GamesRadar - BlackSite: Area 51

BlackSite director's "public resignation" (News)

Dec 3, 2007

Dec 3, 2007 BlackSite's creative director has departed Midway following his candid post-mortem of the FPS, in which he described the development process as "so f***ed up." According to a report on ShackNews, Midway execs have described Smith's post-mortem as "his public resignation." "With a year to go, the game was disastrously off rails," Smith explained of BlackSite. Amidst a number of criticisms leveled at the game's development process, he described the fact that the team was given only ...

BlackSite: Area 51 (Review)

Nov 29, 2007

Nov 28, 2007 With all of the great first-person shooters this holiday season, BlackSite: Area 51 is bound to get lost in the shuffle. And unfortunately, that dishonor is deserved. Despite impressive graphics and impressive demos that had us begging publisher Midway to move its release date - which they did, but not far enough - BlackSite falls short in the area most crucial to any good videogame: ...

Surfer Girl: Burnout for Wii, Retro Studios, Ninja Reflex, Tony Hawk's X (News)

Nov 19, 2007

Surfer Girl has new rumors:
Â¿ Burnout for Wii
Â¿ Two works-in-progress at Retro Studios (developer of the Metroid Prime series)
Â¿ Ninja Reflex
Â¿ A new direction for the next Tony Hawk game

She also writes a little about she thinks of BlackSite: Area 51.

EGM Scores: 8.5/10 for Uncharted, 9/10 for Mass Effect (News)

Nov 13, 2007

NeoGAF member egmfan89 has posted score from latest EGM magazine:

"Mario and sonic olympics: 6,7,6
Geometry wars galaxies: 8.5,7, 8.5
Fire Emblem: 9,9, 8.5
Need For speed pro street: 8.5, 7.5, 7
Tony hawk: 5.5, 6.5, 7.5
Manhunt 2: 4, 5, 7
CoD 4: 9.5, 8.5, 9.5
Blacksite Area 51: 6, 5, 6
Kane and Lynch: 7.5, 7, 7
Uncharted: 3 8.5s"

Blacksite Area 51 Gone Gold (News)

Nov 2, 2007

Midway announced today that Blacksite Area 51 has gone gold and will be in stores Nov. 12th for Xbox 360 and PC with a PlayStation 3 version expected in time for the holidays.

Another demo for Xbox Live is scheduled to be released soon, and a PS3 demo will be released later this year.

BlackSite Blog: Wrapping Up... (News)

Nov 1, 2007

Midway scrambles to wrap up production on BlackSite: Area 51 in time for the holidays.

Blacksite in November For Pc and 360 (News)

Oct 24, 2007

Midway also confirmed to Eurogamer this afternoon that Blacksite: Area 51 will launch on PC and 360 in November.

However, it will definitely not be joined by the PS3 version, which looks like it might not show up until next year.

But unfortunately Midway remained coy over revelations that the promised online co-operative play had been dropped from the final game, after IGN unearthed its absence in a recent hands-on play test.

BlackSite: Area 51 - Xenos 10-19-07 (Video)

Oct 19, 2007

The scarily atmospheric sci-fi shooter returns. Sleep now before crawling alien torsos haunt your dreams forever.

BlackSite: Area 51 (Screenshots)

Oct 19, 2007

BlackSite: Area 51 - Trailer 09-17-07 (Video)

Sep 17, 2007

The scarily atmospheric sci-fi shooter returns. Sleep now before crawling alien torsos haunt your dreams forever.

Blacksite: Area 51 - Official website launched (News)

Sep 5, 2007

Midway have today launched the official website for their Sci-Fi shooter, Blacksite: Area 51...

Midway Unveils GC Lineup (News)

Aug 11, 2007

Midway Games, the leading games developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for major videogame systems and personal computers, have officially unveiled their Leipzig Game Convention line up for this month.

Blacksite: Area 51 being released in Australia before the rest of the world (News)

Aug 3, 2007

Gameplayer reports that the Australian release date of Blacksite: Area 51 has not been pushed back in line with the US, and that the game will be released there before both the US and Europe.

