Bully: Scholarship Edition

Rating Teen Genre adventure Publisher Rockstar Games External Links Official Bully Website

Rockstar welcomes us back to Bullworth Academy with the Wii port of this controversial hit. Even before its original release in 2006 on the Playstation 2, Bully became the target of overprotective parents and politicians for its disputed glorification of bullying and potential for boy-on-boy kissing. Being so closely related to Rockstar's other, more adult oriented sandbox game, Grand Theft Auto, whose Hot Coffee scandal had rocked the gaming world only a year before, probably didn't help either. But make no mistake; Bully may seem like a teen targeted GTA clone, when it comes to both content and quality, Rockstar delivers.

For those who may have missed it the first time around, in Bully you assume the role of Jimmy Hopkins, the games antagonizing protagonist. Jimmy is a typical problem child, cursed with uncaring parents who, at the outset of the story, drop him off at Bullworth Academy, the games fictional boarding school. In open-ended fashion you guide Jimmy through his class schedule and extra-curricular activities as he deals with the school’s 5 cliques in his attempt to gain control of the school. Do you run over and deal with the latest Greaser overstepping his bounds or try to make first period? It’s up to you.

One would think the answer to that question is simple: Pound that punk and show him what’s what, with enough spare time to wash up before second period! However, a good education has its rewards. The further you go in your studies the better the odds are stacked with you in your career at Bullworth. Whether it be learning the fine art of festive explosives in chemistry or how to swoon the girlies with your expansive English vocabulary, its obvious Jimmy knows that a good education is a terrible thing to waste.

In true Rockstar fashion, the personality and uniqueness of the characters in Bully stand out. Even though some may seem archetypal, given the age old story of a social group segregated school, each student and faculty member has its own name and persona that lends itself to providing a deeper experience for the player. The focus on time and the in-game day/night cycle is also a nice addition, as it adds a bit of realism to the outlandish story. But, stay out too late and your young body will pass out from exhaustion.

On an obvious note, the graphic engine in the Wii version of Bully: Scholarship Edition is not as crisp as the Xbox 360 release. The models and textures do look a bit dated by today’s standards, but the game operates without any noticeable slowdown. Instead, the Wii version sports liberal, and mostly spot on use of motion control both in fighting and the classroom mini-games. Lock on to your adversary and swing away with Wii-mote right hooks and Nunchuck left jabs. By training with the back alley bum, more diverse fighting techniques are unlocked by adding button presses along with controller swinging. The targeting can be a little dicey in crowded fights, but it felt pretty solid overall. The main hang-up I have with the controls come in the form of first person slingshot aiming. Maybe I am too used to other Wii first person control such as in Metroid Prime 3, but it seemed that targeting was too sensitive and my reticule was constantly sliding past my intended targets.

If you haven’t yet picked up the original on PS2, are looking for something to tide you over until GTA4, and also own a Wii, Bully: Scholarship Edition is a great buy. If you have already played the original and liked it, this release has new missions and classes to tempt you into having another go at an already solid game. For those of you who didn’t like the first go around or look down upon Rockstar’s game library in general, I’ll be waiting by the flagpole for you after school. *Cracks Knuckles*