I knew that I’d be interested in downloading Wrath of Obama the second I stumbled upon it. Who wouldn’t love Putin atop a giant bear fighting a battle-worn Obama as the U.S. president rallies a cry to his fellow Americans? For all we know, this could be a prophecy of our second Cold War. Perhaps this game is a message from those on high to warn us poor souls of the dreary battle ahead. But it’s more likely is that this is just a fun game with great voice acting and some sadly repetitive game play. I’d like to preface this by saying I didn’t expect this game to be the next great adventure of our time. Nor did I expect to be moved to tears by a passionate and moving story of America not only triumphing over the evil Russians, but its own internal struggles as well. Let me tell you that this is definitely not that game. But if you do want to laugh and punch Putin in the face as President Obama, than look no further. Because who really doesn’t want to punch Putin in the face? Hear that deafening silence? That’s the sound of no one disagreeing with that sentiment.
Wrath of Obama is an action-packed dark comedy that also happens to be pretty fun and will definitely keep the player engaged. It is definitely not for the weak of heart or those who are super-sensitive to real world issue being treated with all the subtlety of an Adam Sandler film. But unlike Sandler, this game will actually make you laugh. I highly recommend that you play with the volume on, as the voice acting (particularly the part of Barack Obama) is shockingly well done. The downside to playing with the volume on is Putin, who can only scream guttural “Russian” nonsense. Obama is so well done that it is actually jarring to continuously hear Putin and his half-assed joke/afterthought dialogue ruin the overall gameplay. The graphics of Obama and Putin are ridiculous figures fitted for battle in the most ridiculous garb possibly (and perhaps a nod to the amazing artist Jason Heuser/Sharp Writer). However, I do think the developers almost dropped the ball by not placing Obama astride a giant eagle, flying above the battle like sweet, sweet freedom.
The combat has two modes that is spread out over 10 levels. You’re first introduced to combat via Obama jumping into a fighter jet and deciding to fire strike Putin and Russia by himself. This aspect of gameplay is basically Galaga but with a big jet and better graphics. I did not find this portion of the game that exciting but I have never been one for that style of game. It was quite the relief to see that it wasn’t the only way to beat Putin in combat. In the next set of levels you captain a host of supporting soldiers as you try to keep the field against the evil Soviet. The combat during these stages isn’t exactly challenging as much as it is overwhelming in the later levels. You slowly accumulate randomly dropped cash to hire more fodder to throw into the proverbial cannon. The characters include a standard soldier, the paparazzi I’m still not sure what they do), a special killer, and a tank/car to mow down large hordes of enemies. There are some variations on the types of backup casts, including their powers and how they look. Once enough soldiers have been killed Putin will flee the field.
Like any great cinema or gaming classic this game also has a twist ending. Could it be that Putin was really innocent this whole time and was simply a pawn in a larger and more terrifying plot? Gasp! Obama and Putin can only defeat this great and undead evil by joining their forces together! What a world we live in, folks. The last two or so levels are a combined battle against this new villain, who puts up a halfway decent fight. No worries about spoilers here readers, because truly this is the largest and greatest twist of our time and I, your humble writer, would never divulge such sensitive material.
Despite my immense eye rolling over some repetitive gameplay and humor, “Wrath of Obama,” was still a good time. If you’re looking for subtle nuances and humor, this may not be the game for you. But if you’re looking for something dark and slightly twisted of the political variety, this should be a pretty obvious purchase. The game is short, but the cut scenes, plot narrative and impersonations are the real stars of the show. And you do get to play as Obama riding an armored horse brandishing an oversized pistol… and that’s pretty amazing.
Hardcore?
Yes, we can.
Political humor hits you over the head with this darkly hilarious action game. Although it can be repetitive, the voice acting and nonsensical plot create a play through that’s enjoyable overall.
