IGN Review of Bully

**Better Than You** · 10-17-2006, 03:13 AM

October 16, 2006 - In the pantheon of misrepresented software from the 21st century, Rockstar's Bully is certainly one of the most targeted. Hailed as "Grand Theft Auto in High School" and a "Columbine Simulator" by opponents who have never played it, Bully has been one of the most hotly-contested videogames to come along in years. Parental protests and judicial subpoenas (not to mention an incredibly bizarre televised debate on G4) are but a few of the many different ways in which Bully's prerelease has been argued.

But let's get to the real issue... were all these forecasted warnings and displays of moral grandstanding really warranted? And from an apolitical person's point of view, is the game even good enough to deserve this much press to begin with?

The answer to the first question is "No" -- Bully isn't any more inappropriate than an episode of Smallville or Veronica Mars. While the game is surely packed with an abundance of off-color humor and some gross situations (the cook sneezing into a stew comprised of month-old meat is probably the worst), the material here doesn't stray too far out of line. Granted, there may be moments where one's personal beliefs are challenged (re: players can "learn" to kiss better in order to restore their health, bullies can be humiliated with Indian burns and dead arms, and Jimmy does have the option to kiss specific boys just as he can girls), but again, this content is no different than what you'd see in any of the teen dramas currently airing on television. That explanation may sound acceptable to you or it may not, but either way, there it is.

Question number two benefits from an answer that's far less controversial, "Yes, Bully is good enough to deserve its heavy press." Though we've seen this sort of open-ended mission-based world design from Rockstar before, the team responsible (Rockstar Vancouver, formerly Barking Dog Studios of Homeworld: Cataclysm fame), has tweaked the gameplay enough to make it a unique experience... familiar yes, but unique nonetheless.

If you've played Grand Theft Auto before, or any of its clones, then you should have no problem picking this up and playing it right away (it does run on the GTA engine, after all). The mechanics, storytelling techniques, and overall "feel" of the game are all immediately recognizable -- with a mish-mash of elements taken from most of Rockstar's previous PS2 efforts like San Andreas, Manhunt, and The Warriors. One way in which Bully is different, however, is with its scope. You're not traversing an entire state like you were in San Andreas, nor are you finding new and brutal ways to kill or maim your opponents. In Bully, there is no human death; there isn't any blood (gray or otherwise), and players don't carjack or fly airplanes. This is a tale about the township of Bullworth and its particularly rough scholastic system; everything about the experience has been scaled down to fit that ideal.

Of course, having a smaller scale than previous Rockstar titles doesn't mean that Bully is therefore small. Compared to most other action games, the story of Jimmy Hopkins is downright enormous. Boasting more than 100 NPCs, multiple commercial and residential neighborhoods, a body of water, secret areas, and an outsized school grounds, Bullworth and its surroundings gives players plenty to do. In fact, it isn't a stretch to proclaim Bully as one of the largest and deepest games you'll find this year.

But just having space and an abundance of options isn't enough -- first and foremost, the game has to be fun or it's all just a big waste. Happily, Bully is fun and will keep you busy with a number of addictive and enthralling mini-games. The real trick to discovering them, however, is to get past the first chapter (of five). Built as a tutorial, Bully's initial moments don't do the rest of the experience justice -- which admittedly, will probably put off more action-oriented players because of its slow start (roughly three to six hours).

But once the second chapter begins, things really open up. Teaching you how to play the game is no longer a priority and actually letting you do it is what matters. Protagonist Jimmy Hopkins can take part in practically every activity you'd imagine a teen doing in his spare time -- bicycle racing, skateboarding, picking up girls -- these are all things our young entrepreneur can do. Jimmy can even take jobs to earn extra money (used to buy food and clothes) and work at the local burger joint, run errands for classmates and businesses, mow lawns in upscale neighborhoods, or even take a paper route. There are plenty of other things that young Mr. Hopkins can do as well, but discovering them on your own is all part of the fun.

