Aggiungi una trama nella tua linguaIn a routine mission, Soldier Ethan Cole must survive a degenerative contamination and find out what is behind everything, which includes events and cases about UFO's and non-terrestrial lif... Leggi tuttoIn a routine mission, Soldier Ethan Cole must survive a degenerative contamination and find out what is behind everything, which includes events and cases about UFO's and non-terrestrial life covered by the government.In a routine mission, Soldier Ethan Cole must survive a degenerative contamination and find out what is behind everything, which includes events and cases about UFO's and non-terrestrial life covered by the government.
- Premi
- 2 candidature
- Ethan Cole
- (voce)
- Edgar
- (voce)
- Dr. Cray
- (voce)
- Mr. White
- (voce)
- Ramirez
- (voce)
- (as Marco Rodriguez)
- Crispy
- (voce)
- McCan
- (voce)
- Lt. Chew
- (voce)
- Marco
- (voce)
- Victor5
- (voce)
- Additional Voices
- (voce)
- (as Steven Jay Blum)
- Additional Voices
- (voce)
- (as Dan Hagen)
- Additional Voices
- (voce)
- (as Lori Allen)
Trama
Lo sapevi?
- QuizOne of the "Top Secret" memos the player can scan in the game involves a description of a science project to develop "sharks with lasers attached to their heads", a clear reference to the 'Austin Powers' movies.
- Citazioni
Ethan Cole: The philosopher Sartre once said 'hell is other people'. He was only half right.
- Versioni alternativeThree versions of the game exist:
- US version: uncut
- European version: slightly modified to remove extreme gore (ie. shooting of the scientists, usage of a severed arm and head to access doors)
- German version: heavily modified to remove all traces of blood/gore and all ragdoll effects
- ConnessioniFollowed by Blacksite: Area 51 (2007)
The famous base with untold mysteries is portrayed as what every conspiracy nutter claims it to be in real life: chock-full of intergalactic guinea pigs, reverse-engineered technology and enough mad scientists to host a convention of the gits with. The least stable of the lab jockeys decides to unleash the various captive nasties one day and as a result the entire complex is overrun, as folk either get eviscerated or turned into mutants by a super-contagion. Intrigued by all the screaming, some HAZMAT blokes are sent in and soon wish they hadn't been. You're the sod who has to go in and get 'em out. This wonderfully two-dimensional plot setup is what I'd want and expect from a common or garden shooter, and Area 51 gets it just right. A convoluted plot can be more of a detriment than a positive addition in games like these, and keeping the focus on exaggerated action is the best option. After all, TimeSplitters has basically no story, and look how that turned out. My only problem with the plot for Area 51 is that it's hard to take seriously, since historical documents prove that the crew from Futurama were the cause of Roswell's famous enigmas, so this junk about human-alien pacts and the like seems far-fetched. Bender was the UFO, obviously. Basic stuff.
The weapons themselves are mostly disappointing, consisting of your bog-standard shotgun, rifle and pistol, but though predictable they're also sufficiently boomy. Much like Republic Commando, just because the equipment selection is forgettable doesn't mean it's not entertaining. Plus you do eventually get an alien gun that fires bouncy, sticky explosives, and another that just destroys a whole room, so at least it's not completely boring. It's definitely no Ratchet and Clank, though. One saving grace is that the rifle and shotgun can be dual-wielded, and the extra firepower is much appreciated in small corridors. In short, there are a good few brown trouser moments.
I mentioned the mindless "leapers" before, but you also get mutants with guns, headcrab impersonators, the occasional hulking titan, some shadowy military types and eventually a few Greys. Of these opponents, the only truly memorable ones in my mind were the Greys, which is ironic considering they're the only creature designed to mimic a popular established image. For whatever reason, they stuck with me and little else did. Perhaps the main Grey's voice actor had something to do with it, having given such a chilling performance. Who might it be, you ask? Only that lord of all weirdness, Marilyn Manson. I smeg you not. Both the alien and his actor are a bit wrong in the head, so you can't fault the casting choice. The extra features show Marilyn identifying with his character (known as Edgar), and saying that they "share a general contempt for mankind".
Perhaps most easily remembered about Area 51 is its lovely sense of humour. It's nothing of Armed and Dangerous levels, but worthy of the odd snigger. Most of the comedy comes from documents that can be scanned to reveal either backstory or description of some ludicrous government project. Bigfoot, cropcircles, cow mutilation and more are explained. It seems that every urban legend from the 40s onwards was related to the secret base, and the most amusing thing I discovered revealed the true nature to a certain famous mission in 1969. Just watch and try not to chuckle. Destroy All Humans! is more funny overall, since the B-movie styling and alien perspective are hard to beat, not to mention the fact that Invader Zim plays a starring role. Even so, Area 51 has regular bursts of comedy and sometimes a flash of brilliance.
It's immeasurably awesome that the troubled grunt you play as should be voiced by Mulder from The X-Files. He sounds exactly the same, with that monotone mumbling which just embodies him as an actor. He works not only in terms of performance, but also because, you know, Area 51? X-Files? It's just too perfect, and quite the privilege to have The Man himself lending his voice to you. Just keep the tank topped up and be gentle with her.
A great inclusion is the level select, which goes a step further by letting you continue from any checkpoint. Many, many games before and since should have incorporated the same idea but didn't. It allows for replayability, as you can avoid the less good bits and focus on reliving the best sections, mainly the middle third.
The music is some very stylish synthesised goodness that's most similar to the Return to Planet X theme from TimeSplitters 2. It's appropriate in terms of frantic mood and alien-ness, and you've gotta love it.
Cover-ups, conspiracies, traitors, Illuminati, genetic manipulation...it's all here and all brilliant silliness. Combine that with passable shooting and a handful of cunning sections and you've got a well-made game that's more than competent and the gaming equivalent of popcorn cinema: utterly derivative, but one Hell of an expedition. A respectful nod towards such gaming traditions as invaders from space and escaping before the facility blows up in classic Metroid fashion lends character to proceedings, and elevates the package above being "just another FPS". It's not outstanding, but it's nearly there, and ideal throwaway entertainment.
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