Rock-em Sock-em Cowgirl.

I remember seeing the trailer for this game and not being interested. I remember seeing a woman dive in slow motion, I remember seeing her acrobatic stylings on the television above at work, and writing it off.

I occasionally wonder if I'm a bit too jaded. "Another clone from the house Max Payne built", I said. I watched her outrageous, acrobatic stylings, gunplay and swordplay and remember saying to a coworker of mine - "You know, that looks awesome, but I wonder if the transitions are that smooth in actual gameplay?" I looked away and didn't pay it much mind.

It's funny, because in wondering whether or not I'm jaded, I also realize that I've been very pleasantly surprised at many of the releases this year, games I wouldn't have batted an eye towards just rushing up to me and making it known just how wrong I was.

Wet is another of those games.


Coming completely out of left field from Bethesda of all places, and being developed by Artificial Mind and Movement (A2M), Wet is a game that wants you to have fun. The game is awash in a cheesy, worn down Grindhouse style akin to House of the Dead: Overkill, is rife with blood and guts galore, has completely outlandish and over-the-top scenarios aplenty, cheesy, yet catchy music and dialogue, and the best part is, you're in control of it all.

You play as Rubi, an assassin-for-hire with the agility of the Prince of Persia and the firearm proficiency of Max Payne. From the very start of the demo, you're taught the basics. Leaping is done with the A button, Sliding with the B button, Left Trigger helps run on walls, Right trigger is to fire. Later, you gain the ability to use that huge sword on her back and your battle options increase, but it never gets more complicated than those 5 options.

Which brought me back to the point I made with my coworker about it controlling as well as the trailers made it look. I'll say right off the bat that there is a bit of a learning curve, but everything and then some is possible. Every move Rubi executes, be it a wall run, jump, slide, as soon as you move the aiming reticle over an enemy, the game slows down in order to help you aim (and looks damned cool too.) Sweeping the reticle over two enemies causes her to auto-aim at one while you focus on another, making use of both her pistols. It's actually a great design choice that takes the focus away from pinpoint accuracy and more towards how well you can maneuver her through the environments. Within minutes I was deftly executing movements that would make even Mr. Smith from the movie Shoot 'em Up blush.

Case in point: In the opening room alone, I was able to run along a wall, take out two men, flip off said wall without losing momentum catching another henchman between the eyes in midair, hit the ground sliding across the floor on my knees towards two more, taking one out by the knees before literally using him like a human staircase and backflipping off his face, not only taking him out, but the guy behind him as well.

This was all one extended movement. The moves used were literally, wall run, jump, slide. The interactions made them so much more. Even something as simple as descending a ladder will have her sliding down with her back arched backwards if you choose to pull the right trigger on the way down.

It actually wasn't until I played Wet that I realized just how much other games of this nature like Stranglehold took much of the emphasis away from your spectacle by having you focus intensely on pinpoint aiming. Here, within minutes I wasn't nearly as worried about my guns as I was maneuvering her skillfully enough to dispatch my enemies. With each battle area and stage serving as some sort of interactive playground, the possibilities actually seem endless. One area late in the demo spent a good 30 seconds highlighting all the zip lines, swinging poles, walls, and explosives in the area. My brain could do nothing but contemplate how to turn that area into an extended ballet of death. IT's something you as a player would want to do since successive kills fill a combo meter, not only giving you points but also restoring Rubi's health depending on the situation at hand.



The demo ends with a highway chase that's half gameplay, half Quick-Time-Event, having you alternately hopping from car roof to car roof while precision aiming at enemies. If the previous moments of gameplay didn't sell me, having to break away from my shooting in order to hop off one car the second it capsized , only to land on the roof of another car swerving to avoid another car flipping down the interstate had me completely floored.

If I had any complaint, it was that the camera was too close, providing a limited view or hindered one in small rooms, and that Rubi's agility can occasionally be a hindrance, with her moves either being too sensitive or not sensitive enough. The latter becomes a problem when there's always 5-6 enemies minimum shooting at you at any given time, and the wrong combination of moves can get you mowed down.

That however, didn't stop Wet from making my wanted list for Fall 2009. I don't remember any other game since HOTD:Overkill that simply wanted me to have fun because the creation itself was born from developers having a great time.

Did I mention that I also love her character design? Something about it. So renegade and not overtly sexual like most female protagonists.



Surprise from left field. Nice one.
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Who Ya Gonna Call?

Whenever a licensed property and gaming collide, there are always eyebrows raised. I don't know what it is, the gaming industry and the movie industry borrow so much from each other, but whenever the two collide, it's a mess. Movies rarely translate into good games, and good games rarely translate well into movies. It's just the way things are. So you can imagine my (and everyone else's) skepticism when a Ghostbusters game was announced. How could it possibly be any good, even with the original writers (Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis) in charge of the story? I expected a potentially funny, but ultimately forgettable gaming experience at best.

Was I wrong?

As a matter of fact, yes.