Blacksite: Area 51 Moved To November Release (News)

Aug 2, 2007

In its Q2 earnings call, Midway executives announced that its first person shooter Blacksite: Area 51 has been moved to launch in North America on November 5th, with European release slated for October 26th.

Previous press releases have called the title a Summer 2007 release, while retail release dates currently have the title as slated for the first week of September.

BlackSite: Area 51 - Release Date (News)

Jul 28, 2007

BlackSite: Area 51 is one of this years most anticipated sci-fi first-person shooter's that follow the events of Midway's Area 51. BlackSite: Area 51 is set to be released on the PS3, Xbox360 and PC on September 3rd of this year.

BlackSite: Area 51 (Preview)

Jul 25, 2007

BlackSite: Area 51 is an amalgamation of everything we've seen a million times before. It's got aliens invading our planet. It's got beefy soldiers running around and shooting those aliens. It's even got the generic desert landscapes on which such clichéd action invariably unfolds. So why, in a holiday season packed with triple-A marquee shooters, are we still so excited to play it? The answer is buried beneath the game's testosterone-laced surface. Despite all the sci-fi military ...

BlackSite: Area 51 - updated impressions (Preview)

Jul 18, 2007

Harvey Smith, famed for his work on Deus Ex, sits on the edge of the stage as if about to talk about some new theater production. In fact hes getting comfortable in a Soho cinema and talking to us about BlackSite: Area 51- the Unreal 3.0-powered squad-based shooter and increasingly distant sequel to the inexplicably popular Area 51. Astonishingly, the BlackSite team has opted to have “seamless drop-in drop-out” co-op throughout the single-player game. “At every turn co-op has ...

E3 07: Midway puts press in Stranglehold (News)

Jul 12, 2007

Midway talks Unreal Tournament III PS3/PC exclusivity, BlackSite: Area 51 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat also on display.

BlackSite footage erupts (News)

Jul 5, 2007

Here's a pre-E3 treat: A brand new movie from one of the most exciting next-gen shooters, BlackSite: Area 51, plus a couple of fresh images. And within this teaser lies a hint that you won't just be shooting extraterrestrials... In fact, it looks like your early experiences as special forces commando Aeran Pierce, will be set in that ever-so-modern hotspot of danger, Iraq. Pierce seems to have a background in battling aliens, and it would seem that his own first encounter comes during a Middle ...

Blacksite: Area 51 - E3 trailer 07-05-07 (Video)

Jul 5, 2007

The scarily atmospheric sci-fi shooter returns. Sleep now before crawling alien torsos haunt your dreams forever.

New BlackSite screens (News)

Jun 18, 2007

Pass your eyes over these nine new screenshots from Midway's BlackSite, if they're not too much for you this early on a Monday morning. Look at that giant alien snake-y tentacle-y thing! Run for the hills! Area 51's due on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 and drops players into the combat boots of a military veteran charged by the government to lead a squadron of specialized soldiers against unidentified enemy races in the Rachel, Nevada area (you can breathe in now). Midway's previously said about the ...

BlackSite: exclusive interview and footage inside (News)

Jun 15, 2007

After a close encounter with the rather tasty looking PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 alien shooter, BlackSite, we managed to abduct the game's executive creative director, Harvey Smith, for an exclusive interview. Beam your eyes downwards for the full video experience, in which Smith gives us insider info on BlackSite, as well as talking about offending people, the wonders of the Unreal Engine and Halo 3. Oh, and the interview is also peppered with some brand new in-game footage that you'll definitely ...

BlackSite: Area 51 (Preview)

Jun 13, 2007

Its a breath of fresh air to see a next-gen FPS that doesnt use Modern Historys favorite bad guy - the Nazi - as rifle-fodder in war-torn Europe. What about the war thats been raging ever since little green men invaded our turf in 47? We all believed that Will Smith landed a decisive victory for mankind - as seen in political documentary Independence Day; but it seems the aliens have returned for vengenace in Midways BlackSite: Area 51. BlackSite eschews the camp of the original, going the ...

