Area 51
Some of you may be thinking, “Didn’t I play Area 51 in the arcade years ago?” and if that’s you, you’re not far off. While the two games have little to do with each other than the fact that you shoot aliens, the comparisons are there. If you keep your eyes open you’ll even see a non-playable Area 51 arcade machine in one of the early on stages.
As HAZMAT agent Ethan Cole you find yourself in a secret government facility that has been the focus point for conspiracy theorists and the entertainment industry for years. Something has gone terribly wrong in Area 51 and a deadly strain of a mutagenic virus has been released wreaking havoc and mayhem. Once infected with the pathogen humans quickly lose their nature and become mutated alien hybrids with a hunger for flesh.
Cole quickly finds himself isolated in a lethal environment with danger around every corner and behind every door. Not everything is as it appears for our wayward HAZMAT trooper and you’ll soon find yourself wrapped up in a web of deceit and corruption. With a lot of plot twists and shifts in perspective, the story in Area 51 is surprising at times, while disappointingly convoluted at others. There were a few rare moments where the story intrigued me, but for the most part its mindless alien and cyborg killing.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is comparable to other first person shooters and several of the control features are similar. You shoot with R1 and can aim or use an alternate fire by pressing R2, by pressing L1 you jump and L2 makes you crouch. The rest of the controllers button mapping is user friendly enough with reload, weapon select, grenade tossing, flashlight and mutation powers.
The mutation feature is probably one of the main draws of gameplay since it affects so many aspects. While you start out as Cole the human, you will eventually become infected by the mutagenic pathogen and will gain the ability to shift from mutant to man at will. Don’t worry, that isn’t a spoiler for the plot, in fact it’s listed on the back of the game’s packaging.
In this mutated state you can see things that your human eyes can’t, which primarily boils down to glowing enemies. You will even be able to see aliens that are cloaked while you’re in this state, so keep that in mind if someone you can’t see starts shooting at you. While you are running around as a mutant freak you can’t use any of the weapons that you have been collecting, instead you have some inherent powers thanks to the virus.
By using melee attacks you can replenish your mutagen which allows you to launch parasites at your victim. You have to keep an eye on your mutagen meter though because once it’s depleted you will revert back to human form. Both body types work well and even though you’ll play most of the game as a normal human, breaking out the mutant freak powers once in a while is a big help. As you play you’ll learn which situations best suit Cole’s current form and changing on the fly is a big help.
When you aren’t an alien mutant, the weaponry you have at your disposal is useful and varied compared to other FPS. You’ve got the regular old pistol, shotgun and sniper rifle, but you’ll also be given some cool alien technology like the BBG and Meson Cannon. Each weapon is effective and some of the smaller ones like pistol and automatics can be dual wielded. The dual wielding feels more like a visual gimmick though since one shooting trigger controls both guns and once you pick up a second of the same weapon type you can’t choose if you want to dual wield or not, it’s automatic.
The action in Area 51 is constant from the moment you enter the underground facility and never really lets up the enter way through. At any point enemies will leap at you from all directions and while many of the “surprises” are predictable there are a few that will make you jump and let loose on the trigger. That’s basically the entire theme of Area 51 and instead of a slow and plodding strategic endeavor you’ll be running from point a to b with your shooting finger twitching the entire way. This style of play isn’t bad necessarily, but I found it better in short bursts instead of a long sitting.
The AI provides a little bit of challenge at least, with some enemies that react to your shooting and try to emulate a combat strategy. The cyborgs will duck and cover (although there was a few that just stood there or just ran at me) and the mutated humans will lunge and leap at you like savage animals, sometimes sidestepping your line of fire. Depending on what you are facing your fighting style may change, so if you can’t tell this game likes to keep you on your toes.
The gameplay of Area 51 is broken up into objectives and checkpoints with some occasional waypoint markers on screen to show you where you need to go. You will sometimes need to search your environment to find a keycard, object or switch that will allow you to provide. While there really is no backtracking to speak of, the depth of the puzzles that are placed in your way really don’t extend beyond finding a way to open a door.
This game isn’t an extremely long one, but compared to other FPS games it’s on par with play time and length. One thing that adds some replay value is the featured online access with multiplayer modes aplenty. The online play is above average and I encountered little to no slowdown during my time with it. If you don’t have the network adapter though, you can still play split screen, but sadly there is no co-op mode in this game.
Graphics:
Area 51 may not be the prettiest FPS to come along in a while, but it sure does get the job done right. There are some great environmental and lighting effects here that truly work well when combined with gameplay. The level designs were given extra attention and as I mentioned there is little to no backtracking, so take in your surroundings while you can.
Character and enemy designs aren’t all that great though and while they aren’t “bad” they just came off as kind of generic compared to everything else. At least the animation is lifelike with some great rag doll physics and animalistic motions. There can be several enemies on screen at a time (with little framerate drop) and their erratic movements really pump up the tension level.
Audio:
Area 51 features with a ton of explosions, weapons fire and roaring aliens and they all sound amazing. Each armament and creature in the game has a unique sound and the quality is high production. The music is extremely low key and you’ll barely know that it’s there unless you are specifically listening for it, so the soundtrack is unfortunately nothing to write home about.
While the game proudly announces that it features the talents of David Duchovny, Powers Boothe and Marilyn Manson, the fact is the voiceovers here are pretty bad. Boothe does a fine job as Major Bridges and Marilyn Manson is passable as the freakish Edgar, but it’s Duchovny that really sucks it up here.
I was a huge fan of X-Files and loved his work on that show, so naturally I was excited when I heard that he was involved with this project. Unfortunately, it seems that I was more excited than he was, because he sounds half asleep most of the time that he talks. As he narrates the thoughts from Ethan Cole, there is absolutely no sense of emotion, excitement or terror, despite the fact that his long time friend has his head ripped off, he turns into a mutant and is fighting for his life at every turn. It’s unfortunate because with the plot being as thin as it is, an emotionless Duchovny really detracts from the immersive feeling this game exudes.
Conclusion:
While the plot is a mess of nearly every conspiracy theory ever conceived, it’s the gameplay that truly saves face. With the relentless enemies, sense of chaos and constant foreboding, Area 51 will suck you in completely up until the end. There are tons of memorable moments and for a game with a horrible plot that says a lot.
The graphics are great even though some of the designs could have used some sprucing up and aside from some poor voice acting and little music, the audio does it’s job well. Ultimately though there isn’t much to keep you coming back to this game and after you’ve beaten it, and only the multiplayer modes will hold your interest. Being the diehard FPS fan that I am, Area 51 stands out amidst the sea of mediocrity that plagues the genre. It does a lot of things right and is a great ride all the way through, it’s just not a ride worth visiting over and over again. Recommended