Area 51 (2005 video game)

Area 51

Company type	Video game
Industry	Video games
Predecessor	Area 51 (1995)
Founded	2005
Founder	Midway Studios Austin
Products	Area 51 (video game)
Parent	Midway Games

Area 51 (also presented as Area-51) is a science fiction first-person shooter developed by Midway Studios Austin and launched in 2005 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows. Although a version for Nintendo GameCube was planned, it was ultimately canceled. The game serves as a loose reinterpretation of the 1995 light gun title of the same name and was succeeded by the related BlackSite: Area 51 in 2007. Players assume the role of Ethan Cole, a HAZMAT operative dispatched to the Area 51 facility to manage an outbreak caused by a mutagenic virus.

The game boasts prominent voice actors such as David Duchovny portraying Ethan Cole, Marilyn Manson as Edgar the Grey alien, Powers Boothe as Major Bridges, Nolan North as McCan, and Ian Abercrombie as Dr. Winston Cray.

Gameplay

In Area 51, players engage in first-person shooting action through the perspective of Ethan Cole. The arsenal includes a mix of conventional human firearms and alien weaponry, many of which can be wielded dual-handedly and feature both standard and enhanced secondary firing options. These weapons also function as melee instruments. Players have access to explosive grenades.

Midway through the campaign, Cole contracts the mutagen, granting him the ability to temporarily transform into a mutant form that enhances physical power and endurance. This form allows abilities such as launching parasitic organisms that restore health or infect enemies. Additionally, being in mutant form reveals enemies concealed by cloaking technology.

Health and mutagen levels are replenished using medical syringes or parasites obtained from combat or infected bodies. Cole’s suit is equipped with a scanner that can analyze objects and foes; however, while scanning, firearms become unusable aside from melee attacks. The scanner’s HUD bar changes color to indicate proximity to scannable elements like files or PDAs, unlocking information about Area 51’s secrets and revealing hidden videos.

Area 51 includes online multiplayer features. Despite Xbox Live support for the original Xbox ending in 2010, players can still engage in online matches through alternative servers such as Insignia.

Plot

In July 1947, an extraterrestrial spacecraft crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. The U.S. Air Force recovered the craft along with its sole survivor, a powerful Grey alien named Edgar (Marilyn Manson), who was transported to Area 51 in Nevada. The Greys negotiated with the Illuminati, led by Mr. White (Phil Proctor), securing an underground research facility three miles beneath Area 51, human test subjects, and landing privileges. In return, the Illuminati obtained exclusive rights to Grey technology, which they utilized for surveillance purposes.

Collaboratively, the Greys and human scientists engineered a mutagenic virus embodied in an alien entity called the "Theta." Unbeknownst to most researchers, this virus was designed to dominate Earth's population. Upon discovering this truth, Dr. Winston Cray (Ian Abercrombie) released both the Theta creature and the virus within Area 51 to disrupt their scheme. The military reacted by dispatching a Quick Reaction Force under Major Bridges (Powers Boothe) to contain the outbreak.

HAZMAT Team Delta was ambushed by Theta mutants and suffered severe losses before retreating. Subsequently, HAZMAT Team Bravo—led by Ramirez with members McCan, Crispy, and mission specialist Ethan Cole (David Duchovny)—was deployed to locate Delta. McCan fell victim to a mutant; Crispy and Ramirez were later ambushed and killed by Theta creatures, leaving Cole as the sole survivor. Cole discovered surviving members of Delta but faced another assault that left only him and Lieutenant Chew alive. As they attempted to ascend, Illuminati operatives disabled the elevator shaft, resulting in Chew’s death and partially mutating Cole after he was bitten by a mutant.

Following this event, Cole acquired the ability to switch between his human form and a mutant state. Guided telepathically by Edgar through reanimated corpses, he navigated toward Dr. Cray’s bio laboratories for decontamination. Before Cole could be cured, Illuminati forces assassinated Cray and interrupted the process. Determined, Cole ventured further underground into cave systems where he confronted and eliminated the Theta creature, avenging his fallen team members.

Edgar disclosed that scientists had utilized his DNA to engineer the virus at great cost to his species during research at Area 51. He shared insights into Grey history and provided Cole with an antidote for the mutagenic virus while instructing him to destroy a departing Grey ship carrying Theta duplicates. Cole succeeded in destroying the vessel by overloading its reactor and escaped via teleporter into Nevada’s desert near the "White Mailbox." From a distance, he witnessed Area 51 being obliterated in a massive explosion.

As an alien-like container passed by on a truck, Cole reflected on his mission’s shortcomings but acknowledged that their sacrifices might have prevented humanity’s downfall.

Reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, the PlayStation 2 edition of Area 51 achieved "generally favorable" critiques, while the PC and Xbox versions received ratings categorized as "average." Review scores differed depending on the platform, with IGN awarding the PS2 version an 8.5/10 and the Xbox edition an 8/10. Similarly, Game Informer gave both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox releases an 8.5/10. GameZone rated the PS2 version highly at 8.5/10 and the Xbox version at 8.2/10; however, PC evaluations were somewhat lower, including IGN’s 7.5/10 and GameSpot’s 6.9/10.

Edge magazine consistently assigned a score of 6/10 across all platforms, indicating a moderate level of approval. Other publications such as Electronic Gaming Monthly and Eurogamer delivered approximately 8/10 scores for the PS2 iteration, emphasizing its success within the console sector. Conversely, some assessments like Game Revolution’s C+ ratings for both PS2 and Xbox pointed to mixed opinions regarding gameplay mechanics and design choices.

In summary, Area 51 experienced more positive reception on console platforms, especially on PlayStation 2, which corresponded with its targeted market strategy.

Film

In 2004, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to produce a film adaptation of the game. By March 2007, comic book writer Grant Morrison was brought on board to develop the screenplay. This adaptation project is separate from Oren Peli’s film titled Area 51.

Trivia

• A playable game demo was featured within Mortal Kombat: Deception.