BlackSite: Area 51

 PC
User Score
4.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 58
  3. Negative: 22 out of 58
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. dillonlee
    May 27, 2018
    9
    Old school style first-person shooter that plays on the Area 51 urban legend. I like the game and it gives that sci-fi action movie vibe like Battle LA. But if there was an action packed episode of the X-Files filled with government troops and an assortment of aliens both big and small then this game would be closer to that.

    The game has several alien designs and I personally find them    Old school style first-person shooter that plays on the Area 51 urban legend. I like the game and it gives that sci-fi action movie vibe like Battle LA. But if there was an action packed episode of the X-Files filled with government troops and an assortment of aliens both big and small then this game would be closer to that.

    The game has several alien designs and I personally find them really well done. These aliens range from humanoid types, insectoids to gigantic worm and tentacled creatures that looked like they came out of the movie, The Mist. The characters are likeable and the game is set on the present day which is refreshing seeing all these popular "human vs. alien" shooters that are always set in the future in space or in some planet far away. Having to see soldiers in contemporary US military equipment battling aliens in some western desert and small town America is somewhat a rarity in video games with Half-Life 1 from 1998 the only thing that comes close to mind.

    Having played this on the PC the graphics seems to be superior from what I heard with those who played it on Playstation. Unreal Engine is gorgeous and it really comes out with the PC. I also heard the game is notorious for being 'unfinished' because of production problems it faced. This is noticeable during gameplay, with npc soldiers appearing out of nowhere during sequences and then disappearing from the map and when they are killed which I find archaic. A patch or mod could have fixed this but so far in 2018 (ten years later) I have not found any.

    I give the game a solid 9 because I expected a really bad game due to the negative press but was pleasantly surprised instead. Blacksite Area 51 reminds me of games I used to play in the past. It has that old school charm but with nicer graphics and interesting setting. If you are fan of conspiracy theories regarding extraterrestrials and the government give this game a try. Its not that bad its actually quite enjoyable.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007
58
#58 Most Shared PC Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 20
  3. Negative: 3 out of 20
  1. Game Informer
    75
    I can see FPS fans having fun with BlackSite since it provides all the standard FPS rollercoaster thrills, but most of us have been up and down those hills a few too many times.
    Read full review
  2. IGN
    65
    The game underperforms in every aspect, and although that doesn't make it bad, it certainly makes it a major disappointment for everyone who was anxiously awaiting this game's debut.
    Read full review
  3. Gamer 2.0
    77
    While the game was well paced, there wasn’t much depth to the individual gameplay facets used to break up regular running and gunning, and the lack of variety in weapons was disturbing for a shooter.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »