An excellent FPS that includes some great voice acting.
User Rating: 7.5 | Area 51 XBOX
Area 51 definitely deserves a look by anyone who enjoys first person shooters. Given the popularity of FPS titles on the original Xbox there's definitely a glut and saturation of these types of games on this console. Unfortunately many of them are derivative and offer nothing more than for the player to shoot and blow wave after wave of enemies. Area 51 provides more than just that core mechanic and in doing so succeeds in elevating itself above the rest of the other titles in the genre. Graphically this is a great looking game. Gameplay is solid but does suffer from lack of variety in weapons and enemies. Also, precision targeting is harder than it really should be but those are minor issues when you look at the entire package of what this game offers. The story overall is very well developed and presented in computer generated sequences, in-game cut scenes, and detailed storyboard slides. Voice acting is top notch with David Duchovny and Marlyn Manson lending their talents.
Each level also has five items scattered around which you can find and scan to get more background information about the plot. A few levels into the game a plot twist occurs in which you gain some "extra-terrestrial" abilities which can be used to aid you in your progress. Multiplayer is also solid but is not going to impress you if you've been fragging it out in Halo or Halo 2.
Area 51 may not deviate from the overdone FPS formula too much, but it still manages to introduce some new things and present the tried and true conventions in a solid way. With how many mediocre and rushed FPS titles there are out there for the original Xbox, this game definitely stands out as one of the best.
