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This Game is cool !!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 30
Date: June 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is soo graffic that you get in to it so much you don't hear nothing but what they say on the game.

DELIVERS THE GOODS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 22
Date: October 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was hooked from the moment that I first played the demo available on the Mortal Kombat Deception game disc. After much delay, the game is finally here and I've got to say that it delivers the goods promised in that demo. Whether you've played Midway's earlier version of Area 51 in the arcade (later released on the PSX), are into the whole Area 51/UFO conspiracy thing, or just like a good first person shooter (FPS), this one's for you. Speaking of the PSX, it seems like they've taken the best of the original Area 51 (released on the PSX in 1995), mixed in some elements of the Roswell Conspiracies (also on the PSX, 2001), and souped it up to rival your favorite FPS (Doom, Halo, Quake, etc.) for today's platforms. Like Doom, Halo, and Quake, it has multi-player options (2 player offline and up to 16 players online). It's amusing to note that on the back of the PS2 cover, this game is touted as the best FPS yet for that system while the Xbox's (with different screen shots) favorably compares it to Halo (which is only available for that system). Anyway, back to the game itself. Along with the excellent gameplay, you can also collect secret documents strewn throughout the facility that will enable you to unlock several bonus features. As if that weren't enough, the voice actors put this one over the top. In addition to David Duchovny voicing your character of Ethan Cole, there is Powers Boothe as Major Bridges and Marilyn Manson as Edgar the alien. A nice touch to an already impressive game. Be sure to check out the "making of" features and tell me that Duchovny and Manson don't sound eerily alike (in spite of Marilyn speaking noticeably slower). So climb into your HAZMAT suit and meet me at Area 51, if you dare.

A must for FPS fans

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Well where do I start? Just like the game there are so many fun twists and turns that it's hard to pick out a good spot to start talking about this game. Anyway the storyline is your HazMat Specialist Ethan Cole, who is with HazMat Team Bravo, sent into the treacherous Area 51 compound to find out what exactly happened and why did HazMat Team Delta go missing. Once you step into the base things go from bad, to worse, then to just downright ugly and hellish.

I am a huge FPS and shooter fan, and have played the original Area 51 and Area 51: Site 4 arcade machines. When I heard Midway was coming out with a FPS Area 51 game I couldn't wait. As soon as I got it and popped it into my PS2, I was immersed from the start. The graphics are jaw-dropping and the fluidity of the character movements were just downright smooth as hell. The action is far from lax too. From the get go you're thrusted into the mayhem that the mutated inbatitants of the base throw at you. Mutants, leapers,and later on in the game Cloned Human Spec Op soldiers, come at you out of nowhere at the most unexpected moments of the game, thus making you stay on your toes and making your finger hover over the R1 button at all times. Bottom line: You just never know when something will come at you from around the corner of a hallway.

The plot and the story of the game itself is great also. Conspiracy theories, plot twists, and sudden changes in the game that will shock you will keep any gamer from putting down that controller, yes it is THAT good. I can't say much about it because I don't want to spoil anything, but I can surely say that you will always be surprised at what occurs during the game as you make your way down through the base. In Area 51 you'll always want to find out what happens next.

Of course, no FPS is complete without a set of AI controlled teammates. But sometimes those teammates hamper you more than help you. In Area 51, these teammates actually give you cover fire, shout at you where enemies are coming from, and actually shoot to kill and not just weaken enemies for you.

What about controls? Controls are a snap to learn and easy to use. Nothing too complicated here.

The voice acting is an excellent point too. David Duchovny plays the role of Ethan Cole real well, giving the gamer the impression that yes Cole may seem like a soft-spoken HazMat specialists, but can sure prove his worth during battle. And Marylin Manson compliments Edgar real well. I feel that Manson does the job right by voicing the creepy looking Edgar and giving the game a chilling feel everytime his character speaks in the game.

Overall I love this game and the action is second-to-none and I feel that this is 50 bucks well spent. If you're a FPS fan or a fan of the Area 51 series, I highly suggest you buy this game. You won't be sorry, and chances you won't leave your PS2 until you finally complete the game.

