Destroy All Humans!

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Destroy All Humans!
Developer(s)	Pandemic Studios
Publisher(s)	THQ
Release date(s)	June 21, 2005 (NA), (EU)
Genre(s)	Third person shooter Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (13+) BBFC: 15
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox, Mobile phone

Destroy All Humans! is a video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by THQ. It was released for Xbox and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems on June 21, 2005. The game is set in U.S. in 1959^{[citation needed]} and parodies the lifestyles, pop culture, and politics of this time period. The player controls Cryptosporidium 137, a member of the Furon race of aliens, who has come to Earth to harvest DNA from humans to continue the cloning process of his species. Destroy All Humans! has gameplay similar to the Grand Theft Auto series, a series renowned for its controversial content; however, Destroy All Humans! does not contain blood and gore; it is slightly edgy because of its language and sexual humor, resulting in an ESRB rating of T (Teen) and a BBFC rating of 15.

Contents 1 The game 2 Characters 3 Setting 4 Furons 4.1 Furon weaponry 4.2 Saucer weaponry 4.3 Mental powers 4.4 HoloBob 5 Reception 6 Sequel 7 TV show 8 Trivia 9 See also 10 External links

[edit] The game

In Destroy All Humans!, players assume the role of Cryptosporidium-137 (Crypto for short), a warrior and member of the Furon alien race. After centuries of warfare against inferior species using unchecked nuclear weaponry left their species impotent and without genitalia, the Furons were unable to reproduce sexually and became forced to turn to cloning as means of reproduction, as well as a process by which to achieve immortality. However, after generations of clones, the Furon DNA is degrading, and each clone is becoming less and less stable.

Fortunately for the Furons, a Furon scout ship came across Earth many millennia ago while returning from destroying the Martians. The Furon spacefarers eventually bred with the ancestors of the human race at some point in time, inserting a strand of Furon DNA into the human gene pool.

Because of this, it is revealed, each human contains a small amount of Furon DNA in their genetic code. Crypto is sent to Earth to harvest this DNA from human brain stems, locate and rescue his previous clone, Cryptosporidium-136 (referred to as his brother in the instruction manual), and spearhead a Furon invasion of Earth. The game is set up in a "sandbox" fashion, much like Pandemic's January 2005 game, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. The player has a selection of weapons and mental abilities at their disposal, as well as access to Crypto's flying saucer. Destroy All Humans! implements the Havok physics engine, allowing for ragdoll effects on bodies and highly destructible environments.

The 1959 B-movie Teenagers from Outer Space becomes available to view once the main story campaign has been completed, and you can view a clip of Plan 9 from Outer Space once a certain mission is completed.

[edit] Characters

Cryptosporidium-137 — Wise-cracking, Jack Nicholson-esque protagonist of the game. He has an unlimited amount of clones that will take his place if he dies during a mission, all of which have the same personality, but an increasing number appended to their name (Crypto-138, Crypto-139, and so on). His name comes from the Cryptosporidium protist, as THQ said. Voiced by J. Grant Albrecht.

Cryptosporidium-136 — Our hero's "brother" that he is sent to Earth to find a good hooker. Unfortunately, he meets an untimely end after accidentally being hit by a human missile, he was presummed POW until his body was found in Area 42 being dissected. Crypto 137 is enraged when he discovers this, and declares a proper war on humanity. He presumably had the same personality as 137, and Crypto refers to him as 'me' sometimes since they are clones.

Orthopox 13 — A Furon scientist who sends Crypto on his missions, and supplies Crypto with saucer and weapon upgrades. Called "Pox" by Crypto, he is the fatherly figure to Crypto. Contrary to what appearances may suggest, Orthopox is not the Emperor of the Furons. The emperor himself is never named or shown during the game, though he is mentioned in Capitol City. His name comes from the genus Orthopoxvirus. He is voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz, who, coincidentally, provided the voice for the titular alien character in the cartoon Invader Zim. Also he played the alien Grey Matter in Ben 10

Bert Whither — Respected radio newscaster, used by the Furons because of the influence he has over people. With Orthopox tracking his broadcasts throughout the game, he also serves as an informant of sorts. He is known to be very unintelligent, and his script is written by "Cally Guxsti", of the Furons. Voiced by Jim Ward.

General Armquist — Leader of the American Army, out to destroy all Furons (which he believes are Communist midgets). After his death in Union Town, the media covered it up by stating that he had been working for the Reds all along, causing him to lose all of his reputation as a military hero. He walks with a slight limp on his right side. Voiced by John Cygan.

