In WET for Xbox 360 and PS3 (360 version reviewed here), play as Rubi: a no-nonsense, gun-toting, whiskey-guzzling, sharp-shooting acrobat who will take on any job–for the right price, that is. Help Rubi use her shooting and acrobatic skills to take down gangsters and crime lords in this game that’s best described as a playable John Woo or Quentin Tarantino action flick.

As Rubi, you’ll use both guns and fancy footwork to take out the bad guys in this third person shooter action game. Rubi can slide under and leap over objects, run up walls, swing from poles, slide down ladders and zip cords, plus much more. While Rubi is performing an acrobatic move, time slows down so she can make the most of blasting chains of bad guys.

While doing a move, Rubi automatically aims her first gun at the nearest opponent, but you can use the R analog stick to aim her second gun. Try to take down as many thugs as you can during a move, and string together series of acrobatics and attacks to earn more skill points. In a pinch, Rubi can also whip out her sword for some close combat. The more skill points you earn, the more upgrades and abilities you can buy between levels. Sometimes, play control while aiming and performing moves can be a little tricky, but most of the time even I could do it.

And that’s about all you really do in WET. But while it may be a little lacking in substance, the game makes up for it in style. The visuals have a gritty, filmy look to them that gives WET its action movie appearance (though it does make it hard to see the baddies sometimes). There’s even an old fashioned clip to encourage you to get snacks from the lobby, and when Rubi dies, the screen makes it look like film burn! Selectable difficulty levels and extra challenges and unlockables bump up the replay value a bit. As long as you don’t expect too deep of a gameplay experience, and find mature 3-D shooters entertaining, you might enjoy the arcadey action of WET.

Kid Factor:

WET is rated M for Mature with ESRB descriptors of Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, and Strong Language. Though I have seen more bloody games, WET is still pretty violent with all the shooting and chopping going on. Rubi refills her health by taking a big swig of whiskey at stations throughout the levels. The characters in the game curse profusely both in the game and during cutscenes, and the drug references and sexual content are what you’d expect from criminals duking it out in the big city. Because of all this, WET is a good choice for adult gamers only. Or at least older players who are accustomed to the goings-on in R-rated action flicks.

Tags: Game Reviews