For the majority of the adventure, Bully's main missions and side jobs are all played out the same way: via third-person fetch-questing and hand-to-hand pressure-sensitive combat (laid out similarly to the mechanics found in last year's Warriors). Truth be told, you'll spend most of your time doing the former as locating and delivering packages, escorting friends, or exploring the township of Bullworth takes priority over beating people up. When the time comes to throw down, however, you'll have plenty of tools to go with. In addition to the basic set of punches and kicks that's equipped from the start, you'll also be able to upgrade your fighting acumen by attending Gym Class, delivering transistor radios to an old Korean War vet, or by hopping into a boxing ring with a bunch of preppies.

In short, Bully's combat is entertaining to perform. By the end of the game, Jimmy is a well-rounded anti-troublemaking machine who can give better than he can get. Part of the reason that fighting works so well is because you're not limited to only kicks, punches, and throws -- Jimmy can also make use of a number of different weapons including eggs, firecrackers, stink bombs, cricket bats, fire extinguishers, and even a slingshot with a sight-scope on it. Using either your hands or your weapons feels like second nature after roughly 10 to 20 minutes, and it only gets better from there.

Strong combat is fine and good, but without enemies to test your skills against, it doesn't mean much. Luckily, Bully has those too and each faction you'll run up against (Nerds, Bullies, Jocks, Greasers, Preppies, and Townies) has their own unique fighting style with particular strengths and weaknesses. Add in a solid number of boss fights, an aggressive AI, and the ability to enlist helpers to fight alongside you, and you have everything you need for a heck of a brawling time. The only real hitch in this department is a lack of difficulty for gamers of advanced (or higher) skills -- Bully is by no means difficult.

Obviously, the real trick is finding the time necessary to seek out new missions and battle would-be oppressors. At first, it seems like an unlikely thing to do -- as attending both morning and afternoon classes is a must for Jimmy if he doesn't want to get busted for truancy or learn more advanced skills. It's with this system that Bully deserves kudos and criticisms simultaneously.

On the plus side, it's great to see Rockstar promoting the need for students to attend class by making them useful to in-game skill building. Not diminishing the need to actually learn while in school is a smart move by the designers. But how much players will actually learn is the disappointment. After you've bested five sessions in all six classes, you don't usually need to go back to teachers on a regular basis. This may be ideal for finding that aforementioned time to go out and find side-missions, but it left us feeling like the scholastic component was under-realized. Giving users an incentive to keep going back again and again would have been a better move than just making them obsolete once beaten.

Still, Bully's classroom sequences are a lot of fun while they last. Made up of mini-games that borrow elements from basic word scrambles and the old coin-op game, Qix, they're amusing little diversions from the typical face-pounding you'd expect from most actioners.

There are plenty of other distractions worth mentioning too. Of particular note are the fake arcade games that you can hop into and play at various points. Whether it's 2D or 3D driving titles called Future Racer (which aren't very good) or the awesome test of reflexes known as ConSumo, most old-school genres are represented in some form or another. There's even a traveling carnival you can visit, complete with attractions you can ride and familiar carnival games that earn you tickets which can be traded for prizes. Topping it all off is a Punch-out homage that kicks in while playing through the boxing sections -- lots of fun that is.

What stands out above all else in Bully, though, is its storyline and presentation. As has become the standard for Rockstar titles, the characterization and humor in this game is top notch. Bully is easily one of the funniest PlayStation 2 titles we've ever seen and is one of the few pieces of software out there than can legitimately be called a "comedy." Who would have thought that growing with Jimmy Hopkins as he navigates the hectic social atmosphere of an upscale private academy would result in one of the best plots of the season? We'll admit that we didn't think it would turn out that way ourselves, but now we stand corrected. Bully has a seriously poignant story with great dialogue and strong characters.

Another important aspect to the game's presentation can be found with its audio. Though its press materials boast more than 39,000 lines of conversation (which, unbelievably suffers from major repetition during free exploration), Bully's soundtrack is what had our ears standing up to take notice. Subtle, mischievous, and entirely original, the score composed by Shawn Lee and company is fantastic and does a perfect job of capturing the mood of Bullworth Academy. Good work from the audio crew to be sure.