Overrated and a little cheap, but well done

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 6
Date: May 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

If you go in for the first-person shooter thing, this game will certainly liven up your typical experience: it's smooth, it's jumpy, and it's relentless.

At the same time, it's a little cheap and overrated. It's not a genre-defining game or anything, and you get killed after a couple of swipes from an alien...which drops you back into the action pretty far back as a reset if you're not careful. It's cheap that way.

The graphics are pretty swell, but in the end it isn't Doom 3 or anything.

Great concept, good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have long anticipated this titles release, and i wasnt dissapointed that i paid about 50 dollars for it before i even rented it. For the playstation version, which i have, it has great graphics, especially in the campaign mode. There are a few problems, some of which can be easily fixed. You are started with an inverted view, meaning you move up when you press to go down, which is easily changed in options. Next, it takes the longest time to get online because you have to go through multiple downloads and sign-ons. When you get online, there is relatively no lag, but there is an odd points system that makes little or no sense at all. There are some really interesting game modes, my favorite being the last human mode where you try not to be mutated by the "chosen one" and his victims.

The campaign however, is the best part. It isn't short by any means because i can normally beat them in most games in a few weeks. Even at easy, it is fairly challenging. It has a well thought out plot line, very well thought out. It has very well placed check points and easy combat interface. The campaign will stretch your mind and poke at your problem solving abilities as there are many places that need further examination to pass on.

There are a good diverse group of enemies, each type being harder and appearing at specific levels in the game.

My ratings

Combat interface
9/10

Storyline
10/10

Multiplayer (up to 8 players)
6/10

Music and graphics
9/10

overall
8/10

Area 51 is creepy, fun and addicting

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best FPS games I've ever played (Halo was the best). The only thing I don't like is that the game is kind of short. It's pretty long, but still short, I love games that take a long time to complete so it mught be just me.

The one thing i love is that the blood stays the whole time and doesn't disapear, it's so much more realistic. The gore is great. It's not overload, but when you hit something blood comes out, so it's just perfect, not too much, not too little.

THe people who do the voices are great. David duchovny sounds exactly like he would if he were actually the guy in the game, and Marilyn Mason is the creepy voice that Edgar has.

This game is also creepy. There's a lot of dark places, so you use your flashlight often. The only bad thing is when you reload in a dark place, your flashlight is hidden by your arm and you cant see if youre in a big battle. the scariest thing is when you walk around a dark corner and an enemy jumps down from the ceiling.

THis is one of the funnest games ive ever played and the storyline is creative and is intriging.
BOTTOM LINE: BUY THIS GAME!

The most amazing graphics i have ever seen in a game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is probably the best first person shooter to come out for ps2. I like this better then both halos. Its fun, scary, challenging, and crazy cool. And o yea did i mention the graphics they are very nice, and are much better then halos graphics. I wouldnt reccomend this for little kids though, it has tons of curses and is very gory one guy gets his head ripped off and they show it. Overall i think it is an amazing game if your thinking about getting it GET IT.

Blasting Illegal Aliens Has Never Been More Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: June 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I didn't expect much from this game; I thought it would be a poorly manufactured bunch of crap like the "Run Like Hell" PS2 game that was coughed up months ago. I was wrong.

Overall, it was well designed and fun to play. There were lots of checkpoints and the on-screen arrows of my next destination was extremely helpful. I only wish my actions could've determined the fate of my compadres. In the beginning, I could let them do all the fighting while I hide in the corner like a sissy and save my ammo. I didn't use my mutant abilities that much, as it didn't really appeal to me. The difficulty level went from easy, to fair, to ridiculously hard in the missions where you fought the Grays. I almost quit playing because it just seemed unfair to take on countless enemies. Persistence was the key, along with a little luck. I give it 4 1/2 stars!

