Whatever Happened To... WET?

Has there ever been a point when you’ve looked through your gaming library and wondered, “Huh, whatever happened to this title?” Well, I’ll be taking a look at videogame standalones/franchises and the lead up to their eventual absence. With that being said, today I’ll be asking the question: “Whatever Happened to… WET?”

With the semi-recent release of Bethesda's new title, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, I think it’s safe to say that the juggernaut company continues to do what they do best in regards to crafting enjoyable experiences for the player. I mean, unless it’s Fallout, then they just a make a hub world and let the player make the game for them. Put that aside though, and it’s hard to argue against the prestige that Bethesda brings with their titles.

Unfortunately for gamers such as myself, it’s hard to understand why a few classic titles have been left in the dust over the years. Whether it’s Rogue Warrior… wait that’s a bad example. Whether it was Brink… hold on, that’s no good either. Whether it was Hunted: The Demon’s Forge… okay nevermind, so it’s not hard to see why these standalones have been left to dry. There is one, however, that has never gotten the praise that, at least I feel, it truly deserves. The hack n’ slash shooter WET.

The main plot of WET was based around a female bounty hunter named Rubi Malone (voiced by Eliza Dushku) who faces off against a drug lord named Rupert Pelham (portrayed by actor Malcolm McDowell). Rupert is more or less the antagonist of the game as he is part of the final showdown against Rubi. There are also several side characters included in the mix, but their ultimately forgetful and mostly provided a chance to help Rubi’s character develop throughout.

Now although the game wasn’t praised for its plot, the story was considered solid enough for what it brought to the table. WET’s real highlights are shown through its gameplay mechanics and soundtrack (if you get a chance, listen to “Insane” by The Arkhams). The combination of sword and gunplay, along with a kicking music selection allowed for the intense grindhouse feel that the game was going for to come to life. Plus, things like wall running and sliding brought a sense of freedom to the title that, sure had its issues here and there, but allowed gamers the choice in which style they wanted to play.

As far as playability goes, things were fairly well received for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game. Both earning scores around 70%, WET went on to be, for the most part, a review based success for publisher Bethesda. However, despite this, things began to take a turn for the worst with the franchise. There was a sequel announced around 2010, but this good fortune didn’t last as a year later the cancellation of the project was confirmed.

Bethesda Softworks stated they would not be publishers for the sequel if it ever came to light which, if our magic eight balls tell us anything, it did not. So what happened to WET? Well, it was any number of things; from not being able to reach the financial standards of the developers, to the actual design of the game which was criticized for being nothing new and overall mediocre, to Bethesda Softworks not wanting to be involved with the next installment. All I know is, although the rumours surrounding a sequel were made well-over five years ago now, this writer would definitely buy into another WET.

So there you have it, that’s what happened to WET.