Reviewed by Ben Begley

I remember a few years back when the first “Destroy all Humans” game came out on the Playstation 2.  I picked it up immediately because I loved the idea of playing the bad guy in this scenario finally.  Usually it’s the humans that are fighting the big bad alien, but this time you got to be the big bad alien and go around wisecracking and wreaking havoc.  Although the game got repetitive at times, it still had a certain charm in its originality and sense of dark humor.  Now we are at the third installment for the Wii with one for the PS3 and XBOX 360 on the way as well and what does this new generation of human destroying have to offer?  Not a whole lot.  It’s basically the exact same game as before, but with a different premise. 

In this game you are in the 70’s and everything is supposed to be cooler and funnier because it’s retro (anyone feel that Grand Theft Auto Vice City is getting ripped off by this move?).  The plot of this game is that the evil fast food chain Big Willy’s has teamed up with the leader of the Aliens and agreed to use all the bodies that Crypto (our leading man) destroys as ground meat for their burgers.  It’s very apparent that they are mocking “Soylent Green” especially since they make direct reference to it several times.  So what is a human killing machine like Crypto to do when the Big Willy scandal is threatened to be exposed by militant hippies?  You probably guessed it, destroy all humans!! 

The concept of this game is pretty funny and clever, with lots of ridiculous one-liners, but the game play is exactly the same as the others.  Except that now the Wii remote is used to direct which way Crypto is looking, which at no point adds to the fun of the game, if anything it makes it incredibly frustrating when the camera is circling repeatedly around Crypto as the gamer just tries to shoot something.  I need to make this point abundantly clear.  The addition of Wii control features is not necessary on every game that comes out for the console.  In some cases game designers seem to just throw in a more “interactive” control scheme in a very half-assed manner that ends up being a detriment to the game.  So please a note to everyone making Wii games, don’t make it more complicated and interactive unless you serve the game better!! It’s not fun to try and point the remote just to turn your character to the right or left.  Look at Mario Galaxy, that’s how designers used the controls magnificently.  These cross-platform games, however, just throw things in so that people will buy it on the Wii instead of the 360 or PS3. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

The game has a great sense of humor and funny dialogue, with moments of fun game play.  The addition of a giant Bob’s Big Boy looking Big Willy Mech that can destroy everything in its path is really fun, but the rest of the game doesn’t match that level of destruction and glee.  The main problem is that while playing “Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed” I just kept thinking it’s the same old, same old with more frustrating controls and a “hip 70’s feel.”  My hope is that the fourth installment for the PS3 and XBOX 360 resurrects this series in some way.  This game is a renter at best.