Silhouette — Shadowy masked figure who seems to be leading Majestic against the Furons. Not much is known about this person, only that she is a woman (revealed at the end of the game, or by scanning the minds of Majestic agents), is a sexist, and wants to rule the world. She wears a mask to conceal her gender because of "grab ass" politicians. Voiced by Nika Futterman.

President Huffman — The President of the United States, Huffman is known to suck up to Majestic, which is the real power in the country. He is later killed by Crypto, who uses Huffman's identity to control the American populace. Voiced by Andre Sogliuzzo.

Sleepy Ernst — A scientist in the employ of Majestic and a popular TV personality, Ernst suffers from narcolepsy. He is voiced by Bob Joles.

Mayor — Two Mayors are seen in the game (though their appearances and personalities are near identical), the Mayor of Rockwell and the Mayor of Santa Modesta. They are popular politicians who are instrumental in Crypto's plans. Scans reveal that both are somewhat corrupt leaders. (His voice resembles Mayor Quimby from The Simpsons or a JFK impersonation) Voiced by Jim Ward.

[edit] Setting

Destroy All Humans! is set in 1950s-period United States and consists of six settings. These include:

• Turnipseed Farm, a Midwest farm community. Is seen in the first mission as a tutorial level. According to a Majestic agent, that "Roswell was just the beginning. the invasion has began."
• Rockwell, a small farm town, also located in the Midwest. The name is a pun on sentimental artist Norman Rockwell, and possibly the Roswell UFO incident. This is indicated by Orthopox when you return to the mother ship for your second mission.
• Santa Modesta, a idyllic Southern California suburb.
• Area 42, an Area 51-style military base in the desert.
• Union Town, an Eastern seaboard industrial city (possibly Charleston, South Carolina.
• Capitol City, which is based on Washington, D.C.

Most buildings and structures in these environments can be destroyed, although humans can become alarmed by Crypto's presence at these locations, and while some run or hide, others are armed and will fight back. An alert system much like Grand Theft Auto's "wanted level", denotes how much attention Crypto has attracted, which can lead to police, military, and eventually the Majestic joining the chase.

Military technology in the game is depicted as being much more advanced than it was in the real 1950s, with the US Army having possession of robots, sentry guns, automated anti-air batteries, tesla coils, and mechs. The Majestic group also seems to be equipped with energy weapons, although as these weapons resemble your own it could be assumed that they are reverse-engineered alien technology (They are also similar to the weaponary in Men In Black II, a video game based on the movie series of the same name).

The hub of the game is the Furon mothership, in orbit around Earth. From there you can receive missions, upgrade weapons, and view unlocked content. This is also the portal to each of the game's Earth settings.

[edit] Furons

Coming from the planet Gorta (though Crypto often refers to it as the Planet Furon) in the Proxima Centauri system, the Furons are led by their emperor. They have a similar appearance to Greys, only meaner-looking, and are a highly advanced race, who use their technology not only for science, but also for war. Since they are a warlike race, their weaponry is extremely deadly. Orthopox-13 was sent, along with Cryptosporidium-137, to Earth to harvest the brain stems of the ruling race there, because it contains Furon DNA needed to save the Furons, and also to find out what happened to Crypto-136, Crypto-137's clone "brother".

[edit] Furon weaponry

The Furons have a wide range of weaponry. The clones sent down to Earth, called Cryptosporidium, carry four weapons with them. All weapons are upgradable by obtaining and spending DNA, the game's currency. At the start of the game, the Zap-O-Matic is the only weapon available, but the other weapons are unlocked during the course of the story:

• Zap-O-Matic: This emits a blue electricity bolt at the enemy for a period of time. Is powered by a battery that recharges after use. Upgrades allow for 'Chain Lightning' in which a single bolt can jump from one target to the other.
• Anal Probe: Shoots a green jelly-like ball with a green trail into the anus of the victim. A fully-charged shot will cause people to start running, grabbing their bottoms and expelling brown clumps of feces. The probe will then cause the target's head to explode, giving you the maximum amount of DNA possible from the target. This weapon has unlimited ammo.
• Disintegrator Ray: Fires a ball of searing plasma at the enemy, disintegrating them instantly. Once a target has been disintegrated, a brain stem (or DNA) cannot be extracted as the brain has been destroyed. The Disintegrator Ray can also be used to blow up vehicles. Upgrades include double and triple shots, therefore increasing the firepower. Most likely inspired by the weapon in Mars Attacks!.
• Ion Detonator: The most destructive hand-held weapon. This weapon launches a grenade into the air; the range of the weapon is determined by the length of time the "fire" button is depressed. On the second pull of the trigger, the grenade detonates, "ionising" anything in its blast radius (including Crypto, if he's too close). Upgrades include increased blast radius and damage.