Because the actual movie is currently stuck in development hell, this is the closest to a Ghostbusters III we’re going to get. With that in mind, I’m pleased to say that for the most part, game succeeds admirably in filling this void. All of the original actors return for their roles (with the exception of two, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis) and their performances are nearly flawless. The game takes place in 1991, two years after Ghostbusters II, and they’ve hired a new recruit to test out their newer, more dangerous equipement. A training mishap or two later, and one of the ghosts, the ubiquitous Slimer, escapes and makes his way back to his original haunting grounds. In the midst of hunting and capturing him, they discover the Stay Puft Marshmallow man wreaking havoc in Times Square, apparently chasing a mysterious woman. But what’s her significance? Also, WHY is the marshmallow man back?



If you found any of those elements hard to follow, you aren’t a Ghostbusters fan, and honestly, that’s who this game was made for. From the minute you boot the game up, you’re treated to the 1980’s version of the Columbia Pictures logo and the nostalgia takes off running with no sign of slowing down. Inside jokes, fanservice, and references to both movies are packed to the brim here, and even the plot itself relies heavily on you having seen the first movie, since nearly every character from the original shows up in some way. It’s well written, practically a love letter to fans, and even though it’s been 20 years since the last adventure, it does a great job of pulling you in like no time has passed at all. I also love the idea of playing as a nameless rookie. By placing you in your own shoes instead of emulating a member of the cast, it's almost like fufilling a childhood fantasy of tagging along during one of their adventures.

Gameplay wise, it feels like a third person shooter with exploration elements--think Gears of War without any cover system in mind, but with a unique twist in the form of ghost trapping. This was the one part of the game that stood to make or break the experience, and I'm pleased to say it's pulled off well. In order to capture a ghost, you need to weaken it with your primary weapon, a proton stream, then when its life is depleted, you wrangle it with a capture beam and wrestle it into a trap. It sounds odd on paper, but in practice, it’s quite fun:



In fact, the ghost wrangling part of the gameplay is easily the best part of the experience, it's so well thought out that you'll eventually slide into a rhythm of weaken, snare, slam, trap, and while the secondary weapons, ranging from a "Dark Matter" upgrade that gives you the ability to slow enemies down, to the "Meson Collider", an electrical based rapid fire weapon all have their own feel and use, nothing beats your default weapon. It's so addictive in itself that it's almost disappointing when the game switches gears near the final act and puts an emphasis on shooting, but it isn't a dealbreaker by any means. Of course, a gaming concession had to be made in the form of having to vent out your pack manually so it doesn't overheat and short out, but even with that dose of realism to keep you on your toes, it doesn't take away from that feeling of being a Ghostbuster.

Speaking of feeling like a Ghostbuster, for all of the hits with the writing and references, it wouldn't have come together quite as well if the visuals hadn't been so on point. It isn't a overstatement when I say it's one of the best looking games I've played this year, textures, lighting, everything looks much better than anyone ever though it would, from your character's incredibly detailed proton pack (that shows off everything from your health, to morphing depending on your weapon mode) to some down right spot-on character likenesses.



The physics are also out of this world as well, the "Infernal Engine" powering Ghostbusters is already impressive in itself with the aforementioned graphical staples, but it’s the physics behind it that makes the package stand out overall. Just about everything in the environments can be broken, smashed, and thrown all over the place, something that happens almost constantly because of the collateral damage caused by your proton gun during even the smallest trapping session. By the time the dust clears, tables will be smashed , windows broken, even flaming embers embedded in the walls from your gun's stream are all present, especially if it's a particularly tough catch. It isn’t limited to your interaction as well, some ghosts will possess objects in the levels to manipulate them, and occasionally, entire areas will simply break apart at will in order to spook you. By the time I reached the New York Public Library chapter, with the moving bookshelves and realizing every single book had been taken into account, I was floored.



Audio wise, it's a bit of a mixed bag. The music is excellent and pulled straight from the first movie, but that's also it's shortcoming, as there are literally only 5 or 6 tracks to choose from. The fact that they're already familiar doesn't help matters either when you've heard the same fight theme several times over be the close of a chapter. Also, while every character is voiced INCREDIBLY well(with the exception of Alyssa Milano, who sounded wooden as all hell), I had an issue with Peter Venkman's character. Whether it was Bill Murray's delivery, or the fact that his lines just weren't that good this time around, I found myself actually disliking him as the game went on, which is strange, considering he was the life, the personality of the entire team in the movies.

Don't let that ward you off though, Ghostbusters : The Video Game not only succeeds in being a great licensed game, but also in being a great game on its own merits. The level of quality and love put into it is almost surreal, and even though it's a bit on the short side (I clocked in at around 8 hours my first time through) and a pinch repetitive, it's well worth a second playthrough, as there are a bunch of collectibles and well thought out Achievements/Trophies to collect. I didn't even mention the multiplayer, which is actually campaign in itself, allowing you to take the role of the original four and indulge in several varied co-op campaigns with three other players.

