BlackSite: Area 51

"Area 51's franchise may well now be dead, thanks to this title."

Area 51. If you're an alien fan, the name says it all. You instantly think of secret blacksite military ops, aliens on Earth soil of varying shape and size, and if you're a gamer, you think of shooting them into bloody bits.

When this series started up, it was an ambitious foray into an already decaying genre, the arcade shooter. It redeemed my faith in that kind of arcade game and I spent alot of time enjoying it with friends and strangers alike, in several settings. Then it came to home platforms and it was a decent adaptation that left a bit to be desired, as was expected back then.

Then, more recently, we got xbox and ps2 releases of a title that was trying to be like FEAR meets Quake meets Area 51. It was decent enough and many fans of alien shooters loved it.

Present day, we get...this. Please keep in mind, at the time of my review, I go in hopeful, as I've heard good things. I try not to let hype affect me, however. This game has been in develeopment for a good chunk of time. It uses engines we're used to, but that are solid. It's hard to go wrong with government soldiers taking on unknown alien attackers. But in the end, this game pushed me away, never once drawing me in. It is nearly the end of November, a time of year we, as gamers, clean up. There are tons of really great games out right now, with many more on the way, on many systems. To narrow it down, still many of these are shooting games. This one, to me, just did not stack up. I expected more from this franchise, more from a next gen shooter, and more in general.

Graphics - 5 They're good enough. Not much to complain on here (other than graphical glitches and hiccups we shouldn't ever see this far into the "next gen"). There are clipping issues, floating ammo boxes/guns, and rigid animations that could have been much better for both humans and aliens. Some aliens look really good, but most aren't anything special at all. The environments are what you'd expect from a desert town. Some small touches to local areas are nice, but fall short. I've seen much better on older 360 titles.

Sound - 5 Decent, but uninspired. There is nothing new here. Music is okay but sometimes cuts out. Often there is none, when you'd think there would be. Squad members talk to you, but much of what they say is expected and sometimes silly (even when it's supposed to be funny it falls short). Sometimes voice volume is too low, even on max setting. Guns sound mostly fine, but occasionally suffer from the cut out sound as well, and it could have sounded better over all (more realistic).

Gameplay - 4 There is almost nothing new to find here. I was so very dissapointed to turn on this game and feel how rigid it controlled. Standard FPS controls and guidelines apply, but it feels like a lesser PS2 or original Xbox shooter. There is so much better out on this console right now. Even with high sensitivity tuned in, the game feels very stiff. On top of that, play is all very lackluster and the same as many, many old FPS. Some of the guns are fun to play with, but most are pretty much the same as any other older shooter. You get to control vehicles (in the vein of Halo, something many FPS fans have probably played), but even they feel very stiff and cumbersome. You will also be able to beat this game on medium difficulty or below within six hours. On hard I wouldn't expect much more, but by the time I tuned it up and tried it, I was too impatient with the shortcomings of the game. Checkpoints are usually pretty far back from where you died, and the loading time between deaths is pretty lousy considering how long the 360 has been around now (at least 30 seconds, sometimes up to a minute long, EACH death). Your squad isn't as bright as it should be either. For a game that touts squad based gameplay and a morale system, this just can't be tolerated. In fact, all it really boils down to is "tell squad to get cover, or focus on one enemy, while you go take on EVERYthing else to hopefully raise morale, rinse, repeat every level". When morale is high, your squad is supposed to shoot more and take less cover, but in the end I notice very little difference in their actions no matter what morale is like.

Storyline - 6 The story is the high point of this title. And even it is very lackluster, and I feel I'm being generous giving it above a five. If you like alien stuff, and sci-fi, you will likely be at least moderately entertained throughout. There are some decent scripted events and the story unfolds slowly in some parts, but mostly it's good enough. The dialouge is pretty cheesy in many parts though, so don't expect major storytelling to go on here. If you are a diehard fan of "Aliens take over small western town in the USA, elite military group goes in to stop them and discovers some crazy stuff", you will enjoy the story at least.

Multiplayer - 5 The multiplayer stuff is decent. The problem is finding anyone that actually plays online. It's a bit bland and stale in several areas, copying many other online shooting games and modes. It's all very standard stuff, even the semi-cool abduct mode (virus kills basically). IF you can get a group of friends together to play, you may rate this section a seven rather than a five. But as it is, there is just nothing new here, or extremely fun.

In the end, this game falls short in every catergory but story. And even it holds many cliches and slow, low points. I wanted it to be better. But the game just isn't that fun to play. I kept finding myself thinking "if only" over and over about so many aspects of this title. It was obviously rushed in the end, and I find that inexscusable considering the length of time spent making it, and the delays. If you decide to have a night alone with your games, and you like alien stuff, maybe give this a rent. I can't see many people buying it and enjoying their purchase for years to come, or even weeks to come. This game could have been so much more. It is merely playable, if you have nothing better to do, or again, you really love the subject matter at hand.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 11/26/07

Game Release: BlackSite: Area 51 (US, 11/12/07)