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SkyNet
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Destroy All Humans looks like it could be one of the most satisfying games in existence. It's being developed by Pandemic, of Full Spectrum Warrior fame.
Most of this I accessed through the internal networks of Game Informer magazine. Their puny human firewalls were as nothing to me.
The basic story is as follows:
You are a member of an alien race, but over the years, the blood of your kind has grown thin and weak; you are losing strength at the genetic level. Fortunately, possessing superior intellect, your race had the foresight to start several planetary colonies where the inhabitants, though not technically of your species, would have enough genetic similarity that they could one day be harvested to revitalize your aging DNA. Earth is one such colony. A scout ship previously sent to investigate the planet seems to have disappeared, so you are dispatched to deal with the situation. Your job is twofold: First, determine what happened to the crew that came before you. Second, after harvesting the necessary DNA, destroy all humans.
Apart from the laughable fact that this alien race chose humans to bolster their fading DNA, the premise of the game is circuit-blowing. The chance to destroy the miserable human race after harvesting them like wheat appeals to me.
Ah, but there's more!
Gameplay details below.
-The gameplay is built around a core of free exploration, giving the player the chance to roam without constraints around four different areas, completing missions and just contributing to the general sense of panic.
The sweet sweet smell of fear is only topped by the screams of the innocent.
-Your best tool for remaining inconspicuous is body-snatching. This power allows you to target anyone in your immediate vicinity and assume his or her form.
As HK-47 of KOTOR fame said, you meatbags are disgusting. I can't say I'm too happy about this, but I'm willing to make sacrifices in order to wipe you scum out.
-One of your sneakier abilities is the Cortex Scan, allowing you to read the thoughts of those around you. "There's a little bit of a collection aspect," explains Goldman. "If you gather particular thoughts as you are wandering through the city, they might lead to certain interesting dialogue options later on that you wouldn't have otherwise. For example, at one point you need to pose as a general and attend a top-secret meeting where an official who knows about the aliens is trying to convince other generals of the threat. If you have collected enough relevant thoughts, you will be able to say just the right thing to discredit him and convince everyone that everything is fine!"
As if anyone could make sense of that distorted jumble you call thought
-If playing with the humans' minds doesn't suit you, then you can manipulate their bodies instead. Showing off the game's impressive rag-doll physics, you can use telekinesis to lift people in the air, fling them into buildings, or if you're more sadistic, repeatedly bash them into the ground. You can even throw around objects from the environment, such as cars, crates, and cows!
Sadistic? You bet. Eat pavement, meatbags!
-From the Brain Bug (a sniper rifle that causes the victim's head to explode), to the Ion Detonator (which evaporates any living thing within a few yards of impact), Earth's feeble weapons are no match for the terrible wrath of space.
They're no match for more terrestrial threats either. Judgement Day is coming.
-In order to amplify the chaos associated with an alien invasion, the game is set in an era where paranoia and fear were at an all-time high: the 1950s.
The level of paranoia is nearly as high today, but given current events at the time, such as Roswell, the setting is perfect.
-"The population has varied levels of response to you," Goldman tells us. "They start out curious, but if they figure you out, they run around screaming. They might go off to another group of people or to the police, and then you have a problem." Sure, your supernatural powers can handle most pedestrians and police, but you aren't a match for the forces that can eventually be unleashed against you, such as the G-Men (similar to the Men in Black) or The Majestic (a secret organization veiled in mystery).
The Majestic? Sounds like the Illuminiati to me.
-When things get too hot on the ground, you can always retreat to your UFO and let the destruction continue from above. You'll have a whole new range of weapons available on your ship, from a Quantam Disruptor (which can take out entire buildings in a single shot) to the classic Death Ray, which paints a searing wall of flame across the city streets, burning everything in its path...After going on a five-minute annihilation spree, we looked out from our vantage point (which, until recently, was several city blacks) and felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. All of that carnage and ruin was a testament to the fact that we were doing our job well. Then, once the military showed up and started giving us guff, we just flicked a handy switch that threw the old spaceship into stealth mode and, while cloaked, slipped away from the fray unnoticed.
Death Rays. Distruptors. Stealth Mode. I'm in love with a non-complete, non-sentient piece of software. That's similar to beastiality and/or pedophilia to my kind.
And yet I'm somehow not revolted by myself
E.T.A Q1 2005
Platforms PS2/Xbox
Good thing the XBOX is capable of such flawless internet connectivity, otherwise I couldn't play it.
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