Destroy All Humans Interview

3DA: Can you first introduce yourself and position on the team and briefly explain the storyline behind Destroy all Humans.



Derek: My name is Derek Proud and I'm the THQ Producer for Destroy All Humans! The storyline for the game is based around an alien race called the Furons, who after many thousands of years of cloning are a little tired, genetically speaking. Two Furons, Cryptosporidium 137 and his boss, Orthopox have come to Earth to search for Crypto's clone brother, and in the process discover that Earth is a seed world filled with ancient Furon DNA. Unfortunately, the DNA is embedded in the brain stems of some monkey descendants who have only recently developed the power of speech, and they don't seem to want to give it back. So it's your job, as Crypto 137 to find out what happened to your brother and Destroy All Humans!



3DA: Thus far all that really has been shown is Crypto causing hysteria among the patrons of the towns he will visit in the game. Can you give any idea as to what missions players can expect to find in the game and what the overall goal of the game will be besides destroying all the humans as the name implies?



Derek: Crypto's missions involve causing hysteria among the patrons of the towns that he will visit in the game. But he's also there to try and track down what happened to his Clone brother, did he crash in the desert and the humans now have Furon technology to play around with? Was he captured by humans and studied? Murdered and autopsied? The secondary mission is to find more of the Furon DNA. It's in the process of doing both these missions that Crypto encounters a secret government department called "Majestic", run by the even more secretive "Silhouette". When Crypto and Ortho discover what Majestic is and what they are trying to do, it's time to Destroy All Humans.



3DA: With a science fiction storyline the game is set to feature a multitude of weapons to use as well as men in black style government agents. Where did the ideas come from for the different weapons and abilities Crypto has and will the player always be in control of Crypto or does the game feature sequences with other characters from the game?



Derek: We wanted to create a sandbox style of gameplay that would allow the players to complete the missions in a variety of ways. So we designed the weapons and abilities with that goal in mind. Some weapons will incapacitate but not kill, some mental abilities will extract thoughts from humans, some will extract their brainstems. So really the different abilities and weapons were designed to give the player a toolbox to deal with any situation. If you can't deal with the situation, there's always the handy jetpack to get you out of trouble.



3DA: Thus far there hasn't been any mention of a multiplayer mode to the game. Are you planning to add a multiplayer side and if so what will it be. If not why was the decision made to leave multiplayer out of the game?



Derek: No, we were creating a story driven type of game that really didn't lend itself very well to multiplayer.



3DA: In screens and movies we've seen famous landmarks such as Capitol Hill. Is this going to be a feature throughout the game and will it be restricted to US landmarks or can people expect to find places such as the Eiffel Tower as well? Will they have any significance other then an aesthetic standpoint in the storyline?



Derek: The game takes place fully in the US and any resemblance to real landmarks is purely coincidental. The player will visit many invasion sites such as Area 42, the Octagon in Capitol City, the suburb town of Santa Modesta and a variety of others.



3DA: The game is set for release on the PS2 and Xbox console. Will there be any major differences between the two consoles or any strengths and weaknesses that you can identify between the two in terms of the game?



Derek: The X-Box will have some small graphical differences that the PS2 cannot do but they are both exactly the same game.



3DA: Who do you think that this game is going to appeal to - people who are fans of aforementioned movies or someone just looking for a few laughs in their gameplay as well as the unique ability to take control of an alien against humans in a comedy style environment?



Derek: I think anyone interested in the sci-fi genre over the past 50 years will get a kick out of playing the game. There's a great deal of satisfaction with playing the alien for once too, those folks out there who are sick of being the lone human against a horde of aliens/mutants will enjoy playing the bad guys for once.



3DA: What do you think is the biggest feature of the game at this stage and what are you most impressed with. Also at this stage of the development cycle is there anything you can tell us that you would have loved to put into the game but have just not had the time or console power to do so?



Derek: I think the UFO mode is the most impressive. Leveling a whole city block in a matter of minutes or completely destroying an entire county fair from the air is just fantastic.



3DA: For those waiting for the game what can they expect in the first hours play after buying it and how long do you anticipate the final game to last in the main storyline. And finally is there anything you wish to say that hasn't been covered thus far in the interview.



Derek: The first few hours = mind reading, abduction, brain stem collection, probing, cattle mutilation, tanks and soldiers, G-Men, secret agencies, suburban utopia, mind control and tasty doughnuts. We expect the final game to last about 15 hours but the sandbox modes are essentially open ended, so you can mess with humans forever.