Bully

Wow. Simply wow.

Ya know, I've wanted to post my impressions all weekend but have refrained until I felt comfortable with the amount of time I've invested. Now that I've put 10 hours into the game, I feel like I can give it the praise it deserves without steering anyone wrong. Needless to say, I'm hooked. Bully has taken me away from Baten Kaitos Origins (which I've also got 10 hours in), and is keeping me from two other favorite series games of mine (Tales of the Abyss and SMT: Devil Summoner). When I wasn't on my motorcycle this weekend, I was playing Bully.

Basically, if you like the structure that Rockstar implemented in Grand Theft Auto III and have a desire to play that in a prep school setting, then Bully is for you. The protagonist isn't the bully that the title (and perhaps even Jack Thompson) would lead you to believe. I've only played through the first chapter's main quests so far (there are tons of side quests, though) and I'm not really seeing that little Jimmy Hopkins is such a bad kid. Sure, according to the narrative, he has been thrown out of previous schools, arrested, etc. but when it comes to being a bully, so far I have not witnessed Jimmy beating up anyone who didn't in some way deserve it.

The mission structure may be set up very similar to GTAIII but it tosses in its own uniqueness to help gel with the school premise. You've got two classes per day that you can choose to attend or not. The first starts at 9:30 and the second starts at 1pm. By going to class and passing the lesson, you either gain new abilities or gain stat-building attributes to current abilities. I've already completed Chemistry (there are 5 lessons per subject), 3 lessons in English, Art and Gym, and just opened the ability to attend Shop and Photography classes. There are mini-games involved in the classes which make going both fun and challenging. And speaking of challenging... while the Chemistry class requires you to pass a timed button pressing mini-game, English class requires you to create as many words as you can from a handful of scrambled letters in a certain amount of time. And you have to meet a certain percentage or you fail. This class has been the most challenging and rewarding to me thus far. I'm actually having to work at gaining new abilities for my character! lol

All in all, Rockstar nailed the prep school setting, stereotypical characters and all. The voice acting couldn't be better. It is exactly what you'd expect depending on which kind of schoolmate you are talking to (this is where the stereotypes soar). The music (especially that chilling opening music - very Potter-esque) fits the mold perfectly.

The story starts out with Jimmy basically learning his way around (both physically around campus and interacting with his schoolmates). It's enough to draw you in, that's for sure. Maybe because it touches on something we've all experienced at one time or another (compared to the GTA series where we aren't all working for the mob, haha), but it's almost surreal how real Bullworth Academy is. It's a living, breathing school. Even with the not-too-surprising twist at the end of chapter one, the story is moving along at a nice pace and I can't wait to see where else is leads me.

1up's "10" for Bully caused me to have reservations at first, but after my time with it, that 10 isn't so far fetched. I'm not saying I'd award it a 10, but it's easier to swallow now that I've experienced some of the game for myself.

It comes down to one synopsis really. Definitely a rental; worth of a purchase. I am so very satisfied that I followed my instinct and took a chance on Bully. (Actually, Voodoo gave it to me as an anniversary gift, so I'm really glad that I spoke up about my interest in it.)

My .02? Opt for the $50 EB/Gamestop exclusive. The life-size (yes, it's an official playing size) dodge ball with the Bully logo on it is a very nice touch. And a fine collectible that I will proudly display.