In the case of Area 51, action takes to the front lines and overshadows every other aspect of the game. The reality behind that fact is that the game lacks a little bit in every area. The game is basically a reinvention of the arcade title released in the 90’s. Not necessarily a remake, the game removes the goofy fmv and light gun action with a pure first person shooter. You enter a facility full of aliens, trot through endless streams of hallways and corridors and eventually begin strafing and shooting. It’s not the stuff of legend but Area 51 tries its best to entertain you. Sometimes it will and sometimes it won’t, that’s the reality of this long “hidden” facility. Will you dare to enter?

The game goes all out in trying to immerse you in its plot. The biggest difference between the two versions of Area 51 is that this one actually has a storyline. The problem with adding this extra layer of depth is that you have to keep it interesting. Unfortunately, interesting turns to convoluted and this is what you get with Area 51. You play a member of an elite squad sent in to contain the facility (what else?) Area 51. It starts off interesting enough, but because the game is quite heavy one the action, there ends up being too much “game” and not enough story explanations to cover for it. Just know before playing that there is a story, it can be fun at times, but it could have been sewn together better. 

Gameplay on the other hand is where the game holds itself up. It’s never anything new or revolutionary but Area 51 gives you many challenging shootouts that will test your aim and speed with the controller. You will die and you will become frustrated but finally completing an area is where the game’s satisfaction comes from. Since the story doesn’t do enough to keep you coming back, the gameplay oddly does it better. You have dual-wielding (one button fires both guns), you can throw grenades and you even get a scanner (can anyone say Metroid Prime?) so that you can get vital information and check the stats of the people or aliens around you. So its pretty safe to assume the game has utilized the features of other recent hits to its advantage.

In the game you are accompanies by a group of team members who aim to help you during the game’s many tense moments. The team AI is suitable and I found that I got the proper assistance when confronted by numerous enemies. The monster AI is also quite good, but it does devolve into the simple dodge and rush tactics that most games of this type are known for. The weapons are a mix of standard issue guns and of the alien experiment variety. Each weapon has their uses and after playing for awhile, you will quickly know which ones aren’t your keys to success.While the game will take a few good hours to complete, a multiplayer portion has been included to lengthen its stay in your Xbox. Not particularly imaginative or challenging, most of the online modes simply involve you pulling the trigger as fast as you can through environments inspired by the single player mode. Its not bad, lets put it that way, but its there simply to have a few quick bouts of fragging fun, but its not a full blown multiplayer experience.