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Underrated, but Short

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 25, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game went by as kind of a sleeper. Didn't get much attention, but it deserved more. It's a solid, fun FPS with decent graphics (good graphics in the cut scenes), and a host of famous voice actors from David Duchovny (The X Files) to Marilyn Manson. What I liked most about the game is the alien and conspiracy lore entered into the game. Files scannable throughout the game give descriptions of the government's secrets and cover-ups and at one point you even get to explore the set of a fake moon landing. As for complaints, the game can often be too easy, though there are a few parts near the end that can have you repeating them easily six or seven times to get through. This is strange to me with the game going from mostly simple to very difficult without much middle ground. The ending is also a bit... blunt. One minute you're doing things and big stuff is happening (trying not to spoil anything here) and the next you get a quick cut scene and the credits roll. Closure is given and loose ends are mostly tied up, but it's still pretty abrupt. And another gripe--the game is pretty short. Very short, rather. I know it's a FPS, but you can get through it in four or five play sessions if they're reasonably long ones. I believe I beat it in two days. So I wouldn't recommend buying it unless you can get a good deal on it used, but it's absolutely rentable.

I know I've said some negative things about the game, but it really is good. It goes by at a good pace and offers plenty of shooting action. Though I was disappointed by the relatively small amount of useable weapons (one pistol, one shotgun, one assault rifle, one sniper rifle, two grenade types, and a couple special weapons), the weapons that are there are relatively satisfying and the 10mm Scorpion handgun is useful through the whole game, being able to drop most enemies in one to three hits.

All in all, you should play this if you're into FPSs. But only buy it if you can get it used. It's just too short to warrant a new price. But still, Area-51 is a solid and enjoyable experience with plenty of atmosphere in the second half and of course multi-player.

PS2's answer to Halo? Just what I was looking for!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

With the constant upgrading of platforms, consoles, game systems, etc.,I must admit I'm trailing a little behind-- as I still faithfully play on the PS2. And with a diminishing variety of games to choose from, this was a great discovery! I remember it was $50.00 when it debuted in 2005, I just picked it up for twenty bucks! I guess you could call me the casual gamer, but this game is great, and I'd put it pretty close to the classics like Tomb Raider and Resident Evil. (Pretty Close)

Great Game...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I like this game, its great! I bought it for my sister and she can't get over this game... =)

Great Sci-Fi FPS with few flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Since a lot of reviewers have already laid out the plot, I'll try to concentrate more on what makes this a great (and sometimes disappointing) game. Bear in mind while reading that I'm fairly new to first-person shooters, as I've preferred 3rd-person games until recently, but am also not a fumbling beginner. :o)

First the great news: Area 51 looks great, the gameplay is big fun, and assuming you choose "easy," there's plenty of health, ammo, and cool weapons to go around. Playing on "normal," which I initially tried, seemed unnecessarily hard, though. So "easy" isn't all that easy after all. I gave up on normal fairly quickly and started over on easy. But back on track - the storyline and conspiracy theory elements are interesting, the occasional cut scenes look darn near like genuine movies, and the first-person perspective has a nice range and depth so you don't get dizzy moving around as with some FPS's.

I disagree with reviewers that say David Duchuvney sounds bored in his dialogues at the beginning of each level. I found the somewhat deadpan, world-weary tone in keeping with what the character is going through and discovering within the game.

I love that the team you start off with lasts a while, although they get whittled down one-by-one until you're left on your own. You also encounter other teams at certain points. They all have a brain and actually fight with some effectiveness, allowing you to get on with the things you have to do. The enemy AI is pretty good too. They'll take cover, move around, and when they charge you it's not like a mindless AI zombie.

The weapons are great, and I really like that you can dual-wield assault rifles and shotguns. The only problem there is when the ammo depletes in one, you automatically drop one weapon and reload the remaining one, which can get you killed in the middle of a firefight. But that's a small complaint. There are plenty of breaks in the action so you can relax and look around, which is a very good thing because scattered throughout are secret documents, displays, and other things you need to scan into your inventory. Much of the conspiracy theory data comes from these, and they almost go overboard by tying in everything from political assassinations to that sneeze you did yesterday for no apparent reason.

So what's bad? Well, again, it can be hard. On normal they throw too many enemies at you from too many directions, making it hard to take cover and/or knock them all off before your health is near zero. Grenades, like in a lot of games, are of dubious value (a typical Vietnam conflict-era grenade had a guaranteed kill radius of 30 feet, so why do so many games, especially futuristic ones, have grenades that take out one guy if you're lucky?). Then ending is a little anticlimactic and the final task (not a boss battle, which I thought was a nice change from the norm) was annoying.

To sum, this game is great, great fun. I'm not sure what those who trashed this game were looking for.

