit underdeveloped) are memorable.

Bottom Line: Play it if you love history or just need a time-waster. Hold out for Halo Wars.



Run to the hills -

Classic Tunes

Super Mario Bros. 2

Any of these 8-bit, outdated, cartridge-based tunes bringing back special memories? Trying to beat the game with a joystick, attempting a sub-minute completion of the first underground stage, or doing your darndest to get that 100th life off of the topsy-turvy shells of the red turtle.

No doubt, gaming graphics and artificial intelligence have come light years since the dawn of major console gaming, but we should never forget where we started. I played the Mario Bros. series over and over. I hummed the songs in my sleep. I drew little blocks exploding into four perfectly symmetrical parts. I whistled the "Starman" theme as I tried to bowl over the kids during football at recess.

I was a geek, to be sure.

Now, with the recent addition of my new streaming host, I can help you relive your inner geeky moments too! For those of you n00bs who do not have the active-x control enabled, can't configure it properly, or are too lazy to adjust the setting on your pop-up blocker, I'll provide a link for you to use directly with your local machine's Windows Media Player. Super Mario Bros. 2

Track List:

1. Title Theme
2. Character Select
3. Overworld
4. Underworld
5. Starman
6. Sub-Space
7. Boss
8. Bonus Game
9. Fanfare
10. Miss
11. Wart
12. Boss Victory
13. Game Over
14. Ending

Run to the hills -

Mac vs PC

In an ongoing debate between the two personal computing titans and their loyal minions, I have outlined a few thoughts. I posted these on another forum, but in the spirit of my last post - I decided to share them with you all here.

In the debate, if you are asking which system one thinks is best - it really doesn't matter. System components are made by the same vendors, and are therefore many times interchangeable - with the exception of proprietary elements (such as Dell would do with PC components). If you are referring to the more heated OS wars, then you might restate the OP. Truthfully, the OS tug-of-war goes back and forth on so many levels. PC (windows) wins out for me, for a couple of major reasons:

1. Software. The difference in size of the list of software (especially gaming apps) between the two systems is immense. Not to mention, with the exception of Pro Tools LE, how many PC users are asking for MAC programs to be ported over to Windows? I mean, many of my MAC-user friends have even ported Windows over to run on their machine. Why?

2. Software. The mod-friendly PC community ensures more upgrades and helpful hints (usually for free) than any other system. Why is this? Oh yeah, the sheer volume of its users due to its superior software list.

3. Software. Need I really go on? :)

That rant being said, I will make this allowance: If MAC had the leverage and the connections to pull the same titles for their system as PC (Windows, cuz Linux is out of that race) - it's OS would be the superior system. The OS X is much more stable than any other system out there. As an experiment, I left one on for 32 days - no restarts, no shut downs. I installed numerous apps and really just abused it. Not one glitch. Do that with a Windows-based system, and you'll be using their clunky "Recover" option in a matter of days.

It just seems to me like Windows on the PC is just a little more concerned about their clientèle's demands. For example, MAC won't even pony up the cash to Valve to port over some of the biggest titles in electronic gaming history! I don't really care about the fancy packaging (I build them myself), I just want to be able to start it up and access any major gaming or program title. You just can't do that with a MAC. End of game.

- all your base are belong to us

MAC OS

The Video Says It All

Microsoft Train Simulator

While this title may not exactly be groundbreaking, it is still a solid game and in the midst of all these thunderous FPS games making news, a good sim is needed to maintain the balance. This game meets that criteria, and then some. I recently played this title for the first time, having wanted to do so for quite a while. It installed smoothly but ran this neat little setup screen on startup that made you feel slightly n00bish. Thank God they did away with that useless feature.

It has a good selection of historic engines, comprised from a familiar list of electric, diesel, and steam trains. If you require more engines with which to transport your cargo thorugh Japan, Britain, or other far away places (like Montana), there are custom-built add-ons out there. Like most PC games, it has embraced the modding community - it is this trait (unique to PC games) that allows the games to have such a long-running lifespan. You can download engines and scenery for free from users (don't expect a handout from M$, though) or you could design your own.

The graphics, while slightly behind-the-times today, are still quite impressive. My PC breezed right through the game, even at the highest settings (while running Fraps, a real-time WYSIWYG video recorder). In case you're running Vista, the game says it requires a performance index of 3.0 to run. The default controls were listed in the manual, which is supplied via a handy .pdf file on the disc. Those are slightly important if you want to leave the roundhouse.

The steam engines, are by far my most favorite and I've only derailed once...ok, twice. I've given the game a rating of 7.5 out of 10, but with the right mods - it could easily climb. It is true-to-life, making it a good simulation experience, and I'll probably keep it on my hard drive...at least for a little while longer. Rumor has it that Microsoft Train Simulator 2 is headed for shelves in 2009.

Here is a video of my transit through the Montana countryside in early winter. I'm pulling the Orient Express cars with a Goldsrof steam engine.

Fixing the "Red Ring of Death"

My friend Chris (Dagda M0R) called me and informed me that his Xbox 360 was flashing the dreaded "red ring of death". This occurs when one of the processors (typically the GPU) gets so hot, that it flexes the mobo (motherboard) and becomes disconnected from its soldering points. An obvious problem.

After much research, some geniuses over at llama determined this was due to a design flaw by Microsoft. I think the going rate, for a while, was something like every four out of ten Xbox 360s were doomed to the "rrod" right out of the box. Llama put together a kit that replaced the x-clamp cooling and fastening solution for the processors. It's only a couple of dollars and requires a little knowledge of your 360...and the ability to stay calm.

