Matt's Area 51 Retrospective

[@re9246]

I used to work as a arcade technician. Site 4 was my time killer. It “broke” a lot and needed to be “tested” frequently.

[@nofacedgoldfish6216]

LMAO! Love the cover-up story.

[@nicoli3729]

I loved that game, so many memories at pizza arcade rooms and alien screams.

[@TheeCapN]

Check out my channel for an old video of area 51

[@proofofwork]

FUN FACT: An 'Area 51' branded Arcade cabinet can be seen in the background of an episode of the TV show 'Narcos'.....even though that episode was set in the late 1980s- way before the first Area 51 game came out. Also, that Arcade cabinet was a standard cabinet that didnt have a lightgun attatched. * Simpsons nerd voice * "Boy I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder"....

[@jesseking1403]

Nah, I get why you get overanalytical over stuff like that. I saw IT Ch.2 and saw the scene where the character with the glasses as a kid playing Street Fighter 1 and it shows him winning as Joe against the jerk kid playing as Ryu and my brain's just going "BUT YOU CAN'T PLAY AS ANYONE OTHER THAN RYU OR KEN IN THAT GAME!!"

[@proofofwork]

@@jesseking1403 Right??? Its crazy how modern movies and tv shows can still make mistakes like that.

[@SCOOMA50187]

Throws me off when I see that shit

[@chidaluokoro9104]

@@SomeDumbKid1 they really don't

[@crashschwarzen4642]

Area 51 is such a Cool game, one of my favourite games I have for the original xbox

[@nicolascerini9735]

Claire really is enjoying that licker in your profile picture also i agree with you

[@crnlonewolf3195]

It was awesome

[@jordank6546]

i see you watch you hinca p aswell😏

[@hairypancake]

Back in the Halo 2 days "Zombie" was a really popular custom game mode that people had to make themselves, I remember playing Area 51 MP and it actually had a "zombie" game mode and thought it was the coolest thing ever back when I was 10 or so.

[@guzzleabeerman]

Someone had to say it

[@Doctor_Pazuzu]

One of the weirdest parts about the Blacksite game is how open it was about it being a clear criticism of the Iraq war at the time. They even have the characters talk about Abu Ghraib at one point. It'd be pretty cool and interesting if the rest of the game was any good.

[@EmperorGladiatuss]

I love that game so much. Played so much as kid I had constant nightmares with the aliens. Now 23 years old and I'm still scared as hell of those alien freaks. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Edit: Still remember playing it for the first time as demo on MK Deception.

[@drarak]

Matt you got me teary eyed during this. One of the fondest memories I have is playing Area 51 with my dad in a cici's pizza. My dad worked a lot when I was really little, so I dont have many early memories of me and him when I was that young. Thanks man.

[@onigames7309]

;3;

[@DMSwordsmaster]

I remember playing this in a Pizza Hut as a kid, too. I remember me and my brother actually beating this game. Ah, memories...

[@rockduck2210]

Mine is playing the arcade at the laundry mat

[@GenericSoda]

I like to imagine Matt's relationship with Midway akin to that of a slasher villain and its victim

[@pontiacsuncrest7622]

Dawg you keep pumpin out the obscure bangers from my childhood, appreciate this good ass content

[@Da4thorseman]

I remember playing the og arcade cabinet at a roller rink when I was a kid. Great memories playing this aswell as Umk3, hydro thunder, and AVP. Loved putting in 2 quarters so you could dual wield the pistols.

[@Bt3615]

Actually Atari Games was a distinct entity compared to the Atari that released the Jaguar. In fact the home division and the coin op division were split in 1984.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

I really enjoyed Area 51 FPS PC, a close friend of mine recommended it I give it a go and it turned out to be a lot of fun, I was streaming it to her as I played it and we got a bit further in after discovering the beast form. I think it had some unique ideas as I really enjoyed it, I should get back to finishing it.

