Bully
Jimmy Hopkins might hate it here, but we think you'll warm up to Bullworth Academy quiiiite nicely.
Published: December 7, 2006
Interactivity lies at the heart and soul of this game, and good lord did they get it right. Notice one of those impudent polo-shirted bullies teasing a vulnerable underclassman? Just observe as he or she scampers off to the nearest prefect, tattles on the boy, compelling the upholding student monitor to give chase to the accused bully and, given he doesn't fall victim to a cheap hit to the groin (which you yourself can execute if ever in a pinch with the law), will have him tasting gravel. Just as entertaining are the ongoing, yes, ongoing conversations that carry on between your fellow pupils and pedestrians alike. You too can interact with any person you please, with an interactive menu of face buttons good for dealing out compliments, insults, apologies or even smooches for the ladies if you're lucky, but to see a group of students ramble on to one another about how tough the math test is just a shining testament to how far Rockstar has come in crafting a realistic world that's just so darn endearing.
And the dialogue is no less exceptional at bringing this world to life. If you want to deliver a convincing storyline, deliver some convincing voiceovers, period. Love him or hate him, Jimmy is one heck of a reasoner, and his passionate speeches in attempt to get a hapless teacher off the booze or for an oblivious headmaster to sit up and take notice of his school in shambles are hard not to believe. Hearing the nerds work Grottos & Gremlins (yes, it's a spoof on you know what) lingo into their daily vernacular or preppy kids priding themselves on Daddy's accomplishments is downright riotous. Moreover, giving one of the leather-clad greasers a firm knee to the groin just to hear him yelp out in anguish with "Auuugh! Right in the hot rod!" never, ever gets old.
The original soundtrack also serves as a pulsating backbone to all and everything that takes place on-screen. A common motif of silky basslines and resounding xylophones run through the game, but the core tunes have a predominantly rock feel to them. Some themes even pertain to the cliques themselves. Pick a fight with a bespectacled geek and prepare to chuckle as the music ramps into a driving tune of computer bloops and bleeps strongly reminiscent of Revenge of the Nerds.
Bully isn't the prettiest game you'll see grace the PlayStation 2 (by today's standards, at least), but with all it has going for it, it's so easily forgiven. Even so, there's much to be admired. The cutscenes are livened with vivid character models, with voiceovers synching up like butter and some truly convincing gesticulations. The campus and beyond are real treats to explore inside out, with season changes (pumpkins deck the campus on Halloween and snow coats the ground come winter) adding a really nice touch to the authenticity of it all.
This is a game you'll fall in love with. For me, it may have been the first time delivering a inexplicably satisfying uppercut to a bully when he found it fit to get confrontational. Or perhaps it was just that humbling feeling of being in control, to trot across campus to the tune of amiable greetings from the once-insolent kids who I had taught a lesson to. It's as comedic as it is meaningful, as engrossing as it can be leisurely, and a fine, fine achievement in action gaming that you won't soon forget. Teens and up: please get this game.