Bully's visuals are just a step below its acoustic presentation. Because of the game's narrower focus and fewer characters, the Grand Theft Auto engine benefits from a level of detail that it hasn't seen before. Buildings, indoor locations and outside environments, weather effect -- they're all of the utmost quality and help show off Rockstar's best-looking PS2 game since Manhunt. Sadly, the character animation does come across as a little stiff and the camera problems rear their ugly head when in close-quarters or taking narrow turns (especially when riding bikes). Even so, Bully looks great and it's made even better by an exceptional art style.

With all of the praise we've given Bully compared to its criticisms, one might wonder if there's anything significant that gave us problems, and there was -- most especially the large amount of backtracking that players will have to undertake once they've begun their fun. With a large world and multiple mission start points, players will spend a colossal amount of time hopping from one end of the map to another even if they focus solely on the story-related objectives. There were a few rare instances where we encountered bugs in flag activation too -- that is, we had activated a couple of missions which stopped working mid-way for no reason. The bug ratio wasn't bad considering the length of our experience (roughly five or six times in about 40 hours of play), but with nearly three years of development time and a smaller scale than GTA, it was a surprising sight to see.

Closing Comments
Bully is an interesting game. Leading up to its release, it didn't receive the gameplay coverage or high-end expectations from insiders that Grand Theft Auto usually does, and yet, somehow kept that franchise's reputation for excessive violence and adult behavior. That's why I think that, in a lot of ways, Bully is going to surprise people with what it is -- ie: much better and funnier than most were giving it credit for, while coming across as much tamer than those who feared it expected it to be. Regardless, Bully is a great, well-crafted action game that has one of the best senses of humor around and dozens and dozens of hours of fun.

**Better Than You** · 10-17-2006, 03:13 AM

IGN Ratings for Bully (PS2)

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
9.5	Presentation Rockstar has put together one of the best stories of the year, which works because of great characters and a biting sense of sarcastic humor that you won't find elsewhere. Load times are nice too!
8.5	Graphics Bully has a terrific artistic style that we'd love to see again and boasts a nice mix of detail, size, and activity. Expect camera hitches in narrow or tight spaces.
9.0	Sound Shawn Lee's playful soundtrack compliments Bully's storyline and atmosphere perfectly. Exceptional voice acting and almost 40,000 lines of dialogue strengthen the audio even further.
8.5	Gameplay Bully's mix of combat and exploration is highlighted by a surplus of fun and differing mini-games. Its cool boss fights and fighting engine overshadow sometimes repetitious design and occasional bugs.
9.0	Lasting Appeal Like most Rockstar games, there's a ton to do in Bully whether you just started or have been playing for 40+ hours. Expect plenty of welcome distractions at just about every moment.
8.9 Great	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

See All Bully (PS2) Reader Reviews

**road doggy dogg** · 10-17-2006, 04:26 PM

Okay.

**Just John** · 10-17-2006, 05:05 PM

No offence, but uh...why?

**Funky Fly** · 10-17-2006, 05:08 PM

IGN overrates like every game ever.

I don't trust their opinion.

**Disturbed316** · 10-17-2006, 07:23 PM

I was really interested in getting this untill I got my 360, now I'm not. Same thing with God Of War 2

**KingofOldSchool** · 10-17-2006, 08:06 PM

I don't give a damn about reviews, only I can determine what games I will like.

I might get this when Toys R Us has the Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale next week.

**Kane Knight** · 10-18-2006, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funky Fly

IGN overrates like every game ever.

I don't trust their opinion.

The entire gaming industry fellates every game that's hyped.

**Drakul** · 10-18-2006, 01:00 AM

Anyone in the UK might want to know Bully's name has been changed to "Canis Canem Edit" for the PAL release.
I don't know if that was already said somewhere else in the forum.

**Funky Fly** · 10-18-2006, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingofOldSchool

only I can determine what games I will like.

Well, that's the idea, but I use reviews to weed out games like the True Crime series, which sound great conceptually, but execution wise are just steaming turd piles.