[@GenerationWest]

You better put some respect on Ian Ambercrombie's name, that 2008's the first Clone Wars Palpatine! (Until Tim Curry took over after Ian died), also he was Alfred in the Birds of Prey show... I almost forgot about that lol

[@noneed4me2n7]

I was working in a movie theater as cleanup crew after hours for about a year when Area 51 Arcade came out. We’d all get together once work was done (or not) and take turns playing it. Good times. I played the PC FPS version later and I enjoyed it. Didn’t know they were related.

[@coleviloria3800]

I remember the arcade cabinet, my parents were okay with me playing it because it was a big bad alien on the side and not a person.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

I’m glad you introduced me to Raw Thrills with this video, they seem to be one of the few successful modern day Arcade companies, and a lot of their games look really good, H2Overdrive for example. It seems like they’re basically the continuation of Midway, and they started predominantly with former Midway people. I’m glad the arcade industry lives on with a presence reminiscent of Midway.

[@AnimatedAndrew]

Wait, the zombie soldiers were stop-motion?! I know the Kronomorphs (that's the name of the aliens according to the PS1 manual) definitely were but I thought the zombies were also green-screened actors like the STAARS soldiers. But yeah I remember the first time I saw this game in the arcade of a laser tag place when I was like in 2nd grade. At the time I was OBSESSED with House of the Dead but Area 51 also left an impression on me. I just loved the look of the game and the way the enemies exploded with their bones seen flying out every time they were shot. Plus it was the first time I heard of "Area 51" as a kid so it's thanks to this game I learned about that place!

[@redwolfe7049]

I remember watching this guy at the arcade beat the game alone with both light guns. It blew my mind.

[@G_Gr00v3]

I remember seeing the Alien 51 cabinet at a pizza place an hour away from my family's vacation home. So only once a year I would see the cabinet, and I never got to play until I was a teenager

[@elfin2865]

Oh man, I remember this! Some of my relatives had an Area 51 arcade cabinet, so whenever we’d go there for Christmas there’d be continual alien roars and shooting noises in the background in the front room, which freaked me out when I was really little... good times. :’D

[@Mirokuofnite]

The first console Area 51 game was very much a X-Files, Deus Ex, Fox/Discovery/History Channel Paranormal programing of the 90s and 00s kind of game. The second console Area 51 game was very much a game of the Bush Era post 9/11 gritty dark nonsense.

[@silverology6241]

Matt , do 3DO's (Army men) series. It would be good for a retrospective or a Wha Happun video.

[@DasNordlicht91]

Or even just a retrospective of 3DO in general. That would be a fun Wha Happun? to see.

[@shcdemolisher]

That series does need to be remade at some point give it a rebranding and remind many of what it was, but more up to date with features and content. And NO that shitty mobile game doesn’t count at all!

[@ChrisAnonymous]

Wow he listened

[@beefaroni882]

This game scarred the bejesus out of me when I was a kid

[@ASpooneyBard]

"C'mon! Stay low!" "Reload" "Reload"

[@peelzboyplays6089]

I used to play the hell out of Area 51 and Site 4! I remember a day when I played all the way through Site 4 with a single dollar (25 cents per game). Surprisingly managed to kill the queen without taking any damage. That's how often I would play the game. 🤣 I still look for this cabinet whenever I'm inside an arcade.

[@flyinggondolaproductions]

If you ever visit Ohio, go to Gaming Adventures, they havr a Site 4 Machine!!

[@artcrime2999]

When you reload, instead of aiming away from the screen just cover the tip of the light gun with your finger every third shot or so.

[@oonmm]

This will make real life much easier

[@CharlesP2009]

Why didn't you tell me 25 years ago?!

[@georgedudleysashtray3860]

House of the dead is still fucking amazing. Someday I'll have a House of the dead cabinet in my house.

[@Ceekur]

I love Area 51; I would always seek it out for a playthrough whenever I entered an arcade. The super secret extra life room was tough to get and would tease a giant alien, making you freak out but wanted to see and fight it!

[@sqliffty5ive]

I was at a cinema arcade in about 2003. This game was there and for some reason there was like 20 credits on it so I played it through with my buddy, twice.

