Area 51 (PS1), Clapping Alien Cheeks 1995 Style | Demise Reviews
2Area 51 is a light gun arcade game released by Atari Games in 1995. It takes its name from the military facility. The plot of the game involves the player taking part in a Strategic Tactical Advanced Alien Response (STAAR) military incursion to prevent aliens, known as the Kronn, and alien-created zombies from taking over the Area 51 military facility.
Produced as a last-ditch effort to reverse Atari's struggling fortunes, Area 51 largely underwhelmed critics, who compared it unfavorably to contemporary light gun shooters such as Virtua Cop 2, but was well-liked by players and became a major hit. The game was ported to the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and personal computers. Atari further capitalized on its success with Maximum Force, which used the same arcade board and similar graphics techniques and gameplay, and a direct sequel, Area 51: Site 4.
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Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:14 - Review
05:13 - Overall
05:44 - FLASH WARNING
06:06 - It's Safe Again
06:30 - Outro
Produced On: 1/9/24
Scheduled For: 2/18/24
The PlayStation version supports fullscreen play, while the Saturn version has a border covering about 15% of the screen. The Saturn version supports all of the console's light guns. The PlayStation version supports the Konami Justifier, but not the Namco GunCon.
Despite the arcade version running on a modified Atari Jaguar, it was never ported on to the system itself. According to Atari Games, by the time of Area 51's release the company no longer saw the Jaguar as a viable platform.
This game takes the player through several sections of the facility, including a warehouse and tunnels. The player character is tasked, along with fellow Special Tactical Advanced Alien Response (STAAR) members Lieutenant Stephanie Grant and Sergeant Major Marcus Bradley, to penetrate Area 51 and activate the nuclear self-destruct sequence. The player must defeat genetically modified zombie soldiers and aliens without harming any allied STAAR team members. If nothing but three STAAR team members are shot, the Kronn Hunter mode is started, taking the role of a Hunter, sent by the Kronn to eliminate the rebels.
In 2005, a first-person shooter which shares the name and uses the original as an inspiration was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC by Midway Games. It features a more sophisticated storyline and the voices of David Duchovny, Marilyn Manson, and Powers Boothe, and was well-received; the original arcade game makes a brief appearance here as well. In 2007, Midway released BlackSite: Area 51 to PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, which was received poorly.