BlackSite: Area 51 Review
There is something about extraterrestrial life forms that fascinates the human race. It is comforting to believe that we're not the only entities of intelligent life in this fathomless universe. It is also comforting to fantasize about how we could actually overcome superior alien intellect, master their advanced technology with our "savage" determination and virtually cheat by skipping the whole natural development process and stealing their blueprints. Who doesn't want to teleport to new worlds? Who doesn't want a pulse rifle or a cloaking device? If you think about it, it's no great wonder why movies like "Independence Day" and games like BlackSite: Area 51 can be so intriguing to us stupid humans.
But while "Independence Day" remained full of American cheesiness, Midway's latest first-person shooter, BlackSite: Area 51, actually packs more of a punch. Unfortunately, it doesn't make the dent one would expect. Despite the game's positive elements, BlackSite is certainly not an "Independence Day"-type blockbuster of the gaming industry. In fact, its immediate shortcomings most likely stem directly from the release of other FPS titles as of late: Halo 3, BioShock, Call of Duty 4 and others. In a sea of heavy, AAA class-act competition, BlackSite currently finds itself battling similar adversaries in the genre rather than fending off alien hordes and winning sales. It's a shame really, as BlackSite offers many great gaming moments that reflect back to days of old when action ruled instead of gloss and glamour.
BlackSite: Area 51 has a familiar formula - human soldiers versus aliens - but the storyline features real-life political themes.
On the other hand, BlackSite tends to battle itself at times, casting a shadow on the development team and Harvey Smith, the game's designer. Texture shifting, object clipping and strange shadow glitches give the game an unpolished feel (their causes have been blamed by a rushed development schedule that left the game improperly tested). But on that same note, Epic Game's Unreal Engine 3, the software technology used to power Midway's BlackSite, is known to possess these very graphical faults (developers have complained and games using this engine have more glitches than others). Still, while the visual annoyances are noticeable - game engine faults or incomplete development - they don't prohibit the gamer from completing the tasks or condemn the game to discount hell. Eventually, the graphical flaws become acceptable, almost unnoticeable during the consistent, heavy waves of gun-blazing action.
Unfortunately, BlackSite's six chapters fly by in a flash, in a whirlwind of chaos and destruction that rips the fictional protagonist from Iraq to Nevada at lightning speed. The single-player campaign feels relatively short, and the game doesn't even pay off with a huge, climactic ending; there's no final, colossal boss to defeat. Instead, gamers will walk away feeling somewhat cheated, remembering some of the good times - fighting in the trailer park and sending rockets up the rear ends of towering monsters - but also wondering why the overall fight ended so quickly and easily.
Although feeling brief in length, BlackSite is extremely fun underneath its visual glitches. Deemed a "military FPS," the game tends to lean towards the run-and-gun old school gameplay structure rather than requesting the player to use any sort of tactical plan. While two NPC characters accompany the player throughout the entire campaign, they serve no real purpose other than to perform simple, one-click tasks. The NPC characters mindlessly fend off the offensive forces (they seem to have no tactical ability whatsoever when morals are low) and to add minute, underlying narrative to the overall story. Their comments echo feelings of current views in today's society: the hatred towards the War on Terror, the distaste of current torture methods and the treatment of wounded soldiers, the "alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction."
In reality, dragging current affairs into the mythology of a modern game really works. What better way to present realism than to offer undertones of today's issues? From the moment gamers set foot on Iraqi soil during the opening scenes of Chapter 1, the development team's message is clear: they oppose the war in Iraq, and they're not happy with the Bush Administration - or so it seems. The story later mutates into a "the alien infection is spreading" scenario and hits close to home to most Americans, and that's a good thing. It's something players can personally identify with. The unfortunate aspect is that BlackSite is heavily laden with arcade action, and by the time Chapter 3 rolls around, gamers will most likely scratch their head and wonder just what the heck is going on.
As the game sounds like a political statement in the beginning, BlackSite eventually turns into an episode worthy of "The X-Files," sans Mulder and Scully. After all, your character, Delta Force soldier Aeron Pierce, ultimately ends up in the infamous Area 51 (Groom Lake), called in to deal with a heavily armed militia that has taken root in the old, abandoned base. There's a connection with the current confrontation and Pierce's tour in Iraq three years prior (as played out in Chapter 1), with both scenarios featuring the same hostile creatures. The creatures are spreading out into the nearby town, and it's up to Pierce and his group to stifle the source. As BlackSite progresses, gamers discover that the story oozes with government conspiracies, corrupt officials, secret experimentations and all the good stuff that comes with your typical science fiction plot. Trust no one.
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