I usually rent games before I buy ie. the safe purchase), but if there is a game I've been following pretty closely before it's been released (eg. Hulk: Ultimate Destruction) or if it's a sequel to a game I love (eg. X-Men Legends 2), I will look at a review to see if the ball's been dropped, and if all is well, I'm off to the store w/ $50 in hand.

**Boondock Saint** · 10-18-2006, 04:27 AM

Haven't bought a game in a long time, nor played one on a consistent basis since...um..San Andreas I think. Might pick this up to keep me busy.

**Disturbed316** · 10-18-2006, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drakul

Anyone in the UK might want to know Bully's name has been changed to "Canis Canem Edit" for the PAL release.
I don't know if that was already said somewhere else in the forum.

I think it was because the name Bully instantly stirs up shit with people. But it doesn't really matter that much anyway, its a pretty decent name, and it's the schools moto.

**KingofOldSchool** · 10-18-2006, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funky Fly

Well, that's the idea, but I use reviews to weed out games like the True Crime series, which sound great conceptually, but execution wise are just steaming turd piles.

I usually rent games before I buy ie. the safe purchase), but if there is a game I've been following pretty closely before it's been released (eg. Hulk: Ultimate Destruction) or if it's a sequel to a game I love (eg. X-Men Legends 2), I will look at a review to see if the ball's been dropped, and if all is well, I'm off to the store w/ $50 in hand.

I love the True Crime series, but that's me.

I usually don't buy many games at lauch, except for wrestling games and really big titles that I'm excitied about (X-Men Legends 2, Ultimate Spiderman, etc). Most other games I get, I wait until they go down in price or I wait until a good sale, like Toys R Us Buy 2 Get 1 Free game sale next week.

And hey if I don't like the game, I can turn around and resell it.

**TerranRich** · 10-18-2006, 10:50 AM

I love how every game that exists is pre-judged without people ever even playing the fucking things. I saw the ads for Bully, and I definitely want to get it. I need to get in all the game playing time I can before our baby is born in May.

Anyway, the game doesn't look like a "Columbine Simulator" and that comment is quite possibly the absolute stupidest comment I have heard in my entire 24-year lifespan.

Really stupid. I mean srsly omg stupid

**Kane Knight** · 10-19-2006, 12:10 AM

You think people are stupid over this game?

Folks are complaining about a DS game which allows you to "molest underage girls."

This is the best controversy ever, because the fact that the screens that are so "horrible" are from other games or mere "fan" art hasn't stopped anyone from complaining.

**TerranRich** · 10-19-2006, 11:17 AM

Which game is that?

**Disturbed316** · 10-19-2006, 12:09 PM

lol I remember that molesting game, fucking horrible.

**Kane Knight** · 10-19-2006, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerranRich

Which game is that?

I'm trying to find it. The original links I was sent are all dead now, no doubt because the images they used were questionably legal at best.

**Kane Knight** · 10-19-2006, 12:27 PM

It's like, Doki Doki Majo Saiban. I think it translates into "sexy witch hunt" or something.

I'll warn anyone who goes looking for info, that a lot of places still have up the fake images, most of which are DEFINITELY not work/school safe.

**Funky Fly** · 10-19-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingofOldSchool

I love the True Crime series, but that's me.

I usually don't buy many games at lauch, except for wrestling games and really big titles that I'm excitied about (X-Men Legends 2, Ultimate Spiderman, etc). Most other games I get, I wait until they go down in price or I wait until a good sale, like Toys R Us Buy 2 Get 1 Free game sale next week.

And hey if I don't like the game, I can turn around and resell it.

I played the the first True Crime game, but I rented it first due to the sketchy reviews (half were like "whoo, best game ever!!!1!" and the other half were like "3 crap games in 1"), and found that it felt like I was playing 3 different incomplete games at the same time. Apparently, the sequel is more of the same, plus mad glitching and even crashing. But if you like the series, more power to you.

My point is that I don't have a lot of money and I don't to waste the little I have to spend on games. So I look at several reviews, and if the ones that tend to reflect my own opinions most of the time say it's good shit, then I have no problem buying a game the day it comes out. Ifg reviews are mixed, I'll play it safe and rent first. And obviously if it's all bad reviews, I generally avoid it.

