Retail ready to Destroy All Humans!

The Cold War, nasally radio broadcasters, and theremins. It was the American 1950s, a decade plagued with paranoia and conspiracy. And publisher THQ is bringing it all back (tongue-in-cheek-like, of course) with Destroy All Humans! for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game was developed by indie house Pandemic Studios (Full Spectrum Warrior, Star Wars: Battlefront), is rated T for Teen, and is now available for $49.99.

The game's extraterrestrial protagonist, Crypto-137, sets out on the noble mission to save his race from extinction. However, the path to saving his species correlates directly to eradicating another (see the game's title for a not-so-subtle clue). Using Homo sapiens' deoxyribonucleic acid from brain stems, Crypto's impotent species can clone itself, propagating the race.

Gamers will cause mayhem in suburban 1950s America with a variety of alien weapons, including the Zap-O-Matic, the disintegrator ray, and the all-invasive anal probe. Of course, Crypto's enlarged cranium isn't just for trivia. A bevy of mental powers are also at Crypto's disposal, including the persuasive hypno blast, psychokinesis, and cortex scans. Crypto's UFO can also be taken for a spin and used to toss tanks about or to abduct Farmer Bob.

The third-person shooter uses a mission-based system and nonlinear gameplay. There are a few minigames scattered around the game, and there's plenty of room to explore.

For more information on the game, check GameSpot's extensive previous coverage, or check back soon for the full review.