Bully: Scholarship Edition Preview
Gaetano Prestia
NOTE: The following preview is for both the Nintendo Wii and XBOX 360 versions of Bully: Scholarship Edition.
When you think of Rockstar Games, chances are you automatically think of Grand Theft Auto. That’s understandable, especially considering how that franchise has been a trail-blazing success of enormous proportions. However, there is one other title that, while similar to the GTA franchise in some aspects, is a gem of a game that didn’t quite go under the radar, but was released in the wanning months of the Playstation 2 and probably didn’t see the success that would justify its quality. That game was Bully (aka. Canis Canem Edit). Thankfully, Rockstar have revamped and upgraded the funny and thoroughly enjoyable title for release on the XBOX 360 and Nintendo Wii in March and I got a chance to witness both versions of Bully: Scholarship Edition in action in Sydney.
For anyone not familiar with Bully, the game puts you into the shoes of Jimmy Hopkins just as he is dropped off by his parents at one of the worst boarding schools in the country, Bullworth Academy. This prep school is well known not for its high standards or disciplinary achievements, but rather for its incriminating class list of troublemakers and of course, bullies.
Rockstar has played on the common cliché’s attached to everyday High School life. There are the nerds, jocks, preppy boys and roughens that accommodate the schoolyard and hallways. Jimmy, being the new student, has to try his best to fit in and make his place within the social network at this trouble-filled High School.
XBOX 360 Version
To assist Jimmy in the schoolyard with his new schoolmates, the controller face buttons are used to initiate interactions. This concept has been used before in games, most notably Fable, and the way in which you interact with other boys will determine how they react back to you. Jimmy will also have to attend class and in SE, there are new mini-games and four new classes; Biology, Math, Geology and Music.
In playing Bully, you can keep to yourself and be the quiet new kid around the playgrounds, but the truth is if you do that you won’t be getting the most out of this game. It’d be rather pointless playing a game like this if you’re not going to interact that much with other schoolmates…or enemies. Whether you want to or not, Jimmy is going to have to fight and the hand-to-hand combat is incorporated better this time round then in its PS2 counterpart. That’s mainly because there are new moves that can be unlocked as you progress through the game and there are the hilarious “finishing moves” that mimic real-life school yard encounters such as the common “stop hitting yourself” technique.
As well as the new mini-games and classes in SE, there are also eight new missions which are added on seamlessly into the gameplay storyline. So if you’ve played through the original you’ll probably notice these new missions that have been mixed into the plot.
There are ten multiplayer mini-games that have been added, although all of them are offline. This however shouldn’t deter you from checking them out as they can be a lot of fun if you have a mate over. They can lead to some lounge-room taunting and cockiness as they deem to be fairly competitive and challenging if the “animal dissection” mini-game that I was shown is anything to go by. In this mini-game, you’re up against your mate in trying to dissect an animal using instruments. The more precise you are, the higher the score, so it’s more a skill-based game than a time-based one. This mini-game played particularly well on the Wii version as it allowed for more precision and skill using the motion-censoring capabilities of the Wii-mote to cut around the animal.
From a graphical standpoint, Bully on 360 looks pretty good. Around the time of the 360 launch there were a few games that launched beside the console that had been ported over from the XBOX and PS2. They didn’t push the graphical capabilities of the 360 in any way and looked more like rehashed previous-gen titles than 360 titles. Thankfully, Bully: SE actually looks like a 360 game instead of an upgraded PS2 game. It’s obvious that it’s been built from the ground up. The environments look very good, especially outside in the yard, and the character detail is top notch.
Nintendo Wii Version
While the Wii version of Bully: SE has the same content as the 360 version, there are two aspects that are notably different; the gameplay and the graphics. Thankfully, only one of them has an immediate impact on the quality of the title and that’s the gameplay. The graphics, while nowhere near the quality of the 360 version, hold up fairly well and there is an improvement on the PS2 version. There are some new textures as well as floor reflections/shadows and improved character detail thanks to the slightly increased processing power of the Wii. The sound and voiceovers also seemed smoother and improved on from the PS2 version.
The gameplay is what really stands out with Bully: SE on Wii. Rockstar have implemented the innovative controller perfectly to allow for smooth combat and enjoyable actions. Throwing a punch seems to be perfected using a swinging motion, which comes off well when implemented. Unlike boxing in Wii Sports where you couldn’t really direct the force or direction of the punch, you can use the Wii-mote to defend yourself and throw powerful punches in many directions.
As mentioned above, the Wii version contains the same features of the 360 version, but they are implemented differently due to the Wii controller.
Overall
Bully: Scholarship Edition isn’t quite the same game that was released on the PS2. While many of the gameplay elements return in this upgraded version, particularly with the 360 controls, there are particular aspects that add more depth to the title. You still have the inability to hit teachers, much like how if you kill a cop in GTA it’s an automatic 2-star wanted level. You’ll also have to use stealth to get around the teacher’s without getting caught. Overall, Bully is a simulation of actual school-life with gaming elements. It’s not an identical simulation, but rather a comedic “mockulation” - it’s realistic elements mixed together with aspects that hold the game together. The combat on Wii looks to be a lot of fun and seems to work well. While the gameplay is practically untouched on the 360 version, the added classes, missions and mini-games make Bully: Scholarship edition look like a future winner.
01/02/2008
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