[edit] Saucer weaponry

The Furons' method of traveling is a flying saucer, heavily equipped with weapons. The weapons are as follows:

• Death Ray: This shoots a red laser beam at the target, incinerating it. This is somewhat similar to the heat rays used by the Martian tripods from The War of the Worlds.
• Abducto Beam: When activated, the saucer picks up anything from humans to tanks with a yellow beam of light. (Target must be in light for a short time so moving humans are harder to catch) The player then has the opportunity to move or throw the object around the environment, but you can cause them to slam into various obstacles for a hilarious effect.
• Sonic Boom: Fires a blue concentrated ball of anti-matter at the target, damaging everything in the blast radius. Failing that, this weapon blasts anything not nailed down in different directions. This effect is fairly comical, as the blast is so powerful tanks can shoot up into the air and hit the saucer on rare occasions.
• Quantum Deconstructor: The most lethal of all Furon weaponry. This launches a bomb at the target, triggering a green radioactive explosion, obliterating everything in its radius. Equivalent to a very small nuclear bomb.

Crypto begins the game with the Death Ray and the Abducto Beam, while the other weapons are automatically unlocked as the game progresses.

[edit] Mental powers

The Furons have many mental abilities. Using these requires "Concentration", which regenerates. Crypto apparently does not have the higher psychic functions possessed by a Furon such as Orthopox, but in 1950s America, his limited abilities are still impressive.

• Psychokinesis: allows Crypto to move any target through the air, and throw them as he wishes. The player has to purchase upgrades if they want the ability to pick up cars, tanks and robots. Lifting the object eats up concentration, and the heavier the object the faster it runs out (so picking up a person will slowly use it up, but lifting a car or a tank will use it up a lot faster). Throwing an object uses a set amount of concentration, and if Crypto only has half, for example, of the required amount, then the object will only travel half the possible distance. Later in the game an upgrade allows Crypto to have another bar of concentration.
• Cortex Scan: Reading the minds of a human, or even an animal, can provide comical insight into 1950s life, and also quickly replenishes Crypto's concentration. A lot of thoughts often include sexual, and occasionally homosexual, thoughts.
• Hypno Beam: Grants Crypto the ability to implant commands into a human or animal, similar to hypnosis. The basic commands are:
  • Distraction: Causes the target to sing and dance, distracting nearby humans and quickly reducing the alert meter.
  • Sleep: Forces the target to sleep. Necessary in one mission only, but can be used in any mission.
  • Follow Me: The ability to command targets to drive vehicles or walk to Crypto's saucer (only available if necessary for mission success).
  • Deliver food: Used only once, makes a cook take you to where Bert Whither is being hidden.
  • Drive the truck: Another one-use command. This is used during the "Duck And Cover" mission.
  • Overload the tesla coil: This command is used during one mission to get scientists controlling tesla coils to destroy them.
  • Turn off the forcefield: A one-use command that makes a scientist turn off a forcefield allowing you to reach Crypto 136. Used during the "Whatever happened to Crypto 136 Anyway" mission.Also used in the beginning of the "Furon Down mission".
• Brain Extract: This does exactly as it says. Like the Anal Probe, this mental ability extracts DNA from the target. The stronger the target (for instance, Majestic Agents) the longer it takes, and so the more concentration it uses. This refers to whether or not the target is alive or not. If the target has been killed (by Zap-O-Matic, PK, or fire from a tank) then their DNA amount will be approximately half of what you could have got if the target was alive.

[edit] HoloBob

The Furons can imitate the appearance of any nearby human. This allows a Furon to travel amongst humans unnoticed, or in two cases, take the appearance of a public figure to send out a message to humans. The HoloBob requires psi energy, or Concentration in the game, which can be continually replenished by reading, or "scanning" the thoughts of unknowing humans nearby (or cows, chickens, etc.). This disguise is not without flaw, as the Majestic can see through it. Crypto will flash red when nearing a Majestic.

[edit] Reception

Upon release, Destroy All Humans! received mostly positive reviews,[1] although some reviewers complained of repetitiveness in mission design and gameplay. Graphics were described in a generally good light, except for the large amount of pop-up in the game. Most praised was the game's spoofing tone and comedic gameplay, highly derived from 1950s era science fiction movies. With Crypto's mind-reading abilities an important feature of gameplay, much humor comes from the repressed thoughts these inhabitants of this supposedly-innocent period of American history hold— including their fantasies about taking Bettie Page and Rock Hudson over Doris Day, reactions to the findings of one "Dr. Kinsey", current and possible-future presidents, and of course, the Red Menace.

