| Bully: Scholarship Edition |
| Posted on 6th April 2008 by Scott McClymont |
Bully will almost certainly go down in history as one of the most controversial games of all time. The game has garnered media attention even long before its initial 2006 release on the Playstation 2, with journalists and activists claiming the game glamorises bullying and revels in child-on-child violence. With the game having been out for over a year, this new Scholarship Edition for Xbox 360 and Wii has reignited the media interest in the game once again. But is this a case of much ado about nothing, or is this really a game that should be banned from the marketplace?
The game sees you play as Jimmy Hopkins, a wise-cracking youngster who just can't stay out of trouble, having been expelled from numerous schools, so his mother and step-father send him to a boarding school – Bullworth Academy. You're free to explore the school, your dorms and the surrounding buildings such as the library and gym, but rules are in place just like in any school – classes at certain times, curfews and if you get into any trouble the patrolling prefects will have no problems chasing you down and busting you. Each class is basically a different mini-game, such as timing button presses, solving word anagrams, placing flags on a map or dissecting an animal, Trauma Center-style. For each class you pass you'll earn a reward such as a new item of clothing or skill you can use. Missions are dotted around the map for you to attempt, generally after classes are over. Completing them moves the game onto the next chapter and thereby opening up more of the game world, such as the town and the housing estate, for you to explore.
Interacting with the other students seems to be where the controversy lies. Within the game you're free to hit other pupils, use stink bombs, knock them out with slingshots and suchlike, but more often than not it's Jimmy himself being bullied without provoking anyone. Any negative action will result in you being punished, whether it be slight concern for breaking into lockers or missing a class to every authority figure in the school hunting you down for attacking a girl or younger child. While lockers may carry goodies and some errands and missions involve picking on people, it's generally in your best interest to stay out of trouble, certainly for the more extreme cases. The violence itself is quite tame, with no blood, and the weapons are more mischievous than dangerous with never a gun or knife in sight. The overall tone of the game gives a light-hearted and carefree impression along the lines of a high school movie with cheeky characters and rogue-like antics. The BBFC 15 certificate hits around the right mark for the suitability of the game, and even then some of the jokes and references to the different cliques will go over the heads of younger players.
But how does it play? The retail version was reported as glitchy, and sure enough once every hour or so the game would freeze up, meaning you had to start where you last saved. But an Xbox LIVE patch has now been released which seems to have fixed these, although the frame rate is still sometimes noticeably slower - but that's more of a niggle than a real hindrance. What is a real hindrance though are the seemingly constant loading screens whenever you enter or leave a building, constantly reminding you that this is a port of an 18 month old PS2 game.
The multiplayer aspect basically consists of variants of the class mini-games and the arcade games that you'll play during the main story mode. Sounds good in theory, but most of them are definitely not suited to more than one person playing and often degenerate into unfair reliance on luck, memorising aspects from previous playthroughs or just how quickly you can move your cursor to type out a word your opponent is in the middle of. Of the 8 games only a couple are any good and even they will only keep your attention for a few games resulting in multiplayer being a small diversion from the main game rather than a fully fledged mode, especially with the lack of Xbox LIVE play.
Despite the annoying loading screens and awful multiplayer, the game is good. Really good. The environments are believable and while a lot of the characters are clichés, they're interesting and get you involved. The game has a charm about it that so few others do, with the world feeling encapsulated yet open, and the player definitely feeling a part of it. There's rarely a shortage of things to do, whether it be completing missions, finding collectables, earning money, shopping or even just going to class. However, the experience isn't overly long (although it certainly isn't short by any stretch) and some may find it easier than similar sandbox-style games, but it doesn't overstay its welcome and what's here is a very well-formed gem of a game that offers up plenty of fun along the way. |
Single Player Score: 8/10
Multiplayer Score: 2/10
Overall Score: 8/10 |
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