Area 51

Originally released for PC, PS2 and XBox in 2005, Area 51 features a full single player campaign along with multiplayer modes. The single player campaign will have you uncover the mysteries of Area 51 as it is attacked by mutants, humanoids and aliens. You will use guns, alien technology and mutant powers to move deeper and deeper into the complex.

Multiplayer is comprised of standard FPS modes like Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Conquest. In all of those modes (if the host enables it), you can change between a human and mutant at any time. Humans wield human and alien projectile weapons, mutants have strong melee, can shoot a health-regenerating parasite, and have better sight. Area 51 also features an Infection mode where one player starts as a mutant; the player tries to infect all other players until there is one human left standing.

One special feature of Area 51′s multiplayer is the map size. Many maps will ‘expand or contract’ depending on the number of players in the game. For example: if 5 people are playing they might have 3 rooms to fight in, when more people join the map will unlock 2 new rooms to fight in. This means players won’t wander around looking for opponents or be stuck because of overpopulation.

    Weapons
  • Pistol – Highly accurate, but limited ammo.
  • Shotgun – Fires quick single shots, or a large double barrel blast. (can be dual wielded)
  • Assault Rifle – Standard automatic rifle with decent accuracy and damage. (can be dual wielded)
  • Sniper Rifle – Semi-automatic long range sniper.
  • Meson Rifle – Alien weapon that fires a burst of orbs that bounce off walls and stick to your opponent before exploding.
  • Meson Canon - Alien megaweapon that fires a large mass of energy which electrocutes all players near it.
  • Frag Grenade – Standard frag with one decent blast.
  • JB Grenade – Alien grenade that has multiple shock blasts.

The free download is ready to play with the most updated version on installation. It contains a few Air Force advertisements not found in the original game, but they don’t diminish the experience. *The game is free because the US Air Force purchased the rights to release it for free.

You can find an original CD-Rom version for no more than $10. You do not need a CD Key to install so don’t be afraid to buy used copies, just make sure you will receive 3 disks. You will also have to install a patch to fix minor glitches. If you are having trouble accessing online mode, go to GameSpy.com and create an account. Logging into a GameSpy account refreshes the Area 51 account allowing you to play online. In conclusion, we recommend the free version for ease of installation.

This was a big release back in 2005 and I played the game to death on PS2. Midway brought in David Decovny, Powers Boothe and Marilyn Manson to do the voice-over work in the single player game, the acting is movie-quality. I have played through the single player many times and always had fun. I also like the dual wielding aspect: if you pick up a weapon on the ground that you already hold you will dual wield, however you won’t be able to reload. As soon as you have to reload you will drop the second weapon, so at times you must decide if you want to have a little more power or ammo. I highly recommend you check this game out. – RenegadeFerret 7/14/2010