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BlackSite Area 51 Preview for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

BlackSite Area 51 Preview for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Aliens

August 7, 2007 – Aliens have been the bane of our existence for quite some time, whether in video games or real life for some. They constantly find ways to ruin a perfectly good town with their death rays and probes. Granted, we have had several chances to take our stand against, as well as be one of, these heartless cold-blooded killers. Some would say the only exception to the cold-hearted ruthless killing nature of these life forms from a distant world is E.T., but I say that even he was out for blood. He just substituted his blood thirsty nature for some Reeses Pieces and stopped for the day.

BlackSite: Area 51 screenshot

Midway has been leading the charge against the world conquers for some time now. In the past, we needed to shake out our pants to find quarters to pop in to the arcade in order to take them down. Over time, we have had the opportunity of mowing down some Alien/Predator wannabes in the console version of those games and now we have a new outing that will focus on the element of teamwork to bring down the aliens. In September, we will make our final stand. In September, we will show the universe that you don’t mess with a world that has seen Independence Day.

The main storyline follows Aeran Pierce, a military vet who served during the Iraq Conflict. At the start of the game, we get a harsh flashback about the war and the mindset of the character at that time. We also find about those aliens. Doing what the government does best, they convince Aeran’s squad that the aliens they saw were not real. They probably told them that it was due to the battle stress they were under, a common government ploy to distract from the truth. That or weather balloons. After some time has past, Aeran and his squad are called back into action because they are the only ones that have seen what is devastating the U.S. from the inside. This could be one tour of duty that Aeran and his fellow squad may wish they didn’t have any part of.

BlackSite: Area 51 screenshot

I recently played the demo available for the game, and if I wasn’t ready to take down aliens before then, I am now. Blacksite Area 51 is your traditional FPS game. You have the first person view, various weapons, and even the screen turning red effect to symbolize you are about to kick the bucket so find a place to hide to fill your health up feature. I know that that may be a little disheartening to find out that it is just another FPS, but it makes it up with the squad features you will be able to play with. There were several instances that the squad with me kept asking for orders and I could honestly hear that their restlessness was affecting their mood to follow my commands. I love this feature of the game; it adds that certain amount of depth to the combat system. Orders are not the only things that will affect your squad’s performance either. If you are pinned down by a large amount of opposing forces, you will be able to watch them hide and scream to you to come and aid them. In addition, their morale is boosted if you are doing exceptionally well.

The controls for the demo were great all the way around; they responded as well as the squad followed my commands. I’m not sure if it is because of the countless hours I have spent playing through some other FPSs, but the ease in which a few friends and I were able to lock horns with the enemy was rather impressive. Nothing was overly complicated with the controls. I’m sure that as the game progresses, this simplistic natured control scheme will become a dire importance when face incredible odds, probably more so when we can take Blacksite online and play as a co-op team or in a 16-person deathmatch. There’s part of me that hopes we will have more than those two choices of online gameplay, but we will have to wait and see how that comes about when the game is finally released.

BlackSite: Area 51 screenshot

The graphics are another appealing aspect of the game. The rain effect alone in the level that I played was impressive. The game is not a grittily detailed as some other games, but the effect Midway was going for is respectable enough to be considered a beautiful game to look at. This was even more apparent in the destructive nature of everything in the game. If you don’t like the way the dairy freezer looks in the store, shoot it until it doesn’t look like itself. The lightning effects add the omniscient eerie appeal to the game as well. All of the attention to detail in graphics will make the gamer in all of us giddy. Not to be completely outdone, the sounds of the game are pleasing too. The voice acting doesn’t seem to be reliant on the fabled sci-fi genre of quality acting, and this is a good thing. The explosions are also authentic to the point of forcing you to feel the carnage of war on your nerves.

Blacksite Area 51 is holding its own as far as a title to be on the look out for. In a month that seems to be already dominated by Halo 3, Blacksite will be the sleeper hit that everyone is talking. Impressive graphics, squad based gameplay, and online features for a full explosion of carnage and bloodshed, all await us when the game hits shelves this September. The alien scum had better be watching their backs when we fight another Independence Day to free our world from them.

Features:

  • Your elite Special Forces squad, assembled from the finest soldiers in today’s military, responds to your orders and your leadership in the most realistic in-game visuals imaginable. Lead your squad well, and they’ll rally behind you when the enemy brings the fight, but waver in the face of the enemy and their morale will sink accordingly, affecting their aim, their fatigue, and the will to fight.
  • Players will have a wide variety of traditional online modes, such as Death- Match, Team-Death-Match and Capture-the-Flag. All-new, unique modes will also be available in the form of Human vs. Reborn mode and the new Siege mode, where teams try to capture each other’s squad members on the way to controlling territory.
  • Drive the latest military HMMWVs, ATVs and commandeer civilian vehicles, or take a seat in the gunner’s position in daring, low-level helicopter raids against enemy positions.
  • As Squad Leader, you have the power, the authority, and the duty to command your troops to perform a variety of complex actions, including planting C-4, sniping an enemy in the guard tower, or taking control of various vehicles. Players will also have the ability to control all squad commands with the press of a single button, without the hassle of clunky menus and/or multiple button taps.
  • In the ultimate mission-based, player-driven FPS game, take your Squad down any one of multiple paths to solve problems and defeat enemies. Strategically use cover points and blow away others in huge levels where nearly everything you see is destructible.

