Area 51

Midway has transformed Area 51 from the light gun-based shooter that populated amusement arcades in the past to a first-person shooter. The game’s setting remains the eponymous New Mexico locale which is shrouded in a sinister mystic revolving around a US government-led cover-up involving extra-terrestrials, human experiments, and a fabricated lunar landing. The game’s cinematic quality is supported by environments that are rendered in exquisite detail and some voiceovers from the likes of David Duchovny (X-Files) and rocker Marilyn Manson. What does this all translate into? Area 51 is a very graphically intense FPS that has obviously taken some cues from other successful FPS games (Resident Evil 4, Halo, Doom 3) of recent years. Whilst I can highly recommend this game to the casual gamer or gaming newbie, some hardcore gamers may feel a little disappointed as it does not provide enough “all-hell-is-breaking-loose” firefights as set pieces.

Players play as Ethan Cole, a member of a four-strong, rag-tag HAZMAT unit that is sent into Area 51 to investigate a viral outbreak (two words that can never have an uplifting meaning when used together). There are nineteen chapters to blast through and most missions consist of meeting other squad members, finding keycards, locating communication devices, or rendezvousing with characters who can assist with unraveling the conspiracy. Armed initially with a flashlight and pistol, Cole soon begins to acquire a much more lethal arsenal along the way (the shotgun is particularly satisfying to use). The truth is out there and Cole (voiced by Duchovny) must make his way to the good Dr. Winston Cray and the evil Dr. White (Manson) to get to it. Along the way, Cole, with the help of a handheld scanner, is able to scan dead bodies and classified information scattered throughout the game to aid his quest for the truth.

The early chapters play like a “shot anything that moves” fest that recalls some of the tenser moments in Aliens. Like Aliens, there are plenty of environments early on in which mutated scientists, soldiers, and other life forms are intent on killing or infecting the HAZMAT team members in poorly lit corridors and blood splattered laboratories. Whilst Area 51 does have moments in which one is left wondering what type of life form is around the corner, the aliens are not constructed to be grotesques creatures of the Silent Hill variety nor do the enemy soldiers look much different from the enemies encountered in games such as Killzone and Doom.

As is often inevitable in FPS games, there comes a time when the protagonist is forced to face the ghastly ghoulies on his own with precious little ammo or health. It’s at this point that Area 51 takes a turn that leaves Cole unwillingly infected by the viral outbreak yet very much aware that he has acquired new powers and abilities. Whilst transforming into a mutant on a long-term basis is a proposition that Cole would like to avoid, this player-activated mutant state does enable one to view the environments in a striking way. When Cole has temporarily transformed into a mutant, he gains heat-seeking vision, the ability to fire fatal viral contagion at opponents and melee-attack anything that gets in the way.

The combat system is easy to use and remember, and consist simply of jumping, crouching, shooting, and hitting. There’s no need to invest numerous hours in gaining a technical, nimble-fingered proficiency before one is able to fully enjoy the action.

After sharpening one’s skills in the somewhat repetitive single-player mode, multiplayer mode offers opportunities for teamwork (up to 16 players in a team) in the form of capture the flag, death matches and a game in which players can play as either a HAZMAT team member or an infected mutant. Reading maps, navigating plenty of stairwells, and dodgy corridors whilst ducking and diving enemy fire are things that have already been encountered elsewhere for fans of the FPS. However, multiplayer mode is still an engaging method of play.

After being exposed to such wonderfully rendered environments (the explosions are amazing), it is a shame that the voice work accompanying Area 51 is not nearly as satisfying. Duchvony, Manson, and Powers Boothe (HAZMAT co-ordinator Major Douglas) are the well-known names that do vocal duty on the game. Yet rarely does it ever feel like money well spent by Midway. The over-the-top “we’re-not-going-to-make-it-out-of-here” drawl of David Duchvony on four Diazepam and five bong hits doesn’t engorge the game with a fear factor. The lazy plundering of Duchovny’s X-Files persona did not successfully transfer to this medium. Area 51 is not the X-Files; David Duchovny is playing Ethan Cole, not Fox Mulder. And Marilyn Manson as the nefarious Dr. Cray? Lifeless… non-threatening lines… pushed through… a… vocoder… on setting… number two. Sadly, the vocal characterization that doesn’t include these three Hollywood regulars does more to suffuse the scenes with atmosphere that more closely resembles an actual cinematic experience.

The truth about Area 51? If you’re a regular player of FPS, there isn’t anything here that you haven’t already experienced before. Yet, if you’re looking for some damn fine graphics and an excuse to shot some alien ass, Area 51 is just the ticket.