|
Post by ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ on May 7, 2007 21:42:34 GMT 6
|
|
|
Post by HundredProofSam on May 7, 2007 21:47:18 GMT 6
what is it with u and area 51?
peace
|
|
|
Post by ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ on May 7, 2007 21:53:02 GMT 6
BlackSite: Area 51 First Details
We declassify Midway's extraterrestrial follow-up with the first details, images and trailer.
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. If you're fighting well, your squadmates will get a boost and perform better. On the flipside, if you're going through a rough patch, then your team won't live up to their full potential. 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
Post by ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ on May 7, 2007 21:57:01 GMT 6
BlackSite: Area 51 Hands-on
We take Midway's extraterrestrial shooter for a spin and we're left wanting more, and soon.
We had a chance to play a very small section of the game on Thursday, and while the demo only lasted somewhere around five minutes or so, we were left wanting a whole lot more. The first game was a pretty fun and solid shooter, but BlackSite looks to outdo it in every way possible with some forward-thinking play mechanics, a chaotic and moody atmosphere and an extremely tight and solid control scheme.
The section was played was called Rachel, named after the town that you've been sent to. Alien creatures have taken over the town and have killed most of its inhabitants, so you're sent in to quell the uprising and find any survivors. Moving in through the back door of a gas station's warehouse, we moved through the small building and into the main lobby of the station's store. Through the windows we could see one of the tall and lanky aliens ravaging a vehicle and the driver inside it. Firing off a clip or two of ammo through the windows only seemed to pester it, so we moved to our right and outside to do a little more damage.
A handful of these aliens make their way to the scene. When they're taken down by normal gunfire, their bodies give way but what appears to be their upper portion sometimes remains alive and quickly scurries at you along the ground to get in a few more licks. Taking these creatures out with more firepower, like a grenade, tends to shut it down all with one fell swoop.
As we fight around the gas pumps, cars are pelted with gunfire and become mangled and bent, exploding and leaping into the air when pushed far enough. Likewise, pieces of the environment splinter and chip away as the battle goes on, removing cover that once kept us safe. BlackSite: Area 51 has borrowed a bit of the tech from another Midway title, John Woo Presents Stranglehold, and while BlackSite doesn't allow quite as much destructibility as the third-person shooter, it does allow for plenty of environmental damage.
After the first area is clear, we move down the road a bit and up a hill towards a tanker. A helicopter flies overhead and warns of us some movement ahead. Just then, a few tentacle-legged aliens crawl over the tanker and towards us. Standing naturally at about six feet tall, these aren't as strong or tall as the first aliens we encountered, but they're quicker and tended to swarm our squad, even in small numbers.
Once these beasts were dispatched, we headed towards a nearby liquor store to search for more survivors when a giant meteor-looking object comes from overhead and smashes into the store, spewing out a force that knocks all of the nearby vehicles and loose objects into the air and twisting towards us. Dodging the large debris, we saw a massive worm-like creature stand up from the wreckage, wiggling around as it began unveiling its true form. As we unloaded everything in our arsenal at the creature, the screen faded to black and presented the "Coming Summer 2007" ending teaser.
While the action in the demo was certainly intense, highlight by camera shakes and whatnot anytime an explosion happened nearby or gunfire was taken, what really made the experience stand out was the level of quality of the entire presentation. The game boasts some pretty impressive visuals, making use of lots of specular highlights and subtle light reflections to show off the damp atmosphere of the town. Particle effects were aplenty, with smoke kicking around after a grenade went off and lots of haze and such appearing from the bad end of the aliens' laser weapons. The sound too was quite stellar, often too much for the displays we were playing on to handle. We can't wait to hear this thing being pumped through a proper surround-sound setup.
Due to the short nature of the demo, we were only able to get a small taste of the game's tactical elements with regards to the squad commands. Clicking a single button, we were able to tell our team where to set up and take cover, and then which of the enemies to attack. They responded quickly and accurately at all times, smartly setting up wherever we pointed the duo to. The demo was too short and honestly too hectic to really pay much attention to deploying proper tactics most of the time or keeping a keen eye on their on goings, but what we've seen so far looks promising.
