Area 51
↗ 5.7%
🙂 6.5/10
(Sega Saturn - JP, Action & Adventure)
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Developed_By:
Mesa Logic
Published_By:
Tec Toy
Released On:
01 Jan 1996
Also available on:
Using a light gun you blast your way through the secret base, Area 51, which has been taken over by mutant aliens. As you work your way to the secrets at the heart of Area 51, you'll need to destroy an increasingly dangerous line of aliens, upgrade your firearm, and cause as much collateral damage as possible. The game rewards the player for destroying windows, light fixtures, computers, explosive barrels, and even fire extinguishers. Each consecutive hit increases your streak rating (which adds to your score) and certain combinations of these collateral hits will open up secret bonus rooms.
The home version has special bonuses and additional secret levels not found in the arcade version and a mouse option is available.
EAN-13:
4980124010160 (Japan)
Sega Region Code:
T-18613G (Japan)
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Number of Players Supported:
1-2 Players
Input Devices Supported/Optional:
Light Gun / Attachment
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Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
This sci-fi shooter places you in the role of a S.T.A.A.R. operative assaulting Area 51, which has been overrun by an alien infection that grotesquely transforms humans into mutated monsters. You must strictly adhere to the mission briefing to systematically exterminate these enemies and locate a hidden alien spacecraft. With friendly fire posing a significant risk due to the distinct blue uniforms of your squad, every shot must be calculated to save humanity from total annihilation.
Story
Mission Briefing
This confidential file, drafted three days ago at the secret Area 51 military base, details an ongoing alien invasion. Originally intended for the CIA, this document has been intercepted by S.T.A.A.R. troops. Area 51 is located in a remote valley 90 miles outside of Las Vegas and is known for harboring secret biological testing and experiments on alien bodies.
For the last 48 hours, the base has been overrun by mutating alien creatures, and all contact has been lost. The invasion spread from an underground laboratory via an alien infection that uses humans as incubators for new combinations of human and alien DNA. The infection results in three painful stages of gruesome transformation.
This file was drafted by a trained soldier in his final hours. It describes a detailed method for invading the base to exterminate the alien presence. You must follow the instructions in this document to the letter, as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
Enemy Overview
The alien transformation creates a new enemy from the human body. Refer to "The Enemy" on page 16 of the original document for photos and details regarding the three mutation stages.
S.T.A.A.R. Team History and Identification
The Special Tactical Advanced Alien Response (S.T.A.A.R) was formed in 1958 at the height of the Cold War. Its creation was a direct response to the threat of armed alien invasion and strange aircraft sightings reported by high-altitude pilots near the Earth's stratosphere.
A S.T.A.A.R. Point Team has been dispatched for the assault on Area 51. Their soldiers wear bright blue uniforms with white "S.T.A.A.R" labels on the back.
•
DO NOT shoot S.T.A.A.R. troops.
•
Friendly fire costs lives.
Mission Objectives
While the answer to saving the planet is unclear, an attached message reports an Alien Space Craft somewhere on the base. You must use your guns to work with every shot count.
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TERMINATE ALIEN BEINGS: First Priority.
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SEARCH & DESTROY VESSEL: Secondary Priority.
Destroy all alien beings, then concentrate on destroying the ship if it exists.
Incoming Message Details
•
Office of Origin: S.T.A.A.R.
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Officer: LGEN G. ILOVEWAR
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Date: 28 Aug, 1996
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Classification: Limited Inhibited X Aureyzonly
•
Precedence: Urgent
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Extension: 120
•
Addressees: Dr. Cook, Maj. Rowe
How to Play
YOUR MISSION
Your gear is strapped on, your gun is loaded and now you're ready to clean house. As soldiers in the Strategic Tactical Advanced Alien Response (S.T.A.A.R) Team, you have been trained to deal with this exact situation.
Your assignment is to penetrate the security of the air base and eliminate all threat of the deadly alien infection that has spread throughout the base. You can't trust any base personnel.
You must assume that all of them have been exposed to alien infection. The personnel may act in a hostile manner, and may mobilize the base's resources against you.
S.T.A.A.R Command has already sent extra supplies that you will need to the base. These have been air-dropped in, and can be found scattered through the base along the route you will be taking.
As you infiltrate the base, you'll move through various hangars, rooms and areas outside. Shoot anything that moves, but be careful not to hit other S.T.A.A.R Team members.
GETTING STARTED
1. Make sure the power switch is OFF and there is no CD in the Sega Saturn System.
2. Open the unit, and insert the Area 51 CD gently in the Sega Saturn System, close the cover and turn the system On.
From the opening sequences and Title Screen, press START to display the Main Menu. Select from the following options:
•
ARCADE: Throw yourself right into the action. You'll go to the Battle Selection Screen.
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PRACTICE: Prepare yourself for your suicide mission. Aim and fire at the targets to get used to your weapon's accuracy.
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OPTIONS: View options that may give you a chance against the Kronomorphs.
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VIEW HIGH SCORES: View the names and accomplishments of the men and women that performed the best in battle against the enemy.
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EXIT: Exit the MAIN MENU and view the file footage demo at Area 51.
BATTLE SELECTION
You have two choices: You can begin the mission at the Beginning or Warp Ahead to get right in the thick of the Alien forces.
