This just in! Bullsworth Academy is actually fun to be in!
What is a school without a story? Just another day in your crappy teen years, thats what. But what is a student without any interesting qualities? That's where Jimmy Hopkins comes in. Simply put, Jimmy is possibly the worst student you can ever imagine. He skips classes, plays pranks, beats up prefects and other students, and is overall a bad influence to other students; just the kind of person that Bully centers around. His parents leave him at Bullworth Academy, a school full of bullies and miscreants. As you play, you have nothing on your mind but to make a name for yourself.
The PS2 can still make some great graphics and Bully proves that point. While not perfect exactly, they are so close, that the hardware itself can be forgiven. The graphics look great for a PS2 game in 2006. There are some nice effects in the game. The character models and world designs aren't too bad either. The best part: the animations. The bullying animations are the best, though, ranging from a laugh-out-loud pimp slap, to the classic snake bite. The only problem I found, and really, this is a very minor problem, is the jaggies found in the game. Like I said before, this isn't the game's fault; it's that the hardware is aging. But this is a very small complaint in the face of an excellent game.
The sound surpasses all expectations, making it somewhat equal to Dead Rising. Like Dead Rising, some of it takes itself very seriously, butwhile there are some funny clips like "I've taken dumps that were smarter than you." None of the actors are A-list, but they are so well done, that it would almost seem like a shame to use too much talent. The sound effects are also well done, with tons of great crunches and smashes taking the top spot. It does tend to be a little bit grainy at times, but that is easily ignored because of how great it all sounds. If you have a surround sound system, it will sound even better.
But this is loosely based off of Grand Theft Auto, so there are some cues taken from that game. The most noteable one is the open-world design. You can go anywhere at anytime and do whatever you want. But this isn't a Columbine simulator like Jack Thompson stated. This is a light-hearted adventure, which makes it the better games that Rockstar has made. Grand Theft Auto is fun, but there is just too much gratuitous violence that you wonder if GTA even takes itself seriously. Bully, however, has its own share of mischeif and mayhem. As the title states, you get to make other students' lives even harder for them. You have five cliques: nerds, jocks, greasers, dropouts, and preps. You help out one clique at a time, gaining respect from each one. You also get different items that you can use against other bullies and prefects, like slingshots and stink bombs. That's just the school stuff; the real joy comes from exploring the area outside Bullsworth. The city itself is small, but it's a real blast to go around and doing stuff any other 15-year-old would do. Over time, you get new techniques, like uppercuts and tackles, as well as upgraded stats. It's a good thing that the fighting is a blast, because you will do a lot of it over the course of the game. It mainly plays like a more accessible Warriors, which is a good thing, because The Warriors was a good game to get into. Basically, this is the best alternative to GTA and GTA clones.
Haters: But the camera gets stuck in corners where I can't see my character. There are only a few times where that happens, and those are very few and far between. Haters: But the stealth parts are just like GTA, useless and a waste of time. Those parts are mainly optional with only a few times where that might be necessary. All of the bad parts of Bully are very minor ones at best and don't even make a blip on the radar.
Bully was a very controversial game from the start, rumored to be the next murder simulator. But now, it's no more violent than Ratchet and Clank. Many people will have different reactions to Bully, some good and some bad. But for those of you with doubt, I will tell you now: Bully is an instant classic and a must-play open-world game.