Wet(stylized asWET) is a 2009third-person shooteraction game,developed byArtificial Mind & Movementand published byBethesda Softworksfor thePlayStation 3andXbox 360.APlayStation Portableversion was planned, but ultimately cancelled.[1]
| WET | |
|---|---|
 The game's cover art features protagonist Rubi Malone | |
| Developer(s) | Artificial Mind & Movement |
| Publisher(s) | Bethesda Softworks |
| Director(s) | Patrick Fortier |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Designer(s) | Ashraf Ismail |
| Programmer(s) | Philippe Leblanc |
| Artist(s) | Jean-François Mignault |
| Writer(s) | Duppy Demetrius |
| Composer(s) | Brian LeBarton |
| Engine | Gaia |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter,action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Wet's gameplay revolves around killing opponents with both firearms and swords while engaging in acrobatic moves. In its story and setting,Wetfollows heroine Rubi Malone (voiced by actressEliza Dushku), a "problem-solver".[2]Wet's title derives from the euphemism "wet work"– a messy job or task that involves one's hands becoming wet with blood.
Originally set to be published bySierra Entertainment,Bethesda Softworkseventually announced that they would becomeWet's publisher.[3]The game received mixed reviews from critics, garnering praise for its gameplay, music, and production values, but was criticized for its graphics, levels, and lack of innovation. It sold 1 million units. A sequel to the game was announced in 2011, but was cancelled.
Gameplay
editWetis an action game that combines shooting and swordplay with acrobatics and gore. The main character, Rubi, carries twin pistols and a sword (she can also carry dual shotguns, submachine guns, or crossbows), and can fire while jumping, sliding on her knees, and running on walls. During these acrobatic actions, the game enters slow motion, and she will automatically aim at a second enemy, allowing the player to shoot at two enemies at once. She can also combine her attacks, such as wall running off a person or performing a sword uppercut while sliding. Racking up kills and collecting multiplier icons gains multipliers, which increase score and the rate at which Rubi regenerates health. Rubi can also regain health by finding bottles of whiskey.
In some sections of the game, Rubi's face will get covered in blood and she will go into a murderous, berserker-like rage. These sections are presented innoir style,with bold red, black and white visuals.[4]Rubi's attacks become faster and stronger to fight against large numbers of enemies during these sections, and killing chains of enemies extends her psychotic fury. There are also motorway sections that feature shooting integrated withquick time events.
At the end of each stage of play, the player will be graded on three different factors: Completion Time, Acrobatics, and Average Multiplier. Based on performance in these areas, Style Points will be given, allowing the purchase of upgrades to both Rubi and her weapons.[5]Different upgrades include additional health blocks for Rubi, as well as increased firing rate and damage for the pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, and crossbows.
Plot
editRubi Malone (Eliza Dushku) is a "problem-solver": abounty hunterand generalmercenary.In the game's prologue, she is hired to retrieve a briefcase that is hijacked by a gang. She does so, leaving numerous dead gang members in her wake, and delivers the case to a hospital. It turns out to contain a human heart, which a powerful man named William Ackers (William Morgan Sheppard) needs to survive. Rubi delivers the case to Ackers's grateful son, collects her fee, and departs.
One year later, Mr. Ackers approaches Rubi in herTexashideout and hires her to go toHong Kongto bring back his son, whom Mr. Ackers says has fallen in with a bad crowd. Rubi flies to Hong Kong and consults with a local friend, Ming (James Sie), who tells her that Ackers is heading up a powerful drug ring. Rubi, with difficulty, kidnaps the younger Ackers and delivers him to his father inLondon.
However, the "William Ackers" who hired Rubi turns out to be an imposter and a rival of the real Ackers. His bodyguards decapitate Ackers's son, then stab Rubi and leave her for dead. Rubi recovers with the help of a friend, Milo, and vengefully starts to track down the fake Ackers and his gang.
