Customer Reviews

Bully: Scholarship Edition

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When this game first came out for PS2 I was curious, but never got around to playing it. Now that it's out for Wii, I finally caved in to my curiosity and picked it up. Overall, I'm very impressed.

I actually find this game more enjoyable than the Grand Theft Auto series (although GTA IV looks pretty amazing), because the universe is so much more quirky and unique. There are loads of bizarre characters to interact with, and based on your actions they'll either befriend you or try to pound you whenever you walk past. The environments look great, and the whole town has an almost 1950s vibe to it (although it takes place in present day). If you have any sense of imagination whatsoever, you'll be able to find countless things to do. Even without doing missions, it's fun experimenting and seeing just what the game will let you get away with (answer: quite a lot). From giving wedgies and stuffing kids in trashcans to riding your bike across moving cars downtown, the developers pretty much thought of everything.

When I heard the controls had been optimized for the Wii, I cringed a little bit. The Wii-mote can be great, but it seems most developers use it as a gimmick. Some sort of command is mapped to an awkward shake of the Wii-mote as an afterthought, and the gameplay just gets frustrating. Here, though, the controls are brilliant. To throw a left or right handed punch, you (surprise!) simply punch the air with your right or left hand. It's intuitive and satisfying at the same time. Once you start unlocking new moves (from your P.E. class and your homeless friend) the fighting gets pretty comical/over the top.

I do have a couple issues with the game, however. For one, there does seem to be a bit of lag when you're moving quickly through some of the more complex areas of the game (the carnival, downtown, etc.). This is pretty minimal, though, and doesn't really impede gameplay. I've noticed a couple bugs (characters flickering in and out of existence for a second), but these are pretty minimal as well, and don't really interfere with gameplay. You would think they would've fixed this, though... Beyond that, my only complaint is that the characters and events at times can be painfully cliche. Nerds are your textbook nerds, preps are by-the-numbers preps, homeless characters only ever talk about alcohol/drugs, the "war", and transistor radio parts, etc. I would have appreciated a little more creativity here, since there is so much potential for storytelling. However, the ridiculously fun gameplay and decent overall story (much better than most videogame stories, even if it's not quite as good as a movie) more than make up for this.

All in all, worth the buy [...]. Hope they make a sequel, and I hope they don't skip the Wii like they did with GTA IV.

The problem with creating titles for a game is that often the game itself gets pigeon-holed simply from its titled. Take Bully. Now, reading the title, you'd automatically think that the game is about beating up people.

Wrong.

Yes, you definitely beat up people, but often you are doing so on behalf of other people. You're plunked down into this school of natural-born hellions and are supposed to fend for yourself. Instead, as Jimmy you often end up fending for the less-liked people.

Like real boarding school you have classes to attend (and can skip as long as the prefects can't find you), curfew, and lights-out. Unlike real school you can put "kick me" signs on someones back, throw eggs at the preppies dorm, and can kiss tons of girls (which brings your health up - see, girls ARE good!).

I'm a 28 year old woman who has spent hours of her evening time playing, and thoroughly enjoying this game. It is a wonderful stress reliever and definitely is a game that you can be easily sucked into.

Yes! I purchased this game (I'm an adult female of 24 years old) and I have yet to put it down. Here's some pros and cons for the readers of this review...

Pros:

#1. This game is one of the few that really make you think. I was a fan of Grand Theft Auto IV as well but while this could be a long distance relative to that game, Bully has a bit more than your regular shooting and killing game. As Jimmy, you have to go to the classes in order to graduate the school. Now, I've been out of school for a couple of years now and some of them really make you ponder. English and Math were the hardest ones and I still haven't beaten the final Biology class.

