Area 51

"A good shoot em up, but it's still too short"

Back in the mid 90's, Area 51 was released in the arcade and became a smash hit shoot-em up, kind of like games such as Lethal Enforcers. Does the game live up the attention? or is it a piece of crap? the review below...

PLOT:6/10
-I guess they finally decided to make a game based on the famous ''secret'' military base known as Area 51, where some people may think the government is hiding something. In this game, aliens attack the base, and it's your job to put a stop to it. The actual place the plot is based on is somewhat interesting if you're into that subject, but as a game plot, things like it have been done before, since alien-based plots are some of the most common in games.

GRAPHICS:10/10
-Very fluidly animated, somewhat life-like graphics. In fact, it's almost like an interactive FMV. Arcade game graphics have always been ahead of consoles, but even for 1995, this is pretty impressive stuff. The environments look as if they were made with fancy computer graphics, while things like humans running by look life-like. Back around this time, you didn't see many games with graphics this detailed.

SOUND:7/10
-It's an action games, so get ready for loads of gunshots, explosions, and other sounds that fit in well w/the genre. The music is ok, but it's nothing truly outstanding. Some sound effects can get repetitive, such as aliens dying. You'll be hearing the sound over and over again as you blast your way through levels.

GAMEPLAY:8/10
-50 cents, and you start off with 4 lives. It's a shoot-em up game, so of course, you shoot stuff. Shoot aliens and hostile targets, while avoiding hostages. You start out with a pistol, but can find shot guns and assault rifles later. If the enemies are attacking in high numbers, grenades can help. A track based shooter that is fun to play, but it is too short. You'll be able to beat this entire game in less than half an hour if you're fast enough, and if you're good, you won't even have to spend much money. The overall gameplay formula was executed quite well, but it just didn't offer a long enough gaming experience.

REPLAY VALUE:3/10
-Basically none whatsoever. If you enjoy playing through a game again for the fun of it, then you'll find mild replay value, but other than that, there isn't much of a reason to play through this again. It's worth the change to play through it once though.

PROS
-Lots of fun
-Extra weaponry
-Good graphics

CONS
-Too short
-Very little replay value

PLAY IT OR NOT?
-Yes. Despite the few flaws this game has, it's a really fun shooting game that is definitely worth the quarters/tokens. After you beat this game, go play Area 51: Site 4.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/24/03, Updated 03/24/03