Bully: Scholarship Edition (Xbox 360)
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar Vancouver
By: D_Litch
The guys and gals at Rockstar Games are used to being bashed in the press. In fact, at times it seems as if they may even enjoy it. After being investigated, sued and badmouthed in all forms of media for the
Grand Theft Auto and
Manhunt titles, most people would think it would be wise for the publisher to take a step back from controversial games for a while. Apparently none of those people work at Rockstar.
With Rockstar's newest IP (Bully), they've decided to to tackle one of the hot-button topics in America today: bullying in schools. A touchy subject no doubt, and the staff at Rockstar Vancouver knew this when they signed on. With this in mind they designed the game from a point of view no video game had ever taken, and it works extremely well. While the original Bully was released on the PS2 in October of 2006, Rockstar decided to release an updated version for the Xbox 360 and Wii this year. While the game came out a generation ago, it still plays and functions well enough to be worth the transition.
The story puts you in the uniform of Jimmy Hopkins, a troubled young man who has been thrown out out of numerous other schools for a variety of offenses. Jimmy is given two choices: Juvenile Detention, or Bullworth Academy. Bullworth is your basic boarding school, with all of the cliques and politics that go along with the cliques. Once Jimmy sees that everyone, teachers included, were nothing more than bullies, he decides he has to do something to help out the weaker kids at Bullworth. This sets you on a mission with two objectives, put an end to the Bullying and instill peace between all of the cliques.
Let's break it down.
General Gameplay
The gameplay is very similar to another Rockstar title you may have heard of,
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The control scheme is almost identical, and the presentation is very similar as well. The controls are extremely well implemented, and reach a point of near perfection that is rare for games these day. They are loose, but still accurate; and they are tight, but not too constrictive. The vehicle piloting and on-foot actions(running, jumping, climbing) are a perfect fit for this type of game.
The basic mission structure seems a little dusty after all of the other sandbox titles that have been released over the years, but like the controls, it works for this type of game. The missions are varied enough that they don't get boring, and all of the other activities fit very well with the atmosphere of the game.
Tech Specs
Bully was originally a Playstation 2 game, and you can definitely tell that from the minute you are put in the game world. The textures are noticeably old and there are some sections that have some moderate to severe pop-in. The game has been given a noticeable HD upgrade and while you can tell it definitely is running at a higher resolution than the PS2 version, it still looks mediocre by todays standards. The graphics never took me out of the experience, some people may feel otherwise. They are blatantly worse than most 360 titles.
The audio in
Bully:Scholarship Edition is extremely well done. The dialog is hilarious, and the original score is better than the majority of games that have come out recently. All of the background noise feels natural and you never feel any sounds are inaccurate. The only real complaint I have is the cheesiness that some of the voice actors put into their characters. But that has been the case for most of Rockstar's games.
Game Rage
Overall,
Bully:Scholarship Edition is a pretty easy game. Aside from a few side-missions, you never get frustrated during the bulk of the game. Various classes might seems difficult for some people, but with a little practice they are more than achievable.
Bedtime Rating
While I wouldn't play
Bully:Scholarship Edition in front of a toddler, the game is tame for the most part. A few swear words here, and a few innuendos there are all that set Bully apart from the evening news. Really, the most offensive part of the game is probably the kissing scenes with some of the school girls. Rockstar went a little overboard with the exaggerated moans during the kisses. Overall, a T for Teen rating was the right choice by the ESRB.
Butt Groove
These types of of games are known for their addictive nature, and
Bully:Scholarship Edition is no exception. It'll take most people about 30-40 hours to complete 100% of the activities in the game. This title will keep your disc tray occupied from the minute you put it in until the minute you finish it. You will have a blast the entire time you play, and your couch cushions will suffer.
Multiplayer
The only real addition that
Bully: Scholarship Edition brings to the table is local versus. The modes are various classes and activities you do in the game. All of the modes feel tacked on, and will only entertain for a few minutes. In my opinion, they Rockstar should not have bothered adding multiplayer. It adds nothing to the game itself.
Achievements
The achievements in
Bully:Scholarship Edition run a very small gambit between "easy enough" and "moderately challenging". While I usually hate "Do this X number of times" achievements, they fit in well with the design of the game. These achievements are achievable, and really, aren't they all supposed to be?
Category Rankings
General Gameplay
Tech Specs
Game Rage
Bedtime Rating
Butt Groove
Multiplayer
Achievements
Overall Couch Count: 4.5 out of 5
