Area 51

About

Area 51 is a first person shooter where you play Ethan Cole, a HAZMAT specialist sent to contain a virus outbreak at the secretive military base. The facility is locked down, infected soldiers roam, and ancient alien tech lurks underground. Five levels take you from lab corridors to buried ruins as you swap between human and alien weapons. Fight infected troops and bizarre creatures while uncovering stories about Roswell coverups and lunar lies. Split screen co op and online multiplayer let you team up or turn on each other during base assaults. The game mixes military shooter pacing with sci fi horror elements. Players often mention the chaotic fun of facing both armed soldiers and tentacled monsters in the same firefight. Community guides highlight the campy conspiracy angles and over the top dialogue from the cast including Powers Boothe. Multiplayer maps support up to four players in chaotic deathmatch or objective based modes. Released in 2005 it carries the Midway polish of early 2000s shooters with a heavy dose of pulp sci fi flair.

Storyline

In July 1947, an alien spacecraft crashed near Roswell, New Mexico in the United States. The craft was recovered by the U.S. Air Force and taken to Area 51 in Nevada, where the lone survivor of the crash, a powerful Grey named Edgar, was held captive by the U.S. military. Eventually, the Greys opened a dialogue with the Illuminati led by the ominous Mr. White (Phil Proctor), and struck a deal with them. The Illuminati would give the Greys a research base 3 miles below the surface of Area 51, the use of the base as a landing site, and give them human test subjects where they, along with human scientists, would research a mutagenic virus to use in a war on their homeworld. In return the Greys would give the Illuminati exclusive access to Grey technology. The Illuminati used some of this technology to spy on the population. The Greys and the human scientists eventually developed a powerful alien being - known as the "Theta", which spread the virus. Unbeknownst to many of the scientists working on the project, the Greys and the Illuminati were also planning to use the virus against the Earth population and dominate the planet. When Dr. Winston Cray found out about the plan, he let loose the "Theta" and the mutagenic virus throughout Area 51, in an effort to slow them down. This prompted the military to send in a Quick Reaction Force led by Major Bridges (Powers Boothe) to quarantine and contain the virus. HAZMAT Team Delta, the first team initially sent into Area 51 are ambushed by the "Theta" creature, sustaining casualties, before withdrawing deeper into the base. HAZMAT Team Bravo, composed of team leader Ramirez, McCan, Crispy, and mission specialist Ethan Cole is sent to find Delta.