Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse film didn't really do all that well at the box-office. It did alright, but what it lacked in immediate revenue it made up for in style and trend-setting. The film's grindhouse feel sent shock waves through the entertainment industry, stretching to movies, television, and video games. Suddenly, it was cool to be retro and dirty, and producers quickly drew up some ideas to capitalize on the fad to be low-budget and broken.


WET is the next in the line of dark, gritty action games, taking advantage of gamers' love for over-the-top action. When I had a chance to play the game at E3, I was quickly sucked in by the gameplay, which features something I've been begging for since Max Payne his on PC: more slow motion. WET doesn't feature some bar, letting player's know when they're allowed to slow down time, it just happens. Whenever Rubi does any acrobatic movements, like jumping, sliding, or running on walls, the game slows to a crawl, and she can aim and fire at any of her enemies. They don't want players to ration the ability, it's supposed to be a major part of the game, and it's worked in flawlessly.



In the level I played was essentially an arena, and let me preform acrobatic feats while blowing away enemies. It's an incredibly intense experience, that makes no attempt to be "realistic" or "grounded in reality." It's an action movie come to life, and makes the gameplay of Stranglehold look like Kindergarten Cop. At one point I was sliding upside down on a ladder, in slow motion, shooting two different people. Another time sliding between enemies, firing backwards, shooting people in the head. From time to time I would take a break from the insanity and just run from person to person, hacking them apart with her katana.

And that's where the demo ended. To my side, I saw a level that involved jumping from car to car, but didn't get to play it. This might be one of the largest regrets of my life to this point. Regardless, my interest is peaked, especially with Eliza Dushku voicing the main character. Hopefully the game ends up being as much fun as the demo, because there's literally no such thing as too much slow motion.