Worthy Sequel

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Area 51 was first released as an light-gun arcade machine in the 90's. It followed the theory that Area 51 in Nevada was actually holding aliens. You played a marine trying to reclaim the base while learning deadly secrets. The story in this installment remains the same with more depth. You play as Ethan Cole, a marine sent in to find out what happened to Hazmat team Delta who disappeared while investigating the base. When you first arrive, you'll notice that things are totally messed up as you kill a comrade who's seem to have gone mad.

This game has a storyline that has many twists and turns. While the game has been changed from a light gun game to a FPS it still retains that of an arcade shooter. Enemies will pour into a room and you and your team mates must get rid of them to go on. However, they have added mission objectives to this game. You also get a couple of familiar actors like X-File's David Duchovny as Specialist Cole and creepy Marilyn Manson as Edgar the bizarre alien who contacts you throughout the game.

Overall, this game feels a lot like Halo in a good way. But there's a lot more here than in Halo. First, you get the choice (later in the game) to be a human player or alien. As a human you use various weapons like hand guns, automatic weapons, and the occasional alien arsenal. But it's fun to play as an alien too because you have the option to shoot parasites at various enemies which will refill your health. There's a catch though, you have to keep the Mutagen bar up to shoot parasites and it can be refilled by hitting enemies with your claws.

The game is pretty linear and can be easily completed but Midway added a few things to make it a little longer. First, we've got a scanner in this game that we use to scan special databank items. These items are amusing to read as they make you question whether this really happened or not. They can unlock special videos that fill in holes that plague you in the campaign mode. One of my favorites is Dr. Cray's video diary where he says that they faked the moon landing (which you can actually see in the base) to cover up what they found there. That has been a big controversy ever since it happened in the 60's.

The only disappointment I had in this game is that it can be completed easily and the fact that you can't unlock the original game (but you can find the actual arcade box located in some of the levels if you look carefully). You should pick this one up for some laughs with the documents or if you liked the original or any FPS games. Don't pick this up if you don't like arcade shooters though.

Pros
- Interesting Storyline
- Funny Documents that show how the government could've hidden things from the public
- The ability to play as either human or alien in campaign mode
- The multiplayer modes are interestingly put together
- We get good voice actors like David Duchovny
- We get to infiltrate one of the coolest, secret places on earth
- The inclusion of the original Area 51 arcade machine in the base

Cons
- No original game is unlockable
- The game is rather short if you decide not to pick up database items

A incredible mixture of action and theory combined

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game has a type of Doom 3 style to it with aliens often jumping from around corners and lots of guns. The only reason I say that is because Doom 3 and Area 51 are without a doubt, the two best alien-based games created so far.
Both games are so close to each other the only differences are that Area 51 has: online play, multiplayer, and a story with a lot more depth, and although Area 51's graphics are very masterful, Doom 3's graphics are perfected.
But of course, this is about Area 51. The game drives off of two complete different styles from the beginning to the end. In the beginning, you are sent to Area 51 with all your comrades to protect the area and uncover some unanswered questions. Then, towards the end, you become a human that can transform into an alien and you start to realize that the government absolutely sucks.
The game's setting is set in the research facility of Area 51, that in this game, holds aliens.(It was a theory that Area 51 was holding aliens during the time of the Roswell Incident in the 50's.) You need to do whatever means necessary.
With maybe about 6 guns in the entire game and a few different grenades, the gameplay does very rarely get boring,
but it turns from a tactical mission into a huge slaughter during the gameplay from when you get your alien powers.
You do get to do cool abilities and go interesting places such as:launching parasites or clawing at alien guards, going inside a UFO, or using the alien's technology and weapons.
As you progress, the more terrible lies you will uncover about the government and what's really happening.
The voice overs in the game are usually very good(especially during the big battles and they're screaming and swearing), but a complaint is that the voice of Ethan Cole during the cut-scenes shows absolutely no emotion as to what's happening and it honestly sounds like he doesn't care.
However, this is one of the best 1st person shooters ever and I would buy it even for the most skeptical gamer. It deserves at least a 4 out of 5.

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