Destroy All Humans! 2

UPC: 752919460993

Platform: PlayStation 2

Publisher: THQ, Inc.

Developer: Pandemic Studios

Category: Action

Style(s): Third-Person 3D Action

Synopsis: Set during a time of free love, new ideas, communism, and bra burning, Destroy All Humans! 2 re-creates the sci-fi genre of the 1960s with dialogue, characters, and culture that includes hippies, the cold war, girls in poodle skirts, guys in letter jackets, and secretive "G-Men." Playing as Cryptospordium-137 a Furon sent to Earth to collect DNA, gamers navigate the little grey intergalactic tourist through a variety of environments, such as the desert, a California beach town, Japan, Russia, a farm, a military base, and more. The main goal is to collect DNA by blasting humans with one of eight weapons and mind control moves including the Meteor Strike, the Disclocator, the Cortex Scan, PK, Mind Flash, Transmogrify, and more. Upgrades for weaponry or abilities are acquired through the Abduction Vault located on the Mothership. Crypto also has the use of a flying saucer to destroy all humans with if the authority figures on the ground make foot travel impossible. Police, military units, and the mysterious "G-Men" will pursue Crypto based on the amount of damage and deaths he has caused. At first, only the police are called to handle Crypto and his homicidal rampage, but as the damage and death toll grows, the military and higher defensive units are called in to keep the peace. Destroy All Humans! 2 features co-op multiplayer action for two players who may complete the entire single-player story together, replay completed missions, or challenge each other to multiplayer mini-games such as PK Tennis and more. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 24-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The main controls, weapons, and special abilities are all well documented. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Nice special effects from the weapons, and the locales all offer a range of building types, signs, and human "targets." ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

It's no big secret that aliens are popular in video games, but all too often a title's premise involves the aliens taking one on the chin as humans colonize their planet or eradicate their entire species with little more than a ragtag squad, or worse yet, a lone space marine. Honestly, how embarrassing is that? The original Destroy All Humans! helped right this terrible wrong by having players control a big-headed, green-skinned alien on a mission to eliminate those irrepressible humans. A send-up of 1950s-style sci-fi movies, Destroy All Humans! kept its tongue firmly in its cheek as players went about their business of blowing things up, mind-controlling objects, and, of course, conducting anal probes. The sequel takes place a decade later, the 1960s, in a series of five environments inspired by such real-world locales as San Francisco, Tokyo, London, Moscow, and the moon. Destroy All Humans! 2 stars an alien named Crypto as he explores free-roaming cities crawling with police officers, KGB agents, ninjas, pot-smoking hippies, and more. There are a total of 28 main missions to advance the storyline, 27 side missions or "odd jobs," and 16 alien cult-oriented quests. Most missions have a Grand Theft Auto-like feel, as you become embroiled in stealth-based assassination attempts, escorts, item retrievals, and a whole lot of shooting -- all while trying to keep a threat meter under control. Where the game distinguishes itself is how you go about these familiar tasks. Crypto now has the ability to "body snatch" humans to use them as disguises, as well as an unlimited use of psychokinetic powers to lift and push such objects as dumpsters, cars, tanks, and more. There are eight fun weapons to use against the humans, up from the original game's four, with effects ranging from meteors raining down from the sky to underground worms gobbling up anything in their path. Both the Xbox and PS2 versions of Destroy All Humans! 2 are vibrant games with wonderful explosions, well-acted dialogue, and some interesting play mechanics. At the same time there are some issues with the game, with several powers relying on button-mashing controls, repetitive mission objectives, and crude, lowbrow humor that recycles the same jokes over and over again. The two-player option also seems tacked on, with a split-screen view that hinders more than it helps and silly mini-games that aren't very fun. Destroy All Humans! 2 isn't exactly out of this world, but shooter fans looking for an offbeat twist on the sci-fi theme will want to give this particular title a thorough, hands-on examination. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The two-player option is a welcome one, but it seems like it was thrown together at the last minute. While there are plenty of items (and humans) to collect to enhance weapons or powers, most players will be able to complete the game in a weekend. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Crypto sounds suspiciously like Jack Nicholson, which is a good thing, and the rest of the voice-acted dialogue is well done. Nice sound effects, but the music isn't memorable. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

While some of the missions can get repetitive, the game still manages to be fun thanks to the wacky premise and goofy humor. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.