Angry Barry (X360) (2009)
Developer: Arrogancy Games

Review by Faididi and Co.

Because the 44th President of the United States is one Bad Dude

Story: Average

US executive leaders like Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton may need to be rescued by muscle-headed heroes in various videogames, but Barack Obama is having none of that. In this spoof, the man literally battles his way through his adversaries in his climb to the most coveted office in the world's mightiest nation. The actual jokes are thin, and the villains are never named outright. Still, who's to complain as long as it's Barack beating up bad guys?

Gameplay: Average

Arrogancy Games' Angry Barry is a 2-Player side-scrolling action fighter inspired by Data East's Bad Dudes Vs Dragon Ninja or, more accurately, Crude Buster (Two Crude Dudes). Barack (plus a copy of himself, if a friend is playing with you) uses his hope-powered kung fu to pummel hordes of enemies through 8 levels.

The best part is our hero's truly awesome powers, which make this game far easier compared to Data East's arcade oldies. Barack possesses basic attacks that have incredible reach, and he is invulnerable while pulling off his attack combos. He can perform a charge-up punch attack like a Bad Dude, except here it also launches a fireball that kills any bad guys in its path. Like a Crude Dude, he can pick up environmental objects and enemies and then swing or throw them to cause more mayhem. The difference is that those objects include dumpsters and buses, allowing him to sweep the entire screen clear of foes at once.

On the downside, the stage and enemy designs aren't as mindblowing. The simplistic levels play identically, requiring our hero to keep walking forward until he finds and beats the bosses. The generic bad guys are limited to two types in each level, and there aren't any bottomless pits. Although the bosses have different movement behaviors, Barack can use the same tactics to defeat nearly every single one of them and their minions. Some may read this as a clever jab at Barack's most loutish and disgraceful critics in the real world, but having more variety in a game wouldn't hurt.

Controls: Excellent

The controls are smooth and reponsive. Performing the attack combos and charging up the fists of concentrated hope are all easy to do.

Graphics: Excellent

Aside from an incorrect offset for the buses whenever they're grabbed, the visuals rock. The characters are crisply drawn and fluidly animated, the backgrounds are colorfully textured, and Barack's attacks come with dazzling shockwave effects and other fun details.

Audio: Average

The audio work is less impressive. The enemies are silent, while the quiet music is nothing memorable. Most of the sounds come from Barack's forceful blows and his Bad Dude-parodying shout of, "I'M BARRY!"

Overall: Average

Angry Barry should please fans of action fighters with its smooth controls, its eye-catching graphics, and its hero's amazing moves. The political humor may be light, but this game will satisfy those who miss the campiness (if not the difficulty) of Bad Dudes and Crude Buster.