Game Info
Game Name: Bully
Developer(s): Rockstar Vancouver
Publisher(s): Rockstar Games
Platform(s): PS2/Wii/Xbox 360/PS3/PS4/PC
Genre(s): Action
Release Date(s): October 17, 2006
ESRB Rating: T
Who’s the bully now!?!?!
Jimmy has been dumped at a new school but has the same old problems. Bullworth Academy has the identical issues as every school, and Jimmy seems to find himself at the heart of it. With tons of cliques, Jimmy must battle his way through bullies, preppies, greasers, and jocks but as he fights for the little guy, he could become all the things he hates and face expulsion.
Bully was released by Rockstar for the PS2 in 2006 and was met with controversy due to its content and “bully” theme. The game was released as Bully: Scholarship Edition for the Xbox 360 and Wii but was notoriously glitch until a patch was created to fix the errors.
I had wanted Bully when it came out on PS2, but I held off because I had just bought an Xbox 360. When I learned Bully was coming out for the 360, I was excited. The early reports were highly negative, but by the time I got it, Bully was ironed out…and enjoyable.
You like that!!!
I like the Grand Theft Auto series but often find the missions too heavy and repetitive. Bully provided lighter missions. The story is light, fun, and if you mess up, it really doesn’t affect the game. You are allowed to keep trying at missions until you succeed and in most cases, it won’t take but one or two tries.
The controls and movements are a similar format to GTA. The original release was full of glitches and freezes, but the game was quickly patched and did flow. With the idea of a “non-violent” violent game, you don’t ever kill anyone so that is positive…and half the parents who probably complained also allowed their kids to play Grand Theft Auto.
The controversial “Over the Rainbow” achievement
The graphics aren’t the best. Since it was ported from the previous generation, the graphics really don’t look that different from the previous console. I didn’t really expect a big jump between the consoles, but it would have been nice to see a bit of an improvement. Essentially, it is just a means to get the old game on the new system.
Bully is a worthy game that kind of was overlooked. Don’t read too much into the glitches, the game seemed play fine once it was patched up and it is a fun a different type of game. Like a lot of games, running around does get a little repetitive, but there is enough to do and see (especially if you aren’t a completist) that the game won’t get too old too quickly. There was rumors of a Bully 2 where Jimmy goes off to college, but as of now, it hasn’t developed.
