If you though your game collection was overwhelmed with shooters, in particular, third person shooters, here comes WET, or Wet, as we’ll call it from now on. It’s a third person action game (doh) which brings its own unique style to the genre — picture grind-house horror and bloodshed mixed up with Max Payne-slow-mo kind of action sequences. Then you get Wet. However, as stylish as the game is, there’s isn’t much underneath the surface.

In Wet, you play as Rubi Malone, a dark haired tough chick who’s got an axe to grind with pretty much everyone, and she’s got a series of moves, from kicking and punching, to sliding and, if all fails, you have your good ‘ol guns to save you. The game is non-stop action, the story and dialogue are kept to a minimum, as you’ll be pumping lead into foes pretty much the whole time. As your body count adds up, you earn XP which you can use later. The campaign consists of levels that all have you run and gun though a series of enemies (lots of them) and finally take out the boss. While the mission structures are the same, the different locations, enemies and bosses add some the variety of the game, however, unfortunately it’s not enough.

There is plenty of slow motion in the game, which isn’t like Max Payne or FEAR where it’s limited, in Wet, you’re in slow motion as much as possible, when sliding, when jumping etc. And on top of that, you can tag multiple targets and take them out — all while in slow motion. One of the great things about the game, and which showcases it’s style, are “battle arenas”, where you’ll enter e.g. a market place, which will be cut off and enemies will be pouring at you.

The game is very stylish, presented like a a retro action B-movie, with a film-grain filter (which you can turn off), grind-house like cut scenes and an adequate soundtrack that sets the mood just right.  Even the dialogue feels like it was taken right out of a 70s retro indie flick, meaning it’s not too serious. The whole game doesn’t take it self too seriously, it’s meant to be stylish and fun. But when it comes to the gameplay, underneath hood, there isn’t much. The gameplay is very repetitive and you’ll be doing the same thing over and over again. After an hour or so, it does get tiresome and while there are some sequences to break from the regular run-and-gun action (like car sequences which include even more shooting), it’s not enough and doesn’t quite stand out.

The platforming features in the game — which are used quite a lot — are sub-standard and will leave you frustrated a lot of the time. And while the game is quite stylish, it’s by no means the best looking game out there — it’s a tad better than previous generation consoles could deliver. In all, Wet doesn’t really justify a full retail price, despite it’s style and fun combat, but there just isn’t enough substance. It’s great as a rental or budget title (which it will eventually become).

The Good:
Stylish
Fun combat

The Bad:
Repetitive
Not enough substance
Bland visuals

Overall score: 5/10