Review

Bully

By Punctual Crab
October 18, 2006 13:16 PM PST
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Is the Bell Going to Ring Soon?

PROTIP: Lessons increase abilities and allow you to unlock things such as better bikes for you to ride.

Minigames, too, make up a lot of the action. In English class, Jimmy will need to spell words from a set of letters as the clock ticks down. Chemistry requires the pressing of gameplay buttons in a timed sequence. A Qix-style game forces players to draw boxes while avoiding hazards in order to pass art class. Beyond Bullworth's campus, the game offers Punch Out- and Paperboy-esque challenges.

It's oftentimes video death and torture when games toss minigame after minigame at players. Rockstar deftly avoids potholing Bully with its challenges; they're brief, unobtrusive, all are competently done and offer suitable rewards upon their completion. Going to class here never seems like a chore. Real world schools would do well to take note.

Where the game really shines is in its story, which offers class-based warfare amid jocks, nerds, bullies, greasers, and preppies. As Bully progresses and Jimmy finds himself enmeshed in his struggle to survive, the game blossoms, and players will find themselves desperate to see what happens next.

Summer Vacation

School, throughout the history of education, has never been pretty. It is, for many children, the worst of times. Rockstar, to its great credit, manages to capture this perfectly- while simultaneously presenting an open world and a mission-filled school year to hook players. So ring the bell because Bully's ready to give you a lesson you can't afford to miss.