Genre: Action
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Pandemic Studios
Release Date: October 17, 2006

Let's be honest with each other. The first Destroy All Humans was an excellent game. It ran in the same circles as Grand Theft Auto and Mercenaries and managed to hold its own. A lot of sandbox-style games tend to fall into the trap of giving you either too much to do, and therefore seeming unfocused, or too little, so that they seem empty. Destroy All Humans fell into that happy middle ground between the two extremes.

Destroy All Humans 2 looks to be another excellent title. Crypto is back after a decade of ruling the United States. Russian spies and saboteurs, however, want him dead and gone. They attacked him during a rally, stripping him of his weapons and nearly destroying his saucer. Crypto survived their attack and is out for revenge.

On the surface, DAH2 is very, very similar to the original. THQ seems to have taken an "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to things. The graphics are not a huge step up, though there is more variety to be found. The '60s were a colorful time, full of flower power and free love, and the new models and cities reflect that.

You begin in a facsimile of Haight-Ashbury, a noted gathering place for hippies and squares alike. Crypto has to find out who is after him before he can move on, and that means that you have to go on a fact-finding mission. Obviously, Crypto cannot creep around town looking like a midget alien, so you have to possess people. This is accomplished by mashing a button until the person gives in. Police and government figures are harder to possess than regular Joes.

If someone sees you possess someone else, they'll freak out and run for help. You can handle that, however, by hitting them with a telepathic whammy. Locking onto them and pressing another button rapidly activates either "Forget," which obviously makes the person forget what just happened, or "Free Love," a maneuver that makes all the humans in a nearby area go into dancing fits under the influence of flower power.

As you can see, the signature Destroy All Humans sense of humor remains in effect, complete with dirty jokes about the sexual revolution and Crypto's, ah, endowment. In fact, Crypto makes more than once reference to the genitals of the great Furon god Arkvoodle, and even goes so far as to start up a cult in worship of him. Scanning human brains, particularly when you're in between missions, is still great fun. The citizens all have humorous trains of thought. Some even break the fourth wall and comment on the new game.

The voice acting and sound retain the top-notch quality from the first game. Orthopox has been reduced to a floating holographic head, but he's still a clever alien with a harsh one-liner for every screw-up. Crypto's Nicholson impression continues, as well, and more than one female character remarks on how sexy his voice is. The music subdued, even though it permeates the game. It features a set of funky '60s-flavored tunes that do not overpower the gameplay, but it doesn't seem to stick in your head for long, either.

Crypto ruled the United States for ten years before being exposed by Russian agents. His dreams of free love, wild orgies, and general mayhem were shot down like Orthopox's orbiting space ship. The Russians made a huge mistake when they stepped on Crypto's toes, especially now that he has the testicular fortitude to do something about it. Look to travel to various countries, including England and Japan, when Destroy All Humans 2 launches in mid-October.