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Destroy All Humans! PSP gets canceled
We hate to wake you up from an afternoon catnap, but we need to let you know that Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed for the PSP has been canceled. Oh wait, you never heard of this title? That's probably because we last reported on it about a year ago. It is quite difficult to be excited about a game you don't hear much about, and so it comes as a non-shocker to hear that the game has been canceled. IGN reports that a THQ rep made this statement: "Basically, the PSP version was cancelled because of control issues ... When it was ported over to the PSP, the controls simply didn't translate well, and instead of pushing out the product with translated controls, it was canceled." This must be bad news for Destroy All Humans! fans. For the rest of us who didn't have any vested interest in seeing alien "Willies" unleashing, we can all rest a little easier now.
See a new trailer for Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon
We've always had a rocky relationship with the Destroy All Humans series, which itself has had a rocky relationship with quality. The whole thing depresses us because of how much we want to be on board with the game. No fan of humans ourselves, their total annihilation is not something we're inherently resistant to. But there's only so much we can do, and ignoring mediocre gameplay isn't one of those things.But this new trailer for Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon has actually given us a little hope. Could this be the first DAH game to marry quality with a great premise? Absolutely. Could our enthusiasm be the direct result of the trailer's reliance on cinematics rather than much actual gameplay? Ab-so-lutely.
Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon announced
Alien adorers and destruction devotees will be excited to hear that THQ's latest chapter in the Destroy All Humans franchise will be crash landing on the Xbox 360 this Fall. Being developed by Sandblast this time around, Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon will see Crypto demolishing every single object in full HD with new and completely twisted weaponry. Yup, all those fancy next-gen features will be added including Hi-Fi sound, polished graphics, shaders galore and a beefier physics engine. And yes, there will be co-op as well. Check out the new Path of Furon trailer embedded above and take it all in. Things do explode, but ... yeah ... it's just Destroy All Humans.
Wii releases for the week of February 25th
There's a pair of high profile titles hitting the Wii this week, in the latest installment of the Destroy All Humans and Sega's latest Dreamcast-to-Wii port, SEGA Bass Fishing. Then, there's another game that we, frankly, don't care much about. Since we've gone ahead and finished No More Heroes, you can bet we're dying to get some new games to play. Maybe we'll unleash Big Willy ... This week's retail releases are: Sega Bass Fishing Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None %Gallery-15613% %Gallery-14457%
The Wii is a gaming platform, and Pandemic likes those
In an interview with Next Generation magazine, Pandemic's Josh Resnick revealed the company's current Wii plans: to continue admiring it. Other than that, he offered the faintest hope of Wii games from the Mercenaries/Destroy All Humans developers (Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed is developed by Locomotive Games), with a blanket statement. "Pandemic has had a long-standing tradition of being multiplatform, and we're going to continue to do that. Other than that, we don't have any other big announcements. But we love the platform." While that noncommittal statement doesn't bode well for the near future, at least Resnick has the right idea about how to treat the Wii, saying "We're not going to make the mistake of just trying to port things over to it. We're going to do something from the ground up that really makes sense for that platform and that audience." This stance seems to disprove the rumor that Pandemic was working on a children's game last year. At the very least, it suggests that they're not working on it anymore.
Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Bundled
If you like Destroy All Humans games but aren't sure if you want the latest incarnation of the series, THQ would like to bribe you with a trinket. Alternately, if you're so into the Big Boy character that you'll buy figurines of characters parodying the mascot, THQ has one they would like to sell to you. It comes with a video game. In the game, Big Willy is a walking mech in the camouflage of a friendly fast-food mascot. In real life, it's a bobblehead that you can only get at GameStop. Is it also a cleverly-disguised weapon? We can't really tell from the picture! %Gallery-15613%
Destroy All Humans trailer takes inspiration from MST3K
Update: Looks like we had a mix-up with the videos. They were both the same. Sorry for the mix-up. And there is nothing wrong with that at all. But, you may be wondering exactly what this game is, as our coverage has been around slim to none. Well, we apologize about that, but it seems that every Nintendo fanboy and fangirl is waiting on some other game. But, that shouldn't discourage you from checking out Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed, which looks to be another solid installment in the quirky sandbox franchise. Big on humor and messing with humans, we're sure the latest title will be as good as previous installments in the franchise. For a look at the game's controls, head on past the break. Anyone looking forward to picking this up? %Gallery-15613% [Via Go Nintendo]
THQ cans Frontlines PS3, Juiced and Stuntman franchises
Confirming earlier rumors, THQ has announced that the PlayStation 3 version of dystopian shooter, Frontlines: Fuel of War, has been canceled. And it's not the only game to have its plug unceremoniously pulled. Indeed, THQ's update to its fiscal 2008 outlook brings to mind Joystiq's consistently inept maid who's always yanking all the cables out with her feet while she's dusting the office TV. In describing the publisher's third fiscal quarter (ended December 31, 2007), the report notes "non-cash charges of approximately $27 million" in relation to the cancellation of not only the PlayStation 3 edition of Frontlines, but the PlayStation 2 version of Destroy All Humans!: Big Willy Unleashed. THQ also notes a decision "not to pursue" its Juiced and Stuntman properties, the latter particularly described as underperforming following its release on Xbox 360 and PS3 last year. Also appended are two unannounced titles for Xbox 360 and PS3 which "had" been scheduled for release in THQ's fiscal year 2010. One of them was being worked on by THQ's Concrete Games Studio, also the victim of a closure according to the report. Though it would be easier to blame the maid, THQ CEO and president, Brian Farrel, deemed the decouplings necessary to "strengthen [THQ's] pipeline and position [the company] to compete aggressively with compelling, high quality games."
