GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 09/16/2009
- Released on: 09/15/2009
- Originally published on GameSpot: Wet (PlayStation 3) Review
In the first scene of Wet, you slide down a long table in slow motion, smashing through towers of champagne glasses and a giant cake as you gun down thugs who are trying to kill you. Then you leap off the table to fly over a dragon-shaped ice sculpture as you pump bullets into even more goons. After you whip out your sword to finish the last one off, you'll have killed a dozen enemies in a bloody display of stylish, slow-motion savagery within a few short moments. Wet's gleefully bloody combat is a combination of high-flying acrobatics and brutal gunplay that is consistently entertaining, despite some rough movement mechanics. And while the seedy plot and cuss-happy characters aren't anything to write home about, the story is very well paced and propelled by a fiery soundtrack that perfectly suits the over-the-top action. Wet is a high-speed thrill ride that barrels over its own speed bumps and potholes at such a rollicking good pace that you can't help but have a riotously good time.
6227745NoneRubi's escapades take her to some strange places.
The architect of all this destruction is the agile and deadly Rubi Malone. When things go afoul on a job she's hired to do, she wants payback, and she's got the skills to get it. Wet introduces you to Rubi's substantial move set at a measured pace, giving you just enough time to get comfortable with each ability before you unlock a new one. You start out jumping and sliding, but you'll work your way up to pole swinging, wall jumping, and a host of other acrobatic maneuvers. You'll use your abilities to traverse a variety of gritty environments as your work your way through the underworld to get at the guys who wronged you. For the most part, navigating is straightforward and fairly easy, though the loose controls ensure that you'll make your fair share of missteps. If you get stuck, you can hold a button to highlight areas that Rubi can grab onto or run to, which will generally get you on your way. However, some jumps are incongruously tough, and a few sections make your next step frustratingly unclear. You will probably die a bunch of trial-and-error deaths in these parts, and the loading screens along with Rubi's ugly death grunts get tiresome. But these frustrating bits aren't frequent, and before too long, you'll be shooting someone in the face and your mood will undoubtedly improve.
Rubi can run and gun fairly well, but it is much more entertaining and rewarding to gun while doing something besides running. If you start shooting while doing anything remotely acrobatic, time will slow down and the real fun begins. Rubi is a dual-wielding kind of gal, and when you enter the slow-motion shooting mode, one of the guns automatically targets a nearby enemy. You can then aim the other gun freely, which allows you to take down multiple enemies without breaking a sweat. This pairing of auto-targeting with free aiming is intuitive and uncomplicated, and Rubi's flexibility allows you to cover a wide degree of firing angles. The shooting mechanics and slow-motion effect combine to imbue every enemy encounter with cinematic potential. To take out a cluster of enemies, for example, you could leap toward your enemies and use your pistols to stop the charging swordsmen. Then you can land in a slide, switch to your semiautomatic guns, and spin your torso around in a full circle, spraying hot death in every direction. The slow motion not only makes this massacre possible, but it also allows you to revel in your deliciously deadly abilities.
The square button never looked so sinister.
Exploring your acrobatic repertoire is great fun, even though you'll probably rely more heavily on a few basic moves. The environments are generally conducive to leaping, running, swinging, and sliding, but you will definitely have some awkward moments. Some walls just don't want to be run on, for example, and you will keep sliding even after you've collided with a standing enemy. You may leap off a high ledge and land safely in one section, only to leap off a similar ledge and die in another. Yet for every misstep you make, you'll pull off many more successful maneuvers, and this ratio keeps the action moving along at a brisk clip. Wet is a very well-paced adventure that delivers a measured mix of platforming and combat, and there are a number of special sequences to spice things up as you progress through each level. In addition to some dramatic set piece levels (car-hopping on a freeway, anyone?), Rubi will occasionally get really angry and go on a short rampage. In these sections, the environment is bathed in a blood-red hue, Rubi becomes more powerful, and invigorating music plays as you cut a swath through your foes. Though these aren't the most engaging stretches of action and the stripped color palette can be a bit disorienting, they provide a refreshing jolt of aesthetic variation.
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