Review

Bully

By Punctual Crab
October 18, 2006 16:27 PM PST
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It's impossible to divorce Bully from the controversy it's created. There was so much that Rockstar itself shrunk from the scrutiny and steadfastly refused to show the game to anyone for months. Now the curtain's been pulled back, and Bully can be revealed for what it really is: a sometimes flawed, occasionally gross and boorish, but oftentimes clever adventure game.

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Class Is In Session

PROTIP: Run to the library where the nerds are. Enemies may just leave you alone if they find a better target.

The title's protagonist, Jimmy Hopkins, is a troubled young man to be sure, but what's most interesting is that he isn't a bully. Or, rather, he doesn't have to be. As the game progresses, players will be given the opportunity to defend the less fortunate and perform good deeds. At one point, Jimmy escorts an incontinent nerd through enemy territory, protecting his charge from those looking to beat him up, and then leads the poor sap to a proper bathroom with a locking toilet stall so he can do his business unmolested.

Jimmy becomes less and less like the irredeemable jerk the naysayers would so dearly love him to be and more like an ordinary kid who's capable of both great sadism and great compassion.

Minding The Rules

Yes, it's cruel to deny someone their satellite television but there's a good reason for doing it.

Because Bully is set in a school, it's more structured than Rockstar's other open-world titles. On most days, Jimmy must attend two classes. He'll need to be in bed by a certain hour, and has to wear the school uniform or face the wrath of his educators. His free time is fleeting. The clock becomes all-important in the game, and the need to adhere to it adds a lot of tension to the proceedings.

As for the rest, it's typical Rockstar fare. The fighting, which is exceedingly well-done, has been plucked largely from the gang epic The Warriors. It's held back, however, by the game's auto-aiming system, which is slow and unwieldy. Players must press up on the D-pad and then battle with an analog stick to line up a shot.

PROTIP: Heed the words of The Fresh Prince: a good run is better than a bad stand any day. Tap the X button to run away from anyone looking to stomp you into the ground.