Destroy All Humans was a quirky game for the PS2 and original Xbox, released back in 2005. A 3rd person sci-fi shooter starring an alien named Crypto who had to gather brain stems to harvest DNA…wow that sounds weird. The game was really like nothing else at the time and for many, it was a refreshing change of pace. The game uses imagery and humor reminiscent of cheesy sci-fi movies of 1950’s America while also relentlessly parodying that decade, and the then current decade as well. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
It is hard to judge a game from 2005 by today’s merits other than seeing how well it holds up today. For the most part Destroy All Humans! does hold up well, but some of it is very much dated. The camera controls in particular feel dated but also the general controls just feel stiff compared to other games from that era. It is still fun to play but has some issues. Moving around can be a little awkward and the game has an odd habit of keeping the goal out of your line of sight at the crucial moment.
Visually, this is a PS2 game up-rendered to 1080p, with widescreen and trophy support, but there are a lot of times when the game shows its age. That said, it is unfair to judge a game that isn’t a remake by today’s standards visually, so let us look at the gameplay. Besides the somewhat stiff controls, the game is completely bonkers. And I mean that in the best way that it is possible to say that. You will use death rays, probe humans, blow stuff up with a spaceship ( at the beginning this is one of the most annoying parts of the game, but it gets better) and generally do stuff straight out of 50’s sci-fi movies and UFO conspiracy culture. I had a lot of fun playing this, even with the issues mentioned, and it was a great time.
The game is genuinely funny, albeit sometimes in a very uncouth or disturbing manner. It has a humor that I don’t know would work today in gaming. It is hard to explain, but while it sometimes used potty humor, it also used very dark morbid humor and it was very clever about how that was done. They do not make games like this anymore and that is a shame because a modern take on this would be absolutely fantastic.
I would recommend checking this out on PSN, if only so THQ Nordic will see there is potential in the series and make a new entry.