Blacksite: Area 51 is a diamond in the rough of First-Person Shooter games … if, you know, diamonds kind of sucked.
From a wide perspective on mechanics, the game isn't all that bad, although it isn't really anything to write home about, either. The graphics for the characters and backgrounds are nice to look at and there are some neat effects within the game that are quite notable: for instance, while standing out in the rain, you can notice rain splattering off your weapons. (You can almost ignore that it's not splattering off nearby vehicles.) Unfortunately, the game doesn't seem to be able to support its own software, as there are several instances while traversing the sprawling landscape that there are mapping issues or with your squad mates suddenly vanishing from sight. I noted a few unattached graphics as well, floating lamp posts and the like.
In addition to these graphical bugs, there are a number of AI bugs that culminate throughout the game. Your squad mates are more often than not useless on their own, wandering off to look at walls while Bugs swarm in at you. You can use your "squad command" button to target enemies for your squad to attack, but based on the "morale level" (which is determined by how much damage your squad has taken during the melee), your squad may charge into the fray or stay in the back and take potshots at the enemy. Actually, even with the highest morale level possible, it's doubtful whether you're concentrated fire effort will focus on the right enemy. In addition, if you aren't aimed at an enemy at all, your squad will rush forward to the spot designated, and potentially get killed. Er, rather, knocked out for a few seconds. They get up on their own after a bit; of course, if you get killed, you're down for the count. In fact, given the weak AI, the squad command feature is rather pointless and is used only to open up doors that impede your progress, since Pierce is unable to open doors on his own, apparently.
The sound is weak, weak, weak. I'm annoyed that once again, here is a FPS game that doesn't allow you to toggle subtitles, so briefings are sometimes obscured by a variety of chatter. Thankfully, without much of a soundtrack to maneuver through, the background ambience is negligible whenever something important is being passed, since your radio cuts right through any background noise. In addition, while your squad mates may occasionally mutter something while you're navigating areas, it's seldom anything to take note of, and is more of an excuse for there to be SOME sort of noise as you navigate the ridiculously large areas. I don't mean to suggest that the areas are difficult to navigate as well. The size of the area refers mostly to the obscene ceiling heights or areas that are out of reach beyond chain link fences that are erected everywhere to keep you contained on the game's linear path.
It's not as abysmal as a lot of reviews indicate, but it's not anything incredible, either.