#2. This game has a "T for Teen" rating but I wouldn't have given it that. The only thing that might make parents a little wary is the fact that once you reach level 3 you have the ability (ability meaning "you can but don't have to") kiss other boys. Other than that fun little tidbit, the weapons are child based. Sling shots, stink bombs, itching powder, potato launcher, etc. etc. In fact, when you shoot another kid with your slingshot (if you shoot a child or girl, you are immediately "punished" by the man)they are knocked out instead of killed like in other games. I would be completely comfortable letting my 10 year old nephew play this game without any worries.

#3. The tasks are relatively easy. Even though the game doesn't offer an "easy, medium, hard" choice, the missions are somewhat easy to figure out. Again, another plus for small kids (or adult women whose last game she played was Donkey Kong on the Super Nintendo).

Cons:

#1. Loading Time. The loading time on this game is a big buzz kill. I'm not a fan of loading times at all but Bully seems to overdo it by alot. Everytime you enter into a building it loads? That's quite alot when you are on a mission and you have to enter four or five different buildings and everytime you walk through a door you have to sit through a 30 second to a minute worth of loading time.

#2. Glitches. There are quite a few of them in this game. Little things where your school clock doesn't show up and then you get busted for violating curfew. Another one is where you swing at an offender and for some reason or another you don't connect. That one usually shows up in missions and you either have to start the mission over or turn your game off all together. Maybe it's me but that does seem to irritate me.

#3. Some of the classes are too hard. I know in my pro section I said that the classes teach you and that it is good for you but come on people? 2 and a half minutes to disect a pig into seven pieces?? I still can't beat that biology class. Arggh!

All in all? I give Bully an A-. Easily one of the best games I have seen but there are a few minor issues that cause some irritation.

This game has me laughing out loud and having a blast. It loses a half a star, however, for the game control. It's not easy to turn yourself around like it is with Scarface. I disagree with the other person who has moral issues with this game. Personally I love violent games because they mellow me out and make me non-violent and peaceful in real life, since I've gotten out my aggression with the game.

I heard about this game for the PS2 and that it was pretty fun, but since I had never owned a PS2 I had to wait til I got a Wii to buy it. I bought it blindly without ever trying it, just noticing that Rockstar (GTA-maker) had made it and reading a few online reviews.

The game is great. There is so much to do whether you go to class or not. There are tons of missions and minigames as well as just following the actual story, which for me, is impossible to do so far because wandering off and doing what I want can be addicting.

One of the best things about this game is the controls. The game makes great use of the Wii sensor on the Wiimote/nunchuk as you actually use the controllers to punch (think WiiSports boxing) as well as other uses like uppercut punches, shaking to get teachers off of you, shoving a bully, performing tasks in class, etc. It makes the game really interactive and fun.

The availability to interact with most objects is a huge plus, as you can hide in trashcans (from angry teachers or bullies), pull fire alarms, use your chemistry set to make firecrackers, etc., buy pop from a pop machine, hide in lockers/girls' closets... the list is endless.

If you like games with tons of freedom and a great story and you haven't played the original Bully, buy this. The controls are a huge plus too. If you have played the PS2 Bully, I hear it's nearly the same, with a few extra missions and characters.

I've played a lot of great Wii games before (Mario Galaxy, Zelda, etc...), but I've gotta say, I've yet to have as much fun as I've had with this one. The easiest comparison I can make to any other game I've played like this is GTA (coincidentally also by Rockstar). Only instead of violently murdering hookers on the side of the road, you're slingshotting bullies for other kids. Now thats not to say that this game is for little kids--there is frequent usage of "the B. word" and kissing, beating kids up. But overall it all comes out very tasteful and fits well into the style of Bully's unique "50's-esque" world.
So far, I've put a good 25 hours into this game, and am only halfway through the missions. There are countless collectables, fun classes, bike races, minigames, unlockables, and more. Exploration is spectacular. While it may not be the prettiest game on Wii (easy to tell it's a PS2 port), the intuitive controls on Wii more than make up for any technical glitch here or there. The vast size of Bullworth will guarantee you many hours of exciting exploration through what Bully has to offer.

