Destroy All Humans! First Look

When you get right down to it, space aliens have gotten a pretty bad rap in video games. Ever since Space Invaders threatened the safety of the world back in 1978, joystick jockeys like us have been hell-bent on blasting those extraterrestrial bastards to kingdom come. But what of the poor alien's plight? In their quirky, new third-person action game, appropriately titled Destroy All Humans!, THQ and developer Pandemic Studios intend to explore the adventures of one space alien as he attempts to, well, destroy us all. OK, so maybe the game's star isn't the most sympathetic character ever, but based on our first look at the mixture of wacky gameplay mechanics and classic '50s sci-fi style brewing at Pandemic's Brisbane, Australia-based studio, we're confident that most gamers will be more than happy to take the controls so they can gleefully eradicate the human race.

Every good alien invasion story starts with a good alien, and Destroy All Humans!' protagonist is as bug-eyed and bulbous-headed as they come. You'll play as a member of the Furon race named Cryptosprodium-137 (Crypto for short) who's on a scout-and-harvest-brains mission to Earth. That "137" isn't just there because it sounds cool. It also denotes this Crypto as the 137th clone of the original Cryptosprodium. The Furons have basically achieved immortality through the production of clones, but generations of cloning have diluted the Furon gene pool to such a degree that the race's very survival is in danger. What's a hyperadvanced alien race threatened with extinction and desperately in need of some backup DNA going to do?

As luck would have it, an old colony on Earth is just the source of genetic material the Furons need to get things up and running again, so Crypto is dispatched so that he can first gather intelligence on and then (eventually) conquer and harvest the much-needed DNA from the hapless human population. Because he's such an "old" clone, Crypto has a few screws loose and is seen as something of a loose cannon by his superiors. Fortunately, his commanding officer, Orthopox-15, is (you guessed it) only a 15th-generation clone and is therefore possessed of much-more-stable mental faculties. Pox will act as a commander and mentor to help guide Crypto from afar through his mission of covert destruction.

Once on Earth, Crypto will proceed through two phases of his assignment--abduction and destruction. In the abduction phase, he'll attempt to blend in with the locals as seamlessly as possible, all the while stirring up mischief, gathering information, and ultimately setting up the humans for their big fall. While he's running around on foot, Crypto will have a host of Furon weapons and abilities with which to wage his undercover attack. He'll have sidearms that let him electrocute or vaporize wily humans (as any alien worth his salt should), and he'll have one especially nasty-sounding weapon that involves a burrowing alien worm and the exploding heads of your enemies.

If bursting human heads isn't enough for you, don't worry. These normal weapons will pale in comparison to the innate Furon mental powers lurking inside Crypto's bulging noggin. You'll be able to read human minds to glean new information, and you can hypnotize them and force them to do your nefarious bidding. If that's not enough, assuming the identity and appearance of a human will let you walk among the populace undetected. But watch out! Those watchful G-men, various tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy junkies, and even dogs will be able to see through your illusion and won't hesitate to thwart your plans. Crypto's telekinetic abilities let him fling pathetic humans around like rag dolls, and a nifty jetpack will send him soaring over the cityscape. It sounds like the budding conquerors of the human race will have plenty of fun toys to wreak destruction with.

While we've got a lot of details about the abduction part of Crypto's mission, Pandemic hasn't been quite as forthcoming with details about the destruction part. One thing is clear, though: You'll be flying high in your very own saucer, laying utter waste to the pitiful humans below. Check out the last shot in the trailer, in which Crypto pretty much levels an entire city block with one blast from his UFO, sending cars flying and wrecking various buildings. If you spend half of the game undercover, it looks like you'll be spending the other half getting your just desserts by raining hot death from above.

Aesthetically, Destroy All Humans! has a lot going for it. The team is drawing heavily on the UFO invasion movies of the 1950s, as well as classic horror films from the same period. The result so far is a cohesively designed and stylistically sound visual presentation that evokes the wacky, paranoid atmosphere of its cinematic inspiration. Pandemic is promising lots of alien lore, too, such as the purpose of those weird crop circles and an explanation for the little buggers' proclivities for abducting cows and probing everything in sight. The designers are putting a modern twist on some classic alien designs. For instance, the disclike flying saucer in the game will actually unfold to reveal a host of sadistic-looking weaponry. As for the technical quality of the graphics... Well, check out the screenshots and trailer for yourself. The city looks to be big and sprawling; the pedestrians are many and vulnerable; and Crypto himself is quite detailed and menacing (in a goofy, endearing way, of course). It looks like you'll be able to roam about town freely in the style of Grand Theft Auto, and this degree of freedom is always a plus for a marauding alien on the path of conquest.

For the soundtrack, Pandemic is again looking to draw on classic film for inspiration, while also adding a modern twist to things. What does that mean? Imagine holding a traditional film score from the likes of Bernard Herrmann in one hand and a modern electronic artist in the other. Now imagine squishing your hands together. The resulting aural paste should give you a pretty good idea of what you'll be hearing in the background as you attempt to harvest precious DNA. We were told that a remixed version of Herrmann's music would indeed be in the game and that Junkie XL is one of the current artists working on the music. We're pretty excited to hear what kind of flavor this bizarre union adds to the final experience.

So there's your first taste of Destroy All Humans! Though the game isn't due on earthlings' store shelves until early 2005, we expect that our own undercover spies will provide us with much more information on the quirky title before this time. Pandemic will be showing off multiple areas from the game at its E3 display next week, so check back with us then for hands-on impressions of and more information on the game. Until then, check out our exclusive trailer and developer interview on the game's media page--and be sure to keep an eye on the skies.