Area 51

"The only area that you need you fight with is the gameplay."

This ubiquitous shooting game is the product of the same lame shooting game concepts that were formulated since the earliest moments of shooting game history. Area 51's only strong point is its lurid, alienish storyline.

Gameplay:5/10
The game concept couldn't be more prosaic- just shoot at the aliens before they attack you while making sure that you don't accidentally plant a slug in the hostages or your team members. Contrary to military training, almost all the hostages and your teammates always get in the way at the most tense moments. Even more irritating is their minuscule size on the screen. Though you do get a model gun to shoot at the screen, it doesn't resemble real shooting at all. Guess the developers couldn't think that one of the main reasons to have a gun is to feel the recoil. You won't feel intimately involved. Go play House of the Dead or Time Crisis if you want to feel that excitement. The fact that your team members are just spineless automations, your character makes poor choices regarding where to go, and the poor AI makes this game about as good as plain old target practice.

Story: 4/10
The air force military base known as Area 51 (or Groom Lake in military terms), has been exposed and it's revealed that aliens have captured the secret military compound. Your task- fight your way to the control center and activate its self-destruct sequence. Not a bad start, but during the game, no new threats appear, there are no twists in the storyline; most of the background is provided before you even insert a quarter.

Graphics:6/10
The graphics are at-par considering that this game was made so many years ago. The background looked fairly militaryish, but animations were poorly designed, with a slow frame rate. When the screen shifts, the frame rate's limitations are more obvious. Sometimes, you won't even know what's going on when you turn around.

Sound: 3/10
The only prominent sound effect is the aliens' exploding deaths. If you expected mad beats, or at least midi or foreboding type of music to get you into a fighting mood, you'll be disappointed.

Tilt: 5/10
Not the worst Atari game, but not much else to speak about.

Value: (varies with cost)
If the cost is a quarter, which it should be, then it would be okay to give it a try, otherwise, don't bother.

Overall: 5/10 (Poor)
Area 51 might be worth a try, but unless if you're visiting some backwater gas station in the middle of the New Mexico desert with no other arcade machines, I would advise you to try Time Crisis or House of the Dead.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/04, Updated 08/24/06