Blacksite: Area 51 (Special)

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List Price: $39.99
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Blacksite has a great story, a very current world with of course a sci-fi twist. the graphics are not the best on the PS3, it's no Call of Duty both in graphics or gameplay, the controls work well for shooting but the squad command is a joke. Above all that the frame rate is awful, every minor load will slow or stop the game for 1-3 seconds, the audio from time to time will feel off, sometimes you'll hear an explosion from your grenade well after it already blew up. Overall this game had serious potential, i wanted to love this game, i waited since june for this release and was very disappointed.

Pros: Current story with elements of the war on terrorism,

The Shooting controls work well.

Cons: Framerate holds you back from enjoying the game,

the squad commands are not well utilized, Short campaign (6-7 hrs)

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This isn't a bad game, but it is a very average FPS. I thought that the story, graphics, and voice acting was above average. The different types of aliens that you get to shoot are cool, too. The thing that keeps this game from getting a higher score is the forgettable gameplay. Aiming is awkward, the environments aren't as destructible as advertised, the weapons are bland, your teammates are pretty dull... there are many other little problems that make this game barely average. If you want a great sci-fi FPS for the ps3, buy Resistance.

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Blacksite: Area 51 has the kind of "I wonder what's going to pop out at me around the next corner" suspense that was so sorely lacking in RE5. In fact, I found this game to be so much MORE "engaging" than popular titles like RE5 and MGS4. Oddly enough, I believe some of the "flaws" like framerate drops and frequent 2-3 sec gameplay pauses for in-game loads actually CONTRIBUTED to this "Fear Factor", albeit unintentionally. It may not be the popular opinion here, but this was a DECENT SHOOTER as far as I'm concerned...

So much of a game like this hinges on controls for me...Are they spot-on or do they suck? This game has really TIGHT controls and that definitely gets on my good side. I actually got used to the video problems rather quickly because I was drawn into the gameplay. But I can also see how it could be a problem for some who can't avoid focusing on the flaws while playing. I was simply too busy bustin' alien arse to get caught up on those things. I imagine one's experience with this game will be positive or negative based primarily on how much the video problems are allowed to distract one from gameplay.

I played this game in 2 days on Hard difficulty, which equals maybe 8 or 9 hours...So it's a pretty quick one. However, I also found myself trying to squeeze in every free minute to jump back into the fray! There are some parts that are sufficiently challenging and you'll find your character repeatedly dying until you improve your skills enough to get to the next level. I like that in a game, and this one really seems to have it in just the right dosage. The game also quickly progresses through a surprising number of environments for such a short game. It's too varied to ever feel repetitive.

The voice talent was excellent, another pleasant surprise. Sound was also very well done...And when combined with the vibration feedback of the DualShock 3, grabbing one of the fixed machine gun turrets and mowing down approaching aliens was just a flat out 10 out of 10 experience in this game! The weapons are excellent with the trusty old carbine being the most used, the sniper rifle the most fun (especially when taking down the chopper), the pulse rifle the most devastating and the "scatter gun" the most disappointing. It only took me a couple of times to figure out the scatter gun is a good and quick way to get your character killed. MOST ammo is plentiful, meaning carbine ammo...But I wish there were more grenades placed throughout because they were fun and effective. Once you run out of them you may not find any more for quite some time. Also, each time you get the anti-tank weapon, there's only ONE rocket with it when you actually need more...Or at least it would be more fun to repeatedly fire off more rounds and blow stuff up.

Blacksite: Area 51 has a good variety of enemies, and LOTS OF THEM! At times it felt like a Call of Duty title because the aliens seemed like they'd never stop coming. It also has the Squad Command feature of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 allowing you to send your buddies into the unknown so you can safely see what's what before you get your head blown off. Another thing I liked was how an enemy's weapon would "levitate" above the ground after you waste them so you could easily see where more ammo was in the heat of battle...A nice touch!

There are some things I would change. For example, driving a vehicle is insanely difficult simply because the rt stick not only steers the vehicle but it also changes camera perspective at the same time...WTH?!? Imagine trying to drive an arcade racer without a fixed view behind the vehicle. Instead, every time you turn left or right your view also swings to the left or right behind the vehicle WHILE THE VEHICLE IS TURNING! How on Earth could a developer let something like this slip by?!? Just TERRIBLE! But that is my biggest gripe. There were a good many things that were done RIGHT in this game...

It comes across as one of those games that ran out of development time and was rushed to market without needed polish...The kind of polish that could've made Blacksite: Area 51 a true 5-star title. And that's a real shame because it makes it so easy for someone to give this game a 1, 2 or 3-star review with sufficient justification. But if you can train yourself to more or less IGNORE the periodic freeze frames and just focus on alien-busting, then it's the kind of game that has enough going for it to produce 4 or 5-star gaming reviews, again with justification. I have no problem rating this game a SOLID 4-STARS myself, but I can't give it that extra nudge specifically because of the video problems, horrible vehicle physics and overall lack of polish that makes a 5-star game what it is...A seamless and continuously enjoyable gaming experience.

I also HAVE to recommend any game that has me so hooked that I'm looking for every free minute I can find to pick up the controller and play more and more and more...

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great fun! not a big gammer, but like the 1st person shooter, you go to Rachel NV (I have been there), and kill aliens! Beat the game in a few days!

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Dispite some negative reviews on this game, I found it to be a very exciting shooter. I did however get this game used and not sure if it had anything to do with it but seemed at times I was playing it on a computer that wasn't capible of handling it but playing it on PS3 and some parts stuttered hesitatated. The graphics were awesome and was just an all out fun shooter game.