Destroy all trailers
Man, this Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed lays on the topical humor, and thick. Apparently this time Crypto is charged with stopping a Patty Hearst parody from inciting public outrage against the aliens' Big Willy's fast-food franchise, which, of course, was created to serve man. Apparently fast food is bad for you! On top of all of the cultural references is a layer of self-referential humor which is less than subtle: Crypto's boss Pox refers to his "previous video game adventures," and the two riff on the 'blink, then disappear' death style common in games. If there's anything of which all should be destroyed, it's the Jack Nicholson impression used for Crypto's voice.
Bloom-light all aliens
The new Destroy All Humans! prequel, Big Willy Unleashed, seems to follow the same formula as the two previous games: humans get destroyed in hilarious and sadistic ways. However, the new game adds two twists to the formula. First, alien anti-hero Crypto will have the use of a Big Boy-esque walking mech, the "Big Willy" mentioned in the juvenile title (and not Will Smith). Second, the game has been bloom-lit into infinity, creating the distinct appearance of a TV screen smeared with Vaseline. But who are we to complain about little things like overuse of "next gen" lighting effects, when there are humans who need a firm destroying?
Destroy All Humans gets a Big Willy for PSP
Destroy All Humans! has done well for Pandemic, and so it's no surprise that the alien with attitude is getting another sequel. The PSP edition will be called Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed. It's not being developed by Pandemic, but instead Locomotive Games (Cars PSP) is handling the reigns. You'll once again take control of Crypto as he tries to destroy the 1970s by UFO or on foot. THQ's marketing man had this to say: "The Destroy All Humans! franchise has consistently delivered a unique combination of fun and original gameplay delivering irreverent humor and over the top destruction that has garnered worldwide acclaim and commercial success". He had more to say, but really it just sounded like he was trying to anally probe us, so we ran away.Destroy All Humans! Unleashes its Big Willy in the first half of 2008.[Via IGN]
Destroy All Humans, Saint's Row sequels not coming this year
A brief note in publisher THQ's fiscal report (PDF file) indicates that a previously announced sequel to Saint's Row will not be marching until fiscal year 2009. In calendar terms, that means excess excess pimp-slapping won't be coming until at least April 1, 2008. Conspicuously absent from the entire report was a mention of a Destroy All Humans sequel. Though DAH3 was reportedly announced in a German magazine as coming out this calendar year to consoles, no mentions were made of the franchise for either FY 2008 or 2009. It is still listed as one of its key IPs, however. There's always a chance, however slim, that THQ could pull a surprise announcement at next week's Min-E3. Expected this fiscal year from THQ are Stuntman: Ignition, Frontlines: Fuel of War, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights and MX vs. ATV. Oh, and licensed titles, too.