[@Nineball459]

I dunno why I always loved how those orange aliens in the original arcade cabinet looked, they're hodge podge of different alien designs thrown together but I still like the end result, really wish they would've kept it for the gritty FPS games they made later. I played the Area 51 games on the xbox when I was a kid and I had no clue there was any relation to the arcade games.

[@Vulcanfaux]

Oh look, my favorite type of games to play at the arcades. Time crisis 2 and carnevil being two of my favorites. And my personal reason why I think motion/gyro aiming is the best. I know it's not the same and uses different things, but physically your body is doing roughly the same thing. Moving your hands and arms to aim.

[@eric123chan]

Thank you, Matt! I finally now know the game I watched my dad play at my local pizza shop was Area 51: Site 4. I was so young back then and I remember those alien/zombie mini-games freaking me the fuck out.

[@daviddamasceno6063]

I remember seeing the first game in the arcades. At the time, it was the most realistic game I've ever seen (lol). I was terrified with the game over screen where your character turn into an alien.

[@flippedoutkyrii]

Still have fond memories jamming out on this game at my local bowling alley. Probably spent more time on the arcade then I did bowling, honestly.

[@ImaNecron]

Site 4 was super cool. I loved the side game modes that elaborate on the break out. The FPS was good too. Had a lot of fun in the multiplayer infection mode, though everyone always agreed not to use the OP Alien ranged attack.

[@SnakeHiggins]

Crazy timing man! I was just playing Area 51 and Maximum Force last night! But yeah, these games are great when you have an extra 20 minutes to kill.

[@AnomalyINC]

I remember this game! I still have it somewhere for PS2! Loved Edgar. He was ballin'.

[@KhrZygarde]

Area 51 is quite possibly my favorite light gun game ever, like the only game that commands as much headspace when I'm thinking of light gun games is House of the Dead.

[@mephistoknackerman1406]

I'd like to see a CarnEvil/House of the Dead video.

[@tommyz1082]

I absolutely loved this game! I would save my quarters all year so when on vacation i could play this game during the summer. It's not until reading the comments today did i even know it was on consoles! How did i miss that?!!!!!

[@FredrickTesla]

Most light guns worked by having a light sensor in the guns barrel. Each time you pulled the trigger, it would either white out or black out the screen, then for one frame it would change the area where the target was to the other color, and if the gun detected the change, then it registered as a hit.

[@HellaBeed]

Aww, a local movie theater where I live still has the first game in its lobby.

[@TehSEOULMAN]

A local restaurant in my town used to have a Site 4 cabinet and I've been scouring the entire metroplex for the last few years trying to find another one.

[@Deedonis]

I remember the Area 51 arcade machine. Always wondered what happened to that franchise so this satisfies my curiosity.

[@gyrmzzz]

David Duchovny sounded like he had been up for 3 days on a cocaine bender in that game. Like he just straight up did not want to be there.

[@klm7272]

Area 51 was 1 of my first games I've ever played, probably my favourite alien game

[@philipmoreno2678]

Man, this game brings back so many childhood memories

[@Necromagenvi0n]

A Turok Retrospective wouldn't hurt, y'know.

[@alpacafursona3128]

when my family and i went to disneyland I was holed up in their arcade playing Area 51 the whole time. It's a small small world and it's full of xenos

[@nackskott12]

Area 51 for the PS2/Xbox was underrated. It's a pretty fun shooter and it has some genuinely disturbing moments. I was 8 when I saw that scientist mutate and it gave me nightmares.

[@Salmon_Samurai]

That Battle Arena: Toshinden music hit me hard. Good God that was a blast from the past.

[@corym.m.3084]

This game scared me as a kid. Loved it. I would love a remake that changes it into more of a horror game

[@YumyChocEclare]

I remember playing the demo for this on my old original Xbox

[@jordanbisasky4586]

I remember getting a VHS tape in the master 90s that had upcoming Midway games including Maximum Force, Rampage World Tour, and randomly Pandemonium 2. And behind the scenes of MK Mythologies Sub Zero

[@OstianOwl]

Remember seeing Area 51 quite often at, of all places, a local Tex-Mex restaurant that had a couple of arcade machines for some reason. Going back as an adult, the food was crap especially compared to the authentic Mexican places that have cropped up over time here but that Area 51 cabinet was still there chugging away.