Of course, just standing idly by a group of people talking while HoloBobbed often yields some funny comments. The phrase "My mind says ___, but my heart/body/stomach/nightstick says ___" appears a lot as well. The game's early conceptual team included Brad Welch, Dan Teasdale and Matt Harding. Tom Abernathy was the main and credited writer.

• [2] - GT Video Review

[edit] Sequel

Main article: Destroy All Humans! 2

At the end of the game, and after the player defeats the final boss, Silhouette mentions that America is not the only area on Earth with humans, Crypto says that all the Americans he scanned seemed to think that. Silhouette replies the Majestic will be everywhere that people are. Following the outro movie, the words "THE END" are printed across the Earth. The globe then rotates, bringing into view Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia, before finally appending a question mark over the Soviet Union.

Set in 1969, it includes four new open-world environments: Bay City (San Francisco), Albion (London), Takoshima Island (Japan), Tunguska (USSR), and allows travel to the moon. Also included are new weapons and mental abilities, while the old ones are slightly revamped. Co-operative multiplayer is also included.

The interview for the game had one of the creators also mention there will be more Destroy All Humans! Video games. They will most likely be scheduled like the first two, about 10 years apart

[edit] TV show

On October 26, 2005, THQ announced that Fox Broadcasting has purchased the rights to the game and is planning a computer-animated comedy, based on the game, to air in primetime. This was later confirmed in an easter egg in Destroy All Humans! 2, which, that same easter egg also confirmed that Destroy All Humans! 3 is going to be made. [3]. Jim Dauterive [4], previously of King of the Hill, will be a writer and executive producer of the TV version of Destroy All Humans!. There has been little to no talk on the series since it was announced.The show may have been cancelled because of poor sales of the games.

[edit] Trivia

• "Area 42" is a spoof of Area 51, and also a reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
• "The Octagon", where Crypto fights Silhouette, is a spoof of The Pentagon.
• "Majestic" is a spoof of the Men in Black, made obvious when Orthopox refers to them as the "Dudes in Dark", and "Men in ... really really dark brown". It is also related to the conspiracy idea, MJ12.
• There are several subtle references throughout the game to the Church of the SubGenius, including repeated instances of the name "Bob" (the name even being applied to a major alien power in the game, "holobobbing") and the "J.R. Dobbs Building" and (referred to as) "the other J.R. Dobbs building" in Rockwell.
• Whenever Crypto enters or exits his shuttle, the beam under him is a series of circles in a circular fashion. A crop circle with a similar design once existed.[5]
• In reference to Flowers for Algernon, if the player scans a Majestic Psi-Mutant, a possible thought is "Good Mouse Algernon... smarter... than.. Charlie..."}
• If the player scans a Majestic Mutant, one of the thoughts is "Bizarro world... pretty", a reference to Superman's foe, Bizarro.
• General Armquist bears more than a passing resemblance to General Douglas MacArthur, down to his trademark aviators and pipe.
• When scanning a human scientist, you may receive the thought "I must not be late, they are waiting for me in the test chamber...Oh wait, wrong game," a reference to the video game Half-Life.
• On one instance of scanning General Armquist's mind, he will remark about protecting his bodily fluids, and then repeat "Purity of Essence", which is a reference to the movie Dr. Strangelove.
• When scanning a human scientist, he refers to his "brain the size of a planet", a reference to the robot Marvin the Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
• When scanning a Majestic agent a possible thought would give away the fact that Silhouette is a woman.
• If you go to the 'saucer upgrades' section in Pox's lab, Pox says "Here are the keys, and do be careful with this one Double Oh- I mean Crypto," a reference to James Bond.
• When Pox gives Crypto the Disintegrator Ray in Santa Modesta, he accidentally calls it the Destructo Ray.
• When you scan one of the Santa Modesta crazies, one of the thoughts is "I heard that the dolphins -makes a dolphin call- are keeping good touch with the Extraterrestrial, or at least that's what I heard from the mice", a reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
• Scanning the thoughts of a police officer, he will occasionally think "Now, if I could just find an Indian, a construction worker, and a cowboy, we can start a band down at the Villiage. What would we call ourselves? The Village Folk, the City people?" A reference to the Village People.
• Pox is voiced by Richard Horvitz, who previously filled the similar role of a maniacal alien invader as the title character of the syndicated Nicktoon, Invader Zim.

• The Majestic cars licenses plates are called SSSSSSSSHHHHHH.

[edit] See also

• Destroy All Humans! 2
• Destroy All Humans! 3 (unofficial title)
• Cryptosporidium
• Orthopox 13

[edit] External links

• Destroy All Humans! official website
• Destroy All Humans! at MobyGames
• Destroy All Humans! (PS2) at Metacritic.com
• Destroy All Humans! (Xbox) at Metacritic.com