The appeal of the story in Destroy All Humans confuses us a little. You see, the series is fast becoming the advertorial music compilation album of the videogame industry, offering a nostalgic look back at yesteryear through the eyes of one sarcastic extra terrestrial. Not to stereotype, but it seems we’re only just reaching the kind of time period that might have seen gamers living through it. For Crypto, coming down from a massive tie-dye T-shirt induced migraine, arrives in the 1970s after spending two decades now on a planet he supposedly hates so much. Weird.

He’s mellowed out now, clearly. Tired of anally probing the populace until their brains literally pop out, he instead resolves to open a casino, getting into their minds an entirely different way. After a little run-in with a group of religious fanatics clearly based upon one followed by several Hollywood stars, mixed with a little extortion, his attentions are once again forced onto thwarting human opposition. Naturally, this involves destruction of one kind or another (to attract the attention of the world’s media, apparently the most powerful weapon of all).

While the level in question tasked us to plant a Venus Human Trap – not totally unlike Audrey II from Little Shop Of Horrors, both in appearance and taste for human blood – there’s plenty of room for fun. Crypto’s arsenal has evolved, allowing him not just to hold objects via telekinesis, but swing them from side to side, literally sweeping the road of vermin. His ability to temporarily stop time will permit Warner Brothers-style comedy moments too, as cars and pedestrians are repositioned, one above the other. Of course, should boredom of all this set in there’s always the tried and tested chance to beam up to your flying saucer, laying waste to the city below. The open-world environments aren’t the biggest by any means (and certainly far less impressive than GTA IV’s helicopter rides), but where else can they crumble In but seconds? SimCity doesn’t count.

Dave Shaw