[@TheRealSwood]

The original Area 51 was awesome when I was a kid. The local pizza place had it and Cruis'n USA and I'd always beg my parents for quarters so I could play them. The people who owned that pizza place also had a location on the other side of town and I remember we went to that one once while we were out and about and they had a Mortal Kombat 4 cabinet. Uo to that point I had thought MK4 was just a console game (we had it on the N64) and had no idea it was an arcade game too.

[@MinersLoveGames]

Loved these games. Still have fond memories of the PS2 game.

[@MisanthropeMurphy]

The sequel to Area 51 was actually a pretty fun arcade cabinet! Used to play it all the time when I was younger; even played the ps2 area 51 game in split screen vs lol.

[@LordQuadros]

Okay, so that Terminator Salvation cabinet being in everything with a passing resemblance to an arcade isn't just a Maine thing. Interesting and depressing to know.

[@TK-Gaming]

I just did an Area 51 manual readthrough the other day so I was excited to see you do this. I enjoyed all the Area 51 games but sadly have never played Site 4. I'd kill for the chance to play it.

[@lujanjd]

I had the chance to buy a site 4 cabinet, likely the one I had grown up playing at a local pizza place for like 200 dollars back in like 2012. I had the money, I had a truck. This video is bringing back all the memories, like almost beating the game on like 3 dollars of quarters with some random kid. I was a fool for not buying it, I scream

[@tristenthomas7352]

Man, I remember playing Area 51 at a godfathers pizza buffet, and the Site 4 at a skating rink growing up.

[@KryptKicker5]

I really, really miss light gun games. Time Crisis, Virtua Cop, Duck Hunt, Hogan’s Alley, Area 51, House of the Dead. Man. We had it good back in the day as far as this genre goes.

[@IvanlyChannel]

great retrospective. played the first arcade game always wondered what the other games were about

[@SaiKisaragi]

omfg your soundtrack choices always gives me lovely conniptions

[@orangeoctober.]

Damn loved playing that game in the arcade. I remember they had ads for it a lot in GamePro, GameFan, etc back in the day too.

[@shiniestaipom123]

The terminator style shooters that don't require you to point your gun down and instead have you press a button on the side or bottom are my favorites

[@geysercannon5450]

Such an underrated game Copped both AREA 51 & DESTROY ALL HUMANS in 1 go back in 2005

[@OGMudbum]

Both area 51 games on the ps1 and ps2 were amazing to me as a kid. The online multiplayer was intense as hell. I miss those games.

[@Punny_username91]

I remember there was one of these cabinets in the local Chuck E. Cheese clone. "Squirty Worm" Edit: we also had a carnevil cabinet in the local bowling alley. Side point, the mascot was a large green worm with yellow spots and RED AND BLACK EYES. Like red scalera with large black pupils. It was terrifying.

[@afisch3]

Lima Ohio?

[@Punny_username91]

@@afisch3 yeah

[@davimendes1459]

Duuuude, I remember playing the 2005 game and enjoying it quite a bit. Had no idea it was part of a bigger franchise. That's pretty interesting.

[@briantagachi2188]

Man I remember this! The arcade cabinet was so damn fun. But it was hard doing it solo.. and the coolest thing was when you got a game over your character turned into one of the aliens! The FPS games was pretty fun to play also even though the reviews wasn't so good.

[@Timestrider539]

One of the things I liked about the reboot was that you could scan yourself because you could look down and see your feet. The scan gave the normal kind of stuff until Cole gets mutated, then it just says 'N/A' for most of it. Cole even reacts to this by saying something like 'am I even human anymore?'

[@ChimeraMK]

Area 51 was one of the first 2 games I ever had on the Playstation one (the other being Wipeout). Me and my bro would always play it together so Area 51 is kinda special to me. Although we were both bad shots with the gun so we just used the standard controllers. What I never knew until now was the sexy secrets.

