Starring the sensual and kick ass Rubi Malone, an elite gun for hire, Wet pays homage to those classic exploitation movies of the 70's plus some great Quentin Tarrentino-like moments, making this more than just a third person action shooter as it blurs the border between movies and video games.

From the grainy special effects to some spectacular choreographed scenes, Wet works in many ways but also gives some grief to the gamer. Thankfully, the grief is outweighed by the memorable moments of this gut totting heroine. Watching her gracefully slide, hack and shoot is pure eye candy.

The first level in Wet is a tutorial level that teaches you the controls and abilities of Rubi as she spies on a deal gone bad. Breaking through the window, the game explains how to use "bullet-time", choreography, guns and your deadly Samurai swords. It was here that I discovered that I was in for a treat. With the homage to Grindhouse movies of yesterday, the voice acting is camp, the story is way over the top, however the carefree attitude of Rubi and the various moments in the game make this quite an attractive title that I was unable to put down.

The mechanics behind Wet is a third person view adventure game with a healthy dose of combat and some impressive acrobatic abilities by Rubi which would put Lara Croft to shame. As you run up walls, then draw your guns, the world of Rubi Malone slows down as you target each of your foes with glass shattering, blood streaming and the gore level hits a new high.

Although there are three difficulty levels available in Wet, these come into their own as the game progresses, especially with the timing sequences which become more difficult. Probably one of my favourite gaming moments for 2009 was the highway scene in Wet that had Rubi jumping from car to car that was quite reminiscent of the Matrix Reloaded and really gave me a huge buzz as cars flipped in slow motion and bullets were whizzing through the air. A true classic gaming moment.

Thankfully, the game does not throw you straight into the deep end and as you progress, more abilities will be available which can be purchased as you are awarded points for your prowess. The controls of Wet work quite well on the XBox 360 and everything is quite well mapped.

Sometimes the controls are a little fiddly when you are trying to pull off different gun maneuvers, whether your jumping in the air in slow motion or sliding on the ground in slow motion, you need to be quite ambidextrous to sometimes pull these off.

As you scale walls, precariously walk on ledges, use wires and your sword as a flying fox or sliding down ladders shooting enemies, the scope for what Rubi can achieve is quite impressive at times.

Unfortunately controlling the nimble Rubi is not all fun and Wet will create some frustrating gaming moments, especially when you're trying to get from point A to B with jumps and acrobatics. Add in some repetitive cutscenes and a tad too many restarts and the mystic of Rubi unfortunately takes away some of her inner shine.

 That's the problem with Wet, it's a love hate relationship because as soon as you've moved on from a difficult moment in the game, something will hit you in the face and impressive you once again and that my friends is the allure of Rubi Malone.

The combat of Wet is exhilaratingly entertaining as Rubi uses guns and a Samurai sword to kick some serious ass. Apart from the two hand guns that Rubi wields, the slow motion capabilities of the game allows you to perform some outrageous acrobatic maneuvers and as the blood splatters from the villains, it's difficult not to be satisfied.

Of course, there is the sword as Rubi dices, slices and cuts her way to victory that is highly reminiscent of the Kill Bill movies. The key to battle in Wet is  using slow motion as it makes it easier to target enemies and finish them off. There are also some levers littered throughout the game that you need to turn off in order to prevent more enemies from coming through which can be a challenge sometimes.

Add in Rubi "rage" and the environment turns red as she goes on a bloodbath and the best part of this, besides slicing limbs off is the music which really picks up. Aside from the two guns that Rubi wields at the start, as you progress, additional weapons will soon be available to Rubi, including new skills and each enemy you kill, you are awarded points which can then be used to purchase more outlandishly entertaining abilities.

Graphically, Wet looks like a game made to be ported. I'm not saying that the graphics are bad but in some places they are a little bland and lackluster. Rubi herself is well animated and looks quite sexy in black who moves with an otherworldly grace as she jumps, fights and showcases her girl power strength.

The environments are well designed, however it's the special effects in the game and the cinematography that gives you a few "wow" moments which is what gaming is all about. The most annoying aspect of Wet (in the graphic departments) are some of the repetitive cutscenes such as Rubi taking a swig of alcohol to replenish her health. This cutscene involves her sculling a bottle, throwing it in the air and then shooting it to smithereens. The first two times were cool, not the 50th!

The grainy filter that is used throughout the game is perfect and really suits the genre absolutely that is matched equally well by the soundtrack. The voice acting is professional, albeit forced at times and there are some great one-liners that is like the cherry on top. All in all, the graphics and sound is quite apt with a few surprises thrown in for good measures.

Final Thoughts?

Even though there are a few frustrating moments in the game, the pros easily outweigh the cons and Wet succeeds being a decent third person action adventure game. If you do find it hard or annoying at medium difficultly, I do suggest you check out easy as it still gives you some challenge but makes the gameplay far less forgiving than at a higher level. The character of Rubi Malone is great and if you're looking for a mindless splatter fest with a healthy dose of fun, than Wet is definitely the game for you.