WET Review

(Sorry I took so long to get this one out. Work had me busy, and then I got ODST and I am having a hard time getting away from Firefight)

WET is the video game answer to Kill Bill, it's violent, with plenty of grit and a lot of swearing and it is also one of the biggest video game letdowns I can think of.

To start on a positive note, when the levels aren't too busy getting you killed for using the acrobatic mechanics, the combat is an absolute blast, and it really makes you feel like an unstoppable killing machine. You have unlimited bullet time and the developers didn't even bother with making you reload your guns; you can keep on shooting uninterrupted until you run out of bullets. You can also shoot from anywhere: swinging on poles, sliding down ladders, running along walls... if you can go there you can shoot from there. The more acrobatic and fluent you are, the more points you get to purchase weapon and ability upgrades. It's also pretty violent and the bonuses for kills are pretty interesting.

The grindhouse aspect of this game is, in my opinion, very well done. The language is over to top (she even swears at doors as she tries to open them) and the dialogue is nice and corny, but not terrible corny. The film grit, which you can shut off, was a nice touch, but when you're almost dead it takes over the screen and you're basically screwed. There are neat little touches, such as one part where Rubi kicks a basketball into the camera and cracks the screen, and the music is absolutely superb. It's a nice mix of rockabilly, poppy grunge wonder that makes me wish I could get an official soundtrack. Another thing I like about the music is that instead of getting big name bands to use as a selling point, they picked some smaller (but still awesome) bands that are much less famous.

On top of that all is the story. In it's (very) short span, WET tells a pretty interesting story, and I tell you that if this had been a movie it would have been fantastic. It has intrigue, betrayal and interesting villains, as you would expect from a Tarantino-Rodriguez-style game, although I have to say they didn't play a big enough roll and you never really find out much about them. The first guy you chase has a bigger part in the game than my favorite villain, Ze Kollektor, who says "I'll see you again" and then never makes another appearance. Basically the material was there for a much longer game, more character back story and a longer main story for instance, but they cut it short.

So now that I made this game sound like a good overall game, let's go to the bad sides of it. WET is like a stranger with candy, and you're a five year old who likes candy more than listening to his parents. In other words, this game starts of looking great. It has a lot of appeal, the candy, and even though its graphics and character models look a bit rough, like the man with the candy's beard, you figure it's worth a shot. However, as you probably learned when you take candy from a stranger: it's usually not very good candy, like a peppermint or something*. At first, WET amazed me. I flipped around the levels with the ease and grace of a ballerina dual-wielding shotguns, the arena fights (where you have to disable doors to stop enemy reinforcements) were well planned and a good high point in the levels. The car-hopping sequences were a definite blast, and even though the character models are a bit dated, it was all worth it.

Then, a couple hours into the game, things took a turn for the worst. Using acrobatics, the main point of the combat, became an annoying and deadly game of chance, as you would be put on a 4-foot-wide bridge with death-pits on either side and then be forced to fight a bunch of enemies. If you don't do acrobatics, a) You don't get style points, and your upgrading suffers greatly and b) You die. A lot. However if you do try to dive at the enemies or jump off them, you fall to your death nine times out of ten. After your sixth time falling off the same bridge and dying, you are about to put your fist through your Xbox, which means you no more harm than a mosquito that bites you and gives you West Nile. Another (minor) gripe is Rubi's ability to grab things. There are a few times you see a ledge then it says you can grab onto, but when you jump to grab it, Rubi fails to even try and instead falls. Usually to her death. You see, some ledges can only be grabbed if you jump from something else, like another ledge, even though when you jump from the other spot she would be totally capable of reaching it. Maybe it's because she's a woman, women are pushy and they only want things done their own certain way**. Oh, and don't get me started on the airplane. If you do buy this, you will end up hating airplanes as much as Rubi, and I won't say any more than that.

Now we get to Rage Mode. Rage Mode is Rubi's "You've made me angry, no prepare to effing die" mode, and the concept is great. Rubi gets blood on her face, flies into a rage during which she is basically unstoppable, a lot of enemies are around and carnage thus ensues. However, like pretty much every other wonderful concept this game had, WET manages to kinda kill this by throwing in all kinds of required acrobatics and forcing you to rush and it just kinda kills the mindless overkill mode that this is supposed to be.

WET is a game that suffers from too much ambition. It tries very hard to be a lot of things, (acrobatic shooter, Grindhouse game, quick-time action thingy) and ultimately ends up feeling like it was stretched too thin, like Bilbo Baggins. Overall it is a see-saw between fun and just plain frustrating, and a game I wouldn't recommend you buy unless you can get a deal. Maybe give it a rent.

Overall Score: 73%

* Don't take candy from strangers!

** I'm definitely kidding here. Kind of.

P.S. (edit) If they make a WET 2 and iron out all these kinks, I will definitely give it a shot, because this had the potential makings of a fantastic game. That is all.