On a tip from Milo, Rubi does a favor for a shady woman named Kafka, performing a theft of a rare book being shipped to theBritish Museum.Kafka puts her on the trail of "Ackers", who is really a drug lord named Rupert Pelham (Malcolm McDowell). The trail leads Rubi back to Hong Kong and then to London again, where she is captured by Pelham's subordinate, Sorrell (Alan Cumming), and tortured for information. Rubi manages to overpower her captors and escape, and kills Sorrell, but not before he confesses that Pelham is moving in on the real Ackers that night.
Rubi confronts Pelham at Ackers's mansion, just as William Ackers is about to be killed. Rubi duels and kills Pelham's chief bodyguard, Tarantula (Kim Mai Guest), by snapping her neck, then decapitates Pelham. Ackers says that Rubi delivered his son to his death, albeit unknowingly. He cannot bring himself to forgive her, but her actions that night are enough for him to refrain from taking vengeance on her. Rubi accepts this and leaves, pocketing a small stack of cash that Pelham threw at her to try to save himself.
Before the credits roll, there is a close-up of Tarantula, whose hand twitches.
Development and release
editOn July 29, 2008,Activision Blizzardannounced thatWethad been dropped along with many other games, thus putting its future into hiatus – though according to Behaviour, the project would not be canceled completely becauseWethad come so far along in development.[6]In November 2008, at theMontreal International Game Summit,Artistic Technical Director David Lightbown announced thatWetwould be released in 2009.[7][8]
On April 24, 2009,FamitsuandAmazonindicated thatBethesda Softworkswould be publishingWet.[7][9]On April 27, 2009, Bethesda Softworks confirmed that they would publishWet.[10]A demo of the game was released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace on August 22, 2009.[11]The game was released forPlayStation 3andXbox 360in September 2009 in North America and Europe, and in October in Australia.[12]
Original music for the game was composed byBrian LeBartonplus a list ofrockabillygroups and Flamenco Rock n Roll pioneers Gypsy Pistoleros, who contributed 4 tracks to the soundtrack. The entire score was recorded live in four days in Los Angeles with a musical cast that includedCarla AzarfromAutolux,Motown drummerJames Gadson,Shawn Davis on bass,Justin Stanleyon guitar, Davey Chegwidden on percussion and Elizabeth and Chris Lea on trombone and saxophone. Brian is quoted as saying, "I wanted music that would scare the shit out of you, make you feel like you're in the game. It had to put you on edge and freak your brain out. Face-melting, musical debauchery."[13]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| PS3 | Xbox 360 | |
| Metacritic | 70/100[32] | 69/100[33] |
| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| PS3 | Xbox 360 | |
| Destructoid | 7.5/10[14] | N/A |
| Edge | N/A | 5/10[15] |
| Eurogamer | N/A | 7/10[16] |
| Famitsu | 30/40[17] | N/A |
| Game Informer | 7.5/10[18] | 7.5/10[18] |
| GamePro |    [19] | [19] |
| GameRevolution | B−[20] | B−[20] |
| GameSpot | 7.5/10[21] | 7.5/10[21] |
| GameTrailers | N/A | 6.3/10[22] |
| GameZone | 7.5/10[23] | 7.5/10[24] |
| Giant Bomb | [25] | [25] |
| IGN | (AU) 7.4/10[26] (US) 6.6/10[27] | (AU) 7.4/10[26] (US) 6.6/10[27] |
| Official Xbox Magazine(US) | N/A | 7/10[28] |
| PlayStation: The Official Magazine | [29] | N/A |
| 411Mania | N/A | 6.6/10[30] |
| The A.V. Club | N/A | B[31] |
Critical reception
editWetreceived "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according toreview aggregatorwebsiteMetacritic.[32][33]GameSpotpraised the game's mechanics and soundtrack, but noted that the visuals are a bit rough and awkward.[21]These sentiments were echoed byEurogamer[16]andOfficial Xbox Magazine UK[34]who both observed that theexploitationdesign ethic failed to conceal the game's dated visuals, but both also said that the game – and the character of Rubi – possessed sufficient charm to make it worth playing. PixlBit said that it "has its issues, but its Tarantino-esque style makes it a raucous romp."[35]IT Reviews noted that "it isn't a particularly original game, with bits and pieces borrowed from everywhere", but also said "it's well executed riotous blasting all the way, and it left us with an undeniable grin on our faces the majority of the time."[36]
