In acknowledgement of today’s election in the U.S., I present to you “Angry Barry”, a “Bad Dudes”-esque beat-’em-up that’s an (at times) clever send-up of American political culture.
The game doesn’t take itself too seriously; you have to fight legions of opponents varying from secret service agents, to little old ladies, to Hilary Clinton look-a-likes, and more. How do you explain a game that has you beat people up to earn their vote? The best way is to simply not try and explain it.
You have two screen levels to fight within (meaning, ala Bad Dudes, you can move towards and away from the screen) which adds a tactical element to the fighting and dodging. You can kick, punch, jump, headbutt, throw, and more. Combos provide some much needed variety, but this is definitely more Irem’s “Vigilante” than it is Sega’s “Virtua Fighter”.
There is a lot of humour in what you can pick up and throw, with some odd objects showing up throughout the levels. There are some story-based cut-scenes between levels, and presentation in general’s pretty good. And keep in mind this is a 2009 moldy oldie of the indie games catalogue (yes, back to when it was called “Xbox Live Community Games”)!
The game doesn’t move the ball too far forward in terms of gameplay, but it does inject a lot of humour. Two player co-op is here, and that 400 Microsoft Point price dropped to 240 MSP somwehere along the way. It’s definitely worth a download; you’ll likely know within the 8 minute free trial whether it’s a keeper or not.
A final note. “Barry” is obviously an attempt to not directly name Barack Obama, but he actually did go by “Barry” earlier in his life.
Here’s what the developer (arrogancy) has to say about the game:
“Angry Barry is a sidescrolling, political parody, 1-2 player 2D beat ’em up in the tradition of many classic arcade games. Take control of Barry as he tries to take over the Presidency of the United States!”
Writings of Mass Deduction 