Destroy All Humans takes place in the 1950's; which was an era of suspicion and corruption in politics.  McCarthyism, communism, and many other ism's were on the minds of most Americans.  People were afraid of war, of bombs, and there was always one nut job or another that claimed they were abducted by aliens.  The makers of Destroy All Humans made a point of exploiting the fears of the 1950's and turning it into entertaining quips made by the country bumpkins that you will run into throughout the game.  Hands-down this is truly the best part of the game.

The story line revolves around little gray aliens called "Furons" that have cloned themselves so much their DNA has become degraded.  Apparently humans contain strands of Furon DNA and their intention is to collect it for the purpose of cloning themselves.  You play as a Furon named Cryptosporidium-137 (named after a water born pathogen) that has been sent to the earth to find his predecessor, Cryptosporidium-136, who has recently went missing here.  You must investigate these backwoods towns to find him and collect DNA in the process.

Cryptosporidium-137 comes equipped with an array of weapons; my personal favorite (but only because it is amusing, it is not very effective) is the anal probe.  Yes, you read that right, the anal probe which you aim and shoot at people's behinds.  This causes the people to run while they simultaneously grab their buttocks.  After you zap them with it for awhile their head explodes which gives you a chance to collect their brain for DNA.  You also have full use of a jet backpack.  This will get you on top of houses, over fences, and most importantly out of the way of the military when you call too much attention to yourself.

Similar to the Grand Theft Auto games you can draw the attention of the law.  This also goes in stages depending on how much trouble you cause; first the general public, the police, the military, and finally the men in black.  The men in black carry with them reverse engineered Furon weaponry which can cause significant damage to Cryptospiridium-137 so you really don't want to tangle with them.  Usually the best way to draw the attention of the men in black is by reeking havoc in your space ship.

In order to conceal yourself you must read the thoughts of the humans next to you, this will keep you looking like a human yourself.  When you are concealed then you may freely travel through the towns, but while in human form you cannot use weapons or pick up objects.  Make sure that you read people's minds often because otherwise you may take on your true form at an inopportune moment.

You will be given missions by another Furon, these missions will continue the story line.  However, if you explore the towns you will find that there are extra missions for you to try.  Most of these missions are also similar to Grand Theft Auto.  If you've played and remember that game maybe you will remember the rampage missions or the checkpoint missions, these mini missions in Destroy All Humans resemble those ones.  The missions vary a little from one another, but not as much as one might like them to.

Destroy All Humans is a very original and extremely inventive game, but unfortunately it grows old quite fast.  Let this game be a rental, but be sure to try it out, it is worth the time you spend on it, however limited that might be.