Bully / The Globe and Mail
“When Rockstar Games announced Bully in mid-2005, the controversial name led to protests from not only vitriolic Florida lawyer and anti-video game campaigner Jack Thompson, but normally more rational organizations, such as anti-bullying charities and parents groups. However, the majority of these complaints came before any real details about the game emerged.In the final release version of Bully, the player, as Jimmy Hopkins, a newcomer to the run-down boarding school Bullworth Academy, has the ability with the push of a button to attack or otherwise torment adults, little kids and members of the opposite sex with traditional schoolyard pranks such as itching powder and stink bombs or, yes, his fists, or even a baseball bat.
However, in near all cases where Jimmy is expected by the narrative to perform acts of violence, it is in self defence and Jimmy is never expected to attack children or girls. Even attempting to touch a girl without her permission is guaranteed to result in a swift kick in the tenders and a trip to the principal’s office.”
My take on Rockstar’s most recent controversial title, created, actually, by Rockstar Vancouver, which I feel like I should have mentioned in the review but I didn’t really have a place to note Canada’s part in creating the game (and all the GTA games were made in Scotland, which is also worth remembering.)
I write my reviews for the Globe and Mail in a different way than I’d write them for a publication purely for gamers; this review is somewhat set up with the idea that if the reader has heard of Bully at all it’s as a reprehensible “bully simulator” and whether or not they believe that, I stress that that’s really not what it is. Much like the GTA games, actually, meaningless violence and misbehavior becomes dull after about five minutes (and the plot rarely, if ever, asks for it), while experiencing the world in a constructive manner is completely brilliant.
I think the game is a nice step in the right direction; I really wasn’t a fan of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (big isn’t better) and the evolution of the design to more heavily stress a daily routine and interaction between factions is pretty great. A change of setting makes a world of difference, too, though it’s really the design that bodes well for the next in the GTA series.
October 25th, 2006 : Reviews, The Globe and Mail
I was reading part of this to my wife last night and combined with previous interest she went out and bought it.
Comment by Shapermc — October 27, 2006 @ 9:18 am