Third times a charm for destroying (all) humans
A German magazine called Man!ac (via N-Europe) has revealed that THQ plans to release a third installment in the Destroy All Humans series later this year. The game will appear on PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 (why else would we be reporting this?). This confirms THQ CFO Ed Zinser's comments from February. Unfortunately, that's about all we know of the title. Presumably it will feature aliens doing their best to obliterate the entirety of humanity once more. The question is whether or not Destroy All Humans 3 can stand up against the Xbox 360's already crowded holiday lineup.[Via Joystiq]
Destroy All Human 3 invading consoles this year
The aliens are back! THQ has announced in German magazine Man!ac (via N-Europe) that Destroy All Humans 3 is coming out sometime this year (in Europe, at least) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, PSP and Nintendo Wii. A new title in the series was mentioned by THQ CEO Brian Farrell in an investor conference call in February, but no dates or platforms were given at the time. Pandemic is the likely developer, as it created the last two Destroy All Humans titles (as a joke, originally). Is this secret project B, Q, Y or Z? A TV show based on the Destroy All Humans series was announced in late 2005, but so far nothing has come of it. [Via VGB]
German magazine reveals new THQ games to All Humans
A game magazine called Maniac has some exclusive screens and info from THQ about one new franchise and one old one, both headed to the Wii. De Blob is a Wii exclusive about a blob (obviously) that, by rolling around in paint then rolling around on stuff, adds color to a dull environment. It seems to be based on an indie PC game called The Blob. Destroy All Humans 3, also coming to PS2, PSP, 360, and PS3 is about destroying all humans, which shamefully didn't get done the first two times. We guess Pandemic changed their minds about the Wii.
THQ cooking up sequels
THQ CFO Ed Zinser talked about the future of their intellectual properties and announced sequels for new gen consoles. Saints Row, Destroy All Humans!, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights, Stuntman and MX all saw enough success to warrant continuing their respective series. Ed also informed us that they would be released on an every-other-year type schedule. On top of all the aforementioned franchises, Zinser also stated that THQ has fresh intellectual properties that they plan on introducing this generation. Are you looking forward to seeing any of these sequels come to your 360?[Via QJ.net]
THQ announces six franchises to be worked on
THQ CEO Brian Farrell had a conference call recently and thanks to PS3Fanboy tapping all major developer's phone lines (not really... but that would yield some priceless news!), we've learned of six franchises THQ wishes to bring back for some previously unannounced sequels.Farrell belted the titles he wanted to bring back almost as if he had them written down on a napkin: "Saints Row, Stuntman, which will be released this year, Juiced, which is a sequel to the product we launched a couple years ago, Destroy All Humans, MX, and my favorite, Red Faction." This is awesome! With Saints Row on it's way to the PS3, we might see a sequel fairly close to our completion of the first, unless he was referring to the PS3 version of the original. And Red Faction? Heck yes. The first one was a lot of fun. Never played the second. This is good news from THQ! Which game are you guys looking forward to seeing again from this list?
Destroy All Humans started as a joke, launched a "dance" career
Matt Harding was designing Xbox games for Pandemic Studios Australia when a family-friendly game he had been working on was cancelled. Piqued, he pitched a game to management about "blowing up everything and killing everyone" as a comment on the games industry's obsession with violent games like Grand Theft Auto and Halo. When publishers saw the proposal, they responded enthusiastically, "Yeah! That is exactly what we want, we want a game about killing everyone!" And so Destroy All Humans was given the green light, despite the fact that it had been conceived as a joke. Matt wasn't too thrilled with the idea of making that sort of game, so he emptied his savings account and embarked on a 17-country, six-month trip around the world. At some point during the trip, he got the idea of filming himself dancing in each location. Many of you have seen the results, but just in case you h'ain't, you can watch the videos here and here. Who said violent games do nothing positive for the world? Without GTA, Matt might have never have embarked on his magical dance journey, and we'd all be the poorer for it.
Destroy more humans this fall
THQ and Pandemic are giving the Furons another go at planet Earth in Destroy All Humans! 2, due out in the fall. This time around, Crypto 137 will have some new terrestrial adversaries to deal with - Cold War secret agents and ninjas! The current gen sequel moves a decade forward to the '60s, and will feature a new cooperative mode, as well as upgraded weapons and mental abilities. Get ready to probe some hippies!
Inside the Bioware-Pandemic super-developer
We reported last year on the merging of developers Pandemic and Bioware into one "super-developer", and Gamasutra has followed up the move by interviewing the heads of both companies, including Pandemic CEO Josh Resnick (right). The studios aren't merging directly, but share revenue and a common executive team, an interesting move for future companies which might plan to follow in their footsteps.It appears that the companies are working together closely, with only a little technology sharing as of yet--the simple move of giving feedback on each other's products is apparently working wonders. However, Bioware and Pandemic intend to stay fairly separate, each focusing on their genres of expertise. Unfortunately the interview reveals no tidbits of information on Bioware Austin's MMO plans, but the CEOs are confident that there is room to innovate and customers to be had in the MMO space still.