**Destor** · 10-19-2006, 11:20 PM

I picked Bully up yesterday, the game is dynamite. Really fun game. I am 25% complete in just 8 hours of playing though.

**Disturbed316** · 10-23-2006, 04:45 PM

OMG THIS GAME IS FULL OF HOMOS!

http://www.gamebrink.com/playstation...y-video-2.html

**TerranRich** · 10-23-2006, 05:46 PM

LMAO, so is the Sims and Sims 2 if ya think about it.

**El Fangel** · 10-23-2006, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kane Knight

The entire gaming industry fellates every game that's hyped.

Sort of like Jet Li - Rise to Honor
which was every commercial break during a WWE program and IMO really sucked ass.

**Kane Knight** · 10-23-2006, 11:33 PM

Didn't see it, but yeah. Everyone seemed to "love" it.

**Funky Fly** · 10-24-2006, 01:23 AM

Rise To Honor was ok at best. The fighting system could have been a lot tighter and the gunplay was not really good at all.

I bet if another development team got hold of the engine and tweaked it, it could be a lot better.

Then if you took out the rail in the shooting and chasing stages, it would have been fantastic.

**bigdaddysuperfreak** · 10-24-2006, 08:25 PM

My freind rented bully over the weekend and we played it for a couple of hours. It technically like GTA3 in high school as far as the gameplay is concerned and there are alot of simularities, but this game has a better moral so far.

**Vietnamese Crippler** · 10-24-2006, 08:35 PM

I want to be able to steal cars

**Destor** · 10-24-2006, 08:39 PM

I beat this yesterday, and I gotta say I REALLY liked it. I'm not going to give a review or anything but I got to say I highly recomend it to anyone who likes anything GTA-like. If it were longer I would say it's better than GTA, but it was a little too short for my liking so +1 for GTA.