[@a.robinson2779]

Seeing someone finally do a proper retrospective on this game is really bizarre (in a good way) lol this game was truly a blast to play when i was a kid...i still have the ps1 version to this day (without the guns, sadly)

[@logictoast2224]

I’m pretty sure I played this at a great wolf lodge in the early 2000’s, was a kid but really fond of it still.

[@xAuragothx]

YESS!! ME and my best friend used to play this on my saturn every day after school when we were kids! I still have it too, no CRT to play it on though...

[@SavagelySylvester]

I thought this was gonna be a video about the ps2 area 51 game, I am not disappointed though, any Matt video is a good watch

[@AzayBae]

One of the first games I ever played. Been tempted to pick up a copy and an OG Xbox to play it again.

[@georgeorwell5261]

I miss this game. Played it so many times when I was younger.

[@ryanpowell2540]

Area 51 is my all-time favorite arcade game.

[@nhlcbj]

This brings back so many memories from going to the movies as a kid :D

[@commandertorres]

Oh Blacksite... All I can remember out of it was the fact that the game felt like a shovelware title and the guns had this weird thing where if you can pull the left trigger in consoles without putting too much weight into it, the aiming would feel like ArmA II where you got aim down sights mode and AIM SO DAMN CLOSE THAT THE RED SIGHTS TOOK UP THE SCREEN mode.

[@Ephelle]

Oh my god that Area 51 cabinet brings back so many memories.

[@DefamedRice]

thanks man, this cabinet was part of my childhood

[@ESpr0ducti0n]

I had no clue Site 4 was hard to find. Every movie theater and arcade I went to growing up in PA had one. Man, I miss this series. It wasn't the best, but man was it fun.

[@abadidea9325]

This was one of the few fps games I finished as a kid

[@xXEmoRexXx]

Do a Retrospective on Rouge Trooper. That game looks like something up your alley!

[@kennyrodriguez9200]

Matt McMuscles just saw this Video *TBH Loved this game for PS2 and they do need a reboot thank you for this insightful video*

[@KingOfTheRabidDucks]

I played this so much at the Arcade, and on the PC.

[@samwatson-tayler2805]

"Atari was barely hanging on" that describes every day since ET came out.

[@loganweber5263]

Dude I love your series.

[@NinAmuro57]

I love the old arcade one. Especially its death animation. Pretty fuckin dope imo

[@Shadowslash1]

I didn't know it started as an arcade game. I played the 2005 one and enjoyed it, first played the demo when it was on the computers at Best Buy (back in the day, Circuit City and Best Buy would have console games and some pc games on the show room to let you try demos [Also Circuit City was a store in competition with Best Buy and Compusa]) after playing the demo and first trying a trackball mouse, my dad got both the game and we both used the trackball mouse (we had played alot of FPS and Simulation games, but what stuck out was how quickly you could round the corners with a trackball). It was also fun the first time you transform into a mutant, in most other games before that, you were normally the only one who never came down with the transforming virus and never became a monster. Then later you get the power to shoot your fingernails at the enemy in mutant form (if I recall all attacks in mutant form restore health). It was great, at first I was excited to hear a sequel was in the works.... then I saw it had almost nothing to do with the previous game and the changes and kinda sighed and let it pass.

[@gorosaurus23]

I'd like to see a retrospective of Primal Rage since I'm a sucker for that kinda thing

[@MoonlightStrider]

The game over screen of the Arcade Area 51 game used to shit me up as a child seeing my guy turning into an alien monster was nightmare fuel for little me.

[@lile4life713]

No cap this was my shit at godfather pizza back in the day

[@HellJumper11117]

Loved this game so much one of the best games ever so good I remember the main protagonists still Ethan cole played by David Duchovny

[@ChaosMcCain]

I could pass the whole game on one quarter .

[@Syrpens]

Man I played like every light gun game of the 90s. My favorites in order are Site 4 Area 51 Maximum Force (it’s like the perfect dark of the Area 51 franchise) Silent Scooe Carnevil