Bully pummels players again

By Joe Pelone
Collegian Editor
March 19, 2008

Graduating is a pain in the arse. I’m about halfway through my last semester of college, and I’ve got a bad case of wistfulness. I miss high school—driving around my small town before gas prices skyrocketed, listening to music on CDs I actually paid for and having a disposable income.

Apparently, Rockstar Games misses high school too, as they recently released a “Scholarship Edition” of the 2006 game Bully for Xbox 360 and Wii. Boasting eight new missions, four new classes and other add-ons, high school seems more fun than it was the first time (ain’t that always the way?). Players take on the role of Bullworth Academy student and Bruce-Willis-look-alike Jimmy Hopkins, a perpetual school reject with a penchant for beat-downs.

Bully kind of plays like a slightly more family-friendly version of the Grand Theft Auto series from Rockstar. While players can’t kill people, they can still live out violent fantasies in a non-linear story rife with profanity and explosions. Also like GTA, Bully is a heck of a lot of fun. The gameplay is varied and strong almost throughout; mini-games abound in the form of classes, errands and even arcade games. Players get treated to savage beatdowns, puzzles, math problems, “Simon Says”-style repetition games … they can even dissect animals in biology class. What’s weird is I totally remember having to cut off a fetal pig’s snout in my bio class sophomore year. It’s an odd form of nostalgia.

The game’s social clique engine is neat too. Characters remember your behavior towards them, which can be good when trying to woo the ladies (or dudes. Yep, Jimmy’s bi). It adds a layer of customization that goes beyond costume changes, although there are plenty of those as well. My favorite is the ninja costume, followed by the panda mask that serves no purpose.

Every so often, the game’s details can get tedious, though, especially as the game’s map expands beyond the school grounds. Running/skating/biking from one end of town to the other on a timer gets to be a drag after a few missions in a row, especially because of the crash-prone nature of the Xbox 360 version. Rockstar is expected to release an online patch to fix the glitchiness soon, but for now players need to insure their progress by saving frequently.

360 enthusiasts looking for a graphics upgrade will be disappointed—the game still looks like a PS2 release, although the new biology class looks neat/gory. However, the strength of the gameplay more than compensates. The blunt parody Bully brings to high school—some of those preppy jokes certainly stuck with this La Salle College High School graduate—also give the game charm. Hopefully, the endearing parts will balance out the crash-happy ones.

pelonej1@lasalle.edu