Area 51 is a mixed bag for me.

On some levels, I love the audacity it has. I like the ideas it plays with, the attempt of fleshing out a plot much bigger and overwhelming than your character's own role in the story; but on many other levels, it's a merely ok FPS romp with some different variations that don't amount to much, at least for me.

This game is, bizarrely, freeware (see here: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Area_51_(2005)#cite_note-1).

In 2008 (that's the date as far as I can tell), the US Air Force sponsored three different Midway games as free downloads, those being "The Suffering: Ties That Bind", "Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War", and this. An...interesting choice of game to be sure.

Area 51 is intriguing in how far it delves into that alien and conspiracy spookiness, alongside little gameplay touches here and there are quite neat to see in an FPS. One of the biggest highlights for me was the ability to use a radioactive arm scanner to analyze objects, humans, corpses, yourself or even air in order to see what it is comprised of, or find information from secret dossiers or alien objects. It turns into sort of a collect-a-thon, trying to find where that hidden secret is in the levels you explore.

Initially the game has you travelling with your squad, engaging in firefights with extraterrestrials and journeying deep into the infamous government facility in order to rescue another group of soldiers trapped within. Eventually, you're left on your own to settle the matters at hand, uncovering a plot that's out of this world (badum tss). The weapons you use are some standard issue FPS stuff: pistols, smgs (that you can dual wield!), shotguns (that you can dual wield...that must hurt), and snipers. Several weapons have alternate fire modes, and there are alien and unique weapons to find throughout that vary in effectiveness but aren't too shabby. Your character also has the ability to lean and shoot, making it easier to get back behind cover after sending some suppressing fire or checking corners without being immediately seen.

The big gimmick of the game is that your character at a certain point can transform from human to mutated alien at will; the benefits of being in that form allow you to shoot homing attacks that replenish your health, but at the cost of your alien energy depleting. It also provides increased visibility of enemies and enhanced strength.

If I were to be honest, I used this ability as a last resort when ammo was low and health was in dire straits; I never really used it outside of that. It's a cool idea, but it doesn't really feel like it adds to the gameplay outside of plot necessity or a brief respite. I thought maybe it would be one of those things where if you use the alien form more you could get a different ending where you succumb to that form, or if you primarily use your human form you manage to withstand that fate...but there's only one ending that doesn't really elaborate on much. This aspect of your character is a missed opportunity that I feel should have been fleshed out. Despite the plot making it seem extremely urgent and vital that this soldier needs to find a cure, it mainly seems like a net benefit to have this form without much in the way of negative consequences, at least, not in terms of how the story goes along.

Speaking of, despite the grand spectacle of what this game presents through text and secret bonus content, the main story is delivered in a standard narration style featuring an extremely phoned in performance by David Duchovny (who seemed like a perfect fit for this game at first glance but alas), who seems bored out of his mind with this material. Marylin Manson sort of speaks his lines with what I assume is supposed to be a spooky, otherworldly tone, but feels quite wooden as well.

There are moments of pure 50s B movie camp that will definitely get those that are interested in such things into it, but these goofy, intriguing moments and the huge conspiracy stuff are delivered by gameplay that isn't too engaging and at times annoying.

There are a variety of enemy types, some more challenging than others (and some more stressful to deal with than others), and the difficulty of the game increases quite a bit near the second half, and you start to feel the length of the game...it begins to feel kind of padded out, sort of becoming a slog by consequence, and there could have been some areas that could be cut in favor of more memorable set pieces.

To elaborate, the environments, especially for the first half, aren't very memorable; mostly hallways and corridors, not very detailed, with the bigger rooms serving as firefights or areas of minor exploration...the graphics don't look the best either outside some neat initial cutscenes. The best part of the second half is the visuals, funnily enough, with more intriguing areas, but it's still not quite worth the buildup.

All in all, if I could give this game a 2.75/5, it would be more appropriate of a rating; it's not terrible, I liked its ideas, and it kept my attention, but it's held back on some levels, visuals and gameplay being the most dated aspects.

However, of interesting note is that it still sees preservation and modding in the form of Project Dreamland and most recently (12/13/21!) Area 51 Preservation Project which brings multiplayer back online (this latter mod I didn't try out because I beat this a month earlier). Since it's literally freeware in perpetuity, give it a try, mod it out and try out the multiplayer. There's fun to be had with this game, it's just a mixed bag overall.