Since we had already made slight modifications to his box, we knew that asking M$ to help, was out of the question. He ordered the parts (new studs, clamp, thermal paste) and we set to work on it. It went in this order:

1. Took the case apart. If you can't do this...shame on you.
   
2. Disconnected all the internal wiring. The DVD drive and the LCD switch - don't forget the switch.
   
3. Unscrewed the mobo. This had to be done from the back.
   
4. Loosened the GPU X-clamp. It's the low profile heatsink...oh and kinda tricky.
5. Cleaned the old thermal paste off of the GPU. Used goo-gone and some rubbing alcohol.
6. Enlarged the holes for the new studs. Used a 3/16" drill bit, and then used a dremel to smooth the freshly-drilled edges.
7. Put the arctic silver fox thermal paste on the GPU. A dab'll do you.
8. Reconnected the heatsink with the new studs - placing the old x-clamp in the collectible drawer.
9. Overheated the console to reconnect the solder points. this one was scary becuse we didn't want to overheat the CPU, so the fan had to be arranged just right.
10. Reassembled the box, and tested it. He's on Xbox live ... probably as you read this.

As a humorous note, right before step nine - we had a bit of scare. We powered up the box to overheat it, and got two red lights - which generally means the CPU has overheated and no power is reaching either processor. This was most disheartening. After twenty minutes of various experimentation, Chris looked up with this smile and said, "I got this." We had failed to reconnect the backing to the mobo, thereby depriving the CPU's x-clamp of the pressure needed to apply the heatsink properly. Doh.

Enjoy the pics. If you have a question, ask it. I'll answer.

Run to the hills -

Build Your Own Custom Gaming PC - Cheap!

Anybody who has ever gone out and perused through the PC Games section at your local Gamestop, knows that one of the first things you look for on that box (other than that trused ESRB rating, of course) is the "System Requirements" area. Let's be honest, many times that sad look of dismay has darkened our faces as we sullenly replace the resource-demanding product. It's not that we as gamers don't understand that, generically speaking, the deeper the gameplay and the more immersive the graphics - the bulkier, stronger, and usually more expensive your gaming rig will have to be. Not anymore.

After researching and spending hours upon hours playing with benchmarking and configuration programs, I can confidently say that for a fraction of the cost of many "super gaming computers" out there, you can have those premium wastes of cash dropping frames just to keep up with you. This is a Cinderella story, one of great odds with a magnificent ending.

This will be a longer post, but only because of the easy-to-read format in which I tried to place everything. I compared two games and one benchmarking program for each system. Crysis (dx10), World in Conflict (dx10), and 3dMark06 (the industry-standard benchmarker).

The Competition

1. Maingear Ephex
- Crysis: 34 fps (frames per second)
- World in Conflict: 33 fps
- 3DMark06 score: 21,358
- Price: $9,860

2. Vigor Gaming Force Recon QXN
- Crysis: 31 fps
- World in Conflict: 30 fps
- 3DMark06 score: 18,613
- Price: $5,499

3. Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition
- Crysis: 18 fps
- World in Conflict: 34 fps
- 3DMark06 score: 20,995
- Price: $11,995

4. CyberPower Gamer Infinity WX
- Crysis: 18 fps
- World in Conflict: 25 fps
- 3DMark06 score: 15,472
- Price: $3,999

5. HP Blackbird 002
- Crysis: 9 fps
- World in Conflict: 5 fps
- 3DMark06 score: 20,070
- Price: $6,300

6. Falcon Northwest Mach V
- Crysis: 17 fps
- World in Conflict: 30 fps
- 3DMark06 score: 17,641
- Price: $12,000

7. Commodore XX
- Crysis: 18 fps
- World in Conflict: 27 fps
- 3DMark06 score: 15,309
- Price: $4,999

8. iBuy Power Gamer Paladin-910
- Crysis: 16 fps
- World in Conflict: 29 fps
- 3DMark06 score: 16,975
- Price: $5,499

In truth, all of these PCs did a great job with 3DMark06. If you can break 10,000 on that program, you're doing awesome. You'll notice that the games, however, did have some major framerate issues (most notably the HP Blackbird 002), proving that benchmarking isn't everything and it helps to have some "real" gametime. Let's take a look at the system that can be built to rival (and defeat, in many cases) these budget-busters for a much more acceptable price.

The "Cinderella" Machine
- Crysis: 26 fps
- World in Conflict: 40 fps
- 3DMark06 score: 11,973
- Price: $1,828 ($1,579 without the preferred SLI-configuration)

How? Well, let's take a look at the components:

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2.4 ghz ($280)
• VIDEO: (2) NVidia GeForce 8800 GT, 512 mb ($249)*
• CASE: Cooler Master Cosmos 100 ($200)
• PSU: Antec NeoPower, 650w ($180)
• MOBO: EVGA 122-CK-NF67-T1 ($170)
• HDD: Western Digital Raptor X 150 gb, 10,000 rpm ($180)
• RAM: Corsair Dominator DDR2, 2 gb ($350)

Of course, this is a no-software system. The assumption is made that this would replace your current PC, and therefore inherit its software. There was also the slight assumption that the software would be "acquired" elsewhere. In any case, assemble these pieces, install an OS, and get to gaming.

* I recommend buying two of these cards and putting them into an SLI configuration. You still stay under $2k and you get a major performance boost.

Run to the hills -