Canis Canem Edit (UK) Bully (US)
Released: Oct 2006
System: Playstation 2 (bully:scholarship edition for wii and xbox360)
Player(s): 1 player
Type: action-adventure / sandbox video game
Manufacturer: Rockstar Vancouver
certification: varies. Uk = 15
DT's Rating: 10 /10
Quote:
Bully is a sandbox game set in a school environment. The player takes control of teenage rebel Jimmy Hopkins, who from the opening cutscene is revealed to be a difficult student with a disruptive background. The game concerns the events that follow Jimmy being dropped off at Bullworth Academy, a fictional New England boarding school. The player is free to explore the school campus in the beginning and, later on in the game, the town, or to complete the main missions. The game makes extensive use of minigames. Some are used to earn money, others to improve Jimmy's abilities or get new items.
School classes themselves are done in the form of minigames, broken into five levels of increasing difficulty. English, as an example, is a word scramble minigame, and as Jimmy does well in this minigame, he learns various language-skills, such as the ability to apologize to police for small crimes. Chemistry also an example, is a button pushing minigame, and if Jimmy does well, he gains the ability to create firecrackers, stink bombs, and itching powder at his chemistry set in his room at the dorm.
Jimmy has a multitude of weapons available, although they tend to run along the lines of things a school boy might actually attain, such as a slingshot, bags of marbles, itching powder, fire crackers, stink bombs, and, later in the game, a bottle rocket launcher and the spud cannon, a firearm that launches potatoes. Although fighting is an integral part of the game, violence against girls, smaller kids, or authority figures generally has swift and severe consequences.
Jimmy also has an assortment of vehicles to operate — mainly a skateboard, but also a scooter, a go-kart, a lawn mower (for money, and also to complete a detention and, towards the end of the game, some missions), and various bicycles. By passing shop classes, Jimmy can build increasingly high-performance BMX bikes, and use them in either races or a bike park. The player can also alter Jimmy's physical appearance to his/her liking by purchasing new clothes, haircuts, or even tattoos.
Movement ios relatively simple and easy and the lock-on targeting system makes fighting quite easy. The manual targeting system for the slingshot can be a bit awkward though.
The vehicle operation can be a little dodgy, but is genrally sound, though I would have preferred if more tricks were aviliable to be used when on the skateboard.
Get it if you love...: Sandbox games, 'rock' games with a sense of humor, such as 'Tony Hawk's Underground 2'
Review:
I am officially in love with the second hand video game store in my town, and managed to pick this awesome game up for a measly £5! Genrally I'm a platform gamer, though my favourite games are usually 2 player skaters. I adore the tony hawk games, and was really happy to find out that this game is along teh same line sin teh spirit of it and the rebellious and enjoyable feel of it.
Because of the idea of the main character being a 'bully', the game received a lot of controvesy, but largely it's undeserved. For one, the only bullying that really goes on is against nastier students - to bully the bullies in otehr words - and actions are not without their consequences. If, like me, you're a bit of a goodie twoshoes in every day life (esp at school) than this serves as an awesome and extremly enjoyable relief. You progress through completing various main missions (eg escourting a nerd to the library without having other people beat him up; infiltrating the rich-prep/townie dormitory; winning a bike race' fighting a big bully), but you are also given free reign for mini missions and just exploration (eg collecting hidden rubber bands; finding transister radios to give to a hobo so he can teach you how to fight; or attending school lessons to recieve fight, weapons and charisma upgrades). As you get further on the main missions, more and more of the game is opened up to you: for example, after a while you are allowed to exit the school grounds into the town and even get your own clubhouse in a lighthouse.
The real appeal of the excellent game is the sense of freedom. Thinsg are very customisable (mainly your character's appearance) and you can essentially explore and wreak havoc to your heart's content if you like. it's one of thsoe games you can return to time and time again as a casual thing, and doesn't lose it's appeal if you've been away from it for a long time.
I love it and throughly reccomend it - 10/10
Note: In case you haven't already realised - it has two titles depending on where it is sold.
In the US it is called 'bully'
In the Uk and elsewhere it goes by the latin name 'canis canem edit'
