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TotalGames.netWhile the game may be some distance from Bungie's massive shooter in terms of quality, it's well worth a look for anyone after a quick blast in a game that will remind us all that the "X-Files" was once a decent TV show.
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An average shooter that doesn't offer up more than a handful of satisfying thrills throughout its single-player and multiplayer modes. You'll certainly play worse FPS games in your lifetime, but you'll also certainly play better ones, too.
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Play MagazineBut here again, another fun idea inevitably joins what feels like a game thrown together out of genre spare parts. [May 2005, p.39]
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With "Halo 2" and "Unreal Championship 2" being available on an already FPS-abundant console, Area 51 just doesn't deliver the same way those two can, even if you are a "believer."
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Neither scary nor particularly engrossing, Area 51 is an exercise in keeping the trigger pressed and the aliens streaming out of the screen. The truth, it is sad to say, is still out there. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]
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While this spirited update to the 1996 light gun classic isn't nearly as polished or intelligent as some of the other games in its genre, it still provides tons of hardcore alien blasting and some slick special effects. The controls are spot on.
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Fans of the genre will find plenty to enjoy, from the spooky setting to the non-stop action. Live users can also enjoy the excellent lag-free games that it offers, which certainly makes Area 51 a game to consider.
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AceGamezA good, solid shooter that has a lot going for it but fails to achieve greatness, lacking that often indefinable sparkle that makes for a classic.
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The series moves from the light-gun to the overly saturated FPS genre, offering decent if unspectacular gameplay.
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Official Xbox MagazineIf Midway's goal was to make a first-person shooter that was as deep as the lightgun blast-'em-up arcade game of the same moniker, it's succeeded admirably. The problem is, this is 2005, and the simple run-and-gun FPS went the way of the crop circle about six years ago. [Apr 2005, p.78]
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Probably only warrant a rental, which is basically all the time you'll need to play through this game. Area 51 truly is nothing but a hoax.
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Area 51 is the antithesis of what first person shooter fans want. It is actually a better offline title than it is online.
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Area 51 is in no specific way a bad game, it's just an exceptionally dated game. The player's objectives aren't much more evolved than an old Doom or Turok game, and the graphic presentation isn't up to par with the genre's best.
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It gets off to a promising enough start, but then it stumbles, then trips over its own feet, then chokes on its own vomit, then dies a slow, miserable death.
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One of the highlights of Area 51 is definitely the weapons. There's a very good variety of weapons at your disposal, all of which are standard to most first-person shooters.
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It feels like we've traveled these claustrophobic corridors a million times before, and there's really nothing here to make you want to put down one of the far superior shooters that can be found on the Xbox.
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Lacking any innovation, the best this game offers has already been done.
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Edge MagazineArea 51 is entirely without inspiration, an exercise in slick, crowd-pleasing cookie-cutter cliché from the Jerry Bruckheimer school of entertainment manufacture. It is absolutely not bad, almost never broken, and usually a good deal of fun. [July 2005, p.92]
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But the bulk of the game takes itself far too seriously, so we are forced to admit that it falls short of other serious shooters.
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Incredibly high production values can't mask a central lack of compelling gameplay.
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games(TM)There are moments when player adrenaline levels will rise above the base level, but they are so few and far between that in the end most will decide that slogging through the copious average sections simply isn't worth the effort. [June 2005, p.116]
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Only a must-play title for those obsessed with alien conspiracies, or those still hungry for more first-person horror after overturning the forces of Hell in Doom 3. For everyone else, the scariest thing about this game will be how quickly the credits roll, making it one title to be bought and thoroughly enjoyed essentially only on budget or rental.
Awards & Rankings
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92
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51
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#51 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2005
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 13 out of 23
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Mixed: 9 out of 23
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Negative: 1 out of 23
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May 7, 2022this game is great and it is all about is attack of area 51.we all love this game a lot.
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Apr 17, 2020This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view.
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Jan 13, 2020