One last thing to note about our experience with BlackSite: Area 51 is just how well-tuned the controls are at this point. Movement and aiming are damn near perfect, with a fantastic mix of weight and control given over your weapon. It was simple to get a bead on enemies, in part due to the game's slight aiming assistance, which helped us track our shots while strafing. Again, the demo was short so we'll see how they play out in the long run, but the control's refinement really stood out for us.
BlackSite: Area 51 looks extremely promising at this point. We really haven't seen much at all of it, but what we have seen has been very impressive. We can't wait until the game's release this summer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
Post by HundredProofSam on May 7, 2007 22:05:11 GMT 6
For Sam, Its Forza. For Me, Its Blacksite: Area 51 ;D ok then, we should expect hourly updates on this game peace
|
|
|
Post by ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ on May 7, 2007 22:06:24 GMT 6
^^ u got 2 updates in 2 mins PS - No, Im not going 2 update this thread ever 1 min
|
|
|
Post by HundredProofSam on May 7, 2007 22:08:59 GMT 6
2 updates won't cut it, buddy.....i want long-term performance
peace
|
|
|
Post by ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ on May 7, 2007 22:10:20 GMT 6
u wish
|
|
|
Post by ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ on May 8, 2007 12:26:41 GMT 6
Midway Press Release Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment industry publisher and developer, today announced BlackSite™: Area 51®, an action packed, first person shooter experience which pits gamers against alien enemy forces using the infamous U.S. government landmark, Area 51®, and the surrounding areas as the battlefield backdrop. BlackSite: Area 51 is currently in development for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and for the PC.
Developed by Midway Studios - Austin, BlackSite: Area 51 is a next-generation game that will redefine the first person shooter (FPS) genre. While other FPS titles claim to feature “action-packed, highly realistic gameplay,” BlackSite: Area 51 takes next-gen gaming to an all-new level integrating cutting edge technology, game design and story writing to create the ultimate entertainment experience. 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.
“BlackSite: Area 51 gives players the opportunity to experience next-generation, first person shooter action in one of the world’s most intriguing and mysterious environments,” said Denise Fulton, studio head, Midway Studios - Austin. “Gamers will be instantly immersed in the game’s seamless storyline, set in the desert and small towns surrounding Area 51 that feature highly detailed environments that transform themselves into awesome battlefields. Without question, BlackSite: Area 51 will raise the bar in the next generation FPS genre with its stunning visuals, life-like squad interactions and its multitude of online multiplayer modes.”
About BlackSite: Area 51 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.
About Midway Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices throughout the world, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for major videogame systems and personal computers. More information about Midway and its products can be found at www.midway.com.
|
|
|
Post by nash on May 12, 2007 21:47:58 GMT 6
Demo's out but not for people with German or Asian gamertags
|
|
|
Post by ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ on May 12, 2007 21:51:49 GMT 6
^^ yea, i want 2 play this REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL bad but cant as i dont have a hdd
|
|
|
Post by XëÑØ on May 12, 2007 23:42:46 GMT 6
ya,im dwnloadin it
|
|
|
Post by nash on May 13, 2007 0:36:00 GMT 6
Post Impressions
|
|
|
Post by ΨBarnacleBrainBrantΨ on May 13, 2007 8:59:05 GMT 6
yea, dont make it too scientific u know
|
|
|
Post by invictus on May 13, 2007 9:59:22 GMT 6
Smallest demo ever seen in duration not in size (two gunfights total of max 10 mins) 600MB. Not much has been shown. Usual weaponry of automatic rifles and grenades. Team play like RB6(dont know still, if its that great though). Is supposed to be a teaser demo. Frankly i am not teased but pissed. If they dont come out with another a bit more detailed demo then Blacksite 51 can kiss my ass. Graphics are usual. Nothing that we havent already seen. The demo is the saem as explained in one of Umangs posts above. Will chk the demo again for more details. and get back if anything interesting
PS Unreal 3 engine based. So we can expect more from graphics side of it.
|
|