BlackSite: Area 51

 Xbox 360
BlackSite: Area 51 Image
Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 48 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 67 Ratings

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  • Summary: Featuring a powerful single-player campaign, along with multiple online multiplayer modes,
    BlackSite: Area 51 delivers vicious combat action, next generation graphics and A.I., and a plethora of powerful weapons and vehicles. Set in present day, players take the role of a decorated    Featuring a powerful single-player campaign, along with multiple online multiplayer modes,
    BlackSite: Area 51 delivers vicious combat action, next generation graphics and A.I., and a plethora of powerful weapons and vehicles. Set in present day, players take the role of a decorated military veteran charged by the government to lead a squadron of "secret soldiers," each with his/her own specialty skill set, into the Rachel, Nevada area to fight off the invasion of unidentified enemy races. 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. [Midway]    … Expand
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  • Developer: Midway Studios - Austin
  • Genre(s): Action, Shooter, Shooter, First-Person, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi, Arcade
  • # of players: 10 Online
  • Cheats: On GameFAQs
  • Rating: T
  • More Details and Credits »

Trailer

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BlackSite: Area 51 Official Trailer 1

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 48
  3. Negative: 3 out of 48
  1. Play.tm
    85
    In actual fact I found this, while admittedly less spectacular, as enjoyable as anything else I've played on the 360. BlackSite never attempts to be innovative, but knows what it does best. A well-oiled working game is ridiculously hard to find these days and, if nothing else, BlackSite is certainly that.
  2. Game Informer
    75
    I can see FPS fans having fun with BlackSite since it provides all the standard FPS rollercoaster thrills, but most of us have been up and down those hills a few too many times.
  3. IC-Games
    70
    Over all BlackSite tries to slip itself into a niche squarely between the two benchmarks of FPS gaming, Call of Duty 4 and HALO 3. It unfortunately doesn't succeed in making that niche, in fact trying to make itself a little of one and the other it fails doing anything profound.
  4. Talk Xbox
    61
    The game is merely another mediocre bag of wasted potential tossed out that simply begs you to lower your expectations right before diving in.
  5. Game Over Online
    60
    Apart from exciting moments that are few and far between, the game is dull and uninspiring.
  6. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    57
    At best, BlackSite is a poor man's "Resistance"; at worst, it's half of an unfinished game with a few cool set pieces. [Holiday 2007, p.74]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. NTSC-uk
    20
    Instead of creating the game they promised themselves in the design documents, the end result is a spaceship sized wreck of catastrophic proportions and with very little redeeming qualities to prevent it from being placed at the very bottom of the bargain bin where it belongs.

See all 48 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 28
  3. Negative: 8 out of 28
  1. G.S.
    Nov 13, 2007
    10
    Sometimes you just want an arcade shooter, lots of enemies to kill with beautiful backgrounds.
  2. MichaelR.
    Jan 20, 2008
    9
    I'm having a lot of fun playing this game.
  4. AndrewS
    Jun 18, 2008
    8
    Blacksite, was beyond beleif when it came to suspense, but then lead to a horribly short uninteresting ending! Although the alien design was Blacksite, was beyond beleif when it came to suspense, but then lead to a horribly short uninteresting ending! Although the alien design was great the AI'S strategy was pointless… Expand
  5. AdamR.
    Nov 13, 2007
    7
    While the graphics are pretty and the design of the creatures and characters are decent, the game doesn't bring anything new to the While the graphics are pretty and the design of the creatures and characters are decent, the game doesn't bring anything new to the table, nor does it show anything that other games have brought. It's your standard Run-n'-Gun games. The voice acting is alright, but can get a tad bit annoying, and the music (even at max) is hard to hear compared to everything else going on at the same time. Also, the facial expressions with morale is a tad bit scary, as their smiles nearly stretch from ear to ear. The storyline's progression is rushed and poorly explained, but if you do't care and just wanna blow the shit outa stuff, then it works out fine. The squad command is nice, but it's still a bit lame that you can't open a door yourself or do anything without your squad (or they could be a good distance away form you and you enter a vehicle, the auto-teleport into it). 7.2/10… Expand
  6. sinadoom
    Jan 19, 2013
    5
    Here are some questions to consider. Have you played Gears of War and thought it would work well if it was a military First Person ShooterHere are some questions to consider. Have you played Gears of War and thought it would work well if it was a military First Person Shooter instead? Do you like mediocrity? Can you settle for average? Can you cope with bad programming? Have you played every shooter you can think of and still want more, regardless of quality? Blacksite is the game you're looking for. Imagine Battlefield 3's campaign on a (VERY) tight budget, much lower quality and generally worse in every way. Blacksite is not a bad game, but not one that you would buy unless you have no alternatives. Graphics are not horrible but the lighting is practically non-existent and in desperate need of about 32x anti-aliasing. It runs on Unreal Engine 3 and is one of the more dated games. You can tell it's old from the old-school levels (very simple, walk and shoot), dumb AI and an average cliche modern American war action story. Achievements aren't good either. The only thing that's really impressed me is the shooting mechanics. Finally, a game where you can play purely by hip-firing, but with an ADS option as well. It kinda reminds me of Prey, but instead of making obvious its old-school mechanics it tries to make itself look better than it is. Controls are OK but could be better; certainly much better than some games. What really lets it down is how it FEELS low budget due to the medieval programming. Not so much glitchy/buggy, but when you play it you feel like it's still in the development stage, and that the levels aren't properly finished. Some games try to cover up lazy design subtly. This game makes no such efforts. It feels scripted and coded by amateurs with little concern over user experience; whereas other games flow much more smoothly with fewer faults. If you get this game, you should expect nothing more than a budget shooter.… Expand
  7. RobC
    Apr 14, 2008
    4
    I played this game all the way through, and enjoyed some parts. This game really lacked in storyline and good strong characters. I finished I played this game all the way through, and enjoyed some parts. This game really lacked in storyline and good strong characters. I finished this game wandering why i continued to play it. If u just love shooting and killing alien scum, you'll like this...… Expand
  8. JeffA.
    Nov 17, 2007
    0
    Forget the graphics, controls, audio, storyline. None of that matters in this buggy mess of a game. My Humvie in one area was floating in the Forget the graphics, controls, audio, storyline. None of that matters in this buggy mess of a game. My Humvie in one area was floating in the air. In another section I wasled right through two pickup trucks. Later in the game the framerate drops to the point that the screen freezes. I really wanted to like this game but Midway should never have released a game with so many glitches. Probably the last time I buy a Game with the name "Midway" on the cover.… Expand

See all 28 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2007