Destroy All Humans 2

Crypto's attitude makes him a pretty tough cookie," says Producer Derek I Proud. He believes himself superior to everyone on planet Earth, which is not surprising because it's true. Sure, he's got that going for him. But he's also got that anal probe. Can't forget the anal probe. In the original Destroy All Humans! a go-at-your-own-pace open-world action-shooter Crypto wreaked all sorts of havoc with tractor beams and death rays, and the sequel distances him even further from E.T. on the least-pansy-alien sc; (while also sending him globe-trotting to England, Japan, and Russia). Along with greater mind powers and new weapons, Crypto now has the ability to call down a meteor strike. You better believe that puts a kink in the Thursday night mah-jongg throwdown.

Cryptosporidium137, everyone's favorite sociopathic, Jack Nicholson-esque space invader is back and this time no one is safe from his hilariously unprovoked rage and anal probes. Where the original Destroy All Humans brilliantly satirized the zeitgeist of the 50's, Destroy All Humans 2 takes potshots at everything from hippies, to ninjas. The result is a much more scatterbrained kind of humor that just isn't quite as consistently funny as the original game.

We pick things up in 1969 after Crypto's usurpation of the American government. Crypto is living large as the American President until his mothership along with his cantankerous boss Pox are both blown out of the sky by a Russian nuke. Crypto of course isn't about to take this lying down, and our psychotic little protagonist's convoluted adventure will pull in everything from British spies to rival Alien races. Destroy All Humans 2's story suffers from the same problems its humor does, it's a mess. Also like the humor, the story works simply because Crypto is such a likeable protagonist.

If you've played the original Destroy All Humans you pretty much know what to expect here. You'll have free reign to wander about each of the game's five areas and attempt the various missions available. The missions are better this time around, in no small part due to a decreased focus on stealth and some new tools to cause total mayhem. Most notable among Crypto's new toys is a weapon that calls down gigantic meteors that can completely obliterate buildings. Overall the gameplay is pretty satisfying and you'll often find yourself causing carnage for carnage's sake with Crypto's weapons, telekinetic powers and flying saucer. The addition of bare bones co-op play is also a nice bonus.

Destroy All Humans 2 isn't exactly a pretty game, but it doesn't look bad either. With the exception of Crypto, the game's characters don't particular look good or animate well. The same excellent voice work found it the original game returns, and simply listening to Crypto and Pox interact can result in some side splitting laughs.

Overall Destroy All Humans 2 succeeds at being a decent sequel for those looking for more of the same. It doesn't do anything in particular to significantly improve over last year's game, but at the same time the original Destroy All Humans was a solid title and if you enjoyed it, you'll enjoy this game as well.