When you make your choice, aim the gun to highlight the selection, then pull the trigger. Get ready, you'll be dropped right into some heavy gunfire.
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BEGINNING
•
WARP AHEAD
OPTIONS
The following options will let you carefully plan your attack on the military base. Study each option and make the changes that best suit your ability.
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PLAYER SELECT: Attempt this mission on your own or have a buddy join you.
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SOUND OPTIONS: Modify the sound configuration for the game.
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ARCADE OPTIONS: Adjust game settings like difficulty and lives.
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RESET OPTIONS: Reset your ARCADE OPTIONS to their defaults.
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EXIT: Return to the MAIN MENU.
PLAYER SELECT
You can go it alone, or have someone back you up, thereby joining you in almost certain death. Here are your choices:
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NORMAL/COWBOY: In Normal mode, Destroy the Kronomorphs alone or with your buddy. Or choose Cowboy, which is a one player mode that lets you do twice as much damage with a gun in both hands.
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CONFIGURE P1/P2: Configure your gun or Controller the way you want. The configuration screen will change based on whether you use the gun or controller. For example: If your gun is in controller port 1, select Configure P1 to view the Configure Gun Screen.
SOUND OPTIONS
You can modify the sound configuration for the game. Select the STEREO/MONO option to toggle between the two settings.
You can also set the EFFECTS and MUSIC volumes the way you want. Select EXIT to accept the changes and return to the Options Screen.
ARCADE OPTIONS
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DIFFICULTY: Area 51 has five different difficulty levels to choose from. Select from Novice, Easy, Medium (default), Hard and Expert.
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LIVES: Set the amount of Lives you can have to make things really difficult. Select from 3 to 5 lives. You'll continue to play until all of your lives are gone.
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CREDITS: When you run out of Lives, the game will stop. You'll be prompted to Continue the game. If you have credits left, press START to continue the game. Select from 1 to 5 credits to extend your game. When you're out of credits, the game ends.
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GAME LOOPING: Set this option to On, and the game will loop to the beginning, once you've completed the entire game. Your accumulated points, weapons and ranking will carry over. Select Off to have the game end when you've saved the world.
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SECRET ROOMS: Turn this option to Off to play the game without entering any Secret Rooms. Default is On.
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GORE: Turn this option Off for no blood. Default is On.
THE TERRAIN
As you scramble for your life inside the base, you'll have a constant view of the base, your Ammunition, Health and Grenades. The amount of Credits for you and your partner are also displayed.
AMMUNITION
You are issued the standard ammunition for the mission, but you can accumulate two other types of rounds. Shoot every Power Up you see to accumulate these other types of rounds:
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MACHINE GUN SHELLS: When you pick these up, hold the trigger down and watch the aliens go down. Be aware, though, your ammo will
Controls
D Pad UP
Move crosshair over target
D Pad DOWN
Move crosshair over target
D Pad LEFT
Move crosshair over target
D Pad RIGHT
Move crosshair over target
START Button
Pause/Resume Play
Button A
Throw a Grenade
Button B
Reload your gun
Button C
Fire at the target
START Button (Arcade Gun)
Pause/Resume play
Fire at grenade displayed on-screen (Arcade Gun)
Throw Grenade
Point the gun away from the screen, then pull the trigger (Arcade Gun)
Reload your gun
Pull trigger (Arcade Gun)
Fire at the Target
Aim gun and pull trigger (Menu)
Select option
D-Pad Up/Down/Left/Right (Controller Menu)
Move highlight
START Button (Controller Menu)
Select options
START (Player Select)
Cycle through gun configuration options
Fire at alien (Player Select)
Test aim
Select Exit (Player Select)
Return to Player Select Menu
Select Calibrate (Player Select)
Calibrate gun
Pull trigger while aiming at target with flashing red light (Player Select)
Calibrate gun
Select Reset (Player Select)
Erase calibration
Select Default (Player Select)
Return to default settings
Press any button other than START (Joypad Config)
Cycle different configurations
Select Exit (Joypad Config)
Return to Player Select Screen
Select Cancel (Joypad Config)
Disregard changes and return to Player Select Screen
Select Default (Joypad Config)
Reset changes to original settings
Items & Weapons
Power Ups
These items hover in the air as you move throughout the base; shooting them changes your ammunition to Shotgun or Machine Gun rounds, with the potential to achieve an automatic Shotgun by hitting one while holding remaining Shotgun Shells.
Barrels
Yellow barrels scattered throughout the base serve as hiding places for Zombies and explode when shot, destroying anything nearby, adding to your Streak performance, and potentially unlocking secret rooms.
Ammo Crates
Locked ammunition crates found throughout the base can be shot open to recover grenades or extended ammo clips, which are useful when you lack time to reload.
Enemies & Characters
Kronomorph
Creatures designed to rapidly assimilate and replicate DNA, allowing them to adapt to their environment quickly. Despite their genetic abilities, they are deliberately kept stupid by Kronn scientists to remain obedient to their masters.
Zombie
The first stage of metamorphosis where human flesh turns gray and rots, while an alien larva grows within the body, roughly taking the shape of the human skeleton and appearing generally humanoid.
Unknown
The second stage of metamorphosis, described as a short, very painful transitional stage where the alien explodes out of the incubating human sac. These mutants require large sources of bioplasma and must feed voraciously.
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