Bully: Scholarship Edition
Description official descriptions
Scholarship Edition is an updated version of the original Bully and this version is the first release of the game on the Xbox 360, Wii and PC. The Windows and the Xbox 360 version are almost identical, and the Wii version was updated by a different development studio.
This edition enhances the original game with eight new missions, four new school classes (biology, music, maths and geography), improved visuals, new characters, an off-line multiplayer mode with mini-games, unlockables and a grading system.
Spellings
- BULLY ăšăŤăŠăźăˇăăăťă¨ăăŁăˇă§ăł - Japanese spelling
Groups +
- Bully versions
- Enhanced ports / Port differences
- Gameplay feature: Photography
- Middleware: Bink Video
- Middleware: Gamebryo / Lightspeed / NetImmerse
- Middleware: RenderWare
- Physical Bonus Content: Poster
- Physical Bonus Content: Soundtrack
- Physical Bonus Content: World Map
- QIX variants
- Remastered releases
- Theme: School
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Credits (Wii version)
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 81% (based on 94 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 74 ratings with 2 reviews)
Some Things In Life Can't Be Learnt...
The Good
A semi-negligent mother is your first of many enemies in this game. She, along with her new boyfriend or step-dad seem to take pleasure in dumping you at the notorious âBullworth Academyâ for what will be a long time indeed.. This scene is played out over the credits of the game, (itâs reminiscent of a tele-movie), and your character âJimmyâ doesnât hesitate to express his feelings about this from the back seat of the sedan. The feeling is similar to that of being taken to prison â (not being a private school student, I can only imagine the feelings of betrayal and disappointment this guy must feel!)
You play as Jimmy, a fairly troubled guy who has had a patchy academic record at best. Heâs often referring to his list of suspensions and expulsions to other students, and from his appearance you find these stories fairly convincing. His skin-head, burly figure and defensive body language are all there for anyone to read. Does a sensitive and intelligent character lurk under this exterior? To some degree, Rockstar let the player decide that. At first, you find Jimmyâs character quite impenetrable.
In a complete reference to their own back catalogue, Rockstar developed (to the best of the technologyâs ability) a living, breathing and dynamic urban landscape, the hub of which is initially the Academy itself. We see that the school is fairly dilapidated, and lacks the prestige and traditionalism that many other institutions may have. Itâs probably where the regions lower-middle class send their kids! We see sprinklings of graffiti, general carelessness and pretty confronting and impulsive behaviour by many of the students. The brilliantly programmed campus sees kids beating up others, fire-crackers going off and eggs being pelted all of the non-playable charactersâ own accord. This gives the game the crucial feeling that the town is alive and that this is really happening now.
The game-play itself asks players to keep Jimmy alive (and even excel academically!) in this disordered environment. So how do you do that? Well, there are heaps of activities to take care of. Firstly, each day you can attend two classes (remember them?), and you are required to fulfil certain requirement or meet a standard. Sounds boring and too much like real school right? Well itâs not. Biology asks players to dissect frogs, rats and other freshly killed vermin with precise and speedy motion controls, geography is a flag-dropping exercise performed over a given part of the world (tricky), and gym makes use of the infamous game of dodge-ball, among others. These are no means the majority of the game, but they allow you to take a break from your missions, as well as unlock useful (and not-so-useful) items for your schoolboy.
The missions that youâre faced with are wide and varied. Some are trivial, some are funny, and some are plain criminal. But theyâre mostly fun. Using the motion controls to punch, kick and combo works well, and the fighting that you have to do is never really a chore. Even if it were, the range of alternatives available means that you never have to throw a punch if you donât feel like it. Try a stink-bomb, fire-cracker, slingshot, bottle-rocket or even a soccer-ball if you want. Luckily, the auto-targeting makes these things quick and easy to use, and I find that this is a good way to weaken your fellow pupil, prefect or civilian before getting close.
The cast and crew of Bullworth and the surrounding area are pretty well done too. The voice-acting (although hardly convincing) is well done and suitable. The characterisations are pretty well done, and some of the characters do draw the right emotion from you. Gary particularly gets my goat, while the shy and unconfident Pete does drum up some sympathy. Letâs just say that stuffing him into a garbage can was less fun.
The Bad
Control-wise, this game is a little shaky. Some times your targeting (initiated by the silly âCâ button) skips a beat and youâre looking at the wrong dude. Other times the camera is put-off by your erratic but necessary movements, and sometimes (especially with the sling-shot) the IR detection plain fails. There is one mission in particular where youâre sitting in a tree trying to snipe students. Crucial seconds pass by while youâre waiting for the software to âdetectâ that youâre actually pointing at the right place. Meanwhile, these schoolboy thugs have already dished out some ultra-violence on the lunch-lady (not that she didnât deserve just a little). There is also some amount of frame-skipping happening, but this is somewhat inevitable when playing in an open-area world such as this - or is it?
As youâre a teenager, car-jacking, firearms and most adult activity is not featured in this game. However, the petty pranks and juvenile vandalisms, as well as the displays of disrespect make up for this. Egging people while on your BMX, or ollieing over an SUV or even baseball batting a port-a-loo seems stupid to do, but it turns out that this stuff is pretty fun. It brings out the delinquent tendencies in all of us. Sigh.
Bully isnât perfect. I find some of the missions fragmented and unfulfilling, and some of the environments decidedly non-interactive. Also, I donât find Jimmy Hopkins a particularly likeable character. Heâs not too intelligent, and is completely humourless. I canât get into characters that take themselves so seriously, such as Master Chief or Gordon Freeman. Musically the game varies too. Sometimes the tempo and textures reflect the urgency suitably, but other times, the vibraphone-soaked quasi-spy theme that circles endlessly hurt the experience. And donât get me started on music class.
The Bottom Line
This game has its merits in the originality of concept. The schoolyard is the biggest battlefield of our lives (well, for those of us that stay out of prison), and Bully draws on this environment well. The âLord of the Fliesâ parallels make for some good game-play and opportunity for struggle, conflict and survival of the Bulliest.
Wii · by So Hai (261) · 2008
The Good
Bully: Scholarship Edition (essentially an expansion of Bully) offers new classes, missions and other things not found in the original Bully. The gameplay bares more than a passing resemblance to Grand Theft Auto, another great game. Its simulation of high school is incredibly realistic (at times, too realistic). Thankfully, you're able to collect weapons to fight back against those pesky jocks and bullies. The character designs are also unique. No two students are alike (unlike the Grand Theft Auto games). Some of the classes are actually educational and the player might actually learn something from them. The characters' dialogue is often humorous.
The Bad
As I said, the game's simulation of high school is, at times, too realistic. It brought back memories that I'd been trying to repress, which I didn't like. My main complaint is the music class. It is essentially a simple rhythm game, but the buttons are often unresponsive, leading to me failing the class. I also dislike the detention feature because it is excruciating and agonizing, quite like real detention.
The Bottom Line
Overall, Bully: Scholarship Edition isn't the best game I've ever played, but it's still a pretty good game.
Xbox 360 · by J.D. Majors (14) · 2009
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
coming to PC in October | tarmo888 (5257) | Aug 22, 2008 |
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Bully: Scholarship Edition
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Sciere.
Windows added by Cantillon. Android, iPhone, iPad added by GTramp. Xbox One added by Eufemiano Bullanga.
Additional contributors: Foxhack, Wizo, Lance Boyle, GTramp, Deleted.
Game added March 4, 2008. Last modified July 12, 2024.