B--O-R-I-N-G

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: July 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

How this game is getting 5 star reviews is beyond me. This has got to be one of the most boring games I've played in recent years. There is very little variety in combat situations and in who you are fighting. It is just the same old, same old level after level. This game is as boring as David Duchovny's acting and monotone voice. Potentially good story line but falls short in my opinion.

This Game ROCKS.....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

(I am C Jones - this review written by PLUG, my grandson - "This game is really a good one. The players are awesome. I am at the GRAYS level and it is an exciting game. I am also interested in other games like this, and books. I love books on the TITANIC and Roswell, for I had an Uncle Phil who was associated with the space program and knew Werner von Braun. He never claimed to have seen a UFO but my grand mother said no doubt he rode on them. for he was the GREAT THOR CHIEF. I am visiting Roswell with my Godmother soon. Thanks for a great game. My Name Is: PLUG" I am his Grandmother and I approve this message. (after little editing)

Terribly underrated FPS

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Those who enjoyed venturing into arcades in the past decade will no doubt remember Midway's light gun shooter Area 51; a cumbersome and buggy game where you took on hordes of aliens and mutated beasts at the famously secretive government research facility. Fast forward to today, and Midway has totally restructured Area 51 from the inside out, this time around as a straight forward FPS. The storyline relatively stays the same, you play as Ethan Cole (voiced by David Duchovny), the lone survivor of a Haz-Mat team sent to investigate strange goings on at the research facility. As you venture through the game's levels, you learn of vast government and alien conspiracies, and when you get far enough, you find yourself turning into one of them. This element adds a fun dimension to the gameplay, allowing you to melee your enemies to death and fire off parasites to infect them. In addition to this feature, the standard FPS rules apply as you pick up a bevy of weapons and grenades to take out the hideous beings roaming in the underground of Area 51. The game's storyline packs in as much conspiracy-laden material as it can, ranging from alien abductions to the Roswell incident where it all started, and as you progress you can locate hidden documents which allow you to unlock the many secrets of the game. Powers Boothe and Marilyn Manson also lend their voices in addition to Duchovny, who sadly at many spots throughout the game sounds bored as he speaks. The online multiplayer feature is what really makes Area 51 a winner, which for a PS2 game manages to provide lag-free online play, and that itself is a welcome surprise. The graphics are unbelievably sharp for a PS2 game, with some nice lighting effects as well. The biggest drawback of Area 51 is the difficulty as you progress to the lower levels of the game. The farther you get, the toughter the enemies get, and the more and more sparse health and ammo get as well. So be warned, this isn't that easy an FPS to breeze through, but the multiplayer options and the nicely designed extras and secrets make this a game worth coming back to. All on all, Area 51 is a surprisingly great and terribly underrated FPS that stands as one of the top shooters on the PS2, and if you're an FPS fan, this is worth picking up.

More fun than the Arcade version

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I remember playing the arcade version of area 51 when i was a kid and i loved it. Now that the game is out i was excited to get it and play it. Everything in the game is superb. the controls are easily used and the graphics are amazing. The storyline is interesting, and pieced together as you go through the game finding different secret documents that you can read later. However, this is not mandatory, so some people can essentially go through the game without knowing the story.

FREEKIN AWESOMEEEE WUUUUUUUU!!!!! ONLINE ROCKZZZ

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: January 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

THIS IS THE BEST PS2 SHOOTER OUT THERE. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON OTHER THINGS, JUST BUY THIS!!!!!!!

Honestly one of the best games I have played.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I must say I was very impressed with this game. I didn't really expect it to be all that great when I first got it. I simply got it to play online because of what I had read from customer reviews. It was the complete opposite of what I expected it to be.

The graphics are fantastic and the cinematics, although very short, are breath taking. The environments are the best I have ever seen in any game. On a scale of 1-10 for creativity in the environment, characters, visuals, weapons, color scheme, graphics, etc. etc. I would give it an 11 no doubt about it. It deserves more than a perfect score, thats how great I felt it was in those aspects. I have not yet seen a game that comes close.

Don't listen to the reviews that claim the single player mode to be dull, boring, short and/or easy. I can assure you it is none of those. I was one of the fools that believed those reviews from people who aparently probably didn't even play the game and my expectations for the single player mode were very low. I was in for quite a surprise. The single player mode is much longer than a majority of other similar games even when on easy mode. Some points though, can become frustrating to beat (well atleast in my case).

I honestly cannot find any legitimate negative aspect of the game. This is a very solid game all around.

I am not a big first person shooter fan and I never have been but this game has changed all that. I would definatly recommend this game to anyone who is even remotely interested. If you arent sure whether to believe my judgement then go ahead rent it first and you will see what I am talking about. It is to ps2 what Halo was to XBox.

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