Area 51

by Midway

Product Features

• Arm yourself with 10 human and alien weapons as you explore dark and menacing corridors
• Discover the real answers behind such conspiracy theories as the alien autopsy and faked lunar landing
• Take the action online and set up matches with your friends

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00019AZB4
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 15, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,261 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.com

After the smash success of the arcade version of Area-51, Midway Entertainment has answered the calls for a console version of the game. With a cool, sci-fi storyline that includes terrifying aliens and mutants, and the sickest arsenal of human and alien weaponry imaginable, Area-51 is a gory, first-person shooter loaded with action.

Area-51, also known as Groom Lake, is a secret military facility about 90 miles north of Las Vegas. The name refers to a large, six-by-ten mile block of land that contains a covert, U.S.-military air base. The government refuses to comment on the nature of this air base, and since the 1950s, Area-51 has been a hotbed of UFO conspiracies and rumors of governmental cover-up. Now, because of a catastrophic viral outbreak, all the secrets are about to be blown wide open and only you -- Ethan Cole, HAZMAT Specialist -- can control the chaos, contain the outbreak, and save planet earth.

The research facility at Area-51 has been shut down because of a viral outbreak. The distress signal received by the U.S. Army has activated the automatic quarantine procedures, locking all scientific and military personnel inside. It will be your mission to dive into five massive levels within the secret confines of the mysterious Area-51 to try to keep the virus contained.

Stacked with an arsenal of human and alien weapons, you will battle scientists and military personnel who have been infected by the outbreak, as well as an ancient colony of aliens buried deep beneath the facility. Along the way, you will also unearth chilling conspiracies, such as the infamous extraterrestrial crash at Roswell and the faked lunar landing.

Once you've mastered the weaponry and completed your mission, you can take your skills to the global level and compete with others HAZMAT Specialists online with your PlayStation2. With cool guns, fast-paced action, and fun gameplay modes, Area-51 delivers awesome single-player and multi-player action.

Product Description

Area 51 is a great aracde shooter that's bringing its action and challenge home to you. You'll lead a special unit into the famous Area 51 and discover just what's really lurking in that mytserious, classified desert base. An infectious mutagen has given players alien-enhanced physical abilities but is slowly transforming them into an alien. They must find the cure before it's too late and their humanity is lost. Face off against a horde of horrific creatures - and secure Area 51!

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terribly underrated FPS, June 14, 2006

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Area 51 (Video Game)

Those who enjoyed venturing into arcades in the past decade will no doubt remember Midway's light gun shooter Area 51; a cumbersome and buggy game where you took on hordes of aliens and mutated beasts at the famously secretive government research facility. Fast forward to today, and Midway has totally restructured Area 51 from the inside out, this time around as a straight forward FPS. The storyline relatively stays the same, you play as Ethan Cole (voiced by David Duchovny), the lone survivor of a Haz-Mat team sent to investigate strange goings on at the research facility. As you venture through the game's levels, you learn of vast government and alien conspiracies, and when you get far enough, you find yourself turning into one of them. This element adds a fun dimension to the gameplay, allowing you to melee your enemies to death and fire off parasites to infect them. In addition to this feature, the standard FPS rules apply as you pick up a bevy of weapons and grenades to take out the hideous beings roaming in the underground of Area 51. The game's storyline packs in as much conspiracy-laden material as it can, ranging from alien abductions to the Roswell incident where it all started, and as you progress you can locate hidden documents which allow you to unlock the many secrets of the game. Powers Boothe and Marilyn Manson also lend their voices in addition to Duchovny, who sadly at many spots throughout the game sounds bored as he speaks. The online multiplayer feature is what really makes Area 51 a winner, which for a PS2 game manages to provide lag-free online play, and that itself is a welcome surprise. The graphics are unbelievably sharp for a PS2 game, with some nice lighting effects as well. The biggest drawback of Area 51 is the difficulty as you progress to the lower levels of the game. The farther you get, the toughter the enemies get, and the more and more sparse health and ammo get as well. So be warned, this isn't that easy an FPS to breeze through, but the multiplayer options and the nicely designed extras and secrets make this a game worth coming back to. All on all, Area 51 is a surprisingly great and terribly underrated FPS that stands as one of the top shooters on the PS2, and if you're an FPS fan, this is worth picking up.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for FPS fans, May 8, 2005

By 

Brian (PA United States) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Area 51 (Video Game)

Well where do I start? Just like the game there are so many fun twists and turns that it's hard to pick out a good spot to start talking about this game. Anyway the storyline is your HazMat Specialist Ethan Cole, who is with HazMat Team Bravo, sent into the treacherous Area 51 compound to find out what exactly happened and why did HazMat Team Delta go missing. Once you step into the base things go from bad, to worse, then to just downright ugly and hellish.

I am a huge FPS and shooter fan, and have played the original Area 51 and Area 51: Site 4 arcade machines. When I heard Midway was coming out with a FPS Area 51 game I couldn't wait. As soon as I got it and popped it into my PS2, I was immersed from the start. The graphics are jaw-dropping and the fluidity of the character movements were just downright smooth as hell. The action is far from lax too. From the get go you're thrusted into the mayhem that the mutated inbatitants of the base throw at you. Mutants, leapers,and later on in the game Cloned Human Spec Op soldiers, come at you out of nowhere at the most unexpected moments of the game, thus making you stay on your toes and making your finger hover over the R1 button at all times. Bottom line: You just never know when something will come at you from around the corner of a hallway.

The plot and the story of the game itself is great also. Conspiracy theories, plot twists, and sudden changes in the game that will shock you will keep any gamer from putting down that controller, yes it is THAT good. I can't say much about it because I don't want to spoil anything, but I can surely say that you will always be surprised at what occurs during the game as you make your way down through the base. In Area 51 you'll always want to find out what happens next.

Of course, no FPS is complete without a set of AI controlled teammates. But sometimes those teammates hamper you more than help you. In Area 51, these teammates actually give you cover fire, shout at you where enemies are coming from, and actually shoot to kill and not just weaken enemies for you.

What about controls? Controls are a snap to learn and easy to use. Nothing too complicated here.

The voice acting is an excellent point too. David Duchovny plays the role of Ethan Cole real well, giving the gamer the impression that yes Cole may seem like a soft-spoken HazMat specialists, but can sure prove his worth during battle. And Marylin Manson compliments Edgar real well. I feel that Manson does the job right by voicing the creepy looking Edgar and giving the game a chilling feel everytime his character speaks in the game.

Overall I love this game and the action is second-to-none and I feel that this is 50 bucks well spent. If you're a FPS fan or a fan of the Area 51 series, I highly suggest you buy this game. You won't be sorry, and chances you won't leave your PS2 until you finally complete the game.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More fun than the Arcade version, March 3, 2006

By 

Joshua T. Ohland (Flagstaff, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Area 51 (Video Game)

I remember playing the arcade version of area 51 when i was a kid and i loved it. Now that the game is out i was excited to get it and play it. Everything in the game is superb. the controls are easily used and the graphics are amazing. The storyline is interesting, and pieced together as you go through the game finding different secret documents that you can read later. However, this is not mandatory, so some people can essentially go through the game without knowing the story.

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