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- Destroy all Humans! 2
Destroy All Humans! 2
- May 18, 2006 13:34 PM PST
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THQ's devilish littie Aliens return in Destroy All Humans! 2 for PS2 and Xbox
One gets the feeling that THQ isn't dead set on pushing their hit formula too far with Destroy All Humans! 2, a PS2 and Xbox follow-up to last year's surprise hit. As with its predecessor, DAH2 is heavily influenced by "sandbox" games like Grand Theft Auto and Mercenaries.
Judging by the quick hands-on experience we had, DAH2 is more like an expansion pack than a full-on sequel. Alien protagonist Crypto 137 is back in the saucer's seat with a new mission (and thanks to rejuvenating DNA treatment, some new gonads ... it's a long story). The new storyline sees Crypto's mother ship destroyed by an unknown adversary. Throughout the game, Crypto must seek vengeance on the saboteur, as well as collect enough advanced technology to send a distress signal back to his home planet. New levels take place in Russia, Japan, and the U.K.
Without a doubt, the most fundamental difference is the game's new setting: the 1960s. Just as the first game lampoon `50s culture, DAH2 is set to "sock it to" the 60s in a variety of running pop culture gags. Judging by the pre?alpha code we played, this is a mixed blessing: sure, hippies and bell bottoms and bong water are all funny topics, but we just hope the game doesn't devolve into a silly Austin Powers-meets-E.T. giggle-fest. At any rate, if the writing is even half as good as the first game, DAH2 is sure to trigger its fair share of belly laughs.
More destruction, fewer cows
The core run-and-gun mechanics are virtually unchanged from the first game, but there are some noteworthy additions. Crypto no longer picks ammo off the street, but uses a new "transmogrify" ability to transform objects like cars and trucks into firepower. And as in the first game, Crypto can still "body snatch" hapless pedestrians to gain a short?lived disguise, with one key twist: instead of donning a holographic disguise, he actually hops inside the victim, using him or her like a living suit. The impact on gameplay is non-existent, but it's a nice, creepy touch nonetheless.
Most important is the new arsenal, of course. Outside of Crypto's signature Disintegrator Ray, Zap-O-Matic, and Ion Detonator, he can give enemies a real headache with the new Meteor Strike, a fire-and-forget area effect weapon that brings flaming lava ball crashing down on a whole city block. Other new weapons include the Dislocater, which sends cars and humans flying like rag dolls, and a Burrow Beast, which summons a massive monster from the ground to gobble up unsuspecting humans (think the giant worms from Dune). And of course, Anal Probes. Our favorite!
The graphics have received a slight touch-up, but only graphics snobs are likely to know the difference. The developers claim that, compared to its predecessor, DAH 2 boasts a slightly smoother framerate and an improved draw distance. We did notice that the Xbox version has a fair amount of draw-in and pop-up, but this is par for the course for current-gen hardware. The hands-on impression didn't blow us away, but it seems like THQ and Pandemic are still early in the design process. We'll say this much -- we can't wait to see what this series looks like when THQ inevitably takes it to next-gen consoles like the Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii.