10-17-2006, 03:13 AM	#1
Better Than You Superiority At Work Posts: 729	IGN Review of Bully October 16, 2006 - In the pantheon of misrepresented software from the 21st century, Rockstar's Bully is certainly one of the most targeted. Hailed as "Grand Theft Auto in High School" and a "Columbine Simulator" by opponents who have never played it, Bully has been one of the most hotly-contested videogames to come along in years. Parental protests and judicial subpoenas (not to mention an incredibly bizarre televised debate on G4) are but a few of the many different ways in which Bully's prerelease has been argued. But let's get to the real issue... were all these forecasted warnings and displays of moral grandstanding really warranted? And from an apolitical person's point of view, is the game even good enough to deserve this much press to begin with? The answer to the first question is "No" -- Bully isn't any more inappropriate than an episode of Smallville or Veronica Mars. While the game is surely packed with an abundance of off-color humor and some gross situations (the cook sneezing into a stew comprised of month-old meat is probably the worst), the material here doesn't stray too far out of line. Granted, there may be moments where one's personal beliefs are challenged (re: players can "learn" to kiss better in order to restore their health, bullies can be humiliated with Indian burns and dead arms, and Jimmy does have the option to kiss specific boys just as he can girls), but again, this content is no different than what you'd see in any of the teen dramas currently airing on television. That explanation may sound acceptable to you or it may not, but either way, there it is. Question number two benefits from an answer that's far less controversial, "Yes, Bully is good enough to deserve its heavy press." Though we've seen this sort of open-ended mission-based world design from Rockstar before, the team responsible (Rockstar Vancouver, formerly Barking Dog Studios of Homeworld: Cataclysm fame), has tweaked the gameplay enough to make it a unique experience... familiar yes, but unique nonetheless. If you've played Grand Theft Auto before, or any of its clones, then you should have no problem picking this up and playing it right away (it does run on the GTA engine, after all). The mechanics, storytelling techniques, and overall "feel" of the game are all immediately recognizable -- with a mish-mash of elements taken from most of Rockstar's previous PS2 efforts like San Andreas, Manhunt, and The Warriors. One way in which Bully is different, however, is with its scope. You're not traversing an entire state like you were in San Andreas, nor are you finding new and brutal ways to kill or maim your opponents. In Bully, there is no human death; there isn't any blood (gray or otherwise), and players don't carjack or fly airplanes. This is a tale about the township of Bullworth and its particularly rough scholastic system; everything about the experience has been scaled down to fit that ideal. Of course, having a smaller scale than previous Rockstar titles doesn't mean that Bully is therefore small. Compared to most other action games, the story of Jimmy Hopkins is downright enormous. Boasting more than 100 NPCs, multiple commercial and residential neighborhoods, a body of water, secret areas, and an outsized school grounds, Bullworth and its surroundings gives players plenty to do. In fact, it isn't a stretch to proclaim Bully as one of the largest and deepest games you'll find this year. But just having space and an abundance of options isn't enough -- first and foremost, the game has to be fun or it's all just a big waste. Happily, Bully is fun and will keep you busy with a number of addictive and enthralling mini-games. The real trick to discovering them, however, is to get past the first chapter (of five). Built as a tutorial, Bully's initial moments don't do the rest of the experience justice -- which admittedly, will probably put off more action-oriented players because of its slow start (roughly three to six hours). But once the second chapter begins, things really open up. Teaching you how to play the game is no longer a priority and actually letting you do it is what matters. Protagonist Jimmy Hopkins can take part in practically every activity you'd imagine a teen doing in his spare time -- bicycle racing, skateboarding, picking up girls -- these are all things our young entrepreneur can do. Jimmy can even take jobs to earn extra money (used to buy food and clothes) and work at the local burger joint, run errands for classmates and businesses, mow lawns in upscale neighborhoods, or even take a paper route. There are plenty of other things that young Mr. Hopkins can do as well, but discovering them on your own is all part of the fun. For the majority of the adventure, Bully's main missions and side jobs are all played out the same way: via third-person fetch-questing and hand-to-hand pressure-sensitive combat (laid out similarly to the mechanics found in last year's Warriors). Truth be told, you'll spend most of your time doing the former as locating and delivering packages, escorting friends, or exploring the township of Bullworth takes priority over beating people up. When the time comes to throw down, however, you'll have plenty of tools to go with. In addition to the basic set of punches and kicks that's equipped from the start, you'll also be able to upgrade your fighting acumen by attending Gym Class, delivering transistor radios to an old Korean War vet, or by hopping into a boxing ring with a bunch of preppies. In short, Bully's combat is entertaining to perform. By the end of the game, Jimmy is a well-rounded anti-troublemaking machine who can give better than he can get. Part of the reason that fighting works so well is because you're not limited to only kicks, punches, and throws -- Jimmy can also make use of a number of different weapons including eggs, firecrackers, stink bombs, cricket bats, fire extinguishers, and even a slingshot with a sight-scope on it. Using either your hands or your weapons feels like second nature after roughly 10 to 20 