First let me begin by saying that this game is by far more original and entertaining than any other game I have played on the Wii as of 02-05-09. Yes, Super Smash Bros. is excellent if you want to repetitively do the same thing over and over again or Mario Galaxy is even great. Lets face it though not much ground breaking change has occurred in the Mario franchise since Super Mario 64. The point being this is something new and full of strange excitement. It also is a quite mature game for the age it recommends which is thirteen and up.

In the game your Jimmy Hopkins, a new student in the elaborate world of Bullworth Academy and its surroundings. On your journey you encounter many objectives such as going to class which includes anything from dissecting animals with your wii remote to keeping a steady beat in music class with a variety of instruments. In all there are ten different classes with 5 different lessons creating easy or very difficult situations. The main problem ends up being time which your are not allowed much of and sometimes poor control of the wii remote because the motion control in the game is very sensitive. Between classes though is when the real fun begins. There are five different chapters in the main storyline of the game with anywhere from 10-15 objectives in each one. Most of these objectives are extremely easy but can get somewhat difficult as the game progresses. Many other reviews have stated that during these missions the loading time increases dramatically to which I agree, but being a PS3 owner this is nothing compared to that. At the most you might have to wait a minute for the game or cut scene to load, big deal. Also I have read about glitches during some of these missions and so far I have only encountered one but it did not prevent me from completing a task. There are also about 20 different mini games and tasks that you can complete after you have finished all the chapters in the main storyline and have completed all your classes. Of course you do not have to wait till both of these parts of the game are finished in order to play the mini games but I would because it leaves you with something else to do once you have completed the main portions of the game and have unlocked the 'Endless Summer' chapter of the game. This just allows you do to the mini games and roam around the map without the pressure of Prefects or going to class.

After all is said and done this game only has a few minor errors which should not persuade you from purchasing it. Most of the reviews I have read that are negative seem biased because the writer already judged the game based on how it did on the X-Box 360. The game has many countless hours of entertaining game play and is great for anyone in their teens to adults.

The game play of Bully is basically the same as Grand Theft Auto toned down to high-school level. For example, in GTA you can blow cops' heads off with a sniper rifle, while in Bully you can sting cops with your slingshot. Instead of pulling people out of their cars and going for a joy ride mowing over pedestrians, in Bully you can knock people off of their bicycles and go for a fun ride on them around town punching pedestrians as you pass. There are lots of mini games, most of them great fun. The Wii controls add a lot to the frequent fist fighting in the game. You also get a lot for your money... It took me over 45 hours to finish the game. My only criticism of Bully is that as you walk around the school beating up people, there is no consequence to this. No one likes you any more or less because you saved them from a bully who was terrorizing them or knocked them into unconsciousness with a barrage of firecrackers. Your status with the various school cliques is based on your progress completing the canned missions. Outside of the missions there is lots to do, so much that on many occasions I spent the entire gaming session not doing a single mission, and instead just wandering around beating people up, competing in races, or visiting the carnival.

This is a great game. I got it and I cannot put down the controller. I am currently going through it for the third time and it is great. There is one problem though, and that is the classes. The ones like music, shop, biology, chemistry, and gym, where you are not required to think are great. Math, grammar, and geography however, require thinking and I found them very difficult without the guide, which I purchased. Overall, a VERY good game, but I would recommend purchasing the guide with the game.

Bully is sooo fun. I bought this game and I wasn't at all dissapointed. The missions keep you occupied and are very interesting. Without the missions it still is fun. You can go to town and buy stuff and to tasks for other people. And for parents who think Bully will inspire people to shoot others it really doesn't. There is no blood no guns and nobody dies at all. Sure you can beat up other people but after about 5 seconds they recover and go about their merry way. My only irk with this game is that it is slightly easy. Sure I repeated the mission over again but still the missions aren't difficult and are pretty obvious what to do. Even with that problem Bully is fun. After you beat all the missions you go to down and do random but extremely fun things. Bully has very minor problems and most gamers should like it.