Software Alternatives & Startups

Area 51 VS ShellNewHandler

Compare Area 51 VS ShellNewHandler and see what are their differences

Area 51

Area 51 is a Marvelous, Science Fiction, First-person Shooter, Single and Multiplayer video game created by Midway Austin and published by Midway Games.

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Rating
0 reviews
ShellNewHandler

SourceForge.net: ShellNewHandler details page

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Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, ShellNewHandler seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 2 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 2
Action popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Area 51
ShellNewHandler
Website mobygames.com sourceforge.net
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Area 51 5 features
ShellNewHandler 0 features
  • Strong sci-fi atmosphere
    Area 51 (2005) draws on the famous government conspiracy mythos, delivering a tense setting of mutant outbreaks, alien secrets, and underground labs that keeps the story engaging from start to finish.
  • Star voice cast
    The game features notable voice talent, including David Duchovny, Marilyn Manson, and Powers Boothe, which gives the characters and cutscenes a more cinematic, polished feel.
  • Solid, accessible shooter gameplay
    The first-person shooting is straightforward and responsive, with a good variety of human and alien weapons, making it easy to pick up and play for fans of classic console FPS games.
  • Mutation mechanic adds variety
    Later in the game the protagonist gains mutant abilities such as enhanced strength, health-draining attacks, and a distinct mutant combat style, which breaks up the standard gunplay and adds some tactical variety.
  • Multiplayer and cross-platform availability
    The game launched on PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox with multiplayer modes, giving players on multiple platforms the chance to enjoy competitive play alongside the single-player campaign.

Possible disadvantages

  • Linear, repetitive level design
    Many missions consist of corridors, labs, and tunnels with similar environments and enemy encounters, which can feel monotonous and limit exploration or player freedom.
  • Short campaign
    The single-player story can be completed in roughly six to eight hours, leaving some players feeling that the experience ends just as it gets going.
  • Predictable story and uneven pacing
    Despite the strong premise, the plot relies on familiar conspiracy and twist tropes, and some narrative beats feel rushed or underdeveloped, reducing the emotional impact.
  • Dated visuals and AI
    Even by the standards of its release, enemy behavior is fairly basic and some textures and animations look rough, particularly on the PC and PS2 versions.
  • Limited innovation and multiplayer depth
    The game follows genre conventions closely and its multiplayer offering is modest compared with leading shooters of the era, so it did not build a lasting online community.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Area 51
ShellNewHandler

No analysis of Area 51 yet.

Overall verdict

  • ShellNewHandler is a niche, lightweight utility hosted on SourceForge designed to give users more control over the Windows 'New' context menu (the ShellNew menu). It can be considered good for its specific narrow use case, but it is an older, minimally maintained tool that may not suit all users, especially those on modern Windows versions.

Why this product is good

  • Provides direct control over customizing the Windows right-click 'New' menu, allowing users to add or remove file type entries
  • Lightweight and free, without bundled bloatware typical of some other free utilities
  • Simple and focused in scope, making it easy to understand for its specific purpose
  • Open distribution via SourceForge allows transparency and no-cost access

Recommended for

  • Power users who want to declutter or customize the Windows New context menu
  • IT administrators managing standardized desktop environments across multiple machines
  • Users comfortable with older utility-style tools and Windows registry-related tweaks
  • Not recommended for casual users seeking modern, actively supported software with regular updates

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Area 51
ShellNewHandler
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Area 51 no reviews yet
ShellNewHandler no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Area 51 0 mentions
ShellNewHandler 2 mentions

Tracking Area 51 since Oct 2026.

  • I recently got libreoffice, but now the new option in right click looks like a mess. Can someone help me get rid of them please?
    Use Shell New Handler. Run the portable app and simply untick the items you don't want to appear in your new context menu. Source: about 4 years ago
  • This menu should be easy to add/remove programs to... Who is really creating Access Databases from this menu often enough to keep it here? (Not me!) Is there an easy way to edit this?
    I've always used ShellNewHandler for this. It's a really simple portable utility that allows you to remove most of the items from that menu. Tested it out on Windows 11 and it's still compatible. Source: over 5 years ago

Alternatives to Area 51 and ShellNewHandler

When comparing Area 51 and ShellNewHandler, you can also consider the following products.