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Review:

5th June 2005:
Area 51
Dreamland finally get Spookie as Area 51 finds itelf the centre of a viral outbreak.
Posted by Chris Snook - PlayStation 2,Xbox,PC - UK and Europe

In 1947, near a small American town in New Mexico, an event occurred that was so momentous that it ultimately would shake the foundations of the human race. Despite the best efforts of the Truman Administration details were leaked out and a hasty cover-up engaged. The town was Roswell and the crashed Alien space ship has been denied ever since, despite starting a near cottage industry of conspiracies about its current resting place. Groom Lake Air Force base aka Dreamland. Area 51.

Since the crash, there has been a pact of co-operation between the survivors of the impact and the human scientist sent to study them, resulting in a better life for mankind and bigger better weapons of war for those who wish them. Now Doctor Cray has discovered something and has smashed the pact, hoping that history will in the end understand his actions. Even if the shadowy Mister White will not. To this end he releases a deadly virus into Area 51, a virus that can literally change mankind forever.

Into this steps Ethan Cole, a specialist with HazMat (Hazardous Materials) Team Bravo, one of the US Military's elite crews sent in to deal with Nuclear, Chemical and Biological hotspots across the globe. Now they have been detailed to enter Area 51 and help contain the outbreak and look for Delta Team who were sent in ahead and to which all communications were lost shortly after making it to the deeper levels. Now you as Cole and the rest of Bravo Team have a job to do. Good luck.

Area 51 is a first person shooter set in the infamous US military research centre long held by theorists as being the most likely place to find alien life on planet Earth. It follows the above scenario where you as part of a specialist team are sent in to clean up a viral outbreak and to assist the staff go Area 51 in containing the outbreak and preventing it from getting further into the world as the virus itself causes mutations and death within hours of being contracted.

Quite nasty actually.

As you progress you find clues that you can scan in that unlock secrets and further information that weave in and out of the story, often providing more than one particular conspiracy more fuel to the fire until a tangled web emerges that points to you being caught dead centre.

Everything gives the impression of being well thought out, with a definite look and feel that evokes a sense of heart stopping fear once in awhile. Area 51 itself looks like a cross between a recognisable Air Force Base with trucks, planes and the like crossed with something that would not be out of place in a Star Trek Episode, it is the blending and blurring of what we know and what we could know that makes this all the more real feeling, as does the nicely executed tutorial. Though tutorial is a little dismissive, it is a quick mission right at the start of the game that leads you into the swing of things gently and still provides a solid footing for events to come. That you are hunting a saboteur and not just yomping through an exercise is welcome and is curiously vital to finding things out.

As mentioned the look is distinctive, rugged but more than functional. There are nice details slipped in, badges, signs and papers left around. Lighting is also done well, conveying a claustrophobic feel when required whilst showing off some of the best maps designed for a while. Animation shows no real flaws and further adds to the rugged feel of things. There are neat things such as in the rifle's low-light scope you see an image similar to the one you see normally, same for the scanner they give you, you see what you are scanning. And turning that torch on and off helps too.

Possibly the best element is the voice acting. In what has almost certainly a slight element of tongue in cheek, David Duchovney, TV's Mulder, provides the voice for Cole, delivering his lines with a wry understatement that indicates he is finding it if not amusing then ironic that finally he has made it into Area 51. The support is good too with Powers Boothe leading the pack and later there is an intriguing appearance by Marilyn Manson. One minor problem is that just once in the while the dialogue seems to be there because it is there, best example is "This is Area 51, they do things differently here". I kind of hoped they would. Music is good also, providing the right tempos at the right time and helps keeps things running. Everything else sounds right, sirens, gunshots and machinery all give the impression of a working base, staffed with people.

The level design is nice, slipping from the usual through to the next generation with ease. They are large and blessedly have checkpoints, which seriously aids going through a level, extra kudos for allowing the selection of which checkpoint to start from, giving you so much more control over your progress. With split screen play and the option to go online there is even more to do. Online play is supported via GameSpy and as expected works pretty damn well, the only downer is that like many PS2 titles there are just not that many people on at any one time - a reflection of the lack of people with a broadband adapter out there unfortunately.

If there is one place Area 51 falls down on it is the almost ubiquitous problem of controlling an FPS on a console. Despite the ability to select control sensitivity there is no happy medium between plodding across the screen as you try to aim or zipping from one side to the other as you try to track an attacker. Changing weapon also is confusing and can lead you once or twice to standing there scanning an attacker instead of filling it through with a decent level of lead.

The difficulty too is at times erratic, for the most part it is pitched just right with one or two spots of absolute manic intensity that seem out of character, it is uncertain whether these are deliberate or not. There is also once or twice the possibility of something killing you instantly, even with over two thirds. of your health remaining. Other than this the gameplay is much as you would expect and once the action seriously kicks up several gears there is hardly time to contemplate things.

Area 51 is one of the best FPS games out there on the PS2, it has the legs to be played again and again, if only to try and find out just what is going on and all the hidden clues. If this is your bag and if it is you will probably already have ignored the control problems then you will have a good time, otherwise worth looking at but it will not be for everyone.

Chris Snook

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Review Summary:

Well conceived and slightly ironic look at the world of conspiracies and the almost mythical Area 51. Nicely executed with a slick vision of what things could be like and a solid if slightly worn plotline, Area 51 is a good bet to while away a few hours, despite the normal control problems for a console FPS.

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