minutes, and it only gets better from there. Strong combat is fine and good, but without enemies to test your skills against, it doesn't mean much. Luckily, Bully has those too and each faction you'll run up against (Nerds, Bullies, Jocks, Greasers, Preppies, and Townies) has their own unique fighting style with particular strengths and weaknesses. Add in a solid number of boss fights, an aggressive AI, and the ability to enlist helpers to fight alongside you, and you have everything you need for a heck of a brawling time. The only real hitch in this department is a lack of difficulty for gamers of advanced (or higher) skills -- Bully is by no means difficult. Obviously, the real trick is finding the time necessary to seek out new missions and battle would-be oppressors. At first, it seems like an unlikely thing to do -- as attending both morning and afternoon classes is a must for Jimmy if he doesn't want to get busted for truancy or learn more advanced skills. It's with this system that Bully deserves kudos and criticisms simultaneously. On the plus side, it's great to see Rockstar promoting the need for students to attend class by making them useful to in-game skill building. Not diminishing the need to actually learn while in school is a smart move by the designers. But how much players will actually learn is the disappointment. After you've bested five sessions in all six classes, you don't usually need to go back to teachers on a regular basis. This may be ideal for finding that aforementioned time to go out and find side-missions, but it left us feeling like the scholastic component was under-realized. Giving users an incentive to keep going back again and again would have been a better move than just making them obsolete once beaten. Still, Bully's classroom sequences are a lot of fun while they last. Made up of mini-games that borrow elements from basic word scrambles and the old coin-op game, Qix, they're amusing little diversions from the typical face-pounding you'd expect from most actioners. There are plenty of other distractions worth mentioning too. Of particular note are the fake arcade games that you can hop into and play at various points. Whether it's 2D or 3D driving titles called Future Racer (which aren't very good) or the awesome test of reflexes known as ConSumo, most old-school genres are represented in some form or another. There's even a traveling carnival you can visit, complete with attractions you can ride and familiar carnival games that earn you tickets which can be traded for prizes. Topping it all off is a Punch-out homage that kicks in while playing through the boxing sections -- lots of fun that is. What stands out above all else in Bully, though, is its storyline and presentation. As has become the standard for Rockstar titles, the characterization and humor in this game is top notch. Bully is easily one of the funniest PlayStation 2 titles we've ever seen and is one of the few pieces of software out there than can legitimately be called a "comedy." Who would have thought that growing with Jimmy Hopkins as he navigates the hectic social atmosphere of an upscale private academy would result in one of the best plots of the season? We'll admit that we didn't think it would turn out that way ourselves, but now we stand corrected. Bully has a seriously poignant story with great dialogue and strong characters. Another important aspect to the game's presentation can be found with its audio. Though its press materials boast more than 39,000 lines of conversation (which, unbelievably suffers from major repetition during free exploration), Bully's soundtrack is what had our ears standing up to take notice. Subtle, mischievous, and entirely original, the score composed by Shawn Lee and company is fantastic and does a perfect job of capturing the mood of Bullworth Academy. Good work from the audio crew to be sure. Bully's visuals are just a step below its acoustic presentation. Because of the game's narrower focus and fewer characters, the Grand Theft Auto engine benefits from a level of detail that it hasn't seen before. Buildings, indoor locations and outside environments, weather effect -- they're all of the utmost quality and help show off Rockstar's best-looking PS2 game since Manhunt. Sadly, the character animation does come across as a little stiff and the camera problems rear their ugly head when in close-quarters or taking narrow turns (especially when riding bikes). Even so, Bully looks great and it's made even better by an exceptional art style. With all of the praise we've given Bully compared to its criticisms, one might wonder if there's anything significant that gave us problems, and there was -- most especially the large amount of backtracking that players will have to undertake once they've begun their fun. With a large world and multiple mission start points, players will spend a colossal amount of time hopping from one end of the map to another even if they focus solely on the story-related objectives. There were a few rare instances where we encountered bugs in flag activation too -- that is, we had activated a couple of missions which stopped working mid-way for no reason. The bug ratio wasn't bad considering the length of our experience (roughly five or six times in about 40 hours of play), but with nearly three years of development time and a smaller scale than GTA, it was a surprising sight to see. Closing Comments Bully is an interesting game. Leading up to its release, it didn't receive the gameplay coverage or high-end expectations from insiders that Grand Theft Auto usually does, and yet, somehow kept that franchise's reputation for excessive violence and adult behavior. That's why I think that, in a lot of ways, Bully is going to surprise people with what it is -- ie: much better and funnier than most were giving it credit for, while coming across as much tamer than those who feared it expected it to be. Regardless, Bully is a great, well-crafted action game that has one of the best senses of humor around and dozens and dozens of hours of fun. Sorry, I wasn't listening. I got caught up being Better Than You

