BlackSite: Area 51 Review, Continued
Outside the infectious storyline, BlackSite appears to be a conglomeration of several famous FPS games. Like the Halo franchise, players can only hold two weapons at a time, and can drop one of them by hitting the "Y" button on the controller; hitting the same button retrieves the selected weapon from the ground. There's also the implementation of vehicles that allow gamers to get behind the steering wheel or operate the turrets, depending on the chapter scenario. The in-game cut scenes, however, are reminiscent of Half-Life 2; they operate in "real time" and allow gamers to move about as the NPCs carry out their scripted performances. While important to the overall story, these stages will only aggravate the impatient player due to the nature of BlackSite's frantic gameplay. But even if one were to compare the action to another FPS title, Serious Sam would be at the forefront with its similar style of offensive maneuvers and wave after wave of enemy hordes coming from any and every direction.
One particular BlackSite scenario comes to mind: Pierce and his two squad mates work their way through the backyards of a local Nevada suburb called Rachel. As they leave the dark backyards and enter the blacktop pavement of a cul-de-sac, flocks of "Bug-Ridden" (infected humans) swarm at the group from all sides. It's a fight worth telling Mom about. Let's not forget about romping through the trailer park blasting "Flatheads" and "Reborn" soldiers either. This action is dripping with gaming goodness; it's just too bad that BlackSite doesn't offer a rewarding conclusion to every battle fought. The final stage just doesn't make sense. It's like defeating clones of Godzilla, each one getting tougher in stance, and then, in the end, the antagonist isn't Galactus or Darth Vader but a rather underwhelming villain. Hello? There are so many great battles, from torching "Fire-brutes" with the anti-tank launcher to gunning down a giant Flathead as it ravages a bridge, that it's somewhat insulting when the grand finale fizzles out into a steaming heap of disappointment.
BlackSite offers solid action and exciting visuals - when the game isn't suffering from graphics glitches.
Despite the ending, the game certainly has replayability, whether it's online via Xbox Live in Deathmatch or Capture the Flag modes, or cranking up the difficulty and unlocking various achievements (thus increasing your Gamerscore on Xbox Live) in the single-player campaign. The former options are straightforward: join a quick match, find a custom match, host a public match or host a private match. Players can choose to play as the U.S. Military or the Reborn.
BlackSite also introduces the "Abduction" game mode: one player starts as a Reborn character, and must kill every human, converting them over. When the last human is abducted, he or she earns the most points, and the match restarts. Outside the normal weapon pickups, players can use three different item pickups to boost their offensive skills: extra health, increased damage and temporary invisibility. Sounds like the old days on online death matching, doesn't it?
Although BlackSite uses the Unreal Engine 3 powerhouse, you won't see the Flak Cannon, the Redeemer or other cool weapons. In fact, BlackSite features a small arsenal of weapons, seven in total. Gamers will use the Assault Rifle most of the time, zooming with the left trigger and firing with the right. The MK23 Pistol, on the other hand, is a small, lightweight weapon, and will fire as quickly as you can pull the trigger. The larger Scatter Gun, a strange shotgun-type weapon, was the least favorable of the bunch, surpassing the long-loading Anti-Tank Launcher in annoyance only by a fraction.
The XM312, on the other hand, is a powerful stationary turret that is loads of fun, but not nearly as entertaining as the adrenaline-pumping Plasma Rifle (now that's a weapon!). Rounding out the group is the oh-so-handy Advanced Sniper Rifle, the tool of choice when you want to send the very best from afar. Of course, characters can only carry two weapons (outside the grenades), so weapon choice is crucial depending on the chapter scenario. Sometimes it's just fun to pick up one of the more destructive weapons and see what kind of damage can be done to the environment.
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