January 24, 2007 - In the early part of 2005, Midway rejuvenated its alien-centric lightgun shooter franchise on the PC, Xbox and PlayStation 2 with Area 51. The game was a pleasant surprise all around, boasting fantastic visuals (especially on the consoles) and an engaging storyline that wound tighter and tighter as it progressed. This summer, Midway Studios - Austin will unleash its sequel on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC in the form of BlackSite: Area 51.
While details on the storyline are scarce at this point, it sounds as if you'll be given choices along the way that will allow you to dictate the moral standing of your character. The game description words this as follows: "The player's modern-day emotions and fears are driven into a world charged with grave responsibility affecting lives hanging in the balance and eventually finding himself torn between his professional orders and his own ethical standards. In the end, only the actions of the player and his squad can shape the outcome of BlackSite: Area 51 during this potentially pivotal moment in history."
Speaking of the squad, you're now in complete control of a Special Forces squad. Their morale will play a part in how well they perform. Properly commanding them will have them at their best, but running them poorly into bad situations will negatively affect their aim, wear down on their fatigue and make them even lose the will to fight. Squad commands are said to be contextual, utilizing a single button to take care of all your available commands without the need to scroll through menus or whatnot.
Vehicles will now play a part in the game. Vehicles such as HMMWVs, ATVs and even civilian vehicles will play a part in the action. Helicopter raids will also be present where you'll take a seat in the gunner's position to mow down enemy soldiers from up on high.
The level design is promised to be multi-pathed with various routes that you can take to surround and flank the enemy. Cover points will be prominent, encouraging you to make proper use of your squad and covering fire. The cover won't be safe for long however as much of the game's environments will be destructible - to what extent, we're not sure, but the trailer that you'll find in our video section looks promising.
Lastly, BlackSite: Area 51 will ship with a number of online multiplayer modes. These will be a mixture of classic game types like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture-the-Flag, along with a number of brand-new variants that will be unique to the game, like the Human vs. Reborn and Siege modes, where teams attempt to control each of the levels territories while capturing their enemies.
BlackSite: Area 51 is scheduled to ship sometime this summer on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. We'll have in-depth impressions with the game very shortly, so stay tuned.
