Columbine simulator? Hardly!! This game is a refreshing change-of-pace from the ultra violent GTA series.

User Rating: 8.8 | Bully PS2
By Unorthodox1978 | Review Date:
Rockstar North’s and Rockstar Vancouver’s recent endeavor, “Bully” has sent shockwaves of dissent among many anti-gaming activists, the most prominent being Florida attorney Jack Thompson. But what many of these detractors don’t understand is that this game is far from a “Columbine simulator” or a “Grand Theft Auto High School” as many would claim it to be. If anything, this game is reminiscent of films like “Porky’s,” (if you were born after 1980, you won’t know what I’m talking about, praise God for the internet—look it up!), “Revenge of the Nerds,” “High school high,” and “Not Another Teen Movie.” The only similarities between this game and the GTA series is the game play mechanics, which allow one to jack bicycles, beat up on high school kids, and outrun police and prefects (which chase you with a greater sense of doggedness than the police in the GTA series do) look for hidden items, and change your appearance. Players will assume the role of Jimmy Hopkins, a spirited youth who has been expelled from every school he’s ever attended. His mother (on her 5th marriage) dumps him off at Bullworth Academy and then subsequently runs off with her new husband for a year-long honeymoon. Yes, you read that right, a year-long honeymoon. Being the new kid, Jimmy has to become acquainted with the school’s cliques and politics if he is going to survive his stay at Bullworth. There are a least six cliques in the game that Jimmy must do work for or against. This includes Bullies, Preppies, Greasers (a la Outsiders), Jocks, Nerds, and Townies (kids who either were expelled from Bullworth Academy or couldn’t afford to attend the school to begin with). In regards to the violence, one saving grace that the game offers is that once you hit a girl, the prefects (basically they’re student security guards) will be all over you like white on rice. So, it’s a good idea to not hit the girls or little kids. Also, violence against an adult is a big fat no-no as well, since most adults in the game have the power to subdue you and bust you right then and there. So, your violent tendencies are better unleashed against male teenagers. Jimmy has an arsenal of weapons, but nothing lethal. In fact, there’s no blood in this game whatsoever. Jimmy’s weapons include a slingshot, potato gun (I know, laugh it up. Get it all out of your system), toy rocket launcher, fire crackers, eggs, stink bombs, itching powder, etc. Pretty much everything you can get from novelty shops. Jimmy is what one could call a “Bully Avenger” because he takes on the bullies and protects the weaker students, namely the nerds. For instance, if you happen to see a weaker kid getting harassed by a bully, you can target the bully and with the circle button, taunt the bully or order him to leave the nerd alone. Voice acting is top notch and done with style much like GTA San Andreas and Vice City. The storyline is quite gripping considering all the tongue-in-cheek satire that envelopes this game. The game itself isn’t terribly long, but not entirely short. There are about six chapters to the game, the sixth being the chapter that is unlocked upon completion of the main story missions. The challenge in the game lies in the missions, avoiding the cliques that don’t like you (because when any member of a rival clique spots you, they will attack you on sight!), races, and avoiding being busted when violating curfew. The in-game map is big, but not huge. It’s roughly the size of Vice City (although that may be stretching it, it’s the only map I can think of that is somewhat similar to Bully’s in-game map). So while the game is big with lots of things to explore, it’s not sprawling as Gamespot had already mentioned. Still, that doesn’t take away from the exploration of the game in any sense. Time plays a big role in what missions can be undertaken and whether or not you’ll pass out. Yep, at 2:00 a.m. game time, little Jimmy, a 15-year-old kid will fall flat on his face asleep. This is the only real big headache about the game since no 15-year-old passes out at 2:00 a.m. Skateboards, bicycles, and mopeds are the means to get around, besides just hoofing it around on your trusty legs. The game’s graphics are quite crisp and well colored and lighted. Rockstar Vancouver used an updated version of the graphics engine that was used in GTA San Andreas, so the noticeable differences stand out. For instance, when Jimmy gets wet, you can see the water dripping off of him. The ultimate goal of the game is to take over the school, and while that isn’t Jimmy original plan, thanks to a sociopath friend-turned-foe named Gary, Jimmy becomes king of the school. Want to know more? Well, play the game. Also, you’ll notice that in some parts of the game, Jimmy comes off a lot like Tommy Vercetti from GTA Vice City—only without the homicidal tendencies or the connections to organized crime. The classes that are offered in the game include English, Art, Chemistry, Shop, Photography, and P.E. By attending class and passing all the assignments, Jimmy gains special attributes like being able to taunt bullies better or apologize to prefects and police to get out of trouble. So, it is in one’s best interest to attend all the classes and pass all the assignments, so that Jimmy can upgrade his abilities. Jimmy gains special fighting moves from a homeless bum on campus grounds when he finds special radios that the bum asks for. Don’t worry, the radios aren’t hard to find. The game is cool with tons of replay value. The story is fresh and entertaining, and the graphics don’t disappoint. If you haven’t gotten this game, and you’re into anything Rockstar, then go out and get this game, pop it in your PS2 and have fun.

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