Halo 3 will help BlackSite sell, online multiplayer demo on its way (News)

Jun 12, 2007

BlackSite is a first-person shooter. It's out in September. Most people would say it's been sent to die against Bungie's mighty Halo three-quel, but according to lead campaign designer Ricardo Bare, Halo 3 will actually help sales of Midway's shooter.

Mdway also confirmed to CVG this afternoon that a new PS3 and Xbox 360 demo will be arriving ahead of release, including a new campaign level and online multiplayer.

Halo 3 will help BlackSite sell, says dev (News)

Jun 12, 2007

BlackSite: Area 51 is a first-person shooter. It's out in September. Most people would say it's been sent to die against Bungie's mighty Halo three-quel, but according to lead campaign designer Ricardo Bare, Halo 3 will actually help sales of Midway's shooter. "We've talked about this a lot and there's a couple of different schools of thought," he told us. "Whenever you go and see a really badass action movie like X-Men, it just makes you want to go and see Spider-Man 3, right? You usually ...

Blacksite: Area 51 demo on Live (News)

May 11, 2007

Out of the blue, Midway has released a demo of its forthcoming first-person shooter Blacksite: Area 51 on Xbox Live. Major Nelson has offered some background in his blog: "Modern day fears come to life in a familiar, yet extraordinary setting: A small American town swarming with alien life. The government is desperate, struggling to contain secrets so terrible they can no longer be kept. Everything hinges on the actions of Aeran Pierce, a former Special Forces assassin thrown into one of the ...

Comic scribe to pen Area 51 film (News)

Apr 4, 2007

The future of Midway's Area 51 franchise is shaping up to be appropriately alien. Midway Austin's upcoming multiplatform shooter BlackSite: Area 51 is being developed under the eye of Harvey Smith (Deus Ex), who's not shying away from mixing politics with gaming, something of a taboo in mainstream game development.

BlackSite: Area 51 - Interview (Feature)

Feb 6, 2007

BlackSite took us somewhat by surprise at Midway's Las Vegas gamers day last week; its intuitive squad controls and truly squelching atmosphere give off a promising vibe we didn't expect, and it could turn out to be a very notable FPS release when it hits Xbox 360, PS3 and PC later this year. At the same event we got a chance to sit down with the game's producer Zack Wood, who answered all of the burning questions we had after our short play-through. Here's what he had to say... Could you ...

Blacksite: Area 51 (Preview)

Feb 1, 2007

BlackSite returns to its wacky alien conspiracies as its starting point and twists them into something ten times worse. The first game had you exploring Area 51 in the aftermath of a viral outbreak that turned scientists into mutants, leading to the discovery of an entire alien colony buried beneath the secret ...

BlackSite: Area 51 Officially Announced (News)

Jan 31, 2007

Midway Games 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.

BlackSite: Area 51 - hands-on (Preview)

Jan 26, 2007

If you like your science fiction kitschy, you've come to the wrong place. And if you like your alien invasions to involve tin-plated saucers, ray guns and adorable egg-headed extraterrestrials, BlackSite: Area 51 is not the game for you. The aliens here are big, mean and freaky. Seriously, disturbingly freaky. Even after getting hands-on time with the upcoming first person shooter, we're nowhere close to figuring them out. We encountered the first tearing off a car's door, reaching inside with ...

Area 52 in works for next-gen (News)

Aug 21, 2006

Fans of last year's David Duchovny-voiced sci-fi shooter Area 51 will be pleased to know that a sequel, slyly titled Area 52, is under development for Xbox 360, PC and PS3. While no media is likely to be released for a good few months yet, it's not hard to guess at how next-gen power will be put towards intensifying the screams, bangs and flashing lights of the original setpiece-heavy experience. News of Area 52's development slipped out in the job listings at developer Midway's Austin, Texas ...