Edgewas more scathing, commenting: "Some cool things happen to crazy people in A2M'sWet,but unfortunately there are times in between where you're actually expected to play it. "[15]Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw,who hosts the online showZero Punctuation,described the main character of Rubi being "as likable and sympathetic as a deepseaanglerfishin anSSuniform. "[37]In Japan, where the PlayStation 3 version was ported for release on September 17, 2009,[citation needed]Famitsugave it a score of two sevens and two eights for a total of 30 out of 40.[17]
Sales
editWetsold over 1 million units.[38]
Cancelled sequel
editOn November 8, 2010, a sequel was announced by Behaviour Interactive (formerly Artificial Mind and Movement),[39]but rumors of its cancellation began on May 17, 2011, when an employee listed the project as canceled on their LinkedIn profile.[40]Also, Bethesda Softworks, publishers ofWet,stated that they would not be the publishers of the sequel.[41]
References
edit- ^"Wet (Preview)".Game Informer.No. 174.GameStop.October 2006.
- ^Get WET.Bethesda Softworks.August 11, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 14,2011– viaYouTube.[dead YouTube link]
- ^"Sierra brings the Wet-works".22 August 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 12 February 2023.Retrieved12 February2023.
- ^"Review: WET".18 September 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 29 March 2019.Retrieved7 December2017.
- ^"Wet Review".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-09-24.Retrieved2018-09-24.
- ^Pattison, Narayan (July 29, 2008)."Activision Drops Several Vivendi Games".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2017.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^abEdge staff (January 27, 2009)."Wet Returns".Edge.Future plc.Archived fromthe originalon May 23, 2012.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^Johnson, Stephen (January 28, 2009)."A2M Says 'Wet' Is Coming In 2009".G4.G4 Media.Archived fromthe originalon September 25, 2012.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^Chester, Nick (April 24, 2009)."Famitsu, Amazon say Bethesda is publishing WET".Destructoid.Enthusiast Gaming.Archivedfrom the original on April 27, 2009.RetrievedApril 28,2009.
- ^Bethesda staff (April 27, 2009)."Bethesda Softworks to Publish Wet for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3".Bethesda Softworks.Archived fromthe originalon April 30, 2009.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^"WET Demo Makes a Splash on Xbox Live".Shacknews.2009-08-25.Retrieved2024-08-17.
- ^Editor, Stephany Nunneley-Jackson Former News (2009-07-31)."WET gets a firm September release date".VG247.Retrieved2024-08-17.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^Pagan, Sam (August 27, 2009)."WET kicks ass and takes names".Re:Generator Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon July 15, 2011.RetrievedAugust 27,2009.
- ^Chester, Nick (September 18, 2009)."Review: WET (PS3)".Destructoid.Enthusiast Gaming.Archivedfrom the original on March 29, 2019.RetrievedDecember 7,2017.
- ^abEdge staff (November 2009). "Wet (X360)".Edge.No. 207. Future plc. p. 99.
- ^abGibson, Ellie (September 18, 2009)."Wet (Xbox 360)".Eurogamer.Gamer Network.Archivedfrom the original on September 22, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 21,2009.
- ^abIshaan (September 13, 2009)."Endless Ocean 2 Scores High in Famitsu".Siliconera.Curse, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on December 30, 2009.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^abHelgeson, Matt (October 2009)."Wet: Bethesda's Wet Goes Buck Wild".Game Informer.No. 198. GameStop. Archived fromthe originalon December 7, 2017.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^abLewis, Cameron (September 15, 2009)."WET".GamePro.GamePro Media. Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2009.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^abMorse, Blake (September 15, 2009)."Wet Review".Game Revolution.CraveOnline.Archivedfrom the original on September 6, 2015.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^abcWatters, Chris (September 16, 2009)."Wet Review".GameSpot.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2017.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^"Wet Review (X360)".GameTrailers.Viacom.September 21, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon February 22, 2012.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^Buck, Derek (November 4, 2009)."WET - PS3 - Review".GameZone.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2010.RetrievedDecember 7,2017.
