Produced as a last-ditch effort to reverse Atari's struggling fortunes, Area 51 largely underwhelmed critics, who compared it unfavorably to contemporary light gun shooters such as Virtua Cop 2, but was well-liked by players and became a major hit.

Atari further capitalized on its success with Maximum Force, which used the same arcade board and similar graphics techniques and gameplay, and a direct sequel, Area 51: Site 4.

The player character is tasked, along with fellow Special Tactical Advanced Alien Response (STAAR) members Lieutenant Stephanie Grant and Sergeant Major Marcus Bradley, to penetrate Area 51 and activate the nuclear self-destruct sequence.

In addition, yellow boxes and barrels marked with "flammable" warning symbols can be shot to cause fires or explosions that can harm enemies.

After playing Bounty Hunter and finding it underwhelming, Weatherby asked for a few months to come up with and develop a pitch for his own gun game concept, to which Atari agreed.

[9] Weatherby received the inspiration for the Area 51 concept from an article in Popular Science called "Searching for the Secrets of Groom Lake".

[citation needed] Tiger Electronics later released a handheld version of the game with an LCD screen and small light gun.

[9] It was cited as the first step in a comeback for Atari Games which brought the company from the brink of financial collapse to being a major force in the arcade industry over just a little more than a year.

[8] Next Generation's review of the arcade version stated that "Area 51 provides shooters with what they want", noting in particular the dark and varied levels, realistic and graduated scenery, intriguing story themes, and fun power-ups.

Despite this, the reviewer concluded that the game "stands up better against shooters of the past like Virtua Cop 1 and Mad Dog McCree, and not the current crop.

Critics typically commented that the game is good fun on its own terms but does not compare well to Virtua Cop 2, which was released for the Saturn at roughly the same time.

[18][20][24][26] The graphics received mixed remarks due to the graininess of the FMV and the presence of screen borders,[18][20][24][26] and like most console light gun games it was criticized as having very low longevity.

[18] Lee Nutter summarized in Sega Saturn Magazine, "As shoot 'em ups go Area 51 is not a bad effort, but outclassed by the [Virtua] Cop games in every conceivable way.

Unlike other reviewers, he found the game's challenge and multiple difficulty levels give it sufficient longevity, and deemed the graphics "superb", citing the constant action and plot development playing out in the photorealistic backgrounds.

[19] In a 1998 review of the Saturn version, IGN, while remarking that the game lacks sufficient playtime or extras to last long and does not measure up to Virtua Cop 2, found it to be a well-designed and fun experience in both single player and two-player mode.

It features a more sophisticated storyline and the voices of David Duchovny, Marilyn Manson, and Powers Boothe, and was well-received; the original arcade game makes a brief appearance here as well.