Bully: Scholarship Edition
- February 14, 2008 10:14 AM PST
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We check out the upgraded version of Bully that has new single-player & multiplayer content, including HD graphics on the 360 and motion controls on the Wii.
If you never dusted off your PS2 during the last real chunk of exclusive PS2 games, now's the time to check out Rockstar's Bully, the acclaimed adolescent sandbox game that released in October of 2006. Scholarship Edition, which is primed from release on the Xbox 360 and Wii next month, has a handful of notable new features, including eight extra single-player missions and four new multiplayer classes (classroom subject mini-games). Plus, the Xbox 360 version has been updated with HD graphics that make the game look fit for extra credit, and the Wii version gets some motion-specific mini-games that fit nicely with the subject matter.
In Bully you play as Jimmy Hopkins, abandoned by his mother and left to be dealt with by the esteemed Bullworth Academy. Bullworth is a mixed bag of confused adolescents, and along the way Jimmy befriends nerds, jocks, bullies and more, as he takes on a variety of adventures all presented in sandbox GTA-style gameplay.
Bully: Scholarship Edition has new single-player missions.
You can progress through missions at your own pace, as well as just mess around inside the gates at Bullworth, using the game's interesting social system to make friends, enemies, and even kiss girls and guys (we all remember the controversy, don't we?).
As a first timer, playing Bully will probably entice you its basic do-as-you-please style, but those who've already played the game will be privy to some new features. First, there are four new multiplayer classes, which are actually mini-games that can be played during Jimmy's schedule at Bullworth, or simply via head-to-head multiplayer with a friend.
First, there's a math class that challenges you to solve various "quick" math equations with multiple-choice answers. Music class is like mini Guitar Hero, where you must hit falling buttons to the rhythm of a real school band. Biology class is like a more grotesque version of Trauma Center, though a little less difficult than the frustrating Wii game. And finally there's geography class, my personal favorite. Remember the final challenge in the TV show version of Where In the World is Carmen San Diego? That's pretty much geography class in a nutshell, though in Bully, you'll play against an opponent, where time is a factor, placing the right county flags over the appropriate region on a map.
The Wii version handles the mini-games to near perfection, simply because placing objects in classes like geography is so easy with the Wii Remote. The same goes for music class. You'll use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk like drumsticks to hit the beats correctly.
As for the new single-player missions, I played a few, including one where I had to help a rather geeky student get some stolen RPG possessions back from a few bullies. Using the handy on-screen map, I located the thieves and gave them a nice taste of rock via slingshot.
Another new mission took Jimmy outside of the Bullworth gates to help a drunken Santa Claus sabotage another Santa's village. With bat in hand, I ruined the "bad" Santa for good, beating up elves and slaughtering large candy canes. You gotta love careless destruction.
The two new flavors of Bully: Scholarship Edition both have their advantages. With the Xbox 360, you get a great new graphics engine to complement your HDTV. With the Wii, you get near-perfect mini-game control. The choice is yours come March 3.
Four new multiplayer classes include subjects like geography and music.
