Review: Area 51 (XBOX) - Wow!

I

InfiniteStill

CAGiversary!
It was almost 9 months ago when I bought this game and before yesterday, it sat on a shelf still wrapped in plastic. Had I only known what I was missing...

Area 51 is one of the best games I have played on the XBOX. The graphics are superb, the controls are fluid and highly responsive, the storyline is a lot of fun, and the action is fast and immersive.

This game kept me locked within its grip for two days straight. It surprised me at every turn and I was amazed at how it gave even stellar titles like Half-Life (PC) and Halo 1/2 (XBOX) a run for the money. The enemy AI was a lot of fun to battle with and the team AI was surprisingly good. The graphics were incredibly imaginative and the voice acting was great! Best of all, this was a thinking man's FPS without forcing you to endure tiresome and frustrating "sneak" stages. The weapons were great and the "alternate" abilities were a lot of fun! Save points were perfectly spaced apart and item/ammo pickups were dispersed perfectly. Boss fights were tension-filled fun and CG cutscenes were great eye candy.

Do yourself a favor and don't read the back of the box. I didn't and boy was I in for a huge surprise!

Most sites are selling this game for just $20 and at that price, it is an absolute steal. I can't believe how unfairly Area 51 was reviewed in the press because this game is hands down one of the best in my XBOX collection. This game deserved much better praise. Shame on you gaming press.

Highly recommended! 9.0/10
 
[quote name='InfiniteStill']
Do yourself a favor and don't read the back of the box. I didn't and boy was I in for a huge surprise![/QUOTE]

What was the huge suprise? I don't think I read the back of the box before playing the game, but I wasn't suprised by anything.

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I certainly did enjoy the game. I just wasn't suprised, especially by anything the box would've given away.
 
i enjoyed area 51 and thought it was a above average game. I really liked the level where it was a fake moon landing. It actually had me laughing.
 
When I first played the demo of Area 51, I called it a "Halo Killer". When it came out, I didn't pick it up. I did rent it, and I could not put the controller down. I loved every aspect of that game. I recently picked it up at the TRU clearance/sale. I recommend it. Strongly. It's $10 at most places now, there's no excuse not to own it. It's a fantastic game.
 
I won the PS2 version here on CAG, actually, and man, it really is great. Disasterously overlooked, unfortunately. Great looking (CG cutscenes are quite "wow"), great sounding (never thought I'd hear Marylin Manson and David Duchovny sharing a conversation), and really great playing, with some genuinely creative (and at times very funny) ideas and moments, which is something that the FPS genre desperately needs these days. The multiplayer deserves mention, as well (dynamically changing levels was pretty cool).

Too many of Midway's best efforts have been overlooked lately, which is unfortunate, because they are now my favorite North American game publisher/developer.
 
[quote name='PenguinMaster']What was the huge suprise? I don't think I read the back of the box before playing the game, but I wasn't suprised by anything.

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I certainly did enjoy the game. I just wasn't suprised, especially by anything the box would've given away.[/QUOTE]

The back of the box highlights the ability to transform into an alien and unleash entirely new modes of vision and attack. I had no idea this was coming. This created an entirely new strategy for playing through the game and it was completely unexpected.
 
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