Parents' Guide to

Destroy All Humans!

By Aaron Lazenby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Kitschy romp is naughty fun, but wears thin.

Game PlayStation 2 2005
Destroy All Humans! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 4 parent reviews

ortega1245
ortega1245 Adult
October 5, 2020
age 13+

dont let your kids play this

as a kid so wen i was 6 i loved this game but im now 21 i went back to play it again and oh my its really sexual sex refrences and cars going up and down witch means sex it has blood and gore not as grapich as the remake they say ass fack shit this is a m rated game esrb but its rated t

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Miguel M.
Miguel M. Parent of 2 and 3-year-old
March 6, 2017
age 11+

best game ever maybe (Kind Of)

this game is great because it was made in 2005 and 2005 was the year that the xbox 360 was made even though its easy to play it has a little bit of swearing and violence but it does not have a lot of violence and does not have a lot of swearing my brother played it and its on the playstation 4 of course there was other destroy all humans games such as destroy all humans 2 released in 2006 destroy all humans big willy unleashed released for the wii and psp in 2008 and destroy all humans path of the furon released in 2008 never played any of the DAH! games but i have played DAH! path of the furon the game like path of the furon had bad guys like the molinaris lunarians triads francodyne guards and nexos and the bosses for the game was saxon crousteau and the final boss was emperor meningitis the emperor meningitis boss battle is very hard but you can figure out how to beat him in path of the furon if you think these games have too much violence and a little bit of swearing your child could still handle the violence if your child says he/she can handle violence P.S.=i finally played the game

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
Too much violence
See all 4 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Earth (specifically America) in the 1950s looks pretty harmless from space in DESTROY ALL HUMANS!, the latest third-person sci-fi shooter from THQ. Perhaps that's why the warlike Furon race has decided to invade the planet and enslave its human inhabitants. It might also have to do with collecting human DNA to revitalize the fading alien race, or maybe the Furon scout that was accidentally shot down over a military test site. Whatever the reason, the people of Earth aren't going to stand idly by as aliens turn the sun's third planet into an intergalactic war zone and genetic harvesting ground.

Players control Cryptosporidium, the sarcastic and mean Furon solider leading the invasion. Crypto has to solve some minor puzzles -- such as impersonating a small-town mayor to convince locals that recent alien activity is actually the work of Soviet spies, or hypnotizing a TV personality. But most of the gameplay focuses on street-level battles between Crypto and human forces, or saucer-bound aerial assaults where buildings are destroyed, people are vaporized, and cars are sent to the junk heap.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (19):

It's a fun premise, but while these battles can be thrilling, they get repetitive. Every building starts to look the same, all the humans explode in the same burst of flames, and the thrill begins to wane. Add to that the unending quest for DNA and boring mini-missions, and you've got a game that makes a great immediate impact but offers little replay appeal.

There is one unsettlingly realistic segment where players can destroy the White House, the Capitol, and other familiar Washington, D.C., monuments. Parents may want to think twice about buying this for kids who might find the destruction of such iconic structures unsettling, especially in a time when the threat of terrorism has many on edge. This is a playful, kitschy, but ultimately unsubstantial game experience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether comic relief and a playful spirit make the violence in this game more palatable. Can a game that keeps track of the number of buildings you raze and humans you slaughter ever qualify as good clean fun? In an era when threats of terrorism dominate the news, is there anything unseemly about being able to destroy a digital model of Washington, D.C.?

Game Details

  • Platform: PlayStation 2
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: THQ
  • Release date: June 20, 2005
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • ESRB rating: T
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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