10-17-2006, 04:26 PM	#3
road doggy dogg wekasauce Posts: 106,935	Okay.

10-17-2006, 05:05 PM	#4
Just John Kiss the blade Posts: 8,284	No offence, but uh...why?

10-17-2006, 05:08 PM	#5
Funky Fly The Satanic Mechanic Posts: 52,521	IGN overrates like every game ever. I don't trust their opinion.

10-17-2006, 07:23 PM	#6
Disturbed316 Posts: 22,695	I was really interested in getting this untill I got my 360, now I'm not. Same thing with God Of War 2

10-17-2006, 08:06 PM	#7
KingofOldSchool ...IN HD!!!! Posts: 23,327	I don't give a damn about reviews, only I can determine what games I will like. I might get this when Toys R Us has the Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale next week.

10-18-2006, 01:00 AM	#9
Drakul "Steven, your fossa!" Posts: 9,603	Anyone in the UK might want to know Bully's name has been changed to "Canis Canem Edit" for the PAL release. I don't know if that was already said somewhere else in the forum.

10-18-2006, 04:27 AM	#11
Boondock Saint Posts: 8,795	Haven't bought a game in a long time, nor played one on a consistent basis since...um..San Andreas I think. Might pick this up to keep me busy.

10-18-2006, 10:50 AM	#14
TerranRich Herp a derp, and so on Posts: 8,830	I love how every game that exists is pre-judged without people ever even playing the fucking things. I saw the ads for Bully, and I definitely want to get it. I need to get in all the game playing time I can before our baby is born in May. Anyway, the game doesn't look like a "Columbine Simulator" and that comment is quite possibly the absolute stupidest comment I have heard in my entire 24-year lifespan. Really stupid. I mean srsly omg stupid

10-19-2006, 12:10 AM	#15
Kane Knight Ron Paul 4 EVA Posts: 152,467	You think people are stupid over this game? Folks are complaining about a DS game which allows you to "molest underage girls." This is the best controversy ever, because the fact that the screens that are so "horrible" are from other games or mere "fan" art hasn't stopped anyone from complaining.

10-19-2006, 11:17 AM	#16
TerranRich Herp a derp, and so on Posts: 8,830	Which game is that?

10-19-2006, 12:09 PM	#17
Disturbed316 Posts: 22,695	lol I remember that molesting game, fucking horrible.

10-19-2006, 12:27 PM	#19
Kane Knight Ron Paul 4 EVA Posts: 152,467	It's like, Doki Doki Majo Saiban. I think it translates into "sexy witch hunt" or something. I'll warn anyone who goes looking for info, that a lot of places still have up the fake images, most of which are DEFINITELY not work/school safe.

10-19-2006, 11:20 PM	#21
Destor I am the cheese Posts: 51,504	I picked Bully up yesterday, the game is dynamite. Really fun game. I am 25% complete in just 8 hours of playing though.

10-23-2006, 04:45 PM	#22
Disturbed316 Posts: 22,695	OMG THIS GAME IS FULL OF HOMOS! http://www.gamebrink.com/playstation...y-video-2.html

10-23-2006, 05:46 PM	#23
TerranRich Herp a derp, and so on Posts: 8,830	LMAO, so is the Sims and Sims 2 if ya think about it.

10-23-2006, 11:33 PM	#25
Kane Knight Ron Paul 4 EVA Posts: 152,467	Didn't see it, but yeah. Everyone seemed to "love" it.

10-24-2006, 01:23 AM	#26
Funky Fly The Satanic Mechanic Posts: 52,521	Rise To Honor was ok at best. The fighting system could have been a lot tighter and the gunplay was not really good at all. I bet if another development team got hold of the engine and tweaked it, it could be a lot better. Then if you took out the rail in the shooting and chasing stages, it would have been fantastic.

10-24-2006, 08:25 PM	#27
bigdaddysuperfreak George"The Animal"Steele Posts: 9,047	My freind rented bully over the weekend and we played it for a couple of hours. It technically like GTA3 in high school as far as the gameplay is concerned and there are alot of simularities, but this game has a better moral so far.

10-24-2006, 08:35 PM	#28
Vietnamese Crippler Unnecessarily awesome Posts: 8,323	I want to be able to steal cars

10-24-2006, 08:39 PM	#29
Destor I am the cheese Posts: 51,504	I beat this yesterday, and I gotta say I REALLY liked it. I'm not going to give a review or anything but I got to say I highly recomend it to anyone who likes anything GTA-like. If it were longer I would say it's better than GTA, but it was a little too short for my liking so +1 for GTA.