  • You Don’t Need Top Secret Clearance To Know BlackSite: Area 51 Looks Good

    January 30, 2007 – Way back when, during the times when you had to go to arcades to get your video game fix, players may fondly remember dumping their quarters into Area 51, that staple light gun game halfway in between the skeet-ball and ticket counter.

    BlackSite: Area 51 screenshot

    Almost a decade later, in 2005, Midway released the console version of Area 51 although, except for the name and zombie/alien kill fest, the game received a major revamp in nearly all aspects of the game, proving to be a solid but forgettable FPS. Now, however, Midway hopes to leave its mark on the next-gen consoles with its soon to be released BlackSite: Area 51, the next sci-fi FPS in the series.

    BlackSite: Area 51, as the title suggests, takes place in and around Area 51 which, as any conspiracy theorist will tell you, is the breeding grounds for secret extra-terrestrial activities. And indeed, as the leader of a four man squad, it is up to the player to prevent and contain an alien/virus outbreak/invasion, which in all likelihood is the key to saving the world.

    The game, like its predecessors, is a first person shooter so the player can walk, shoot, crouch, jump, melee, throw grenades, and view all through the squad leader’s eyes. This is nothing new, but BlackSite has even more to offer extending the genre to include squad based tactics. As the squad leader, you can give commands to the three other AI controlled members of your team. By viewing at a certain object and selecting a command function, your squad members will act accordingly. For example, command in the direction of the side of a wall, and your team will take cover against it, or command in the direction of a door and someone will open it for you. In addition, further emphasis is placed on squad control as the squad’s performance is constantly dynamic and based on their morale. By boosting morale through such means as getting headshots, keeping your squad mostly out of harm’s way through environmental cover, and generally playing smart and effectively, the team will enhance its performance and fight with more gusto. However, neglect your team’s safety and they will become sheepish and ineffective. This intriguing aspect of the game may turn out to be a challenging addition that could really support gameplay and set the game apart from many other FPS’s.

    BlackSite: Area 51 screenshot

    Squad tactics aside, the actual gameplay seems to be fast paced and cinematic. Players are pitted against various types of aliens/zombie-like enemies, with each one probably having a specific strength, weakness, and strategy to defeat. In terms of weapons, it is not known exactly what will make an appearance; however, it may be safe to assume from its predecessor that a large arsenal will be at the player’s disposal. And, of course, some may be of extraterrestrial origins. Also, vehicles, although to what extent is unknown, will have an integral presence in the game as well. Although not fully non-linear, the game does allow the squad to take various routes to the designated location suggesting that certain amount of strategy is involved in choosing which path to follow for better firefight positioning. In addition, the environment plays a large part in the firefights as, like many games, more focus is being placed on coverage. But don’t expect to hide forever as objects will take damage and shatter or blow away when enough damage is taken. Gone however, are the days when taking a single shot at a radiation marked barrel will blow apart everything onscreen.

    BlackSite: Area 51 screenshot

    Initial reactions towards the presentation are positive as the atmosphere plays out to be both epic and horror-esque. Dark and shady environments seems to be the norm in reflecting the storyline as written by Sarah O’Connor whose other works can be seen in the console Area 51 and the very successful Gears of War, along with many other games of that nature. The game will progress through dramatic cinematic cutscenes which, along with the rest of the game, are well rendered to fit with the higher graphic standards and details of the next generation consoles. Also, the sounds and music of the game seemed more than impressive, with sound effects being accurate and boastful and the soundtrack sounding nothing short of one straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. One of the finer selling points from Area 51 was the strong voice acting, including that of X-Files alum David Duchovny and Marilyn Manson. If BlackSite: Area 51 were able to replicate the strong voice-overs of characters as in Area 51, then gamers should be in for a treat. The detailed but shadowy environment combined with the epic sounds and voices of the game create an extremely cinematic feel to the game, as it seems to unfold like an interactive movie. Also, although with efforts focusing on creating an engrossing single player mode, BlackSite: Area 51 does boast both a co-op story and multiplayer modes including both deathmatch and objective based games such as Capture the Flag.

    BlackSite: Area 51 screenshot

    With such strong FPS titles out or upcoming such as Halo 3 or Rainbow Six: Vegas, and already established success in the alien invasion genre such as Gears of War, it’d be interesting to see how BlackSite: Area 51 will pan out with the competition. Perhaps with the help of its unique squad-based action, along with the epic yet dark cinematic feel to the game, Midway may have turned a decade old arcade classic into a legitimate and successful console game.

    Features:

  • Unique FPS experience with squad based tactics integrated with the gameplay. Take control of your character while commanding three other squad members. Put them in the right position and they’ll prove to be a great asset. Neglect them, however, and you’ll find the team suffering.
  • Engaging atmosphere as the dark and immersive visuals, cinematic graphics, and superior soundtrack grab the gamer into the alien invaded world.
  • A promising storyline by the writer who brought us Gears of War, told through cinematic cutscenes and in game voice dialogue.
  • Multiple weapons and vehicles to keep the action fresh and fast paced.
  • Huge multiplayer potential with not just a co-op mode, but online battles that can support up to 16 gamers ranging from death-matches and objective based games like king of the hill and capture the flag.

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