Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4783 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Midway Games Ltd
• Released on: 2005-05-27
• Rating: To Be Announced
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: PlayStation2

From the Manufacturer
Area 51 is the only action-packed 1st person shooter set in the U.S. governments most secret and secure military facility. The U.S. Army has received a distress signal from Area 51 where a viral outbreak has just shut down the research facility and the automated quarantine procedures have locked all scientific and military personnel inside.

A small Special Forces unit led Specialist Ethan Cole of HAZMAT (hazardous materials) Division is sent to investigate. As Cole, players will delve into five massive levels within the confines of Area 51, discover a mutagenic side effect of the virus that controls the minds of those infected, as well as an ancient alien colony buried beneath the facility. With a multitude of human and alien weapons, players must explore chilling conspiracies such as the extraterrestrial crash at Roswell and the faked lunar landing, in order to solve the enigmas of Area 51 before the viral mutagen is released and irrevocably mutates all life on earth.

Customer Reviews

Investigate Area 51.
Theres been a terrible accident at Area 51 and you (Cole) and your team are sent to investigate. Personally, i wouldn't have gone, but this team do. At first hand you'll be able to see the proof that we are not alone in the universe. It has a great storyline, but i honestly don't want to give any more away, so i'll leave it there.
Graphics are amazing. The lighting is brilliant and creates an eerie atmosphere that will genuinely leave you scared, especially when the only light you have is on the end of your gun. Areas are incredibly detailed, but its the enemies that will really leave you drooling. All highly original and so detailed they'll make you cry.
The gameplay is superb. Set in First Person mode (i.e. you play the game through the eyes of the character,) you will find yourself going through all sorts. From teamwork to take out large ammounts of alien hoards, to blasting from mounted guns, and even being on your own and collecting information about what exactly is going on down here in Area 51. Theres a pleasing ammount of strategy involved where each enemy requires a different way of being taken out. The AI (artifical intelligence) of the enemies is pleasingly challanging and keeps you wanting to race through the game.
I would say that this is easily one of the best first person shooters on PS2 and its a must have game for anyone who loves the genre. For anyone with a slightly nervous disposition-stay away. A great game.

......so far!
Ok here it is...I first heard of this game about a year ago. At that time i was a regular reader of the official ps2 mag. In this mag i read a preview of Area 51, which, although intriguing i was pretty sceptical mainly because the people behind it were Midway (really only known for the Mortal Kombat series and the sub-standard Suffering). I doubted that it would ever amount to anything more than a run of the mill FPS. Where FPS games are concerned I'm pretty selective, I usually only buy them for my PC (other FPS that I own are Doom 3, Painkiller and Pariah) with only Killzone being the only noteworthy fps on the ps2 (which I also own). I have to admit I did not buy this game from amazon, I actually bought it from a local games shop. The reason for this firstly was the packaging. I've never seen a game on ps2 be so well presented!! Sad as it may seem, but the way I see it the more attractively packaged something is, the more likely it is to sell, and this game is superbly presented in it's reflective steel case which looks miles better than the standard green tack that xbox owners have to put up with (1-0 to ps2 then). I'm pleased to say that it was money very well spent as it is a very polished game, from the excellent FMV, to the brilliant voice acting and suitably moodly electronic score that accompanies the action. Area 51 is very fast, very detailed in all department and is non-stop action all the way. Undeniably these days the ps2 is starting to show its age in the graphics department but even running on ps2 with 3 allies and countless enemies (all very detailed), explosions and other graphical special effects it still runs like a dream with no hint of slowdown at all!! It is a triumph of programming considering how limiting the ps2 hardware is these days. The story too is top notch sci fi fare, and anyone into conspiracy theories and alien experimentation will not be disappointed. this game should appeal to virtually anybody. It will appeal to die hard fps fans, sci fi fans, horror fans, near enough everyone!!! It truly is a great game and I find it difficult to find anything particularly wrong with it. Midway, I applaud you!!

suprisingly good
il be honest, when i purchased area 51, i didnt know too much about it, i hadnt read any reviews, i was just bored after work one night and happend to see this on sale. i was quite pleased then when i got home and found out that this is possably one of the nicest looking games on the PS2. I usually favour the Xbox over the PS2 due to the sharper graphics etc but in this case i dont think there could be much difference... its gorgeous. but the good points dont end there, im a big fan of first person shooters and if you remove the big guns (Halo 1/2, Half life 2 and time splitters 2) area 51 is probably your next best bet. the first thing i look for in an FPS is a good atmosphere, and this certainly delivers, its dark and down right eerie in places. this is added too by the voice talent leant by david duchovney of the x files and marilyn manson to name but a few. this game also happens to be very hard in places but you get a sense of achievement when you finaly get past a hard level. Area 51 isnt perfect by any means, more weapons and gadgets would have been nice (seeing as its set in a top secret military research base) there are a few nice suprises tho and seeing as its rather cheap on amazon now, theres no excuse not to buy it