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A BLACK HOLE OF 51 IDEAS LOST

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I find it hard to like squad shooters. Your squad members are either dumber than the bullets that mow them down or get in your way. This is advertised as a squad tactical game.

Tactics? What tactics? Giving squad orders had never been considered tactics - why should we start now? No, this is in no way a tactical game. Save that description for, say, DEUS EX or even the RAINBOW SIX series.

Moreover, your squad-members respawning subtracts substantially from the game's immersion factor. On the other hand, the enemy AI is quite high. You still can pretty much finish the game by rushing head-first, but the game makes you work - and pay - for it.

Although not cutting edge, the graphics are very nice, the lighting and shadows realistic and the environments and objects are almost all interactive (BLACKSITE-AREA 51 shares the same environment-interaction routines with a much better game, STRANGEHOLD - if you like check out my review on it as well). The conspiracy brewing atmosphere is successfully conveyed - and the weather effects add another nice touch.

On the other hand, the enemy designs they managed to fumble. The aliens are a collection of a mix of poorly developed and, let's say, older ideas.
Do you remember the HALFLIFE crabs? Check.
Do you recall HALFLIFE-2 antlions? Check (only with more horns and with firepower - and a mine that pops out when left for dead).
Do you remember the coffee&nicotine-addicted aliens in MEN IN BLACK? Check (only larger and meaner).
Do you remember the big bug-tank in STARSHIP TROOPERS? Check (only more segmented).
What finally tipped the scale against this game, however, was the poor quality control: clipping was too widespread, stuttering too frequent and freezing unavoidable.

A good effort that barely makes par. The overall feeling of this game is that it got started after a very creative brainstorming - but then was left to develop...itself.
Only for conspiracy buffs willing to overlook its serious flaws. And even then, wait for the price to drop.

Indicative of a larger problem

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 25, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I feel I should point out what a dead-end this game can be on the PC. I have installed it on an excellent machine...but there's a bug that kills the main character's voices (but leaves all other sounds intact). Installing the patch that hopes to address this problem causes the game to stop responding to keyboard inputs. And because it is a console port, your opening screen is held at "Press ENTER to continue". Better to tie the Enter key to the "X" button than to maybe also take a few minutes and tie the mouse click to it, too.
The other thing I'm writing the review for is to warn you that support for the PC appears to be almost nonexistent. Even the official site for the game does not provide a Support link (and shame on them). Midway's site will give you release notes and patch notes, but warns you that contacting anyone isn't something you can count on as it won't be answered very soon. With no support information, forums, or online documentation on the bugs, I'm stuck hoping they answer my e-mail some day. At this point, I'm not getting my hopes up.
The larger problems: console ports to the PC are often hastily cobbled together, poorly supported, and software companies allow show-stopping bugs to get to store shelves because any time spent troubleshooting costs money and slows down sales. Blacksite: Area 51 just has the misfortune to have hit on all three.

This one has issues...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

My PC has more than the minimum requirements but the game still plays very choppy. The game has bugs and crashes even after I downloaded the patch from the Blacksite website. The content of the game is mostly the same old sci-fi stuff that is already out but I like that sci-fi stuff. If it was not for the bugs I would give the game 4 stars but with all the problems I don't think the game is not worth it. The game might play better on a different platform than PC.

Blacksite Area 51

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: December 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Good Game , though the game is a bit buggy and many items in the game are not in real time,the developers need some real time behind some real weapons before they try to make a game,overall it was a good game,needs work

hawk1234

Overall very good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 14
Date: November 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I think black site has done very well with this game. even though i put 4 stars i think this is 3.5. Graphics are well designed but the programmers should make adjustments with the weapons. Just add more because most of the time you only have a machine gun. Im not saying thats a bad thing its just the game should be a bit more challenging. If they make another patch for this game MAKE MORE WEAPONS! This game looks like its on the border line for being an T-M game. Its a bit like gears of war and halo mixed but just more scary.

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