Destroy All Humans! Updated Hands-On

THQ and Pandemic showed off an updated version of Destroy All Humans!, the third-person action game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox that casts you as an alien out to invade the Earth. You'll play as Crypto Sporidium 137, a member of the ill-fated Furon race who must recharge his people's DNA pool by picking up genetic material that was seeded into the human race. The best way to score this material is by paying the Earth a visit and hovering up some. The stumbling block to the plan is that the locals are a touch on the paranoid side, thanks to the fact that is the 1950s, which can make for a troublesome game. There were some cool new areas of the game that we were able to check out, and these areas showed that there has been quite a bit more polish added to the versions on display.

From a presentation standpoint the game is looking much more cohesive than our last look. The obvious '50s sci-fi influences have been fleshed out, resulting in a look with a more modernized spin on the classic elements. You'll see and hear plenty of campy elements, such as over-the-top voice acting, the sound effects for Crypto's weapons, and the random ambient noises (such as the quintessential whine heard in just about every old sci-fi movie). At the same time, there are some definite modern twists, such as Crypto's surliness and the cool designs for all the aliens and their technology.

As far as the gameplay goes, there's been a good amount of refinement that has gone on since we last tried the game out. Crypto's handling is a little tighter, both on foot and when behind the controls of his flying saucer, although the camera can still be problematic at times. We saw more rag-doll physics as we made Crypto's foes go flying by using telekinesis or some good old-fashioned explosions.

One of the new levels that we saw, dubbed The Mutant Menace, offered a better idea of the insanity the game will throw at you. While the early levels we played have suggested that Crypto's alien technology and powers will provide him an almost unfair advantage over the simple locals he encounters, this level offered some unpleasant surprises. Humans circa 1950 are obviously not in the same league as our boy Crypto when it comes to abilities and weapons. If you were a fan of the The X Files though, you know that the government has had all sorts of interesting toys lying around for decades. As a result, don't plan on just sailing through your opposition; quite the opposite in fact. Over the course of the game you can actually expect Crypto to get a number of rude surprises from the allegedly primitive humans he's terrorizing.

The graphics still continue to impress, especially on the PlayStation 2, thanks to the performance that Pandemic's amazing graphics engine is getting out of the PlayStation 2. The large environments are expansive and feature a high level of detail and lighting that's really sharp. Color is also used to good effect, with a rich palette that has a wealth of gradients running the gamut from dark, muted tones to very bright colors, which you don't often see on the PS2. Of course, this praise for the PS2 doesn't mean the Xbox version of the game is lacking in the visuals department--far from it. The PlayStation 2 game looks good, but the Xbox also has a healthy share of impressive touches, due to its smooth performance and rich graphical effects.

The audio in the game is shaping up nicely, with some choice voice work for Crypto and over-the-top emoting for the human cast. We've already mentioned the well-done ambient tunes that set the tone for the action perfectly. The music is coming together equally well, and there are some interesting tunes being thrown into the mix.

Based on what we played, Destroy All Humans! appears to be heading in a positive direction on both the PlayStation 2 and on the Xbox. The game looks good, plays well, and, most importantly, doesn't take itself so seriously. If Destroy All Humans! continues on this way it will likely be part of what's shaping up to be a very good year for Pandemic following the sleeper goodness of Mercenaries. Destroy All Humans! is currently slated to ship this April for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Look for more on the game in the coming weeks.