Area 51 is still a source for conspiracy theorists and those that feel we are not alone in the universe to draw from, even though the CIA has acknowledged the base as only a test facility. Way back in 1997, Bruce Campbell laced up the boots of Jake Burton in Broken Helix. Campbell was determined to find what was inside Area 51. Whether he wanted to or not. Prepare your PlayStation for this adventure.

The Story

Jake Burton is tasked with infiltrating Area 51 and figuring out what happened to his father. On this mission, Jake is supported by a slew of extra characters that help along the way. The problem Jake faces is not all are friendly. One character, Black Dawn (not the Sega Saturn game) is in charge of a few specially trained soldiers. These soldiers are on their way down into Area 51 to “clean” the facility. Clean here means kill EVERYONE they find, including Jake.

Broken Helix marketing

An interesting thing about Broken Helix was that it used what Konami called “4-D” real time gameplay. This basically meant that actions on one level would cause repercussions later in the game. Not just on that single level such as find the key to unlock this door and continue. Also, Broken Helix has four different plot lines to traverse meaning there are four different endings. These extra storylines are instigated through certain actions in the game rather than selecting them from a menu.

Broken Helix is played from a couple of views. Over the shoulder 3rd person, close up over the top of Jakes head. In some parts, it is is ideal to play in First Person Mode. How many 3rd person games can you name that would have benefited from a first-person view?

Nothing quite like it

Konami did well with Broken Helix on the original PlayStation. This game stands alone in the vast catalog of Konami titles which is unfortunate. It is quite a unique engine that could have only improved with newer tech and hardware. I doubt we will ever see an HD remake of this one. I would love to see anything bringing this classic back to the limelight, even if only for a fleeting moment. With that said, eBay and Amazon seem to be your best bets for getting a copy today.

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Carl Williams

It is time gaming journalism takes its rightful place as proper sources and not fanboys giving free advertising. If you wish to support writers like Carl please use the links below. https://www.paypal.me/WCW https://www.patreon.com/CarlWilliams