- ^Zacarias, Eduardo (September 29, 2009)."WET - 360 - Review".GameZone.Archivedfrom the original on October 2, 2009.RetrievedDecember 7,2017.
- ^abGerstmann, Jeff (September 18, 2009)."WET Review".Giant Bomb.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2017.RetrievedDecember 7,2017.
- ^abKolan, Patrick (September 14, 2009)."Wet AU Review".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2017.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^abOnyett, Charles (September 14, 2009)."WET Review".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2017.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^"Wet".Official Xbox Magazine.Future US.December 2009. p. 80.
- ^"Review: Wet".PlayStation: The Official Magazine.No. 26. Future plc. December 2009. p. 77.
- ^Larck, Adam (October 5, 2009)."WET (Xbox 360) Review".411Mania.Archived fromthe originalon October 12, 2009.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^Teti, John (September 21, 2009)."Wet (X360)".The A.V. Club.The Onion.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2009.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^ab"Wet for PlayStation 3 Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on November 25, 2017.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^ab"Wet for Xbox 360 Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on December 27, 2017.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^OXMUK staff (September 16, 2009)."Wet".Official Xbox Magazine UK.Future plc. Archived fromthe originalon September 23, 2009.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
- ^Ronaghan, Neal (September 23, 2009)."Wet Review".PixlBit.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 29,2009.
- ^Allan, Darren (November 2, 2009)."Bethesda - Wet review".IT Reviews.Archived fromthe originalon August 6, 2012.RetrievedDecember 6,2017.
It's marvellous, albeit linear; great dollops of entertainment. While it's true that the game is very channelled, and essentially boils down to the chain slow-motion slaughter of room after corridor after room full of bad guys, Wet doesn't become a chore. That's partly because it's just plain fun to experiment with the different weapons and killing moves you can pull off, but also due to two further factors. Namely the game's finely honed sense of cinematic style, and the various levels with a different spin on them which A2M has dotted throughout the campaign.
- ^Croshaw, Ben (July 21, 2011)."WET (Zero Punctuation)".The Escapist.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-21.RetrievedSeptember 28,2014– via YouTube.
- ^Morris, Chris (October 18, 2010)."The Biggest Video Game Publisher You've Never Heard of"..cnbc.Archivedfrom the original on December 12, 2021.RetrievedDecember 12,2021.
- ^Kev J. (November 8, 2010)."WET 2 Officially Confirmed".Electronic Theatre.Archivedfrom the original on August 31, 2013.RetrievedAugust 9,2013.
As part of today's announcement that the developers of last year's WET, Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M), would be changing their name to Behaviour, the independent studio has revealed plans to continue the story of Rubi Malone. No formats were discussed, but it is likely that the sequel will follow the original release onto the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.
- ^Spencer (May 17, 2011)."Did Behaviour Cancel Wet 2?".Siliconera.Curse, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on July 29, 2013.RetrievedAugust 9,2013.
A LinkedIn profile from an ex-Behaviour employee lists Wet 2 as a canceled game. Roughly around March and April 2011, a number of A2M/Behaviour employees working on Wet 2 also left the company and transitioned to nearby studios like Eidos Montreal.
- ^Sliwinski, Alexander (May 17, 2011)."Rumor: Wet sequel dries up, canceled".Joystiq.Engadget.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2017.RetrievedDecember 4,2017.
Wet 2 was confirmed to be in development last November, but it would seem that's as far as the sequel is going to get. ~. Bethesda, which published the first Wet game, told us today, "We are not publishing Wet 2."