'Bully: Scholarship Edition' - Game review
8 out of 10
I don't normally review games until I've finished them but it seems I never will finish Bully. In order to run or cycle fast you have to tap the 'A' button continually and it's given me a sore wrist (some kind of repetitive strain injury of the tendons). When I stopped playing the game my wrist felt better straight away.
It's a shame because it is a really good game. A true sandbox, the game could teach Assassin's Creed a few things about player choice and interaction. It also has a number of random items to collect around the game world (like the flags in Assassin's Creed) but gives you the chance to earn a map of their locations!!! so it doesn't end up being completely irritating like that other game.
A game about going to school and attending lessons might not sound fun but it's done really well, with a wicked sense of humour and great minigames for the lessons. And you can always choose to play truant and go to the carnival if you don't feel like having a maths lesson.
There's so much variety in here it's impossible to describe. It's really a school-age Grand Theft Auto, with the same sort of choice and depth that you'd expect from that series.
And also like GTA, it's had more than its fair share of controversy. People say that a game that encourages bullying is despicable and shouldn't be allowed. That might be true, were such a game ever to be released. Bullying is certainly an option in Bully but the game actually tells you not to be a bully. Prefects, teachers and police will all nab you if they catch you bullying people. It is true that some missions and challenges require bullying in order to complete them but the game never suggests that it's a good thing. In fact, it goes quite a long way to make you understand it's bad and your character only ever enjoys attacking people who are themselves shown to be bullies in the story. He's a reluctant thug. It's never gratuitous or without consequences.
Other than my RSI issue, which seems to be something unique to me, this is a really good game. If you want something like a toned-down Grand Theft Auto (no killing, no prostitutes, some innuendo and mild bad language) then this is the game for you.
I don't normally review games until I've finished them but it seems I never will finish Bully. In order to run or cycle fast you have to tap the 'A' button continually and it's given me a sore wrist (some kind of repetitive strain injury of the tendons). When I stopped playing the game my wrist felt better straight away.
It's a shame because it is a really good game. A true sandbox, the game could teach Assassin's Creed a few things about player choice and interaction. It also has a number of random items to collect around the game world (like the flags in Assassin's Creed) but gives you the chance to earn a map of their locations!!! so it doesn't end up being completely irritating like that other game.
A game about going to school and attending lessons might not sound fun but it's done really well, with a wicked sense of humour and great minigames for the lessons. And you can always choose to play truant and go to the carnival if you don't feel like having a maths lesson.
There's so much variety in here it's impossible to describe. It's really a school-age Grand Theft Auto, with the same sort of choice and depth that you'd expect from that series.
And also like GTA, it's had more than its fair share of controversy. People say that a game that encourages bullying is despicable and shouldn't be allowed. That might be true, were such a game ever to be released. Bullying is certainly an option in Bully but the game actually tells you not to be a bully. Prefects, teachers and police will all nab you if they catch you bullying people. It is true that some missions and challenges require bullying in order to complete them but the game never suggests that it's a good thing. In fact, it goes quite a long way to make you understand it's bad and your character only ever enjoys attacking people who are themselves shown to be bullies in the story. He's a reluctant thug. It's never gratuitous or without consequences.
Other than my RSI issue, which seems to be something unique to me, this is a really good game. If you want something like a toned-down Grand Theft Auto (no killing, no prostitutes, some innuendo and mild bad language) then this is the game for you.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
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