Bully: scholarship edition
From the beginning of the game it seems like everyone in the school is out to get you, as a simple shove or piece of trash talk will result in you getting beat down where you stand, or school prefects tracking you down and throwing you in detention (stealing your items in the process). Despite any polish issues or glitches in the world, there's still an overwhelming feeling that the world around you is truly alive, and that really makes Bully the experience that it is. It isn't that the minis aren't fun, they are, but none of them have that fine layer of polish that separates a really good experience from a great one. Yes there's a ton to do in the city of Bullworth, but there's a constant balance of interesting concepts, and not-so-rewarding execution. Each of the minis in Bully though – be it at the carnival, in the form of new classes, or dished out during detention – all have the same rough, first-pass feel that you find in all of Rockstar's open world experiences. Biology specifically (Trauma Center with dead vermin) is entertaining at face value, and as a mini-game it's pretty engaging.
With the addition of four new classes though, the experience feels a bit more fleshed out, as the new classes borrow from games like Trauma Center and Brain Age.
If it were just the control alone that Rockstar focused on this time around, Bully still would have been a decent, quick remake. Grabs are handled by holding Z and pushing forward with your left hand – at which point you can shove them with another nunchuk shove, or deliver punches with the remote – and the classic humiliation finishing moves are now all motion-activated, similar to a PG-13 Manhunt 2 scheme. Rather than button mashing to fight, a quick shake of the nunchuk or Wii remote will throw left and right hand punches respectively. Most prominent of the changes Wii owners will find is the revamped control scheme, which actually works very well, and makes fighting (like Wii's Godfather: Blackhand Edition) extremely fun and engaging. What's different? Bully: Scholarship Edition is basically an expanded experience in a few key areas.
BULLY: SCHOLARSHIP EDITION PS2
This is what PS2 owners got two years ago. When in doubt, scour the mini-map for gold stars (missions) or bells (classes) and you'll be on your way to winning over Bullworth Academy.
BULLY: SCHOLARSHIP EDITION FREE
The school runs on its own schedule though, so while you've got free reign of the campus from the beginning (and later, the town of Bullworth), you'll be sent to detention or forced to go to class if you fail to follow the game's internal clock. The core experience Bully has to offer is still the same players take the role of Jimmy Hopkins, an outcast teen who is ditched in a strange town by his mother and new step dad, and is instantly the marked man in a school riddled with bullies. Nearly the entire Bully package is identical to what it was on PS2, but where changes were made, they were made right. While most hardcore gamers out there already know the score when it comes to Rockstar's GTA-like school simulator, a few things have been changed along the way for Nintendo's version of the game, and while we wouldn't normally embrace "Wii-makes" that end up being basic PS2 ports with very little to offer players, Bully is still, after two years, one heck of a package, and well worth your time and attention. Bullworth Academy opens its doors to a brand new class of gamers next week with the release of Bully: Scholarship Edition for Nintendo Wii.