The success of such visual tricks makes it slightly baffling that the decision wasn't taken to port this game to next-gen consoles. Many ideas, unfortunately, still seem underdeveloped. Weaponry features some cool gimmicks (chaining ray-gun attacks, freezing time) but should be far more powerful at the outset. Objectives often feel pointless and locations seem to repeat themselves across the globe.
Hints at satire are hit and miss - what at first promises to be a smart homage to 1960s culture soon descends into the realms of toilet humour, erasing some of the genuinely funny material to be found in subtler moments.
Above: Combat is wickedly one-sided, with the fate of your victims entirely in your hands
As with the first game, Destroy All Humans 2 looks set to fall short of fulfilling its rich potential. This is, after a fashion, no bad thing. You'll be left wondering why it hasn't been easier to satisfy the first game's shortcomings, but you'll also come away with the distinct feeling that there's plenty of life in Crypto yet. Inch by inch, little by little, Pandemic appears to be edging towards the game he deserves.
