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Destroy All Humans!
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Graphics & Sound:
Before you pop the game into your PS2, even before you crack open its case, the unique style of Destroy All Humans! is more than evident. Pandemic Studios did a fine job in conveying the sense of an "idyllic" 50's America combined with the cynicism of an invading alien culture. Everywhere you look, little touches of added extras abound. From the billboard on the country road advertising the actual B-move Plan 9 From Outer Space (which is, coincidentally, a cool unlockable on the DVD), to the thoughts of the residents of the various towns, all the way to the mutterings of the X-Files inspired G-men, Destroy All Humans! just oozes personality.
Music tinkles in the background and corresponds to the area you are playing in. During menu screens, you might hear something intense like what you would expect to hear in a retro alien invasion movie, while in the cookie-cutter suburbs of Santa Modesta, you'll hear a more upbeat tune. Probably the most enjoyable parts of the entire game are the voiceovers and script. Your character, Crypto 137, sounds like a sarcastic Jack Nicholson and plays his role perfectly. His leader, Orthopox or Pox for short, is voiced by none other than Richard Horvitz of Invader Zim fame. Listening to them argue back and forth never ceases to entertain. Top that off with the townsfolk who say wacky things and think even wackier things, and you've got a winner. You could spend a good deal of time simply reading people's minds and laughing at their thoughts. I highly recommend popping someone with an Anal Probe and then reading their thoughts as they running away, grabbing their rear ends. "Think about baseball! Think about baseball! Rock Hudson, NO! Think about baseball!". It's so wrong, it's right.
The graphics are good, but not great and there is some pop-in, but mostly, there's a gradual fade-in as you explore the areas. It's a much less harsh way to handle things. However, you will be running around and shooting more often than not, so you won't notice it too much. A nice touch is that when you lay waste to an area while up above in your saucer, then debark the saucer and go running around, the same things are still destroyed. Not a huge thing, but a nice touch that keeps you in suspended disbelief. Quite frankly, the cool details and retro style far outweigh any glitches.
Overall, Destroy All Humans! shines in this department. |
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Gameplay:
So you play Crypto 137 (or 138, 139 and so on), a cloned Furon alien sent to Earth to retrieve a sample of pure, ancient Furon DNA from the human race. Why is it there? A wild party many years ago - it's better not to ask. But anyway, Furons have been being cloned for many years and as they say, a copy isn't as sharp as the original. They need pure Furon DNA for the race to survive. Here's where you come in. Your brother, Crypto 136, was sent on this mission and bungled it, crash landing at Area 42, so the fate of the Furon race lies in your hands alone. A funny thing to note is that when your character dies, you come back as Crypto 138 and so on - a new clone.
Crypto is armed with a host of weapons and powers to aid him in his quest. He begins the game with his Zap-o-Matic, a gun to electrify those he shoots. Later, he gets an Anal Probe, an Ion Detonator and a Disintegrator Ray. All are powerful weapons in their own right and can also be upgraded by trading the DNA you retrieve from humans with Pox at his lab on the ship. Your saucer can also be upgraded with better weapons and you have access to a Death Ray, Abducto Beam, Sonic Boom and Quantum Deconstructor. Basically, as you progress, the new weapons and abilities open up to you, and then you are allowed to upgrade as time passes as well.
So, the overall goal is gathering human DNA and you accomplish this by first (usually) killing your human, then using your Extract power to pull their slimy little brain out of their head and collect it. You can also use the Anal Probe to do this. Yikes. (There's a "you've got your head up your ass" joke here somewhere...) But anyway, you'll be presented with specific missions to accomplish as well. They might be collecting a certain number of brains or destroying a certain number of vehicles, but the most fun are when you use your HoloBob powers and tranform yourself into the image of another human. Dress up like a cop or a cowboy, or even the Mayor of the city himself! This tactic comes into play a lot as the game wears on. You will also have the ability to use PK (Psychokinesis) to pick up people, vehicles, whatever and slam them around. You can use your Cortex Scan to read people's thoughts for gathering info (or for a laugh), and when using HoloBob, you have to scan thoughts to keep your Concentration Meter full (to continue using your mental abilities). At certain times, you'll be able to hypnotize humans and use them to do your bidding. Make them cause a distraction for the cops or make them sleep. Make them dance like a fool at a pool party or deliver a meal to someone in hiding that you need to find and abduct. It's all at the tip of your little grey fingertips.
In addition to these missions, you may run across side missions/mini-games such as collecting a set amount of DNA or a checkpoint race. These are cute diversions, but not as much fun as the actual game missions themselves, and are mainly used as quickie ways to get DNA. |
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Difficulty:
Well, Destroy All Humans! provides a good level of difficulty without being frustrating. The missions are sufficiently long, but not tedious. Sometimes cops, military men and members of the Majestic (Men in Black) will attack you from all sides and it seems overwhelming, but if you can get away from the fray and turn on the Holobob, the Alert level will lower itself over time. In addition, the earlier missions are considerably easier and the difficulty ramps up at an even pace. If you feel outmatched, pull back to an easier area, such as the farm at Turnipseed (the first area you come to), and start ripping off brain stems to build up your DNA. Then just go max out all of your weapons (or whatever Pox will allow you to upgrade, at the time) and fight back.
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Game Mechanics:
Destroy All Humans! has a really good control scheme. You'll move Crypto about with the left analog stick and move the camera with the right. Also, when you've picked something up with PK, you move them around with the right analog stick. Shooting is a simple as the R1 button, and R2 is used to cycle through your available weapons. By pressing and holding the L1 button, you'll activate your various abilities. L1 + X will let you do a Cortex Scan, + Triangle puts you into PK, + Square is used to hypnotize the pathetic humans and + O lets you extract their brain stems. Jump is a mere tap of the X button away, and just double click and hold for the jetpack, handy for quick escapes. Basically, once you get the hang of it, the controls feel very natural.
There's always a radar map at the bottom right of your screen, to keep you on track and help you get where you need to go. It will show you where humans are and by color, you can tell their Alert level. Your goals show up as pink blips and you can also easily spot your saucer on the map.
Clicking the Start button takes you into the Navi-Com menu where you can check your Mission Goals, return to the Mothership if things are going badly, see your Invasion Report and even grab some reference material from the Furon Handbook. When you die and come back to try again, you can opt to go to Pox's lab to trade DNA for upgrades, you can check the Archives and see your unlockables which include the B-Movie Plan 9 From Outer Space and other videos and such, or start your mission at the Hangar.
Destroy All Humans! is a top-notch game all around. It's not deep and politically moving, but it's a fun and hilarious romp through retroville in the skin of the biggest asshole of an alien you'll even see. It is rated Teen for some language and adult comments here and there, so it's not for the younger kids - need I remind you, Anal Probe? However, if you are looking for a good time, call Crypto. I highly recommend this game.
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-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications AKA Ashley Perkins |
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