If you're a fan, this is a no-brainer. If you aren't, I would strongly suggest watching the first movie, but even being a bit lost to the mythology doesn't keep this game from being something worth playing. I can't recommend it enough.

[Multiplatform Note: Between the two next-gen versions, the Xbox 360 one wins by a landslide.The PS3 version just can't cut it graphically.]
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Uncaged Animal - X-Men Origins: Wolverine Demo Impressions

X-Men Origins: Wolverine. While everything I've heard about the movie has been overwhelmingly TERRIBLE, I'm pleased to say that the game itself is anything but. Movie licenses are really easy to screw up, and that they do with aplomb.By my estimate, about 95% of them turn out to be undercooked rush-jobs.

With this game though, I knew from the opening movie that I was in for a treat.


No more than a few seconds into the cinematic, Wolverine is bounding about, disembowling , impaling, eviscerating, and adjectives fail me, basically fucking up everyone in his way. No, really. At one point he gets a hole blown in him--literally--and he just gets back up and gives the guy a claw uppercut. Through the head.

Yep. This game's rated M.

As soon as actual gameplay started, it made no bones about getting me straight into the action, controls were very simple and God of War-esque, with the usual heavy/light/grab attack buttons front and center. As the general "test pattern" way of figuring out combos (XXY,XXX,XYY....etc) was going on in my head, I was pleased that everything coming out on screen was not only tight from a control standpoint, but from a visceral one as well. When Raven Studios said they refused to compromise Wolverine's character in this title, they weren't kidding. Every action I did either had streaks of blood, or limbs flying everywhere, occasionally in glorious slow-motion (with zoom cam!). If grunts weren't being torn apart, they were being pounded into dust, if they wern't being pounded into dust, they were being covered in claw marks and reduced to a bloody mess. The more enemies they threw at me, the more I felt like cutting loose until I was the only one left standing.



Sounds like I was in a Wolverine state of mind, no?

Excellent.

The rest of the demo was a similarly themed killing spree, mixing in nifty environmental kills (Press B near this spike jutting out of the ground and see what happens!), and new moves (You've leveled up! Hold Y to launch enemies into the air!) to keep me on my toes, all similarly fun to execute and experiment with at will. My favorite one however, was a technique called "Lunge".



It's exactly what it sounds (and looks) like; Logan himself shooting through the air like a torpedo with claws, launched directly into some strapping young lad's chest. Bullets and commotion be damned, I took out about 5 people in succession with this one move. How was this not regulated with a meter or power bar of some sort? How? I spared myself the questions and abused it like a cheap corner move in [insert your favorite fighting game here].

I think the highlight of my newfound ability had to have been when the helicopter came in, and the first thought that popped into my head was "I wonder if I can use Lunge on this?"

Sure enough, it worked.



I was rendered speechless as I watched Logan jump nearly 40 feet onto the helicopter, make his way to the pilot-side window, bash in the glass, yank the driver out, and hold his body up to the still-moving propellers, decapitating him and spraying blood everywhere.

Yes again.. This game is rated M.

With the kills and cinematics being the selling point however, it's a bit disappointing to admit that visually, the game leaves a bit to be desired. The camera is just a -bit- too far away for my liking (making the characters look small) and the framerate could be better considering everything the engine is NOT pushing, but the overall level of detail the game provides offsets it somewhat. It's not the greatest looking game out there, but it gets its point across nicely.

The damage modeling is also worth special mention, as it fits in perfectly with his character. Rather than going the usual BS route of limiting his healing factor to a limited powerup or a story detail that gets momentary mention, it's the crux of the game's health system. There are two layers to the damage system, one represents his outer skin, where you can continuously take damage up until a point where his vitals are exposed, then a heart meter representing this starts to go down unless you can find some cover and begin regenerating. The best part is, you get to watch this happen in real time. Everything from bullet wounds to entire missing chunks of muscle and flesh starts repairing their way back to normalcy as Wolverine's most famous ability begins filling in the gaps left by your recklessness. Cool.



Ultimately, my experience with the X-Men Origins: Wolverine demo was a fine one. (Even if they copped out by not letting me fight that boss at the end.) The visuals, overall presentation, and gameplay do a great job of not only putting you in Wolverine's shoes, but also give you the claws to cut out of them. It's also one of the rare licensed properties that make you FEEL like the character you're using. It's very easy to associate Cyclops with simple eye lasers, or The Punisher with a bunch of guns, but to actually capture the essence of your source material? It takes passion. If there's anything that worries me, it's that judging from my brief playtime, the reviewer side of me worries about the experience being repetitive. However, I can only hope Raven injected enough variety in the finished game to keep things satisfying. I'm not too sure watching Wolverine claw someone from head to crotch ever gets old though. That may be the balance.

Great stuff though. I'd have to rank this one up there with Riddick as an experience so tight, it surpasses the movie it's based on.



Ain't a bad thing at all, bub.
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