Area 51
Area 51 is a PlayStation 2 shooter game released in 2005 developed by Midway. It centers on aiming, shooting, and weapon use, area and route exploration, and aiming and shooting, with controls and information arranged around the DualShock 2 twin analog sticks, directional pad, shoulder and face buttons, with a dedicated peripheral only where explicitly required.
- AI score · out of 10
- 6.7 / 10
About this game
Area 51 is a PlayStation 2 shooter game centered on aiming, shooting, and weapon use, area and route exploration, and aiming and shooting. Missions pace progress through enemy waves, routes, objectives, and weapon opportunities, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on length, sales, or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Aiming feedback, projectiles, hits, and danger zones need to remain readable, while 3D scenes, streamed data, cinematics, surround audio, and interlaced television output need to preserve action and state readability together. The genre-specific limitation is that camera turning, aiming methods, dense encounters, and peripheral support can increase control pressure. Platform conditions also include DVD loading, the 8MB Memory Card, analog sticks and pressure-sensitive buttons, Multitap, Network Adapter, dedicated peripherals, and retired online services affect present-day use. This description covers only this platform release and does not import features or conveniences from remasters, emulators, or other console editions.
Collected in series
Area 51 is a science-fiction shooter series built around alien threats and secret military experiments. Its arcade games ask you to aim quickly and pick out targets, while later first-person adventures let you move through the danger yourself; BlackSite adds commands for a small squad.
Recommended games
Related game recommendations on this platform
PlayStation 2
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
A serviceable PS2 FPS with repetition and busier-scene dips.
The 2005 PlayStation 2 Area 51 is a first-person shooter set in a compromised research facility, not the earlier arcade light-gun game. Its best moments put a HAZMAT squad amid large mutant assaults, with forceful weapon sounds and enjoyable bursts of fire. Much of the campaign is less exciting: predictable corridor groups and searches for keycards repeat, while the protagonist’s mutation powers seldom become preferable to ordinary guns. Lighting and detailed laboratory spaces are attractive for the hardware, but generic enemies and uneven celebrity voice work do not make the conspiracy story convincing. Multiplayer contains several familiar modes without a strong reason to return. Crucially, the contemporary review directly compares the console builds: both usually run smoothly and look similar, but the PS2 frame rate suffers more in busy action. This release remains a serviceable short science-fiction shooter for players who accept repetition. It is not a good choice for someone expecting sustained level invention, and historical online performance does not prove current server access.
Strengths
- Squad fights, lighting and weapon sound provide immediate impact.
Weaknesses
- Corridor objectives repeat; mutation and acting disappoint.
Who it is for: Players seeking a short older console science-fiction shooter.
Play notes: The 2005 PS2 FPS only, not the arcade shooter or current online service.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension Predictable campaign and ordinary multiplayer. | Reviewed | 6.2 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Solid shooting, underused mutation. | Reviewed | 6.9 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Sharp effects, weaker characters and acting. | Reviewed | 7.2 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension PS2 action is playable but less steady than Xbox. | Reviewed | 6.5 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Midway
- Publisher
- Fargus MultimediaNoviy DiskMidway
- Release date
- 2005
- Platforms
- PlayStation 2
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Shooter · Primary genre
- Tags
- ExplorationPlayer versus EnvironmentDodgeWar3D GraphicsSolo-friendlyLinear LevelsThird PersonShootingFast-pacedMain Story Under 10 HoursReplayable
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- MultiplayerSingle player
- Perspectives
- First person
Release editions
- PlayStation 2Worldwide2005
- Original XboxWorldwide2005
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided